U.K. journeyman Mark Knopfler returns after a six-year gap with 2024's One Deep River, his tenth solo record. Since retiring Dire Straits in the mid-'90s, his output as a singer/songwriter has remained remarkably consistent and uniquely his own. Within his refined roots rock mélange is a multitude of layers; bits of blues, country, and funky R&B rub elbows with Celtic, jazz, folk, and the brand of smooth guitar rock he pioneered with his former band. He is his own establishment, reliable, and at this point in his career, comfortable. Like its predecessor, 2018's Down the Road Wherever, One Deep River doesn't necessarily break new ground for Knopfler, but it does add a clutch of well-written, impeccably played songs to his canon. The breezy, shuffling "Ahead of the Game" is an instant classic with a memorable riff and lyrics describing a road band's itinerant lifestyle: "it was nothing but the hits in a room downtown, they're noisy as hell, but nice." These are the kind of smart slice-of-life lyrics Knopfler has built his career on and can still deliver with a craftsman's ease. He gets down and dirty on the rugged "Scavenger's Yard" and wrestles with past regrets on the gentle "Watch Me Go." There are charismatic story songs detailing robberies ("Tunnel 13") and dusty boomtowns ("Janine"), but Knopfler is often at his best when he allows himself to be sentimental. The river referred to in the album's title (and pictured on its cover) is the Tyne, the major artery of Newcastle in Northeast England where he grew up. One Deep River closes with its poignant title track, a paean to an enduring landmark he has no doubt crossed countless times in a life well spent as a traveling musician.© Timothy Monger /TiVo

Complete recordings of great works such as Bach’s sonatas, his “Well-Tempered Clavier,” or Chopin’s “24 Preludes” occupy a unique place within the history of musical recording. It’s in their entirety that they are most unique and powerful, whereas in the purity of their repertoire, individual pieces are generally regarded as being largely heterogeneous. These timeless compositions transcend their authors and are given new life with each interpretation, and such is the case with Bach’s “Goldberg Variations.” Published in 1741, as the fourth and last part of his Clavier-Übung, the “Goldberg Variations” still remain, almost 300 years later, amongst the baroque master’s most important works, not only for the history of musical composition and recording in general (Glenn Gould, Trevor Pinnock, Rosalyn Tureck, and many others come to mind), but also for Víkingur Ólafsson in particular. “I’ve been dreaming of recording this work for 25 years,” says the Icelandic pianist, thus confirming that these studies are more a life’s work than a whim.Beginning with a melody that’s simple in appearance, the work is spread over a total of 30 variations, becoming a masterpiece of complexity. Determined, at surface level, by a rigid formal framework, the material itself nevertheless demands a “sort of interpretive improvisation”. Ólafsson recognises this paradox and makes it his own not by interpreting the different variations with technical precision and a strict loyalty to the metronome, but rather by following cyclical impulses and organic interpretation. At the same time, he evolves with the work and transcends it, whether in the creativity of the fugues or the complexity of the different canons, which influence one another, rely on one another, and, finally, like a parabola, return to the first melody and the beginning of all that had transpired previously -  like the ebb and flow of the Icelandic ocean, whose waves we know will always return to shore, but whose calm or strength we can never be sure of. © Lena Germann/Qobuz

Denis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Gladiator…) reunite for the second installment of Dune, the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novels. In this sequel, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to lead a revolt against those who destroyed his family. Haunted by dark premonitions, he finds himself confronted with a difficult choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe. Zimmer’s troubling score echoes these menacing intuitions, full of metallic textures that intertwine with the textures of the human voice, leading to sonorities that are both familiar and strange at once. We also hear the first film’s famous gimmick, the guttural voice of the Bene Gesserit, contributing to the project’s profoundly spiritual quality. Overall, the soundtrack to Dune: Part Two is more meditative than that of the first film, as is evidenced by the choice of the duduk, the Armenian woodwind instrument that most notably haunts the opening piece (“Beginnings Are Such Delicate Times”). Loyal to the great tradition of Hollywood film music, Hans Zimmer graces us with a love song that’s full of tenderness. Those who love the enchanting Zimmer of Terrence Malik’s The Thin Red Line will certainly appreciate this soundtrack to one of 2024’s most anticipated films. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

