The Comet Is Coming:

The Comet Is Comingreleases their Impulse! Debut - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery
US tour starts March 12. Includes; Los Angeles, SXSW, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Big Ears, Bonnaroo

The Comet Is Coming, "an improvisational, intergalactic mash-up" (The Guardian), will release their Impulse! debut, Trust In the Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery, on March 15. Their first-ever US tour begins in Los Angeles on March 12 and takes them through SXSW, NYC, Philadelphia, DC, Big Ears Festival and finally lands them in Bonnaroo on June 13. The first track from the album, "Summon The Fire," is available today.

The Comet Is Coming, who in 2016 were shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize, is comprised of King Shabaka (Shabaka Hutchings) on saxophone, Danalogue (Dan Leavers) on keys/synth, and Betamax (Max Hallett) on drums. On this album, Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery, the trio envisage a 21st century take on spiritual jazz that is part Alice Coltrane, part Bladerunner.

Joni Mitchell:

Honoring musical icon Joni Mitchell's legacy and 75th birthday, Decca Records will release The Music Center Presents Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration on March 8, 2019. On Joni's 75th birthday last November, a star-studded roster of musicians gathered together to pay tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter. The evening was recorded and is now subsequently being released. It features performances by Brandi Carlile; Glen Hansard; Emmylou Harris; Norah Jones; Chaka Khan; Diana Krall; Kris Kristofferson; Los Lobos with La Marisoul, Cesar Castro & Xochi Flores; Graham Nash; James Taylor; Seal; Rufus Wainwright; and more. The full track list is below. 

Recorded at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, a stage on which Mitchell twice performed in 1972 and 1974, the album includes performances and interpretations of classic Mitchell  songs, including Brandi Carlile & Kris Kristofferson performing "A Case of You," Seal's version of "Both Sides Now", Diana Krall singing "Amelia", Rufus Wainwright's "Blue", Norah Jones' version of "Court And Spark", and many more. 

VOCES8:

The British vocal ensemble VOCES8 is proud to inspire people through music and share the joy of singing. Touring globally, the group performs an extensive repertory both in its a cappella concerts and in collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Versatility and a celebration of diverse musical expression are central to the ensemble's performance and education ethos.

Voces8 releases Enchanted Isle, a new album of music reminiscent of rolling hills, green valleys, rugged mountainsides, and sleepy villages. Enchanted Isle features reimagined pieces originally written for film or television (such as Lord of the Ringsand Game of Thrones), new arrangements of Scottish and Irish melodies, and compositions set to texts by great English poets.

Lang Lang:

One of the world's biggest classical stars, Lang Lang, returns with his brand new solo album ‘Piano Book' – a collection of pieces which first inspired him to play the piano and led him on his path to international stardom. The recording, his first new studio album in three years, marks his return to Universal Music Group and Deutsche Grammophon – the label he first signed to in 2003.

Lang Lang says: "I want to take every music lover on a journey through my favourite piano pieces. I hope to inspire as well as motivate every piano student to remain focused during daily practice, and to play and understand these essential pieces for what they really are: true masterpieces!"

‘Piano Book' gathers together many of the miniatures that generations of amateur pianists have grown up with. Lang Lang holds them in the highest regard, believing them to be classics in their own right. He wants to encourage piano students across the world to fully appreciate them.

Jan Lisiecki:

Acclaimed 23-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki joins forces with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to release Mendelssohn on Deutsche Grammophon on February 1. The album explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, complemented with a selection of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations sérieuses, the Rondo capriccioso and the "Venetian Boat Song" from the Songs without Words.

Felix Mendelssohn was a year younger than Lisiecki is now when he wrote his First Piano Concerto in G minor; the work was dedicated to the seventeen-year-old pianist Delphine von Schauroth. Cast in three movements, it is a lively, spirited work, at times requiring lightning-quick playing. Lisiecki finds it remarkable that the concerto begins as if "in the middle of a piece," and particularly appreciates the buoyancy of this early work – he thinks of it as like "a nature trip" and notes that its "lightness of touch ... reminds [him] very much of playing Mozart." 

Lara Downes:

On March 1, 2019, American pianist Lara Downes releases her new album, Holes in the Sky, on Portrait, an imprint of the Sony Music Masterworks label.

Holes in the Sky is a genre-fluid collection of music written and performed by today's leading female artists, celebrating the contributions of phenomenal women to the past, present, and future of American music.

The music of Holes in the Sky tells the story of what women and girls can contribute to the world when they are given a chance - their dreams can make holes in the sky. Lara collaborates with an extraordinary multi-generational group of female guest artists on this album, including the iconic singer / songwriter Judy Collins, boundary-breaking violinist Rachel Barton Pine, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, fast-rising cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, and the urban youth vocal ensemble Musicality.

The album is presented in direct support of PLAN International Because I Am A Girl, bolstering the rights and empowerment of girls and young women around the globe; Women's Empowerment in Sacramento, ending homelessness one woman - and one family - at a time; the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles, a permanent and supportive housing and healthcare provider for women; Girls on the Run in Spokane, teaching life skills through fun, engaging lessons that celebrate the joy of movement; and the Lower East Side Girls Club, breaking the cycle of poverty by training the next generation of ethical, entrepreneurial, and environmental leaders.

Gernot Wolfgang:

Albany Records just released composer Gernot Wolfgang's chamber music CD VIENNA AND THE WEST. The album is a follow-up to his CD PASSING THROUGH, which received rave reviews and went on to be nominated for a 2016 GRAMMY Award in the category Best Classical Compendium.

VIENNA AND THE WEST was recorded from May 15-18, 2018 in Los Angeles by some of the city's finest classical musicians, among them members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, first-call studio musicians and several GRAMMY nominees (including one winner). GRAMMY nominated Rich Breen was the engineer for these sessions. 

The New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden:

The New York Philharmonic's third album with Decca Gold will be released physically and digitally on February 22, 2019. The album features performances by the New York Philharmonic of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps and Debussy's La Mer from Jaap van Zweden's opening weeks (September-October 2018) as Music Director. It is now available for pre-order on nyphil.org and through this link.

Of the Opening Gala performance of Le Sacre du printempts, The New York Times wrote "Mr. van Zweden drew incisive, blazingly powerful and vehement playing from the Philharmonic." Two weeks later, The Times described the performance of La Mer as "bold, almost cinematic."

Andris Nelsons - Boston Symphony:

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andris Nelsons continue their critically acclaimed Under Stalin's Shadow series on Deutsche Grammophon with the release of Shostakovich's Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7 together with the composer's Suite from the Incidental Music to King Lear and the Festive Overture on February 22. 

The new double-disc set follows the 2018 release of a compelling pairing of Shostakovich's Fourth and Eleventh Symphonies, which has been nominated in the Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Album (classical) categories for the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Seiji Ozawa:

45 years after his debut Philips recording of Beethoven's Ninth, Seiji Ozawa returns to this epic masterpiece with the Mito Chamber Orchestra. This new recording features star players Radek Baborák (horn), Ricardo Morales (clarinet), and Philippe Tondre (oboe) as well as the German baritone Markus Eiche, who leads a quartet of Japanese soloists and the Tokyo Opera Singers in a riveting performance of the famed final movement.

Various:

Recorded live to the highest industry standards in front of the magnificent scenery of Beijing's Forbidden City, this unique gala concert celebrates the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon. The concert features conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, both freshly signed as exclusive recording artists to Deutsche Grammophon, and performances from Aida Garifullina, Daniil Trifonov, Mari Samuelsen, and more.

