The word "amateur" originates from the Latin word "amator," meaning "lover" or "admirer". This Latin term is derived from "amare," which means "to love". The French adopted "amateur" from Latin, and the English then borrowed it from French, initially retaining the sense of someone who loves or is devoted to something. Over time, the English usage of "amateur" also developed a meaning related to a lack of professional skill or experience.

Last year, as Pavlov's Dog celebrated the release of the career-spanning retrospective box set Essential Recordings 1974 - 2018, the band was already hard at work on a new album of original material. That album, entitled Wonderlust, has now arrived - a half-century after the debut LP Pampered Menial with the Hit "Julia" briefly made Pavlov's Dog the darlings of the 1970's progressive rock scene.

In the heart of Baroque Rome, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the principal Marian sanctuary of the Eternal City. For centuries it has guarded not only the relics of Jesus’s cradle and swaddling-clothes, but also the celebrated marble Nativity Scene by Arnolfo di Cambio (1291), the first of its kind in the history of art, thus earning it the title of “Bethlehem of the West”.

Led by its Director Matthew Martin, The Choir of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, joins forces with the Academy of Ancient Music in Michael Haydn’s rarely heard masterpieces: the Requiem and Missa Sancti Hieronymi.

Performing three concertos written specifically for him, renowned violinist Gil Shaham is joined by acclaimed conductor Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now (TON), Bard College's graduate orchestral masters. Scott Wheeler's "Birds of America" (Violin Concerto No.2) was premiered by Shaham, Botstein, and TON at the Fisher Center at Bard and Carnegie Hall in 2021. The birds making appearances in the concerto include a hawk, a whippoorwill, loons, a mourning dove, and a downy woodpecker. Winner of the 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music, Avner Dorman's "Nigunim" (Violin Concerto No.2) was originally commissioned as Sonata No.3 for violin and piano by New York's 92nd Street Y, Gil, and his sister, pianist Orli Shaham.

This album features the live recording of the concert given by Trio Lirico and pianist Josu de Solaun at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid on April23, 2025. It marks the world premiere recording of the two piano quartets composed in 1902 by the Spanish composers Vicente Zurrón and Bartolomé Pérez Casas. The beginning of the 20th century represented a creative breakthrough in Spain, where chamber music had previously been limited to private settings and personal enjoyment. The expansion of chamber music into public concer thalls inspired local composers to explore the genre—an impulse reflected in thereco very of these two long-overlooked works.

Clémence de Forceville is considered one of the most promising French violinists of her generation. Her numerous activities as a soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and teacher make her an accomplished and versatile musician. Prizewinner of numerous national and international competitions, she collaborates as a soloist with various orchestras such as the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of New Europe, the Südwestphalia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris or the Chamber Orchestra of Catalonia, in the great classical and romantic concertos as well as contemporary creations.

NOVO Quartet – like novo, “new.” The name reflects the curiosity and spirit of discovery that has already carried these four musicians, trained by Tim Frederiksen, to the podiums of the Geneva and Carl Nielsen competitions. Their debut album, Track 1, returns to their roots: Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, the very first piece they studied together; HJERTEBLAD (literally “heart-leaf,” the seed’s first leaf) by Matias Vestergaard, which opened the door to contemporary repertoire; and Carl Nielsen’s First Quartet, a tribute to the “great Danish hero” and the starting point of an upcoming complete cycle.

After a first album (Because, Alpha 936) devoted to African American spirituals that won several awards (Opus Klassik, Edison Klassiek, GRAMMY® Award nomination), the American countertenor Reginald Mobley devotes this new recording to English repertoire with a simple combination of primarily voice, lute, and viola da gamba.

Everything in the world—whether it is life, a piece of art, a scientific discovery, a revolution, or even a simple idea—has its own starting point. For composers, it is the work that marks their first step into the world. 'Opus 1' is an exploration of those beginnings, where ambition meets uncertainty and raw ideas take shape. In this album, pianist Anna Geniushene, whose career highlights include being a Silver Medalist at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and being named Young Artist of the Month by Musical America, explores the early creative voices of great Romantic composers such as Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Berg and Tchaikovsky, uncovering the ambition, curiosity, and individuality that shaped their musical identities. Was an Opus 1 a declaration of will or just a sketch of what was to come?

Don’t Trust Mirrors marks one of the most transformative chapters in New York-based composer and producer, Kelly Moran’s career. In 2019, fresh from touring her Warp debut Ultraviolet, she began shaping a more rhythmic follow-up inspired by late nights on the dancefloor. But personal upheaval and the halted tours of the pandemic redirected her path, leading first to 2024’s Moves in the Field, praised by The New York Times as “softhearted but steel-skinned.” Now Moran returns to the project she once paused. Don’t Trust Mirrors explores distortion, reflection, and the slow work of piecing yourself back together. Featuring Warp labelmate Bibio, its 10 tracks shimmer with textural refractions — an immersive journey towards self-reconnection and focus.

In the world of Nu Art Orchestra, big band music takes an adventurous trip. This is not your average big band, but an ensemble that hits the road with brand new, original music written by band members. Nu Art Orchestra was initiated by saxophonist and composer Marike van Dijk (you may know her from the North Sea Jazz composition assignment ‘Stranded’ from 2022), to create a contemporary and fresh big band sound. The ‘Nu’ in Nu Art Orchestra stands for 'new' and 'uncompromising'. Line-up includes some of Europe's most inspiring jazz musicians: Tineke Postma, Suzan Veneman, Franz von Chossy, Maxine Troglauer, Nabou Claerhout.

Following the critically acclaimed reception of Canadian born bassist and composer Zack Lober’s debut album NO FILL3R, hailed by the Jazz press as “quietly adventurous” (Downbeat Magazine) and “deceptively intense and seductive” (All About Jazz), the trio featuring Dutch wave-makers Sun-Mi Hong (drums) and Suzan Veneman (trumpet) returns with a new album: So We Could Live with special guest Dutch tenor master Jasper Blom.

Uncompromisingly, the composers of Latin America pay a no-holds-barred tribute to their peoples, enhancing the melodies and rhythms that drive their lives. From romantic influences to innovating languages, each work testifies to a tradition. For Vittorio Forte, this record is also the snapshot view of a reflection which crystallises an urge to explore a unique realm, to delve into it and embark on a journey, to retrace an entire history, going back to the very origins of what inspires artistic creation.

As a Japanese cellist, Michiaki Ueno wishes to introduce the world to the remarkable body of music composed in his homeland. At first glance, this might seem like a conventional statement - something anyone might say. Yet, when we consider his background, the words take on a different weight.