Over nine albums, The National have grown wilder in their experimentation. But the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Cincinnati band proves on First Two Pages of Frankenstein that almost no one else does Midwest desolation this well—still. It's there in the plaintive but sweetly hopeful piano line that carries "Once Upon a Poolside" and underscores Matt Berninger's troubled lines: "I can't keep talking/ I can't stop shaking/ I can't keep track of everything I'm taking." (Bonus points for bringing in fellow Midwestern native Sufjan Stevens for ethereal backing vocals.) There's a spareness, too, in the excellent "Eucalyptus," which poses questions about who walks away with what when a relationship ends: ceiling fans, rainbow eucalyptus, ornaments ..."What about the undeveloped cameras?/ Maybe we should bury those ... What about the Cowboy Junkies?/ What about the Afghan Whigs?" And yet the song takes on an early-U2 level of drama with a build of moody, striking guitar and tumbling drums. "Tropic Morning News," meanwhile, surprises in a different way: Starting with a perfectly chilled Joy Division beat, the guitars spring to life and the bridge takes off and up. This is the song that is said to have saved the record, after Berninger was in a dry spell. It was, he has said, "the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end" for the band. But, with his wife Carin Besser's help on the words, he pulled through—a feeling that seems to be reflected in the lyrics: "I was so distracted then/ I didn't have it straight in my head/ I didn't have my face on yet, or the role, or the feel/ Of where I was going with it all ... There's nothing stopping me now/ From saying all the painful parts out loud." Much has been made of the band's collaboration with Taylor Swift, "The Alcott,” and for good reason. As a producer, National guitarist and songwriter Aaron Dessner knows how to pull a genuine maturity out of Swift. Here she holds her own against Berninger's deep masculinity and the beating heart of percussion. Unlike with other guests on ... Frankenstein, this is a proper duet, and a pretty perfect addition to the Swift oeuvre, as she delivers lines like "Shred my evening gown/ Read my sentence out loud/ Because I brought this curse on our house." Phoebe Bridgers, meanwhile, shows up on "This Isn't Helping" and "Your Mind Is Not Your Friend," but her harmonies are more like a spoonful of sugar atop Berninger's roughness, rather than an equal match.The record ends with “Send for Me” and Berninger promising to answer any SOS: "If you're ever sitting at the airport/ And you don't want to leave ... If you're ever at a glass-top table, selling your ideas/ To swivel-chair underlings who just don't get it … Send for me/ Whenever, where ever/ Send for me/ I'll come and get ya." In other words: They’re not done yet. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Herlin Riley keep things stripped to their essence on Owl Song. And like the title's avian creature, these topnotch musicians clearly have sensitive hearing. The result is attuned, attentively crafted music that wastes no notes as it conveys emotional heft.At times, Akinmusire's compositions have the directness of folk or pop shaped by refined improvisation. Akinmusire often sticks to simple lines and employs repetition to an unusual degree. Frisell wrings gorgeous tones from his instrument without the use of a lot of fancy effects. And Riley's excellent drumming could almost be described as modest. (He does, however, bust out on "Mr. Riley," an exciting duet with Akinmusire.) On "Owl Song 1," plaintive trumpet and guitar state the piece's extended melody over brushed snare and soft bass drum accents. The players' interaction is intimate, interconnected. Certain moments can catch the listener off guard: a tiny change in inflection or timbre can highlight an affecting shift. Frisell's cycling chord pattern and Riley's tambourine and hand drum are present throughout "Weighted Corners." Akinmusire intones lovely shapes, but more intriguingly, his performance is an example of his use of repetition. It's surprising to hear a trumpet repeat a figure again and again; it lends a pushing-the-envelope edge to the hushed setting.   "Henya," which has a psychedelic-like vibe, unfolds at an unrushed pace. Riley's free-time drumming, more active than elsewhere, shines. Clattering hits and effective cymbal splashes create a charged backdrop for long-held trumpet tones and searching guitar. During a key stretch late in the track, the chord progression comes to the fore, displaying the subtle emotional poignancy that marks this reflective album.  © Fred Cisterna/Qobuz

A spellbinding fadeout for the band, climaxing with their legendary rooftop concert.© Bruce Eder /TiVo

