Viguela is a five-member band from Castilla-La Mancha, who has been sustaining their homeland’s traditional music for over three decades. Their music fuses traditional songs with more modern aspects and sounds from other areas in the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Temperamento is being released alongside their 2016 European tour, which will take the group through Spain, Sweden, and Germany. “Viguela’s CD is a treasure. Full of reality, human presence, intensity – and musically and technically perfect.” (Janusz Prusinowski, Mazurkas of the World Festival)

Classical Music

• Historic concert recordings of the Berlin Symphonic Orchestra from 1959 and 1961, led by its first and chief conductor for 24 years, Carl A. Bünte. • Carl A. Bünte was a pupil of the mercurial Sergiu Celibidache and has led a distinguished international career. • These two symphonies, both their composer's second, are considerably less volatile, but no less rousing fare, than there more famous later symphonies.

The final volume of the 24 Etudes-Caprices by the internationally renowned virtuoso Emile Sauret, crowns one of the most impressive but seldom performed bodies of solo violin writing in the entire canon. In the last five Etudes, once again played by Nazrin Rashidova on Sauret's own Stradivarius violin, the full range of his art can be heard, from double and triple stopping, to registral leaps, chordal and staccato techniques and exercises for absolute control of the bow. Of Volume 3 The Strad wrote: "Rashidova plays superbly." The Azerbaijani-born British violin virtuoso, soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral director Nazrin Rashidova made her solo debut at the age of three in Baku, and was awarded a Gold Medal by the Cairo Opera House for an exceptional violin recital three years later. Rashidova's recordings for Naxos - works for violin and piano by Godowsky (8.573058) and Moszkowski (8.573410) - were acclaimed by The Strad and Gramophone magazines. Rashidova is pursuing a PhD at the Royal Academy of Music, where her research explores �mile Sauret and his 24 �tudes-Caprices. Her world premiere recording series of these works comprises four volumes.

Classical Music

The piano concertos of Fr�d�ric Chopin are amongst the greatest and best-known orchestral works of the 19th century. It is thus no wonder that every pianist would like to play them and, of course, record them as well. Joseph-Maurice Weder, winner of the SWISS AMBASSADOR'S AWARD 2013 in London, has achieved this in the unusual ensemble of the piano sextet. Chopin Concertos with Joseph-Maurice Weder and the Berlin Camerata. During the 19th century, the practice of transcribing orchestral works for smaller ensembles was widespread- in the age prior to recordings, this was an indispensible way of helping compositions achieve their breakthrough with the public.

The Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni, winner of the 2018 Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition, has selected a programme that spans the 20th century. The first book of Debussy’s Images offers poetic evocation and virtuoso caprice, whereas Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6, completed in 1940, is the first of his ‘War Sonatas’, characteristically contrasting rhythmic vitality with rich lyricism. Ginastera, too, supplies vivid intensity in his Piano Sonata No. 1 suggesting the sound of the guitar, while Ligeti’s Étude is a Debussyian evocation of a rainbow. Dmytro Choni was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1993, and received his first piano lesson at the age of four. In addition to his victory at the 2018 Paloma O’Shea Santander International Competition, he is also a laureate of many prestigious competitions such as the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition (Italy, 2017) and International Piano Competition in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz (Ukraine, 2017). In2019 he received the Vendome Prize at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

Pelé's meteoric rise from the slums of São Paulo to leading Brazil to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17 is chronicled in this biographical drama, Pelé. A name known around the world, a sports legend who changed soccer forever and a national hero who carried the hopes and dreams of a country on his back. But before he was an icon, he was a kid from the slums of São Paulo, Brazil, so poor that he couldn't afford a real soccer ball. A.R. Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist. Rahman has been described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time Magazine. His works are notable for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music and traditional orchestral arrangements.

Pianist Klara Wurtz has an impressive oeuvre of recordings, with over 35 CDs to her name. For this new release, her fourth with Piano Classics, she has chosen music from Janacek and Kodaly. Wurtz has chosen this program largely in part to the intimacy these works present, and their close relation to their native country’s folklore. Klara Wurtz’ previous releases have attained critical acclaim. Of her prior Schubert recording with Piano Classics, Classicstoday.com writes, “Klara Wurtz’ intelligence, technical finesse and innate musicality serve the Schubert Impromptus well.”

