Pianist Alexei Lubimov continues his quest to find the perfect match of repertoire and instrument in this extraordinary survey of Debussy's Préludes.

Pianist and composer Bjornstad is also one of Norway's leading writers and this double CD represents a musical response to his trilogy of novels about a young piano student, Aksel Vinding.

"These are a few of my favourite things," says Simon Fujiwara, showing me around his studio in the colourful Kreuzberg district of Berlin. Having previously worked in his flat, he laughs. "I deliberately recreated home here in the studio. It is so successful that people always ask if this is where I live."

Hollywood star Keira Knightley is to marry her rock star boyfriend, James Righton from Klaxons. The couple have become engaged after dating since early last year.

Hollywood star Keira Knightley is to marry her rock star boyfriend, James Righton from Klaxons.

Michael Haneke is now a firm favourite to join the illustrious list of two-time Palme d’Or winners thanks to this heart-breaking tale about the dying weeks in the relationship of an octogenarian couple.

It’s a welcome new trend that pianists should begin their recitals with a Haydn sonata. Still regarded in some quarters as the humble forerunner to Mozart, Haydn not only created the sonata form, but carried out experiments in it which still sound daring today.

David Cameron claims that Dark Side of the Moon is his favourite album. Yeah, right says John Rentoul – these days, politicians' pop picks come direct from the focus group

English folk buoyed on a current of ethnic rhythm: tabla, sitar, cittern, dhol, electronica ... It's not an easy trick to pull off without sounding self-conscious and contrived – and in truth contrivance is close to the essence of the project.

Ligeti's Piano Études are famously quixotic in pushing the player beyond their usual limits.

Nick Waterhouse is another retro-R&B stylist in the vein of Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse, with the kind of analogue obsession that suggests even the valves of his heart glow: this debut album was even cut on the same Gold Star Studios lathe used by Phil Spector.

After dallying with Danger Mouse, the US indie rockers are back with new members and a new album

As with many period recordings, there's a hurdle to be overcome with these Fifties recordings of Vaughan Williams works – most notably, the thinness of the sound and the unusual instrumental balance that initially distracts from Alexander Young's noble English tenor.

The impressive range of Piers Hellawell's work is displayed on this collection of six compositions, five of which are premiere recordings.