Roger Waters has never really accepted the fact that Pink Floyd is able to exist without him, both on stage and on record—not that he’d ever admit that. Rick Wright’s death in 2008 seemed to quash any possibility of a reunion, and seeing David Gilmour continue to play Floyd songs must still bother him. After a couple of live tours, The Wall and Us + Them, the singer-bassist found himself stuck in the middle of a pandemic that was pushing everyone to record albums ‘at home’.Consequently, Waters got stuck into a long-distance collaboration with numerous musicians, re-recording Floyd tracks and rearranging them in his own way. His song selection isn’t inconsequential either; he draws from the albums he was heavily involved in writing, namely The Wall and The Final Cut (as well as a track from his solo discography, ‘The Bravery of Being Out of Range’): his way of reminding us who the boss was during his time in Pink Floyd and showing us that songs that are written well in the first place never get old.This is an exciting release, though it doesn’t overtly possess the magic of Waters’ days with Pink Floyd. Comfortably Numb 2022 is a particularly curious track, far more composed and less heroic than the original. It comes in at two minutes longer than the original, too; the numerous choruses at the end attempt to make the listener forget about Gilmour’s sublime guitar solo—a gamble that will inevitably split opinions amongst hardcore fans. This is more than just a new album. The Lockdown Sessions is more of a stylistic exercise that has kept the creator’s creative juices flowing ahead of his farewell tour, This Is Not a Drill. Every hero has the right to take it easy eventually. © Chief Brody/Qobuz

Twenty years after Blues Deluxe, his first all-blues album, Joe Bonamassa delivers a sequel with 2023's Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2. He may follow the same blueprint -- it largely consists of covers, supplemented by two originals -- but the circumstances and collaborators have changed. Here, he foregoes using longtime producer Kevin Shirley to work with Josh Smith, a blues guitarist from Bonamassa's own generation who also contributes the album's closer "Is It Safe to Go Home." Smith helps give Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2 a loose, lived-in feeling that contrasts with the eager fire of the 2003 record. It's a change that suits Bonamassa well. Not pushing so hard with either his vocals or his guitar, Bonamassa instead settles into a muscular, horn-punctuated groove that rolls right through numbers by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Guitar Slim, Ronnie Earle & the Broadcasters, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and Albert King. Bonamassa solos plenty but the song is placed at the forefront throughout Blues Deluxe, Vol. 2 -- it's closer to an old LP from the '60s than to the shredding blues-rockers who followed in the wake of Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is a roundabout way of saying that Bonamassa's blues seem to be deepening as he grows older, which is not a bad thing at all. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Arriving swiftly on the heels of Moving on Skiffle, Accentuate the Positive is certainly a kissing cousin to its 2023 companion: it's another spirited revival of a style that a young Van Morrison held dear. Despite being titled after the Johnny Mercer & Harold Arlen standard, Accentuate the Positive isn't an ode to the Great American Songbook. It's nominally a celebration of the early days of rock & roll, an era that did see various styles, attitudes, and demographics mingle, so Morrison's decision to punctuate classics by Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and Chuck Willis with pop tunes, country hits, and jump blues isn't far afield: all this music was part of the early explosion of rock & roll. Besides, Van Morrison has never been a rockabilly cat, he's a blues shouter and he plays precisely to those strengths here, leading his band through lively and loving readings of rock & roll oldies, never apologizing for the unabashed nostalgia of the entire enterprise.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

