A rewarding new biography on Henry Purcell brings the composer’s life and times into one slender volume. At the book’s center is an up-to-date dictionary — accessible to non-specialists — that mentions well-known collaborators and a range of musicians, political events, performance practices, relevant musical terms, and more.

From the Executive Director: ‘We’re at a critical turning point for cultural institutions. Federal funding for arts and culture is rapidly diminishing, and there’s a real fear that foundations, corporations, and individual donors won’t pick up the slack (and might even give less if economic uncertainty continues)…’

In a splendid new recording, soprano Hannah De Priest and period-instrument ensemble Les Délices offer pastoral dreams of Arcadia in cantatas and instrumental works by Rameau, Handel, Louis Lefebvre and others.

Lost until 2015, Telemann’s set of 12 Fantasies for viola da gamba were composed in the mid-1730s, about the time he published his often-heard fantasies for flute and for violin. Now Polish viola player Michał Bryła has smartly transcribed and brilliantly recorded the gamba fantasies. For Baroque violists looking for new solo repertoire, this is a rather stunning find.