Vangelis:

Pioneering composer Vangelis' new album has been released on Decca Records and is a soothing collection of solo piano pieces, recorded in his inimitable style. There are 11 new tracks as well as brand new versions of his iconic hits, including his score for Chariots of Fire and the "Love Theme" from Blade Runner. On this album, Vangelis records on a grand piano for the first time.

Vangelis is offering fans the chance to hear music from his new album, Nocturne, before its release by taking photos of the moon. They can upload their pictures via mobile phone to an innovative new website (vangelisnocturne.com), which uses visual recognition technology to unlock each new track according to its corresponding single cover image and lunar phase.

Soundtracks:

Valley of the Boom explores the dot-com era during Silicon Valley's unprecedented tech boom of the 1990s and subsequent bust. The six-part limited series tells the wildly true stories of the epic browser wars and the companies that shaped the internet.  Starring Bradley Whitford, Steve Zahn, Lamorne Morris, John Karna, Dakota Shapiro, Oliver Cooper and John Murphy, Valley of the Boom makes its debut on National Geographic Sunday, January 13.  

Created, directed and executive produced by Matthew Carnahan, Valley of the Boom is National Geographic's newest American docudrama. 

Charles Richard-Hamelin:

For their first recorded collaboration, pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, under the direction of Kent Nagano, are offering the album Chopin: Concertos Nos. 1 & 2.

"This project is a real childhood dream come true. I feel extremely privileged to have immortalized this ideal collaboration with Maestro Nagano and to now be part of the rich discography of the OSM" says Charles Richard-Hamelin of this album recorded in concert at the Maison symphonique de Montréal in October 2018.

Craig Swanson:

I have dreamed about The French Suite Kit ever since I first heard Glenn Gould talk about the possibility of a "New Listener" who would take some measure of control over their participation in the listening process. As Geoffrey Payzant in his book, Glenn Gould: Music and Mind, stated 40 years ago (1978):

The technological developments predicted by Gould in the mid-1960s have for the most part materialized as he said they would, but the advertisements in the audio press do not suggest that there is a consumer market for them. Nobody is advertising "kits."

Various:

Impulse! has brought together some of the great progressive jazz musicians of our time to pay tribute to The Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper will be available on vinyl for Record Store Day on November 23, available on CD, digital, and streaming platforms on November 30, with a wide vinyl release on January 18, 2019.

A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper includes performances and interpretations by artists such as UK saxophonist and Impulse! recording artist Shabaka Hutchings, Impulse! pianist Sullivan Fortner, Verve recording artist Miles Mosley, Onyx Collective, percussionist Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mary Halvorson, The JuJu Exchange and more. 

This stellar lineup represents some of the great progressive jazz artists from around the world: Shabaka from the UK Jazz scene, Miles Mosley and Cameron Graves from LA's West Coast Get Down, Onyx Collective from NYC, Makaya McCraven and the JuJu Exchange from Chicago.  

Cast Albums:

Sony Masterworks Broadway announces today's release of RENT – ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK OF THE FOX TELEVISION EVENT, featuring music from the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical RENT, as performed by the star-studded cast of FOX's television event, the soundtrack is produced by Stephen Oremus, executive-produced by Marc Platt and co-produced by Derik Lee.

The soundtrack features performances by actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens (Maureen Johnson), singer/songwriter Jordan Fisher (Mark Cohen), recording artist Tinashe (Mimi Marquez), actress Kiersey Clemons (Joanne Jefferson), newcomer and singer/songwriter Brennin Hunt (Roger Davis), R&B/Pop superstar Mario (Benjamin Coffin III), performer Valentina (Angel Dumont Schunard) and Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Brandon Victor Dixon (Tom Collins).  Additionally, Keala Settleperforms the iconic solo from "Seasons of Love."

Danny Elfman:

"Every child knows his melodies." You'll normally only hear this about rock stars. But Danny Elfman is a composer of film music. Yet, who doesn't know how to whistle the theme from The Simpsons? Or the driving sound of Beetlejuice devised by Elfman in 1988, which became a hallmark for the comedy-fantasy film genre and for video games. Elfman provided the film score for nearly all movies directed by Tim Burton, invented the cinematic sound for Spider Man and Men in Black and came up with the main theme for Desperate Housewives. Hailing from Los Angeles and already a member of an avant-garde ensemble by the age of 19, Elfman has established himself as a fixture among the greatest film composers alongside Hans Zimmer or John Williams. However, among the soundtrack masters Elfman stands out for the distinctive character he lends his scores. With him, tubas and trombones play at a breakneck speed and violins are put through Paganini-like paces. And every soundtrack has its own unique idea which captivates the imagination of moviegoers over and over again.

Joyce DiDonato:

Joyce DiDonato with Craig Terry, Charlie Porter, Chuck Israels, Jimmy Madison & Lautaro Greco

With her album Songplay, Joyce DiDonato takes a new and creative angle on vocal music from the Baroque and Classical periods, as well as from the 20th century. The 14 tracks on Songplay succeed in being simultaneously familiar and unexpected. The album serves up music by Vivaldi in both its customary Baroque purity and swinging to the heady rhythm of a samba. It brings a tango sizzle to an aria by Vivaldi's contemporary Marcello, and it plays with the voice of Bach in George Shearing's ‘Lullaby of Birdland'.   

"Songplay, as a title, suggests exactly what this album is," says the pianist Craig Terry, who developed the concept for the album along with Joyce DiDonato.

John Coltrane:

A selection of Coltrane's 1963 Impulse! recordings, derived from the original albums Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Dear Old Stockholm, Newport ‘63 and Live at Birdland

In the brief, bright arc that is the career of John Coltrane, 1963 marks a point of transition between past jazz masterpieces and future work, which would transcend the boundaries of the music itself.  That year's recorded output shows movement in many directions: a look back at the past, continued examination of a familiar repertoire, exploration of more traditional formats and a look forward at compositions and approaches that would further extend the reach of jazz.

Khatia Buniatishvili:

Having blazed her way into public consciousness with her fearlessness on stage as well as on record, Georgian-born pianist Khatia Buniatishvili has become known for her distinctive artistic approach and bold interpretive flair, which combine to make her playing and performances both unmistakable and unmissable.

Pablo Aslan:

At the suggestion of bandoneonist, arranger, and composer Raúl Jaurena, I set out to create a body of work for bass and string quartet, in order to feature the bass not only as foundation and a melodic instrument, but as a driver of rhythm. As I was mulling over the idea, I got an invitation from Cho-Liang Lin, Artistic Director of the La Jolla Music Festival, to play a concert with Paquito D'Rivera and the Escher String Quartet in 2016. In turn, Pac-man, as he calls himself, invited me to bring some repertoire to the musical shindig, and thus the album was off to a start. I enlisted my teacher and friend Gabriel Senanes, who lives in Buenos Aires, to write and arrange several pieces. This led naturally to inviting him to be the Artistic Producer. He contributed two mini-concerti that sent me to the practice shed for months and forced me to up my game, a common thread throughout the making of this album.

SYML:

Cecilia Bartoli:

Almost 20 years after her historic Vivaldi album, Cecilia Bartoli turns to the composer once again for her brand new solo recording, Antonio Vivaldi. The album is a glorious collection of Vivaldi arias, performed with French baroque orchestra Ensemble Matheus under Jean-Christophe Spinosi. This new release also marks 30 years since Bartoli signed to Decca Classics.

Cecilia Bartoli's 1999 recording The Vivaldi Album redefined her status as an artist: for the first time, she was widely appreciated as a rescuer of neglected or forgotten music, in her dual role as meticulous researcher and passionate interpreter.