Following three acclaimed releases for AVIE surveying works by Dvo?ák, Schubert and contemporary Americans, the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet turns to the seminal string quartets of Beethoven, performing the five quartets from the composer’s middle period. Formed in 1996, the Cypresses added Beethoven to their repertoire early on. Their signature sound, which is clear and transparent, built up from the bottom register and layered like a pyramid, lends itself beautifully to the Middle String Quartets – the three “Rasumovskys,” the “Harp,” and the “Serioso.” Included in this new box set - released internationally on November 11, 2014 on Avie Records - are original, extensive and insightful program notes written by Nicholas Mathews, professor at UC Berkeley. - Cypress String Quartet

Toccata Classics continues its exploration of the music of Hungarian composer Ferenc Farkas (1905–2000) with this selection from his huge choral music output. It ranges in mood from the folk-like simplicity of the Missa Secunda in honorem Sanctae Margaritae and his bright carol settings via the astringency of some late a cappella pieces to the fresh and buoyant Christmas Cantata. This recording is also the first by the new London-based chamber choir Ascolta founded in 2015 by Peter Broadbent, one of Britain’s leading choral conductors, known for his consistent commitment to contemporary music.-- S

REVIEW:

Ferenc Farkas (1905–2000) was a beloved professor at the Budapest Academy of Music and a composer whose music had eluded me up to now. I am glad to make his acquaintance because he wrote classy, charming fare that doesn’t have to work overtime to make its points. Several of these works are accorded their first-ever recordings by Maestro Broadbent’s Ascolta Ensembles, and we are the better for their efforts.

Farkas’s 12-minute Mass is an affectionate, straightforward take on the liturgy. (I’d love to sing it someday.) The carols and ‘Ave Maris Stella’ are the true charmers of the set. The Emmaus Cantata after St Luke is made of sterner stuff and is also worth getting to know.

-- American Record Guide

Countless umbrellas, pils of jumble and two grand pianos stacked one upon another found in Erik Satie's apartment after his death were the inspiration of this new release. Pianist Tamar Halperin and producer Guy Sternberg strip down Satie's compositions into individual voices, play them on various instruments and stack the pieces on top of each other. Their goal is to find out what Satie's music would sound like, were it composed in modern times. Halperin and Sternberg want to reflect Satie's influence on the various generations of artists that followed him. Satie was a composer who blurred the lines between Classical Art music and non-classical, popular styles.

The advantages of old master violins against modern violins - or vice versa - is one of the most discussed issues in the world of string instruments. A year can barely pass without a new scientific study, in which they claim to be able to definitely prove which one is better. For the most part, these supposed sensations reveal only one dimensional thinking, which can hardly ever be appropriate when defining a such complex phenomenon as a string instrument. The situation is absurd and confusing, because nothing is more vague than the price to sound ratio with stringed instruments. The more expensive an instrument is, the more irrational the opinion. The motto is: Close your eyes and listen carefully, because blind tests can sometimes lead to quite amazing, almost unmasking results. Hamburg born violinist and conductor, Philip A. Draganov, has enthralled audiences in Europe, Asia and teh USA with his "impulsive virtuosity...and exuberant musical power" (Hamburger Abendblatt). He had his debut as soloist at the age of only twelve with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra in the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg and has since enjoyed a multifaceted international career. In addition to solo performances, recitals and chamber music concerts, Draganov is regularly invited by major conductors such as Günter Wand, Herbert Blomstedt, Bernard Haitink, Christoph von Dohnány, Michael Tilson Thomas, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, Sir Roger Norrington and Ken Nagano wtih various orchestras such as the NDR Symphony Orchestra/Hamburg or the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Draganov plays a violin made by the Italian violin maker Tomaso Balestrieri from 1769 and a violin from the German luthier Peter Grenier.

Following on from their debut release on Resonus – 'Music for Troubled Times' – The Ebor Singers, with director Paul Gameson, returns to the label with a companion album of music for Christmas from the time of the English Civil War. With 'A Cavalier Christmas', the choir are joined by the Chelys Consort of Viols in exploring this fascinating, yet turbulent, period in music as Charles I sought to continue to observe the festive season in style, contrary to attempts by England’s Puritan-influenced parliament to ban such celebrations. Acclaimed for performances and recordings that sparkle with fresh insight and vibrant musicality, The Ebor Singers has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting vocal ensembles in the north of England. Based in the beautiful medieaval city of York, the choir performs regularly in the city’s stunning buildings, including York Minster.

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REVIEWS:

What Christmas music was sung during the English Civil War period? The York-based Ebor Singers answer that question in this fine anthology of works by Gibbons, Byrd, Dering, Jenkins and others.

