If music… features star countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński performing 17 songs and arias by Baroque composers Purcell, Handel, and Fux. Accompanied not by a period ensemble but by pianist Michał Biel on a modern Steinway, the album explores both well-known and lesser-known repertoire. Orliński describes the collection as a personal artistic diary, reflecting his evolving interpretations and artistic growth, with works such as Handel’s Ombra mai fu and Purcell’s Cold Song exemplifying his refined and expressive approach.

This album documents soprano Lise Davidsen’s solo recital at the Metropolitan Opera on September 14, 2023, making her one of the youngest singers invited to present a solo recital at the venue. Accompanied by pianist James Baillieu, Davidsen performed a diverse programme featuring highlights from her Metropolitan Opera roles alongside art songs by composers such as Grieg, Sibelius, Schubert, and Strauss, as well as selections from operetta and musical theatre. Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb praised Davidsen as an exceptional Wagnerian talent, noting both the beauty and power of her voice and her refined artistic presence. The album’s release coincides with her highly anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut as Isolde.

Il Caravaggio is an ensemble founded and conducted by Camille Delaforge, bringing together a new generation of musicians playing period instruments; the ensemble will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2027. They are joining Alpha Classics for several recording projects, starting with this programme centred on three sacred works by Purcell (The Witch of Endor), Ferrandini (Il Pianto di Maria) and Charpentier (Le Reniement de saint Pierre): “I was 17, I’d just started playing the harpsichord and I discovered the final chorus of Le Reniement de saint Pierre. A world of profound humanity opened up before me. I did not yet understand the codes of this music, but I already I sensed that a key was turning, unlocking the door to an intensely emotional space,” says Camille Delaforge. She continues: these works ““all depict a similar spiritual journey; that of a person faced with abandonment: Mary’s grief, Peter’s remorse and Saul’s terror in the face of the invisible in Purcell…" With leading singers, Camille Delaforge and Il Caravaggio perform these sacred stories with great passion; stories that have stood the test of time and still move us today.

Rare Oldies Adriano is a rockabilly compilation album by the legendary Italian artist Adriano Celentano, released on July 3, 2026, under the label CALLIOPE RECORDS. The album gathers beautifully remastered tracks from Celentano's early career, showcasing his energetic rock-and-roll style and distinctive grit.

Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann shines a light on the deep-voiced female singers of the Baroque era, often overshadowed by the extravagant talents and reputations of castrato singers like Farinelli and Caffarelli. Her programme of Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Bononcini, Caldara and Gasparini displays the variety of operatic roles – both female and male – assumed by contraltos like Vittoria Tesi and Anna Marchesini. “We must remember that the opera composers of the early 18th century saw the female contralto and the male castrato as vocally interchangeable,” says Stutzmann, “and that the voice most closely resembling a castrato is not the countertenor – produced using a falsetto technique – but the contralto, which is a natural voice.” Stutzmann both sings and conducts Orfeo 55, the instrumental ensemble she founded a decade ago

Originally released in 1972 and reissued on CD in 1987 by the Japanese progressive rock label Nexus, UT is a dark, heavy symphonic masterpiece by the legendary Italian progressive rock group New Trolls. Moving away from the orchestral arrangements of their famous Concerto Grosso Series, UT finds the Genovese ensemble leaning into a heavier, organ-driven, and highly dramatic sound that bridges classical keyboard counterpoint with hard-rocking guitar riffage. Driven by Nico Di Palo's distinctive high-register vocals and twin-guitar interplay alongside Vittorio De Scalzi, Maurizio Salvi's heavy Hammond organ and synthesizer work, and the thunderous rhythm section of Frank Laugelli and Gianni Belleno, the album features career highlights such as the epic "C'e' Troppa Guerra," the hard-prog opener "Studio," the melodic ballad "Chi Mi Puo' Capire," and the dramatic "Paolo E Francesca." An indispensable classic of 1970s Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI).

Franz Liszt's songs remain the least-often-heard segment of his output, even as serious historians of 19th century music, including Alfred Brendel, have praised them. They are a bit uneven, and they are, for a composer who made his living with the grand gesture, uncharacteristically quiet. Various singers have taken them up, however, and this major release by Jonas Kaufmann, with the invaluable Helmut Deutsch on the piano, marks a kind of milestone. The songs are striking for how little they resemble Schumann or anything else written anywhere near the same time (until perhaps Hugo Wolf), and Kaufmann absolutely gets their originality.

First recording of Alessandro Scarlatti's last oratorio. Countertenor Matthieu Peyrègne, who has performed in ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, Ensemble Correspondances and Les Talens Lyriques, founded the Ensemble Baroque de Monaco in 2013. The musicians are committed to the baroque heritage of the principality, as Antoine I, who ruled Monaco at the beginning of the 18th century, was on exchange with Louis XIV and shared with him a passion for musical performance. Monaco was an essential stop for artists and composers travelling between France and Italy.

Celebrated Handelian René Jacobs, 'the most exciting opera conductor of the day' (Münchner Merkur), leads the dynamic, exquisitely honed Ghent ensemble and an outstanding cast in one of the composer's most spectacular and ravishingly beautiful creations. The title role, written for the legendary Senesino, is sung by its finest modern exponent, Bejun Mehta, 'one of the most commanding, exhilarating countertenors of the modern era' (New York Times).

In the original St. Petersburg version of 1862. Giuseppe Verdi’s drama of love and destiny in times of war remains one of the best–known operas by this Italian master. In the „Milan version“ of 1867, it has become an essential part of the repertoire of great opera houses, both in Europe and further afield. This DVD video recording, however, is quite distinct from the numerous other recordings currently available: the conductor Valery Gergiev has used the rarely–heard original 1862 version, composed for St. Petersburg, and containing wonderfully dramatic scenes and arias later deleted from the „Milan version“. And furthermore, the stage–set for this 1998 live recording in the Marinisiky Theatre recreates the original designs produced by Andreas Roller for the St. Petersburg premiere over 130 years ago.