'One glance at Schubert's trio, and the miserable hustle and bustle of human existence vanishes, the world takes on fresh lustre', wrote Robert Schumann in 1836 of Schubert's Piano Trio D898. He was equally admiring of the Viennese composer's other great trio, D929, notably its funeral march-like Andante con moto, later to achieve cinematic fame in Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon'.

Mention Marie Antoinette, and inevitably the guillotine springs to mind – one is less likely to think of the harp, which, according to courtiers’ accounts from the end of the Ancien Régime, she played admirably.

A world might seem to divide the unbridled Romanticism of Berlioz from the highly controlled art of Rameau, standard-bearer of the French Late Baroque. And yet, at a distance of less than a century ('Hippolyte' was premiered in 1733, the 'Fantastique' in 1830), the same passion links two works more similar than their stylistic divergence might suggest. There is the same audacity in the orchestration, combined with an innate sense of drama that springs repeated rhythmic and harmonic surprises.

The ancient Indo-European civilization of Thrace was adventurous, inquisitive and open to exchange with other cultures. These key principles of the Thracians serve as a beautiful metaphor for this ensemble featuring cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. From the captivating percussion of the Chemirani brothers (who grew up alongside Queyras on the hillsides of Provence) to the magical lyra of Sokratis Sinopoulos, these Sunday morning sessions open gateways into undiscovered musical worlds.

Overtones brings together two highly acclaimed Asian musicians, Wang Li and Wu Wei. It features the unlikely instrumental duo of kouxian and sheng. In this astonishing musical encounter, Li and Wei use their skills to craft a unique sound, using amazing harmonics that grip the listener. With its inspired use of the Chinese mouth organ and a multitude of instruments including the musicians' own bodies, Overtones is an album that deserves to be experienced.

Rarely have I witnessed such a magical birth as that of the Hawniyaz ensemble in the summer of 2012. Since 2005, the Morgenland Festival in Osnabrück has been devoted to the fascinating musical cultures of the Near and Middle East, from traditional music to classical and the avant-garde, to jazz and rock. With its focus on the ‘East’, which brings with it a whole host of clichés, both positive and negative, associated with the region, the festival has set itself the task of opposing these stereotypes with the most authentic representation possible.