When you Google Julian Lage's name, one of the FAQs that pops up is: How is Julian Lage so good? But maybe the better question to ask is, How does he do it all? The former child prodigy of guitar, now in his mid-30s, has released 15 albums since 2009—not counting his extensive side work with John Zorn, as well as Gary Burton, Dave Douglas, Yoko Ono, Nels Cline, David Grisman and others. His fourth (in as many years) for Blue Note is never strictly jazz, which may rankle some protective fans. Lage is aware, and nonplussed. "Throughout my life, I've always responded to music that has a narrative quality to it," he has said of Speak to Me's boundary breaking. "I believe there is a kind of connective tissue that music has, and it's important, and it's fun to cultivate." "Northern Shuffle" is a muscular six minutes of effortlessly showy blues riffs that punch and dart, like a boxer; Lage even dips into groovy, almost surf-like flourishes, as Levon Henry's tenor sax hollers. The last minute slides into a well-earned confident strut. Warm and acoustic-led, "Omission" has an Allman Brothers feel. Kissed with zither and Wurlitzer, "76" is charged with a juke-joint vibe: Lage brightly, tautly running blues riffs while Kris Davis kills it on keys. Producer Joe Henry—who has worked with the likes of Loudon Wainwright III, Rodney Crowell, Solomon Burke, Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint and Rhiannon Giddens—is a good match for this wide-ranging, playful spirit. Lage and Co. sometimes even traverse a few different terrains within a single song. "Vanishing Points" lets Davis' piano and Henry's alto clarinet run wild, Jorge Roeder (a captivating force throughout) takes a thoughtful solo, and Lage briefly flirts with a Spaghetti Western posture. "South Mountain" starts out on a more experimental, icy landscape then grows into a folky groove; at a point, Lage and his acoustic step out, allowing the rest of the band to noodle in a fashion that's more angular than aimless. "Myself Around You," meanwhile, simply lets Lage do all the lifting, his acoustic notes descending like Alice sliding into Wonderland, then covering as much ground as possible while skipping right back up. "Serenade" conjures a blue-moodiness, "Two And One" buzzes with improv electricity, and the nostalgic title track—a melange of jazz, blues-funk and good humor—smirks with a comical cinematic mystery. And when Lage leans all the way into jazz, as on the rich acoustic ballad "As It Were," it's like he's conducting the weather via guitar: a silver, soft fog that moves over and around you. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Anyone who aspires to a professional career as a violinist must eventually reckon with Beethoven's Violin Concerto. This exacting instrumental jewel demands not only technical mastery, but also an extraordinary sense of lyricism and emotion from those who seek to make it their own. It is not surprising that, over the centuries, famous virtuosos have never stopped reimagining and recording this masterpiece in order to pass it on to posterity: Fritz Kreisler, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Isabelle Faust... Now, it is in their footsteps - rather intimidatingly, let's admit - that a new, irresistibly charismatic voice has now arrived.Only 20 years old, María Dueñas possesses the talent and radiance of a long-standing virtuoso. She grew up in Granada and studied in Dresden and Vienna with Boris Kuschnir. Her first major success came in 2021, when she won first prize in the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin Competition. That same year, she attracted the attention of Deutsche Grammophon, with whom she soon signed a contract. It was with this label that she presented her first album, Beethoven and Beyond."Beethoven's Violin Concerto has been with me at the most important moments of my life," says María, for whom it seems only natural to dedicate the first chapter of her discography to this work. She had the chance to record her œuvre with Manfred Honeck and the Vienna Symphony at the beginning of 2023, during a concert held in a hall with a rich history: the Vienna Music Hall - a 'home' debut, as it were. But how to stand out from the crowd? "With the Beethoven concerto, you can't show off your virtuosity, only yourself. And only sound can reveal it.”It was precisely this sound that convinced us! But that's not all: to really add her own touch to the work, María composed her own cadenzas. The album also includes cadenzas by five other famous virtuosos (Louis Spohr, Eugène Ysaÿe, Camille Saint-Saëns, Henryk Wieniawski and Fritz Kreisler) as well as works for violin and orchestra by each of these composers. María takes up the Concerto with a unique sincerity and authenticity and manages to shed a new light on Beethoven, that of her own time. Let us be the first to warn you; instead of Beethoven and Beyond, there will soon be María Dueñas and Beyond. No doubt about it, this is a Qobuzissime! Lena Germann/Qobuz

Antonio Vivaldi's Le Quattro Stagioni is one of the most beloved works in Baroque music, and even the most casual listener can recognize certain passages of Spring or Winter from frequent use in television commercials and films. Yet if these concertos have grown a little too familiar to experienced classical fans, Max Richter has disassembled them and fashioned a new composition from the deconstructed pieces. Using post-minimalist procedures to extract fertile fragments and reshape the materials into new music, Richter has created an album that speaks to a generation familiar with remixes, sampling, and sound collages, though his method transcends the manipulation of prerecorded music. Richter has actually rescored the Four Seasons and given the movements of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter thorough makeovers that vary substantially from the originals. The new material is suggestive of a dream state, where drifting phrases and recombined textures blur into walls of sound, only to re-emerge with stark clarity and poignant immediacy. Violinist Daniel Hope is the brilliant soloist in these freshly elaborated pieces, and the Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin is conducted with control and assurance by André de Ridder, so Richter's carefully calculated effects are handled with precision and subtlety. Deutsche Grammophon's stellar reproduction captures the music with great depth, breadth, and spaciousness, so everything Richter and de Ridder intended to be heard comes across.© Blair Sanderson /TiVo