The Vivaldi Album shone a spotlight on the Italian as a composer of vocal works, sparking a revival in the operas of Vivaldi, who had hitherto been primarily known for his concerti. The album sold 700,000 copies in five years and went Gold in six countries. It paved the way for similarly trailblazing releases, including the Italian arias of Christoph Willibald Gluck, the legendary castratos (on the album Sacrificium) and Bartoli's personal 19th-century hero, the mezzo-soprano Maria Malibran.

Nina June:

Nina June is an Amsterdam based artist and songwriter who found inspiration for her songs during a 700-mile solitary walk through France and Spain. Here she would listen to the film music of Thomas Newman (American Beauty) and Michael Nyman (The Piano), as well as the ethereal pop of Rhye and Zero7. During this trip, Nina experienced life at its most pure and basic. On March 23rd, 2018, she released her album Bon Voyage in a sold out Paradiso Amsterdam. Her music had been heard by millions of ears through Spotify by that time already. The album is a display of Nina's view of the world; 'It's about the hidden loneliness of our generation. We are all young, beautiful and talented. But also searching. For love, freedom, and our personal mission. We have never been so interconnected, yet we are alone on this journey. Bon Voyage is a greeting to everyone who faces this quest.' Bon Voyage was mainly self produced by Nina and her musical companion Lieuwe Roonder. To finish the album, Nina worked with Tim Bran (London Grammar, Paul McCartney, Birdy) in London. They combine both classical organic elements and modern electronic production. The result: a series of atmospheric, cinematic pop songs. After a successful club tour throughout the Netherlands and a showcase at the Indie Week New York, Nina receives the "Zilveren Notekraker" in Paradiso in September 2018, an award for the most remarkable artistic accomplishment of the past year.  PRESSQUOTES: 'Impassioned and heartfelt, she forwards a particularly sultry, alluring brand of urbane pop which calls to mind the likes of Massive Attack and Zero7 - with lush electronics and sensual seductive vocals' - Black Book (New York, US) 'Vocally, Nina June evokes comparisons with Ane Brun and Agnes Obel, but her artistic vision paints itself from a very different emotional palate to create a unique and poignant sound' - Electronic North (UK) 'the piano ballad brings forth ideas of London Grammar synced to a plaintive orchestra of Agnes Obel, each swell in movement is purposefully delivered and thoroughly felt. Twinning both classical organic elements to modern electronic production' - Bitter Sweet Symphonies (UK) 'An album full of highlights" - Out Here All Night (USA)

Katarzyna Musial:

With the release of My Spanish Heart (DUX recordings) pianist Katarzyna Musial builds upon her previous successful recording Come Dance with Me. My Spanish Heart continues to explore the idiom of dance through musical expression with this time focusing on renowned Spanish composers. My Spanish Heart is now available to stream and download on all popular digital service providers and for retail purchase.

In this album, Katarzyna Musial revels in the artistic and cultural splendors of the Iberian peninsula. "You don't have to be born in a culture to be enamored with it," she explains. In fact, her love affair with Spain was first sparked during childhood when, at five years old, she simply fell in love with the country upon a visit with her parents.

Maurizio Pollini:

Maurizio Pollini, "the pre-eminent Chopinist of his generation" (Fanfare), continues his revelatory and chronological re-exploration of the Polish master's late works. This album contains the pianist's latest thoughts on Opp. 55–58 (1843/4), including the B minor Sonata and Berceuse.

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra:

Decca Records is thrilled to reveal details of the forthcoming album from Hollywood icon Jeff Goldblum and his long-time band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, entitled The Capitol Studios Sessions. The highly anticipated debut from the jazz pianist will be released on November 9, 2018.

Goldblum, who has been playing the piano since he was a child, has performed with his jazz band at venues in Los Angeles and New York City over the past few decades. When he's not filming, the actor hosts a weekly jazz variety show at LA's Rockwell Table and Stage. Frequented by locals and A-listers alike, the show intersperses Goldblum's love of jazz with his passion and skills at improvised comedy.

The atmosphere and energy of these shows is captured perfectly on this album, which Jeff credits to producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Madeleine Peyroux). For the recording, Larry recreated the buzz of The Rockwell at the legendary Capitol Studios. The studio was transformed into a jazz club – food and drink was served to an invited live studio audience of Rockwell regulars, friends and family. 

Soundtracks:

Sony Music, Netflix, Participant Media, and Esperanto Filmoj present the Motion Picture Soundtrack of ROMA, which is available through all digital platforms, on the same day that the film premieres on Netflix.

Curated by the director Alfonso Cuarón and the soundtrack producers Lynn Fainchtein and Randall Poster, the soundtrack of ROMA brings us back to the sonic Mexico of the 1970s, when the famous XEW, a reference of Mexican radio, transmitted English pop and rock, while gradually introducing the new Mexican pop, through performers like José José, Juan Gabriel, and Rigo Tovar, musical icons that in the present, have remained as references of Mexican and Latin American music.

Radical Face:

Brian Newman:

Trumpeter and singer Brian Newman's first album for Verve, SHOWBOAT, is out today and features a brand new track with his long-time friend and colleague 

LADY GAGA on "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," a song that was first recorded by Nina Simone in 1964, and subsequently covered by The Animals. Joe Cocker and Elvis Costello among a host of other artists through the decades.  Brian explains, "Please Don't let Me Be Misunderstood was on a short list of songs we wanted to record with LG. Our choices of how to arrange this song and every song always stays true to our original sound as a band. While steeped in the tradition of the Great American Songbook and at the same time we are pushing the boundaries of the music we know and love. LG makes that very easy for us because of her great range and vast knowledge of the music. We didn't want to do what was already done and make it our own. This definitely shines on this track and I'm excited for everyone to hear it!"

Radical Face:

Bear Machine Records is excited to announce the release of "Missing Film" by indie-folk artist Radical Face. Known for his cinematic and emotional music, Ben Cooper wrote and produced this 12 song collection with film makers in mind, focusing on mood and entirely instrumental arrangements -- a direct contrast to his traditional concept and story-driven albums. He has partnered with Noisetrade to give away the album, and is offering the music to students, young directors and content creators to use for free use in all non-commercial media.

Ron Davis:

Rafal Blechacz | Bomsori Kim:

For his first ever chamber music recording on Deutsche Grammophon, pianist Rafal Blechacz teams up with Korean violinist Bomsori Kim. Polish melancholy and French elegance have a wonderfully symbiotic relationship in music, famously illustrated in the works of Frédéric Chopin, a composer who was Polish by birth and settled in France. For their first album together, Kim and Blechacz perform gems from both countries, including works by Fauré, Debussy, Szymanowski, and of course, Chopin.

Cast Albums:

THE PROM – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING is available on from Sony Masterworks Broadway.  Produced by Scott M. Riesett and Tony Award Nominee Matthew Sklar, with music by Sklar and lyrics by four-time Tony Award Nominee Chad Beguelin, the album is also available to stream and download everywhere now.  The Prom cast celebrated the release with two CD signing events – at the annual BroadwayCon fan convention and at Theatre Circle.

Sarah McKenzie:

After the greatsuccess of Sarah McKenzie's 2017 disc, Paris in the Rain(Impulse! Records), the 31-year-old pianist, singer, and composer returns with the poignant, Secrets of My Heart. The former disc opened more opportunities for her to perform around the world in such far away places as Brazil, Korea, Japan, and also established her in the United States. Its title song became one of her signature tunes and is one of the highlights of her live shows.

