Nicholas Angelich – Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Piano Sonata No. 8, Romeo & Juliet (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Nicholas Angelich – Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Piano Sonata No. 8, Romeo & Juliet (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:22:55 minutes | 1,30 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

Nicholas Angelich’s new album is dedicated to Prokofiev, the so-called unclassifiable artist– considered revolutionary by some, neo-classical by others.

Coming to public attention as a virtuoso pianist, Sergei Prokofiev left a fascinating body of work, that of a composer torn between two societies, between the culture of his homeland and the unchallenged culture of the West.

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Niall Horan – Heartbreak Weather (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Niall Horan – Heartbreak Weather (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 46:10 minutes | 552 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records

Capitol Records recording artist Niall Horan returns with his highly anticipated sophomore album “Heartbreak Weather.” Featuring his new single “No Judgement” and up tempo record “Nice To Meet Ya,” this body of work showcases his unique musicianship and magnetic vocal range. The singer/songwriter has earned platinum certification or greater in 18 countries, achieved global critical acclaim and amassed 3 million adjusted album sales and 3.5 billion streams worldwide.

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Niall Horan – Flicker (Deluxe) (2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Niall Horan – Flicker (Deluxe) (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 46:59 minutes | 937 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records (US1A)

From one direction to five, it’s been fascinating to listen to what the members of One Direction have been doing on their hiatus. And hold your nose if you must but some of it is really good – including Niall Horan’s latest effort. While Harry Styles dabbles in ’70 rock, Louis Tomlinson gets into hard-core EDM, Liam Payne embraces in-the-club-R&B and Zayn Malik explores neo-soul, Flicker finds Horan on the folkier side of pop.

Horan’s solo CD isn’t look-at-me flashy, but his songs are built sturdily and his warm voice is unrushed and unpretentious. “I’ve got a young heart and it’s wild and free,” he sings in one song. Horan seems uninterested in the pyrotechnics of his 1D bandmates, preferring a John Mayer and Ed Sheeran guitar-driven sound. It’s a mature effort from an Irish former boy band boy, who had a hand in writing every song and plays guitar on several.

The 13-track CD opens with the infectious, dance-friendly On the Loose, but that’s not representative of the album. It’s like Horan just wants to show he can put out pure shimmering pop like anyone else and then move on.

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Niagara – Incandescence (2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Niagara – Incandescence (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 40:55 minutes | 487 MB | Genre: French Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Universal Music Division Label Panthéon

Niagara is a French Pop/Rock duo that achieved popularity both in France and Canada in the 1980s and early 1990s. The band, who was known under the name L’Ombre jaune from 1982 to 1984, was formed in Rennes, France. Evolving from a new wave and synthpop style on their earlier albums to a more rock-oriented style on their later ones, they were frequently compared to the UK duo Eurythmics. Fifteen years after the release of their latest album, Niagara released a new complilation called “Incandescence”.

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NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo & Paavo Jarvi – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo & Paavo Jarvi – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:34 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Music Labels Inc.

The Rite of Spring is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky with stage designs and costumes by Nicholas Roerich. When first performed at the Th’e^atre des Champs-‘Elys’ees on 29 May 1913, the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography caused a sensation. Many have called the first-night reaction a “riot” or “near-riot”, though this wording did not come about until reviews of later performances in 1924, over a decade later. Although designed as a work for the stage, with specific passages accompanying characters and action, the music achieved equal if not greater recognition as a concert piece and is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century.

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NHK Symphony Orchestra & Paavo Järvi – Mahler: Symphony No. 6 “Tragic” (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

NHK Symphony Orchestra & Paavo Järvi – Mahler: Symphony No. 6 “Tragic” (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:20:27 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sony Music Labels Inc.

It was Stravinsky who first brought international attention to Takemitsu’s music after he came across a recording of the Requiem on a visit to Japan in 1959. Its slow, yearning melodies lead into Mahler’s monumental ‘Tragic’ Symphony, known for the three sledgehammer blows in its final movement, which represent the blows of fate. The most traditional of Mahler’s symphonies, it draws listeners into its bleak yet irresistible momentum.

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Nérija – Blume (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Nérija – Blume (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 55:31 minutes | 627 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Domino Recording Co

Rooted in friendship, Nerija is a collective whose breakneck shifts in tempo and style rely on a deep understanding of mood, temperament and expression, a solid show of trust that extends beyond the usual bonds between musicians. Recorded in the boat-shaped confines of London’s legendary Soup Studios and produced by Kwes, the overarching goal with Blume was to simply capture the rawness, warmth, joy and the spirit of their relationship and performance. Blume is a truly breath-taking collection of compositions that perfectly encapsulates everything Nerija; vibrant, engaging, infectious and truly current. For just over an hour, they take us on a sprawling wonderful journey, arriving at what is a majestic body of work; their personal and collective experiences and inspirations over the last half decade or so.

