Natalie Merchant’s new self-titled album, her first of entirely original songs in 13 years, is out now on Nonesuch Records. "Merchant creates a rich musical tapestry that transcends the typical vagary of pop music," raves the Associated Press. The Daily Telegraph gives the album a perfect five stars, naming it Album of the Week: "There is something quietly magnificent about her vocal presence." The Sunday Express says the album is "brimming with wit, insight and compassion." Merchant "is in terrific form," says the Times of London. "It is Merchant’s mature, versatile voice that steals the show."

The new album with John Adams's City Noir (2009) and the debut recording of his 2012 Saxophone Concerto is out now in North America, with an international release to follow May 19. Both pieces are performed by the St. Louis Symphony led by David Robertson, featuring saxophonist Timothy McAllister. City Noir, inspired by Los Angeles "noir" films of the 1940s and '50s, "is riveting," says the New York Times. Adams composed his Saxophone Concerto for McAllister, whom he calls "a fearless musician and risk taker," after McAllister's performance of the sax solo part in City Noir.

Nonesuch Records releases Louis Andriessen’s Grawemeyer Award–winning La Commedia on June 10, 2014, as a two-CD-plus-DVD set. The film opera, a collaboration with director Hal Hartley, is based on Dante’s Divine Comedy, with additional texts including the Old Testament’s “Song of Songs.” This Dutch National Opera production features the Asko and Schönberg Ensembles, led by Reinbert de Leeuw. The Washington Post calls La Commedia "an exciting, powerful and rich piece that shows Andriessen at the top of his game." The Los Angeles Times considers it "the greatest opera of the century so far." La Commedia is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

Natalie Merchant's new, self-titled album is due out next Tuesday, May 6, but you don't need to wait till then to hear it: her sixth solo collection is streaming in full all this week in the New York Times's Press Play feature. Merchant will perform at the Beacon Theatre in NYC on September 13. Watch an in-depth video conversation with Merchant, in which she discusses the new album and the "intimate portraits" she creates in its songs, here. 

Jacob Cooper’s Nonesuch Records debut album, Silver Threads, is out now. The album comprises a six-song cycle performed by soprano Mellissa Hughes. Cooper wrote the title track for Hughes in 2011, setting a haiku attributed to Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō for voice and electronic track. To expand it into a full cycle (for voice and track), he enlisted five other poets to write text inspired by the haiku. Silver Threads is Album of the Week at WQXR's Q2 Music, which calls it "stylish, with a youthful energy." Hughes performs music from the album at (Le) Poisson Rouge in NYC on May 7.

Nonesuch Records releases saxophonist Joshua Redman’s Trios Live on June 17, 2014. The album was recorded at Jazz Standard in NYC and Blues Alley in Washington, DC during stands with two different trios: drummer Gregory Hutchinson and bassists Matt Penman (Jazz Standard) and Reuben Rogers (Blues Alley). Trios Live features four original tunes by Redman and interpretations of three additional songs. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an instant download of Redman’s song “Soul Dance” from the record, which you can preview here.

Happy Record Store Day! Today is the seventh annual celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently owned record stores around the world. For the occasion, Conor Oberst releases a limited-edition 7" single including "Hundreds of Ways," off his forthcoming Nonesuch debut album, Upside Down Mountain, along with album outtake "Fast Friends" on the B-side.

Nonesuch Records is set to release Natalie Merchant’s new self-titled album on May 6. In support of the new album, the multi-platinum singer will embark on a 16-date US summer tour, making stops along the East Coast and into the Midwest. A fan pre-sale begins on Wednesday, followed by general on sale. Nonesuch Store pre-orders of the new album, Merchant's first recording of entirely original songs in 13 years, include an instant download of the track "Ladybird."

Nonesuch Records releases City Noir—comprising the title piece by composer John Adams and the debut recording of his Saxophone Concerto—on May 6, 2014. Both pieces are performed by the St. Louis Symphony led by Music Director David Robertson. Saxophonist Timothy McAllister is featured on both pieces. The City Noir album is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

Today marks the reissue of Emmylou Harris’s groundbreaking album Wrecking Ball, produced by Daniel Lanois. It features the remastered original album, a bonus CD of previously unreleased material, and a DVD of the behind-the-scenes documentary Building the Wrecking Ball. The San Francisco Chronicle calls the album "one of the crowning achievements of both of their careers, one of the finest albums by anyone in the past two decades." The reissue earns five stars from Mojo and Uncut, which calls it "ambitious and audacious ... a masterpiece." Harris and Lanois are on tour now, performing music from the album.

Nonesuch celebrates Kronos Quartet, long known as interpreters of music from around the world, in its 40th anniversary year with two releases: Kronos Explorer Series, a box set of five classic albums from five different parts of the world, and A Thousand Thoughts, a new album that looks at Kronos’s geographically wide-ranging sources, featuring music from 14 different countries. Both are out today in North America (international release April 21). Kronos continues its anniversary celebration at the Switchboard Music Festival in its hometown of San Francisco this Saturday.

Toumani Diabaté, widely recognized as the greatest living kora player, and his eldest son Sidiki, release the recording Toumani & Sidiki on World Circuit on May 19. The Guardian has called it "the finest Toumani collaboration since his classic work with Ali Farka Touré." The album, produced by World Circuit’s Nick Gold with engineer Jerry Boys, is a set of unaccompanied kora duets, featuring both obscure, almost forgotten kora pieces and a new look at some Mandé classics from Mali. With this album, Toumani aims "to show the positive side of Mali," to reassert the legacy of a country with access to untold musical riches.