"Traveling was something that I really had to adjust to," McKenzie says. "In the beginning, it is very exciting. I often describe it as going into a magical world; it's stepping off reality and going into this world that's so unreal. Then you come home, and all of that activity stops. It's been a world of extremes."

https://soundcloud.com/user-505466473/sets/sarah-mckenzie-secrets-of-my-heart-album/s-OOamf

Giuliano Carmignola:

Giuliano Carmignola has earned his reputation as one of the top interpreters of Baroque music. Following his critically-acclaimed recording of the Bach Concertos, the "prince among Baroque violinists" (Gramophone) releases a new interpretation of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, adding the first period-instrument recording of these works to DG's rich catalog. 

Daniel Pemberton:

Sony Music proudly announces the release of SPIDER-MAN™: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) featuring original music by multiple Golden Globe nominee Daniel Pemberton. The soundtrack will be released digitally and on CD on December 17, 2018. Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations' Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse will debut in U.S. theaters on December 14.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that's the first of its kind. Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.

Roman Rabinovich:

Roman Rabinovich continues Haydn love affair with new recording series

The pianist Roman Rabinovich has recorded all of Haydn's piano sonatas in a new series for First Hand Records, with the first volume set for release in November. A great champion of Haydn's music, his explorations of the keyboard sonatas have included a 42-sonata cycle at The Bath Festival and partial cycles at Lammermuir Festival, ChamberFest Cleveland and the Israel Conservatory of Music. 

Rabinovich has earned a reputation for bringing Haydn's often-neglected keyboard works to life, praised by The New York Times for "admirable interpretations, performed with a rich, full-blooded sound, singing lines and witty dexterity" (Vivien Schweitzer, April 2016). This first volume includes two CDs featuring Piano Sonatas Nos. 36, 32, 29, 52 and 47, as well as Divertimento in E-flat. 

Vienna Philharmonic:

There are few concerts in the world that are awaited with as much excitement as the New Year's Concert from Vienna. Under the direction of Christian Thielemann, the Vienna Philharmonic ushers in the New Year with a concert in the magnificent Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein.

The concert is relayed to over ninety countries all round the world, reaching an audience of more than fifty million.

The 2019 New Year's Concert will be conducted for the first time by Christian Thielemann. A native of Berlin, Thielemann has been a regular and welcome guest of the Vienna Philharmonic since 2000, with the result that his first New Year's Concert may be seen as setting an example and providing an appropriate tribute to his previous work with the orchestra. According to the orchestra's chairman, Daniel Froschauer, orchestra and musicians trust each other completely: "The profound musical understanding and trust that have existed from the outset and that have always functioned perfectly have subsequently borne remarkable fruit in the symphonic repertory as well."

Hee-Young Lim:

Hee-Young was appointed as the Principal Solo Cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She was one of the first female Asian cellists ever lead a section in a major European orchestra. In 2018, she was invited to join the teaching faculty of the Beijing Central Conservatory, the first Korean professor ever appointed to this prestigious conservatory. Praised by the Washington Post as "a deeply gifted musician, with a full, singing tone, near- flawless technique and a natural lyricism that infused nearly every note she played," cellist Hee- Young Lim has quickly established herself as one of the most charismatic and fast-rising cellists of her generation.

Riccardo Chailly:

2018 marks 250 years since Gioachino Rossini's death in 1868. Messa per Rossini was composed in his memory by Verdi and 12 other notable Italian composers. Verdi himself composed the concluding Libera me, which he later used in his own Messa da Requiem. Conducted by Riccardo Chailly, this rare performance represents the work's triumphant return to the spiritual home of Verdi and Rossini: the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

Roberto Prosseda:

Roberto Prosseda continues his Mendelssohn project on the orchestral front with this ambitious recording of Piano Concerts No. 1 and 2 and of the Rondò Brillant op.29. He is accompanied by the Residentie Orkest The Hague, a historical Dutch orchestra founded in 1904 that in the course of its activity has collaborated with great composers (Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Max Reger, Maurice Ravel, Paul Hindemith) and famous conductors (Arturo Toscanini , Bruno Walter, Leonard Bernstein, Hans Knappertsbusch).

This recording was made under the baton of Jan Willem de Vriend, principal conductor of the orchestra, and also includes a superb reading of the Overture "The Hebrides" to complete the CD. 

Alfie Boe:

Returning to the solo spotlight after two successful albums with Michael Ball, Alfie Boe's As Time Goes By pays homage to the golden era of music from the ‘30s and ‘40s. The new album journeys through the defining songs of the era - from the full force of "Sing Sing Sing" to the slow and smooth "The Way You Look Tonight" and "As Time Goes By."

Lyn Stanley:

In this stunning new collection - London Calling…A Toast To Julie London,listeners will discover a side of singer Lyn Stanley that they haven't heard before. The 17 tunes on this recording explore phases of romance from first glance in ‘Blue Moon' to a missed chance in Cry Me a River.'  Most of the wide-ranging material presented here was originally recorded by singer/actress Julie London, along with a couple of offerings that Stanley feels would have been perfect for the sultry songstress, such as "It's Impossible," and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra:

In order to appease the somewhat provincial tastes of King Louis XV, composer Jean-Philippe Rameau and his librettist Voltaire altered the original version of Le Temple de la Gloire, and for centuries it was lost.  The manuscript was discovered-at the University of California, Berkeley's Jean Hargrove Music Library and was brought to the attention of conductor Nicholas McGegan.  For decades, maestro McGegan dreamed of reviving the original work-a dream realized in April 2017 through a partnership between Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, Centre de musique de Versailles in France and New York Baroque Dance Company.

Formosa Quartet:

From Hungary to Taiwan is a milestone album from the award-winning Formosa Quartet. Released by Bridge Records, the album pairs three imaginative new works with Béla Bartók's towering Fourth String Quartet, a nod to the group's Taiwanese heritage and a celebration of "folk", in every sense of the word.

The program juxtaposes two pairs: Hungarian folk music in two representations, and Taiwanese folk music in two representations. Formosa Quartet decided to commission composers Dana Wilson, Lei Liang, and Wei-Chieh Lin to create this fascinating view of cultural identity.

Matthew Lipman:

Dmitri Shostakovich's long-lost Impromptu for Viola and Piano, Op. 33, recently unearthed in the Moscow State Archives, receives its world-premiere recording on Matthew Lipman's Ascent, the acclaimed young American violist's solo debut album, featuring, in the artist's words, "music enraptured by flights of fantasy." Recipient of a 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Lipman has created an album of uplifting and spiritually transcendent works for viola and piano, dedicated to his late mother.

Michael Fine:

The scores of composer Michael Fine are born from his improvisations on the piano and are nourished by his travels and his readings: his music derives from a poetic imagination and carries therefore lots of visual evocations. From Korea and its palaces (At the Gate) to Scotland and the writer Alexander McCall Smith (Brother Fox), the world and its landscapes pass by over the seasons (Seasonal Rites) as you listen to it.

A sound immersion all the more successful due to the fact that Michael Fine is also a Grammy winning producer for his expertise in sound recording.

What's more, as himself a performer, Michael Fine has written music for musicians. This recording is the faithful testimony of a collective adventure where musicians share their pleasure to play and then offer it to the public.

Angele Dubeau & La Pieta:

In December 2017, with two sold-out concerts at the Maison symphonique de Montréal, the tour celebrating Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà's 20th anniversary came to an end. This tour of thirty-three concerts was, for the violinist, an opportunity to thank her Quebec fans for the support they had given her throughout her career.

It was on that tour, during the concerts at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, that Ovation was recorded. This new album features a retrospective program composed of works by the likes of Einaudi, Richter, Glass, Enescu and Saint-Saens and which have been landmarks of the first 20 years of La Pietà's career. The album also showcases a violinist at the top of her form and a concert where magic and perfection are in symbiosis.