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Nublu Orchestra – Live in Pomigliano (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Nublu Orchestra - Live in Pomigliano (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz] Download

Nublu Orchestra – Live in Pomigliano (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 54:53 minutes | 591 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nublu Records

~ Recorded live at Pomigliano Jazz Festival, Italy, July 12, 2008 ~
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Nino Gvetadze – Aufgelebt (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Nino Gvetadze - Aufgelebt (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz] Download

Nino Gvetadze – Aufgelebt (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:13:02 minutes | 629 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Challenge Classics

The album “Aufgelebt” is all about revival, rebirth and recreation, the promise of new beginnings. Beethoven worked on his Piano Concerto No. 4 and the Op. 61a (piano version of a violin concerto) in the same period of his life. Both concertos were neglected and would have been forgotten had it not been for the attention of Felix Mendelssohn, who revived the Fourth Piano Concerto in 1836 and conducted the violin concerto, in 1844. Since then, these two concertos have been considered to be masterpieces of classical music literature. The Violin Concerto had yet another chance of rebirth long before young Joachim’s success. After attending the premier of the piece, Muzio Clementi asked Beethoven to transcribe the work for piano and orchestra. His wish was promptly fulfilled by the composer, who at the same time enriched the Concerto with authentic cadenzas, of which the first – in the First Movement – is very special as the piano is accompanied by timpani!
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Nikolai Lugansky – Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 17 & 23 (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Nikolai Lugansky - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 17 & 23 (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Nikolai Lugansky – Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 14, 17 & 23 (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:07 minutes | 962 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

For this second volume of Beethoven sonatas, Nikolaï Lugansky goes back in time and selects three milestones in the composer’s stylistic evolution: the ‘Moonlight’, the ‘Tempest’ and the ‘Appassionata’. The Master of Bonn gradually broke with the models he had inherited from the codes of Viennese Classicism in order to give free rein to affect, emotion and Romantic gesture. With these three works, Beethoven laid the foundations of a free and humanistic art.
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Nightmares on Wax – Shout Out! To Freedom… (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Nightmares on Wax - Shout Out! To Freedom... (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Nightmares on Wax – Shout Out! To Freedom… (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 52:44 minutes | 986 MB | Genre: Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Electronic, Downtempo, Dub

Nightmares On Wax returns with new album Shout Out! To Freedom…, a deeply personal project built from life-affirming realizations brought on by a period of profound change in his life. The result is an exploration of musical and personal freedom, and N.O.W’s deepest record to date. Shout Out! To Freedom… is a highly collaborative affair which sees Evelyn combine with a variety of artists, including Shabaka Hutchings, Greentea Peng, Haile Supreme, Pip Millett and more.
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Night Crickets – A Free Society (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Night Crickets - A Free Society (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Night Crickets – A Free Society (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:40 minutes | 824 MB | Genre: Alternative Rock, Post-Punk
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Omnivore Recordings

Debut release from David J (Bauhaus, Love And Rockets), Victor DeLorenzo (Violent Femmes) and multi-instrumentalist Darwin Meiners.
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Nicholas Trygstad, David Jones – Stevens: Music for Cello & Piano (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Nicholas Trygstad, David Jones - Stevens: Music for Cello & Piano (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Nicholas Trygstad, David Jones – Stevens: Music for Cello & Piano (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:17:51 minutes | 1,33 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Divine Art

The British composer Robin Stevens (b. 1958) is a great talent who is being discovered by the global music community, due in part to the critical acclaim given to the two previous Divine Art albums of his music. His varied, stimulating and expressive work arises from many influences – from the music of the Romantic era, to mathematics, his faith and inspiration of his teachers, and he is now producing substantial works for varied instrumental groupings, which are modernist and original, but yet immediately accessible. An accomplished cellist himself, Stevens has produced a body of work for the instrument which should become part of the regular repertoire. On this album, works for cello and piano stand alongside pieces for solo cello, from the substantial 27-minute Sonata Romantica to several compositions in a lighter, tonal style full of Stevens’ wit and humor. Written between 1994 and 2020, they present a diverse range of expressionist and gently modernist sound worlds. American cellist Nicholas Trygstad moved to England in 1998 to study at the Royal Northern College of Music. He became principal cello of Scottish Opera and from 2005 the Hallé Orchestra, and is very active in both solo recitals, chamber concerts and his teaching duties both at the RNCM in Manchester and also now with NYO Inspire. David Jones is Head of Accompaniment at the Royal Northern College and pianist for the Hallé Choir, and has given premiere performances of works by a number of prominent British composers. His previous recordings include three albums of music by Jeffrey Lewis, attracting the comment “not to be missed”: by Gramophone. Both Nicholas and David have appeared on previous Divine Art
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Nicolas Namoradze – Arabesque (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Nicolas Namoradze - Arabesque (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

Nicolas Namoradze – Arabesque (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 59:53 minutes | 1,72 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Steinway and Sons

As an introduction to these recordings Namoradze writes: “This album presents some of my reflections on the work of Robert Schumann, from both pianistic and compositional viewpoints. The program is centered on two arabesques, and the structure of the recital is itself reminiscent of an arabesque-like texture, interleaving Schumann’s work with my own. The opening sunrise of Schumann’s Songs of Dawn is followed by a pair of arabesques, Schumann’s work exerting an influence on aspects of the formal structure of my piece of the same name. Two considerably more virtuosic and extroverted selections complete the program: Schumann’s monumental Humoreske, followed by three of my piano etudes.”
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Paavo Järvi – Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra | Metamorphosen (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Paavo Järvi - Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra | Metamorphosen (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Paavo Järvi – Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra | Metamorphosen (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 58:55 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Sony Music Labels Inc.

Järvi’s version of Zarathustra strikes me as one of the finest ever, a recording to stand alongside those of Reiner, Karajan and Previn. The performance of the opening ‘Sunrise’ makes such an impact that I initially wondered whether the rest of the piece might sound anticlimactic in comparison, but Järvi sustains the intensity through to the end…. The eloquence of the orchestra’s strings also makes a strong impression in Metamorphosen…
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