The music on "Souvenance" is graceful, hypnotic, taut and starkly dramatic, reflecting the political upheaval sweeping oud-master Anouar Brahem's homeland of Tunisia and its neighbouring countries. Joining Brahem is his frequent collaborator, French pianist François Couturier, supported by subtle string orchestration from the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana and conductor Pietro Mianiti. The strings have a glowing transparency and fragility in these pieces, often providing shimmering texture against which the contributions of the quartet members and, above all, Brahem’s unique oud-playing, stand out in bold relief.

Warner Classics is pleased to release the 11th annual 3CD set of highlights from the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, “the delightful festival where youth meets experience and both benefit” (Gramophone). The Times described Argerich’s Lugano Festival as “community music-making on a deluxe scale, with performers and listeners mutually uplifted by music’s wonders”. In addition to Argerich, the performers in 2013 included many familiar names from previous Live from Lugano releases. Among the performers who took part in the series for the first time are the violinist and Queen Elisabeth Competition winner Andrey Baranov and the pianists Thomás Alegre, Alessandro Mazzamuto, Maria Meerovitch.