Nemanja Radulovic:

Following his recording journeys into the traditions of Eastern Europe (Journey East), Russia (Tchaikovsky), and the Baroque (Bach), violinist Radulović now turns to the East with his new album, Baïka, the Serbian word for "fairytale." The album features Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, newly arranged by Serbian composer Aleksandar Sedlar, as well as Khachaturian‘s Violin Concerto and Trio for clarinet, violin, and piano, performed with clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and pianist Laure Favre-Kahn.

Vikingur Olafsson:

Following his critically acclaimed recording of piano works by Philip Glass, Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will release his second concept album, Bach, on Deutsche Grammophon on September 7, 2018 (CD released 9/14). The album is available for pre-order everywheretoday.

Renowned for his innovative musical projects, Ólafsson offers listeners a very personal vision of Bach's intricate keyboard music on his new recording – artfully weaving Bach's original works together with transcriptions by Busoni, Kempff, Ziloti, Rachmaninov and Ólafsson himself. Ólafsson will also perform some of the repertoire from the album live at venues including London's LSO St Luke's, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk (Denmark), Hamburg's Laeiszhalle, and the Berlin Philharmonie during the 2018-19 season.

The Piano Guys:

Utah sensation The Piano Guys release an all-new album Limitless (Portrait/Sony Music Masterworks) on November 9. On Limitless, The Piano Guys showcase their talent for reinventing the music of any genre, from contemporary pop and rock hits to classical compositions, Hollywood scores and even never-before-heard originals.  Also, catch them on their U.S. tour, which kicks off in their home state of Utah on November 7 and continues through early 2019.

"As we go through life's cycles, sometimes we face the sun and sometimes we face stars that stretch on forever. We may extend our reach so far away from us at times that we forget we only need to look within to rediscover who we actually are and soar. We are limitless. We hope that's the way this music makes you feel." – The Piano Guys 

Imogen Heap:

Written, composed, performed and recorded by Grammy and Ivor Novello Award-winner Imogen Heap, The Music of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is presented as four contemporary musical suites, each showcasing one of the play's theatrical acts.  This unique new album format from Imogen Heap chronologically features the music heard in the stage production, further reworked to transport listeners on a sonic journey through the world of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

2CELLOS:

The Croatian duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, better known as 2CELLOS, today release their much-anticipated new album, Let There Be Cello, via Sony Music Masterworks – available everywhere now.  A follow-up to the 2017 release of Score, Let There Be Cello finds the pair exploring a diverse catalogue with their signature boundary-breaking playing style.  Known for their electric live performances, 2CELLOS now gear up to take their newest album on the road for their first-ever U.S. arena tour, which is set to kick off February 2019.

Various:

Many people picture grim-faced Beethoven, shaking his fist at the heavens and persisting through deafness and illness to compose works of transcendent beauty, but he also stirs emotions that feel both deeply personal and ubiquitous. There are moments of red-cheeked optimism, quiet introspection, playful dances, heroic declarations, a restless search for the sublime. And while Beethoven is perhaps most famous for his sonatas and symphonies, he composed an opera, chamber works, songs, sacred music, incidental music for the stage, even dances. Taken together, these selections paint a rich portrait of Beethoven's humanity, which has attracted artists of the highest caliber such as Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Kleiber, Janine Jansen, and Martha Argerich. Some of these recordings are legendary, but all of them jump out with their undeniable virtuosity and brilliance. This collection may remind you of that iconic portrait of immortal Genius suffering for Art, but it will also reacquaint you with an artist from another time who somehow captured so much of the human experience.

Bryn Terfel:

After five years, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel returns with the new studio album, Dreams and Songs. Acclaimed worldwide for tackling the biggest opera roles, Terfel's new album shows his lighter side with popular concert pieces recorded in brand new orchestral versions of traditional Welsh songs, musical hits, and beloved encores. Among the pieces on his new album are "If I Were A Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof, Welsh folk song "Ar Lan y Môr," and Irish ballad "The Fields of Athenry."

Sung-Won Yang, Enrico Pace:

They were the greatest pianist-composers of their time, almost exact contemporaries and friends, although the warmth was more on the side of the generous-hearted Franz Liszt (1811-86) than the sickly Frédéric Chopin (1810-49). Having met soon after Chopin arrived in Paris in 1831, they made music together in public several times. They were a study in contrasts, Liszt at the height of his extrovert, virtuoso period, Chopin introverted, delicate, almost a salon pianist. Musically they had arrived from different directions. The two men had one trait in common: they composed hardly any chamber music, so on; Cantique d'amour, Sung-Won Yang chased down some arrangements to flesh out his regular partner, Italian pianist Enrico Pace.

Penka Kouneva:

If Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Clara Schumann or Alma Mahler were composing movie themes in the 21st century, what would their music sound like?

Penka Kouneva's new concept album, Invisible Lifeline, is a collection of six intricate piano fantasias and two string orchestral tracks in the Classical style. Each composition tells a story about what motivates the creative artist.

Like the mountain climber on the CD cover, an artist's career is a steep journey. What inspires the artist? What gives them energy to keep pushing forward to create screenplays, stories, music, poetry, dance, video games? Various sources on creativity and inspiration served as a springboard: Game Developers Conference lectures by the visionary designer Jason Vandenberghe on the gamer's motivation; the books Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland and The Tools by Phil Stutz & Barry Michels. The deepest motivation came from Penka's own journey as a woman, wife, mother, artist and composer for film, TV, video games and Virtual Reality. The CD cover art was inspired by The Rise of the Tomb Raider game and by a line from its trailer ("Only through life's adversities we become who we're meant to be").

This is Penka's first collaboration with the international virtuoso Georgi Slavchev who added his own arrangements to the piano tracks. Invisible Lifeline was also inspired by Penka's continued work with her mentor and manager, Victor Rodriguez. This album is a gift for Victor's fiftieth birthday.
Georgi Slavchev, piano soloist

Franco Fagioli:

Opening with the famous aria "Ombra mai fu," Serse remains one of Handel's most popular operas. Starring Franco Fagioli in the title role, this is the first recording of the opera with a countertenor as the eponymous king, originally sung by a soprano castrato. Fagioli is supported by Vivaca Genaux as Arsamene and Inga Kalna as Romilda, with Il Pomo d'Oro Orchestra conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev and the Cantica Symphonia choir.

Jonas Kaufmann:

Two years after the release of his highly successful album Dolce Vita, Jonas Kaufmann reaffirmed his love affair with Italian music this summer with a special concert at the Waldbühne – Berlin's renowned stage-beneath-the-stars. In what can be seen as a wondrous zenith of his dedication to Italy and her music, the concert has become one of this year's biggest classical music events. Sony Classical is proud to announce the release of the magical concert on DVD and Blu-ray on October 19, with the CD and digital formats available October 5.

"An Italian Night – Live from the Waldbühne Berlin" features popular songs and canzone as well as passionate Italian opera arias and duets from Cavalleria rusticana, where Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili joined Jonas as a charming guest-artist and duet partner. Both were supported by Jochen Rieder conducting the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin.

Tall Heights:

Rising duo Tall Heights release their much-anticipated sophomore album Pretty Colors For Your Actions today via Sony Music Masterworks.  Pretty Colors For Your Actions heralds a new chapter for Tall Heights, who made their major label debut with 2016's Neptune and have since racked up 140 million streams to date as well as critical acclaim from the likes of NPR, Wall Street Journal, Paste, Stereogum and more.  The 11-track collection is grounded by the duo's signature melodies, layered and shaped with live instrumentation and contemporary production to create a sonic universe all their own.  