International bestselling band The Buena Vista Social Club introduced Son Cubano, the first Afro-Cuban sound, to music lovers across the globe. However, their record was lucky to have ever come into existence at all. This album (which went on to sell over 8 million copies worldwide) was recorded in 1996 at the Egrem studio in Havana and was organised at the very last minute, replacing another session. Initially, the plan was to bring together Cuban and Malian musicians, but it later transpired that the African musicians had not received their visas. The altered project saw Nick Gold, founder of the British label World Circuit, Ry Cooder, the famous American producer and guitarist, and Juan de Marcos González, conductor of the Afro-Cuban All Stars who had just released their first tribute album to the biggest Cuban bands of the 50s, record an album with local musicians⁠—possibly one of the wisest decisions of their career.The record features some of the best Cuban musicians, including bassist Orlando 'Cachaíto' López, trumpeter Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal and Barbarito Torres, an expert on the laúd, a small Cuban lute, as well as some veteran singers who came out of retirement to record these tracks. Compay Segundo (89), Pio Leiva (80), Ibrahim Ferrer (69), Omara Portuondo (66) and Eliades Ochoa (50) all gathered around the piano played by Ruben Gonzalez (78), who was also recording another album during this time.Called the Buena Vista Social Club in reference to the famous Havana club where traditional musicians used to meet prior to the 1930s, the album was discreetly released in 1997. Gradually, glowing reviews and positive word-of-mouth attracted the attention of the general public, which was further heightened by the Grammy Award they won that same year. The alchemy between the seasoned vocals, the genius of the musicians and the ever-fresh flavour of these forgotten hits is simply perfect. The result is strikingly authentic, and it’s impossible not to feel the genuine joy felt by these talented and mischievous musicians.In 1998, the original BVSC line-up put on three concerts: two in Amsterdam and one in Carnegie Hall in New York. Wim Wenders, friend of Ry Cooder, was behind the camera during these exceptional performances. He was also behind the recording sessions in Cuba for Ibrahim Ferrer’s first solo album, which was the main source of material for the film Buena Vista Social Club. Released in 1999, this documentary served to cement this short-lived group’s status as legends.For most of these artists, this album marked the start of short, international careers. Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzalez died in 2003, Ibrahim Ferrer in 2005 and Orlando 'Cachaíto' López in 2009. Some of the original band members continued to tour the world under the name Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club and, in October 2015, they were the first Cuban musicians to be welcomed at the White House following the decline of the relationship between Cuba and the USA, demonstrating the huge cultural importance of this record. © Benjamin Minimum/Qobuz

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The Irish art-pop queen gets extra freaky on her latest, produced by DJ Koze. Hit Parade is fearless, willing to go places most minds would never imagine. "The Universe" is a gorgeously absurd yacht rock breeze that finds Róisín Murphy trying on a sunny accent and goofing on "Row Row Row Your Boat," of all things. "The House"—a party fueled by a funky guitar riff—was reportedly inspired by a dystopian J.G. Ballard story, and it shimmers and shines with a sinister brightness. "'Cause this house is holding it/ All that loneliness/ This place is going insane," Murphy sings, before revealing in a voice that's more disbelieving than panicked: "It's locked me in … I can't get out of the house." Her powerhouse voice—a descendent of Dusty Springfield, Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox—is a marvel here, especially on tracks like the liquid R&B "What Not to Do." Sensual like Christine and the Queens (aka Redcar), it's a sexy meditation on control with Murphy playing both sides: "Tell me what not to do/ You better stay, never leave, you better listen to me." She and Koze effortlessly play with genres and show excellent taste in who they borrow from. Love song "CooCool" samples R&B legend Mike James Kirkland's "Together" and layers on eccentric funk, jazz trills and chilly-crisp drum breaks. "Fader" is weird and wonderful, solid-gold '70s soul that just feels good and samples Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. "Hurtz So Bad" is positively lush and echoes Murphy's trip-hop days in the duo Moloko, "Two Ways" delves into trap beats, "Free Will" drips with disco-diva glitter, and "Can't Replicate" is seven-and-a-half minutes of hypnotic deep house. Even the goofy interlude "Spacetime," with Murphy's young son chanting "time and space" in a child's pretend ogre growl, somehow fits right in. And closer "Eureka" is absolutely unnerving, like some soundtrack to the dystopian movie Brazil, only you don't know what is metaphorical fantasy and what is mortally real. "What the doctor said/ He took one look at me/ Told me he could see/ There was something there," Murphy sings. "And I can't even say/ What the surgeon/ Gonna take away/ And I don't really care anyway … Just cut away/ Like I'm made of clay." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

