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.

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? This album delves into that question, offering a glimpse of great composers who were taking their first steps and searching for their true voice —when everything was still possible.

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. Solitude opens with Henry Purcell's moving 'Tis Nature's Voice and other famous Purcell melodies, sails through John Dowland's deeply melancholy waves, and also reveals the declamatory charm of the 17th-century English composers who surrounded Samuel Pepys.