Charlie Haden-Brad Mehldau:

Legendary jazz bass player Charlie Haden and pianist Brad Mehldau joined forces back in November 2007 to perform together at the Christuskirche church in Mannheim, resulting in the live recording Long Ago and Far Away. After 11 years, the recording has finally been released on Impulse! Records. After meeting for the first time back in 1993, Haden found a way to bring Mehldau out to LA to perform with himself and Lee Konitz at the Jazz Bakery in 1996. This led to a trio recording on Blue Note (1997) called Alone Together. In 2011, he and Brad recorded a live album with Lee Konitz and Paul Motian for ECM called Live at Birdland. Mehldau and Haden remained friends from the time of their first meeting – they had a special connection. In the early days, Haden, in a sense, mentored this young pianist in life lessons. He would later go on to pronounce Mehldau one of the most important musicians of his generation because of his unique voice, his depth of knowledge and facility on the instrument, and how he has moved the language of jazz forward.

Yuja Wang:

Internationally-acclaimed pianist, Yuja Wang will release her new album of solo works, The Berlin Recital, on November 23 on Deutsche Grammophonon - a survey of landmark works by the late-romantic era and 20th century composers: Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Ligeti and Prokofiev. In anticipation of the full recital release, a digital-only EP of Encores is available today. The album was recorded live in Berlin, as part of a North-American and European tour.

Yuja Wang's philosophy of music is both simple and profoundly complex. "I want to relate all life to music," she recently told veteran British critic Fiona Maddocks. The Beijing-born pianist's latest album captures the white heat of solo works by Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Scriabin and Ligeti, a trio of renowned Russians paired with one of the late 20th century's greatest composers. The Berlin Recital was recorded live this summer at the Berlin Philharmonie's Kammermusiksaal during Yuja's extensive solo tour of North America and Europe. The Yellow Label also recorded her sublime series of Berlin encore pieces to form a separate EP, which spans everything from the riffs and roulades of Nikolai Kapustin's jazz-tinged Toccata to Earl Wild's sonorous transcription of the Pas de Quatre from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Cast Albums:

The producers of Head Over Heels, the new musical comedy featuring the iconic songs of The Go-Go's – the most successful female rock band of all time, and Sony Masterworks Broadway today release The Original Broadway Cast Recording.  Included in the 20-track cast album is a true bonus from The Go-Go's themselves: an exclusive new recording of one of the band's most popular songs, "This Town," which marks their first studio recording in more than 17 years since their album God Bless The Go-Go's (2000). The track, produced by Scott Sigman, was recorded exclusively for the Broadway collection by members Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin.  The album is produced by Scott M. Riesett and Tom Kitt with co-producers Louise Gund and Christine Russell, engineered by Isaiah Abolin and Lawrence Manchester, and was recorded at the DiMenna Center in New York City on August 26-28.

Chamber Choir Of Europe, Nicol Matt:

A National Medal of Arts recipient and former composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (1994–2001), American choral composer Morten Lauridsen has gained recognition for his choral music the world over. On his 75th birthday this year, the Chamber Choir of Europe recorded Lauridsen's landmark compositions, including two world premiere recordings, in close collaboration with the composer himself.

Rolando Villazon:

Rolando Villazón follows the footsteps of leading tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo by releasing his first Christmas album on Deutsche Grammophon, Feliz Navidad. The album features seasonal classics such as "What Child Is This" and "Stille Nacht" as well as the modern favorites "Feliz Navidad" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

Cally Banham:

Announcing the release of Cor Christmas, an instrumental collection of sacred and secular carols featuring the soulful sound of the English horn, performed by Saint Louis Symphony Solo English horn player Cally Banham. Featured on the album are Banham's own ensemble Cortango, Adam Maness Trio, and Trombones of the Saint Louis Symphony. Cor Christmas presents a varied journey through popular Christmas tunes, presented in a fusion of classical and jazz styles and reimagined in new and sonorous arrangements!

London Music Works:

SILVA SCREEN RECORDS PRESENTS THE NATIVITY (CINEMATIC CHRISTMAS CAROLS)
Performed by London Music Works.

From an innovative and vibrant soundtrack label comes an electrifying Christmas offering; bringing the sound of Hollywood blockbuster to well loved seasonal favorites. The Nativity includes traditional Christmas Carols arranged in a dramatic, orchestral and cinematic style, utilizing both electronic arrangements and a full size classical orchestra. Introducing a potent mix of film, TV & trailer soundtrack composers and arrangers, with this album, London Music Works gives the best-loved Christmas songs a sonic makeover.

"Hearing it by London Music Works makes it sound even cooler!" - ReadJunk

Bavarian Radio Symphony & Chorus - Mariss Jansons:

The Bavarian Radio Choir is delighted to be nominated for the Grammy Awards 2019 in the category "Best Choral Performance". The BR Choir has been selected for its CD recording of Sergei Rachmaninov's masterpiece "The Bells" with the BR Symphony Orchestra.?

The recording was made during a concert in January 2016 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz under the baton of chief conductor Mariss Jansons. The choir was conducted by Peter Dijkstra, artistic director of the BR Choir. The CD has been released by the label BR KLASSIK. This is the second time the BR Choir has been nominated for the Grammy Awards: in 2015 for the recording of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" for choir and orchestra of the BR under the direction of Bernhard Haitink and Peter Dijkstra.

Gustavo Dudamel:

The Christmas ballet by Tchaikovsky that needs no introduction is brought to life in its entirety by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Featuring beloved pieces such as the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" and the "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy," this new recording of The Nutcracker is the first in Deutsche Grammophon's new partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dudamel.     

Robert Ziegler - Czech Philharmonic:

‘Christmas at the Movies' is a dazzling new album of movie music that beautifully captures the Winter holiday spirit.  This stunning collection features some of the greatest Christmas movie themes of our time, written by some of the world's leading composers for the big screen and is guaranteed to enhance the holiday season for everyone.

Featured movie themes span almost 80 years of big screen magic and offer something special for all the family, from timeless classics such as 'The Wizard of Oz', 'White Christmas' and 'Home Alone' through to unmissable contemporary Christmas blockbusters 'Frozen' and 'Elf'.

Newly recorded arrangements by the renowned Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Robert Ziegler provide here the perfect festive soundtrack for your essential holiday preparations - decorating the tree, baking mince pies, wrapping the presents and more!

Relive treasured memories of Christmas movies around the fire or treat someone special with this perfect present - Christmas at the Movies – it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Javier Camarena:

Contrabandista, the Decca debut of MET favorite Javier Camarena, delves deep into the life and music of legendary Spanish tenor Manuel García, including three world premiere recordings by García. The album also features favorites by Rossini and Zingarelli, including a stunning duet from Rossini's Armida with Cecilia Bartoli. This album is the first release in the "Mentored by Bartoli" series, a partnership between Decca Classics and the Cecilia Bartoli - Music Foundation.

Francesca Dego, Francesca Leonardi:

Francesca Dego releases a world premiere recording of three works by Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, brought to light by Dego and the composer's granddaughter from his unpublished and unperformed works at the Library of Congress. The album features Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Ballade, written for and premiered by Tossy Spivakovsky in 1940, and the composer's violin paraphrases of operas by Rossini and Verdi as well as Stravinsky's Suite Italienne and Respighi's Violin Sonata in B minor.

Anna Shelest, Neeme Jarvi The Orchestra Now:

This CD, recorded live at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, is the first release in the series of complete works for piano and orchestra by Anton Rubinstein featuring conductor Neeme Järvi and pianist Anna Shelest. Piano Concerto No.4, one of Rubinstein's best known works, is accompanied by Caprice Russe, a rarely performed one-movement gem. 

Max Richter:

Composer Max Richter has written a compelling and dramatic score for the upcoming historical drama, Mary Queen of Scots.  Directed by Josie Rourke and starring Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan, the movie explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart and her attempt to overthrow her cousin, Elizabeth I, Queen of England. The lavish orchestral score features a full orchestra and eclectic vocal pieces.

Tony Bennett, Diana Krall:

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall celebrate their shared love of the music of George and Ira Gershwin on their new collaborative album, LOVE IS HERE TO STAY, set for a September 14th release on Verve Records/Columbia Records.  Tony Bennett, who celebrates his 92nd birthday today, has been friends with Diana Krall for over 20 years. The two toured together in 2000 and recorded duets for two of Bennett's albums ("Duets" and "Playin' With My Friends"), but this marks their first full album project together.  LOVE IS HERE TO STAY is out just in time for the 120th Anniversary of George Gershwin's birthday which takes place on September 26th.  Both multi-Grammy winning and platinum-selling artists, Bennett is the only artist at the ages of 85 and 88, respectively, to have an album debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Krall is the only jazz artist to have eight albums debut at #1 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.  Danny Bennett, President and CEO of Verve Label Group commented, "When Tony Bennett and Diana Krall sing the music of the Gershwins, it's truly the consummate artistic pairing of singers and songwriting.  It's one of those recordings that when you listen to it, you recognize instantly that it had to happen - it was just a matter of getting these two extraordinary performers into a studio and putting the Gershwin songbook in front of them."

Jon Batiste:

Jon Batiste is an internationally acclaimed musician, bandleader and composer. As an educator and television personality, he spreads his unbridled optimism coupled with a profound understanding of the arts. Born into a long lineage of New Orleans musicians, Batiste is a graduate of The Juilliard School with a master's degree. After graduating, he toured globally with his band Stay Human and currently appears nightly on national television as the bandleader and musical director for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Jon is a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, Musical Director for The Atlantic and Creative Director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He balances a demanding performance schedule with speaking engagements, curating events, occasional acting and producing opportunities, all while relentlessly composing new music. Jon is also a coveted brand ambassador–featured in campaigns for Chase, Apple, Lincoln Motor Company, and numerous fashion brands including Bonobos, Ralph Lauren, Barney's and Nordstrom. He has worked with famed photographer Annie Leibowitz, among many others, and his personal style has been profiled in various fashion publications including GQ, Vanity Fair and Vogue. Jon's mission is to share his faith, hope and love with the world around him.

The Kingdom Choir:

Following their show-stopping performance of "Stand By Me" at the Royal Wedding on May 19, 2018, The Kingdom Choir release their debut album Stand By Me.  Available now, the album features the choir's much-loved version of "Stand By Me" that they performed at this year's Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The choir's diverse album track listing also includes captivating renditions of Beyoncé's "Halo," John Legend's "All Of Me" as well as Stormzy's "Blinded By Your Grace Part 2". Also on the album is a brand new, emotionally powerful ballad written by members of The Kingdom Choir called "Chases".

Peter Gregson:

Cellist and composer Peter Gregson is a man obsessed with sonic frontiers: "The job of the musician is to create stuff that's relevant to his time," he says. "You can get it wrong if all you do is stubbornly stick to your guns. I want to be able to adapt to changing landscapes." In Bach Recomposed, Gregson translates a landmark of the cello repertoire into his own unique musical language. The album is the latest addition to DG's lauded series that includes Max Richter's Vivaldi Recomposed.

Joseph Trapanese:

Sony Music and global content leader Lionsgate announce the November 16th release of ROBIN HOOD - ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK with music by Joseph Trapanese (The Greatest Showman, Tron: Legacy, Straight Outta Compton). Directed by Otto Bathurst, Robin Hood will make its theatrical debut Friday, November 21, 2018 via Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label.

Joseph Trapanese commented, "Lionsgate tasked me with creating a fresh, contemporary score for a new generation's Robin Hood, and I'm incredibly excited to share it with you.  Director Otto Bathurst invited me to bring synthetic sound, energetic percussion, and aggressive orchestration to his modern re-telling of this timeless story, the result of which is a classic tale told like none other."

Ludwig Goransson:

Sony Music announces the release of VENOM (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) on October 5 with original music by three-time GRAMMY Award nominee Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, Creed, Atlanta).  Amongst an impressive resume of TV and film credits, Göransson is best known for his collaborative work with Donald Glover, producing records under the Childish Gambino pseudonym, including the critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY® Award-winning album Awaken, My Love!

Ludwig Goransson:

Sony Music announces the release of CREED II (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music from three-time Grammy Award nominee Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Fruitvale Station, Atlanta).  Göransson makes his return to the Creed franchise for film's soundtrack, which includes a star-studded lineup of features from A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples and Jacob Banks. 

Composer Ludwig Göransson comments: "In Creed II, Creed is now at the peak of his career. He is facing big responsibilities and decisions that will affect not only him but also his family. When I wrote the score for Creed II, I continued on my journey from the first Creed. The themes that were more youthful three years ago now had to mature into a more serious musical language.  It was also a huge honor to write a theme for one of the most popular antagonists in film history, the Drago family."

Krystian Zimerman:

When Leonard Bernstein celebrated his 70th birthday, Krystian Zimerman was asked to perform Symphony No. 2 (The Age of Anxiety) with Bernstein for the first time. Full of praise for Zimerman's performance, Bernstein asked the pianist to perform the piece again when the composer turned 100. To fulfill that promise, Zimerman releases a new recording of Bernstein's Symphony No. 2, performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Simon Rattle in his last appearance as its chief conductor.

Yo-Yo Ma:

YO-YO MA releases Six Evolutions – Bach: Cello Suites today.  The new album from Sony Classical marks Ma's third and final recording of the works and celebrates his nearly six-decade-long relationship with the music.  Six Evolutions – Bach: Cello Suites is available to stream and download now on all digital service providers and for purchase as a 3-LP 180-gram vinyl set.

As Ma's "constant musical companions" for almost 60 years, Bach's Cello Suites first entered the cellist's life at the age of four, when he learned the first measure of the Prélude to Suite No. 1 under his father's instruction.  His Grammy Award-winning first complete recording of the suites was made in his late twenties. His second, Inspired by Bach, was released in his early forties and recorded alongside a multi-genre, collaborative exploration of the works. Both previous recordings of the Cello Suites, also on Sony Classical, became landmarks in classical discography, as well as milestones in Ma's musical life.  Since then these works have been a through line in his life, guiding him through times of happiness as well as hardship, prompting Ma to ask, "What power does this music possess that even today, after three hundred years, it continues to help us navigate through troubled times?"

David Lang:

Commissioned for Hadelich by Carnegie Hall, mystery sonatas premiered in April 2014 in Zankel Hall, where it was praised by The New York Times as a display of "magisterial poise and serene control." Lang, who held Carnegie Hall's Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair at the time, conceived the piece as a modern reinvention of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber's Mystery Sonatas. While von Biber's Sonatas expressed his inward thoughts on Christian theology and the Mystery of Christ, Lang's take is decidedly secular.

"I decided to make my own virtuosic pieces about my most intimate, most spiritual thoughts," Lang explains, "[but] mine are not about Jesus, and the violin is not retuned between movements. I did keep one of Biber's distinctions. He divides Jesus's life into three phases-the joyous, the sorrowful, and the glorious. The central pieces of my mystery sonatas are called ‘joy,' ‘sorrow,' and ‘glory,' but these are all quiet, internal, reflective states of being."