More than a decade since their last album was released, Sweden's The Hives sound as nihilistic and melodic as they did on their 2000 garage-punk classic Veni Vidi Vicious. "Mmm, stand to the side when my shit starts wrecking/ You're gonna think you gone blind," frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist wails on "Bogus Operandi," which starts off with grand dramatic pauses before the sparks start—and don't stop—flying.  From there, it's straight into "Trapdoor Solution," a breakneck minute and three seconds of garage fuzz that finds Amqvist as guttural as ever. But there are surprises and experiments here, too. "Stick Up" crashes together Cab Calloway vaudeville and horror punk. "Countdown to Shutdown"—with references to Ponzi schemes and Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid—cruises on a slinky groove courtesy of bassist The Johan and Only (Johan Gustaffson), who has toured with the band and played on 2020's Live at Third Man Records, but makes his studio album debut here. Almqvist plays it more louche—think Jonathan Fire*Eater—than fevered on "Rigor Mortis Radio" ("I got your email saying you wanted me/ I got your email, delete delete"). And he adopts a bluesman delivery for "Crash into the Weekend," a mondo rug-cutter fueled by frenzied handclaps and furious rockabilly guitar. "I'm going to crash into the weekend like a busted jaw/ Riding shotgun to a monkey on a circular saw … I’m going to crash into the bottom of a bottomless pit." Almqvist promises (threatens?). According to Hives lore, which has always been over-the-top, the album's title refers to their invisible "sixth member" and manager who mysteriously recruited each musician via letter and now, apparently, has led the band to an empty grave. (For what it's worth, the name is registered to Nicholaus Arson, a.k.a. Niklas Almqvist, band guitarist and Pelle's brother.) But don't get bogged down in the goofiness—just enjoy the ride. "Two Kinds of Trouble" stomps, "The Way the Story Goes" rides a fierce, sped-up Cramps groove and "The Bomb" is a hoot—all frenzied chanting, tight rhythm and playful call-and-response: "What do you want to do?/ Go off!/ What don't you want to do?/Not go off!" The album breathlessly wraps up with the punishingly fast and furious "Step Out of the Way," clocking in at less than a minute and a half because what human over 22 could keep up with this? © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

The virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin isn't the first pianist one would think of when it comes to Fauré's music, but he has recorded all kinds of things, even ragtime, and as it happens, he does quite well with the dense miniatures heard on this album. Fauré's Nocturnes are at some level connected to Chopin's but are quite different, with murky chromaticism, especially in the later ones, setting the night atmosphere. Fauré is thought of as a musical conservative, but one would hardly know it from the pieces here that stubbornly refuse to settle on a tonal center. The counterpoint is complex, and a successful performance is one that untangles it. There isn't big, pianistic virtuosity here, but Hamelin's ability to balance Fauré's registers is virtuosic in its own way. The Barcarolles, a genre not much pursued by other composers but for Fauré seeming to allow rays of Venetian sunshine into his rather closed-in French world, are lighter but basically cut from the same cloth. Things lighten up with the final Dolly Suite, Op. 56, where Hamelin performs with his wife, Cathy Fuller. (For those wondering, neither Mi-a-ou nor the Kitty-valse has anything to do with cats.) Although Hyperion's church sound is not idiomatic, it does not damage the remarkable clarity in what is a significant entry in the Fauré discography, one that landed on classical best-seller lists in the late summer of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo