Friar Alessandro – Voice Of Joy (2013) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Friar Alessandro – Voice Of Joy (2013) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Since the release of his debut album Voice from Assisi in 2012, Friar Alessandro has captured the hearts of people around the world with his beautiful voice and enormous warmth. His new album is now set to fill those same hearts and many, many more with the purest of joy. Voice of Joy is a collection of traditional Christmas carols, seasonal melodies and sacred arias, recorded in two very different locations: the United Kingdom and Bethlehem, the latter in the heart of the Holy Land.

Eric Whitacre – Water Night (2012) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Eric Whitacre – Water Night (2012) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Water Night is the new album from the visionary composer behind the Virtual Choir and follows up his Grammy award-winning album, Light and Gold. The Daily Telegraph, London, describes Whitacre as “that rare thing, a modern composer who is both popular and original”.

David Garrett – Timeless: Brahms & Bruch Violin Concertos (with Zubin Mehta & Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) (2014) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

David Garrett – Timeless: Brahms & Bruch Violin Concertos (with Zubin Mehta & Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) (2014) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

The photogenic violinist David Garrett, who uses the maiden name of his American mother professionally, has been known for crossover releases featuring the likes of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” He was trained partly in Israel, which may have led to his pairing with the nearly octogenarian conductor Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Mehta makes his aims explicit in the booklet: “I hope that this CD will help David’s other public, the crossover public, to also listen to Brahms and Bruch and to admire his honesty toward this music. I hope David brings in this whole generation into the classical concert hall.” The performance is perhaps led by Mehta with this end in mind: as a whole it’s brash, bright, and sharp. You might have a different taste in the Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, especially, but the fact is that Garrett is a good deal more than adequate here. He may be following Mehta’s lead in some respects, but the dense first-movement interactions between violin and orchestra Brahms wrote for the virtuoso Joseph Joachim crackle with intensity. The inevitably crowd-pleasing Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26, of Max Bruch fits Garrett still better. The booklet offers an interview with Garrett geared toward newcomers, who may well find this album an enjoyable path into core classical repertoire.

Alfie Boe – Storyteller (2012) [FLAC 24bit, 96 kHz]

Alfie Boe – Storyteller (2012) [FLAC 24bit, 96 kHz]

Let Britain’s favourite tenor Alfie Boe be your ‘Storyteller’ with his eagerly-awaited new album – a personal selection of classic songs, perfectly suited to Alfie’s versatile voice and demonstrating his years of experience and musical passion.

Alexander Chapman Campbell – Sketches Of Light (2014) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Alexander Chapman Campbell – Sketches Of Light (2014) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Alexander’s debut album, Sketches of Light, is a collection of twelve tracks for solo piano. They were composed over a seven year period and completed after Alexander moved, at the age of nineteen, to the north coast of Scotland. Alexander released the collection in 2013 when it was chosen by ClassicFM as their Drive-time Album of the Week. The album, popular with the station’s audience, has been featured on almost every programme. Decca Records re-released the album in 2014 and the music has been aired widely across TV and radio.