Sarah Brightman:

The world's most successful and best selling soprano Sarah Brightman will unveil her much anticipated fifteenth full-length album, HYMN, on November 9, 2018 (Decca Gold/ Universal Music Group). This marks the multi-platinum, GRAMMY® award-nominated, classical crossover pioneer's first new studio recording since she released the international chart-topper Dreamchaser in 2013.

In addition to her new album, Sarah Brightman announced her world tour, Hymn: Sarah Brightman In Concert, which will begin in South America in November 2018 and include 125 shows across five continents throughout 2019. The North American dates of the tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off in January 2019 and tickets for the general public will go on sale beginning Friday, September 21 at 10:00am local time at HERE. Fanclub and forum community members can purchase tickets before the general public starting today at 2:00pm local time HERE. Citi is the official presale credit card for the Hymn: Sarah Brightman In Concert Tour. As such, Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase U.S. presale tickets beginning Tuesday, September 18th at 10:00am local time until Thursday, September 20th at 10:00pm local time through Citi's Private Pass program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com. Every pair of online tickets for this show includes a physical CD of Sarah Brightman's forthcoming album, HYMN. All albums must be redeemed by April 29, 2019.* Additional tour dates to be announced in the coming months. See the announced tour routing below.

Jiri Belohlavek | Czech Philharmonic Orchestra:

The latest recording with the Czech Philharmonic posthumously released from the late Jiři Bělohlávek, this all-Janáček album features Glagolitic Mass, the rhapsody Taras Bulba,Sinfonietta, and The Fiddler's Child.

Juan Diego Florez:

Tenor star Juan Diego Flórez's passion for Latin American music started at an early age, when he was still a child. It was a deep and lasting passion and his initial encounter with it turned into a lifelong passion. "I grew up with vals criollos, Marineras, boleros, rancheras and tangos, magnificent songs from Latin America," he says. Now, he documents his love for Latin American music on a very personal album, Bésame Mucho, available now from Sony Classical.

Cliff Eidelman:

Enotes Music is proud to announce the release of two major works by composer Cliff Eidelman: Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos and Night in the Gallery. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and soloists Michael McHale and Tom Poster under the direction of the composer, Eidelman began composing his new Symphony for Orchestra and Two Pianos years ago prompted by an inner creative resolve. 

Anthony Roth Costanzo:

"Anthony Roth Costanzo exists to transform opera." - THE NEW YORK TIMES

Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo Announces ARC his debut solo album pairing arias of Philip Glass and Handel Set for release on September 21 on Decca Gold. In conjunction with the album, Costanzo and Visionaire unveil  GLASS HANDEL, an ambitious live installation of ARC in Philadelphia (Sept 22, 23, 30) and NYC (Nov 26, 27)

Along with ARC, Costanzo and the avant-garde fashion/art company VISIONAIRE and producer CATH BRITTAN will present GLASS HANDEL, an hour-long, live interdisciplinary installation that will take place at Opera Philadelphia's Festival O18 (at the Barnes Foundation) on September 22-23, 30, and in New York City (produced with National Sawdust at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, who co-present) on November 26-27.

With GLASS HANDEL, Costanzo and Visionaire have curated an unprecedented collaboration with stars from the worlds of art, fashion, dance, and film: 

HANSON:

November 9th, release date for String Theory, HANSON's most ambitious musical project to date. The landmark symphonic project, features brand new and rearranged recordings with full symphonic orchestration in a collaboration with Academy award winning arranger David Campbell. Follows the band's sold out 25th Anniversary World Tour in 2017.

The album. Premiering exclusively with NPR Music is Siren Call, the first full song and video from the String Theory project, featuring the band performing with a 46-piece Orchestra.

Seong-Jin Cho:

Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho will release his first Mozart recording, Piano Concerto No. 20 & Sonatas, on Deutsche Grammophon on November 16 – boasting a dynamic interpretation of one of the composer's most powerful and dramatic piano concertos. The album is available for pre-order everywhere today, along with the first track off of the album, Piano Sonata No. 3 in B-flat Major, K281. 

Seong-Jin Cho was fortunate that his earliest memories of Mozart were fixed by his parents' recordings of two of the composer's greatest operas: The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. They opened the young musician's heart to the limitless compassion of Mozart's music, which continues to resonate with Cho. 

Juilliard String Quartet:

America's greatest and most enduring chamber ensemble – the Grammyâ Award-winning Juilliard String Quartet – celebrates its eighth decade with the release of a new Sony Classical recording of music from three centuries by Ludwig van Beethoven, Béla Bartók and Argentinian-American composer Mario Davidovsky. The new recording was released on October 26, 2018.  A movement of the Beethoven quartet on the recording is available now via all digital and streaming platforms.

Roberto Alagna, Aleksandra Kurzak:

Now star tenor Roberto Alagna and his wife, the Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak, have made the most poignant duets from Puccini's operas the focus of their first collaborative album, excerpts from Manon Lescaut, La Fanciulla del West, Madama Butterfly, Il tabarro, and of course La bohème – music brimming over with passion and powerful emotions, brilliantly composed for the voice, and subtly orchestrated for the orchestra. The new production features Riccardo Frizza conducting the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra.

Igor Levit:

Sparked by the tragic death of a close friend in an accident, Igor Levit's piano playing reflects upon an experience of loss encompassing grief, despair, resignation and solace. He concentrates on works whose gloomy grandeur and melancholy beauty have occupied him for years. Each of them pays tribute to the virtuoso possibilities of the piano. Poetic moments of contemplative silence blend with life-affirming and extremely sensual music with a direct physical fascination. ... 

John Scofield:

Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist, band leader and composer, John Scofield is set to release his new album, Combo 66, marking his 66th birthday, on September 28 via Verve Records. The album, which features long-time drummer Bill Stewart, bassist Vincente Archer and pianist/organist Gerald Clayton, combines jazz with genre-defying elements, allowing Scofield to find new modes of expression.

Shelly Berg, Jose Serebrier, Royal Philharmonic:

Five-time Grammy-nominated pianist Shelly Berg, multi-Grammy-winning conductor José Serebrier & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are joined by a group of legendary guest artists who have come together for the Universal /Decca Gold release Gershwin Reimagined – An American in London, set for a September 7, 2018 release. 

The landmark album, produced by eight-time Grammy Award recipient Gregg Field, features Grammy-winning artists Mark O'Connor and Arturo Sandoval, Grammy-nominated vocalists Monica Mancini and Ledisi and the Shelly Berg Trio. 

Rachel Barton Pine:

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine, Cedille Records' best-selling artist and longtime advocate for music by Black composers, performs a program of blues-influenced classical works for solo violin and violin and piano by Black composers of the 20th and 21st centuries on Blues Dialogues: Music by Black Composers, her newest Cedille Records album. Pianist Matthew Hagle, Pine's longtime recital partner, joins her on their third album together on Cedille and Pine's 21st for the Chicago-based label.

'Blues Dialogues' features several world-premiere recordings: Noel Da Costa's A Set of Dance Tunes for Solo Violin, Dolores White's expanded, four-movement version of her Blues Dialogues for solo violin, and Billy Childs's Incident on Larpenteur Avenue, a single-movement violin sonata exploring the events and impact of the 2016 killing of Philando Castile by a Minnesota police officer.

Olafur Arnalds:

BAFTA winning artist, composer, musician and producer Ólafur Arnalds has unveiled his new track ‘re:member' featuring his ground-breaking new software, Stratus, which transforms the humble piano into a unique new instrument. It is released today Friday April 6 along with a brand new music video. Ólafur will be performing The Stratus Pianos across the world later this year, including a sold-out date at London's Royal Albert Hall and New York City's Le Poisson Rouge on June 30 (full US tour dates below).