– BBC Music Magazine

Paul Gameson coaxes fine singing and some admirable solo contributions from his Ebor ensemble, with the Chely’s Consort of Viols providing discrete accompaniment throughout.

– Classical Ear

Harmonica and jazz? It would be hard to come up with more than a few names that have brilliantly combined these concepts together. The Belgian Toots Thielemans, a living legend on the chromatic harmonica would be leading the way, together with Stevie Wonder, with whom the instrument has gained access into the world of soul and pop. Then all of a sudden, Konstantin Renfeld appears; very young and a genuine talent on the diatonic harmonica, which he plays fully chromatically. He sets standards here which are otherwise only met by the US virtuoso Howard Levy. Even as a child, Konstantin Reinfeld was irresistibly attracted to music. His enthusiasm for the freedom of jazz grew equally alongside his autodidactic study of the instrument. Learning the increasingly demanding playing techniques which that kind of music requires was a unique incentive for Reinfeld, and brought him an increasing sense of self-fulfillment. ''After the release of my debut album, the common musical understanding within the band has grown stronger because of our live performances at festivals and concerts. A consequence of this was an effort by everyone in the band to carry this energy which we had developed on the stage into the studio.'' (Konstantin Reinfeld)

To get a sense of the ambition of the Romantic movement, one need only hear Franz Liszt's A Symphony to Dante's Divine Comedy, which represents one high point of exploration that had wide influence, and Alexander Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy, which is characteristic of the period's final efflorescence. These are the major works of this album by Yuri Ahronovitch and the Orchestra of the Alte Oper Frankfurt, with Richard Wagner's Rienzi Overture serving almost as a light interlude between them. While this operatic piece is certainly an important indication of the groundbreaking directions Wagner would take in his later music dramas, it is still a comparatively modest musical example, particularly when compared to the weighty works on either side of it, which leave a clearer impression of Romantic innovations. In terms of orchestration, form, and harmonic advances, the Dante Symphony and Poem of Ecstasy both seem to burn with originality and still have the capacity to surprise modern listeners, where Wagner's overture has sections that hearken back to early 19th century Italian opera and seems at time predictably bombastic. The live performances date from 1983, so the sound quality is not outstanding, and the sound of the orchestra is a little shallow in dimensions. All the same, this CD will be a keeper for Ahronovitch fans, and an interesting offering for beginners exploring Romantic music.

-- All Music Guide

The Scottish pianist Ronald Stevenson, now 86, is the Grand Old Man of Scottish music. A composer-performer in the grand tradition of Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninov, he has written a huge quantity of music for his own instrument, the piano, ranging from tiny miniatures to his best-known work, the monumental Passacaglia on DSCH. This first of a series of recordings by the young Scottish pianist Christopher Guild, strong advocate of contemporary and lesser- known repertoire, begins with an album inspired by the music of Scotland itself and its Celtic neighbor, Ireland.

Throughout his lifetime, Antonio Vivaldi – a composer of many lyric operas – penned an enormous corpus of works encompassing countless concertos, sonatas, and sacred music. In his concertos and chamber sonatas, Vivaldi reveals his wonderful melodic talent with both deep and elegant allure. The concertos and the sonata of Antonio Vivaldi offered here are seldom performed and recorded. Recorder virtuoso Maria Giovanna Fiorentino leads I Fiori Musicali. “(IFM is) of Europe’s leading baroque ensembles.” (Journées Baroques sur Vienne)

Anna and Ines Walachowski have long been considered amongst the leading present-day piano duos. For the past two decades, the sisters have thrilled their audiences on international stages. They have received invitations to many renowned festivals, including the Rheingau Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival, the Dresden Music Festival, the MDR Music Summer, the Lower Saxon Music Days, the Mosel Festival, the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival as well as the Harbin Music Festival and the Bangkok Music Festival. The present album is the third issued by OehmsClassics.

American pianist Timothy Ehlen continues his prolific recording career with this offering of the music of Johannes Brahms. Mr. Ehlen, Professor of Piano at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, has performed extensively in the United States and Europe as a soloist and chamber player. He first gained international attention after winning the World Piano Competition in 1987; after his subsequent debut in Lincoln Center at Alice Tully Hall in 1988, the New York Times raved that his "playing was filled with elegant personality... recalled bygone artists like Robert Casadesus and, especially Walter Gieseking in their mastery of both 18th century and impressionist music... immaculate technique." The Pro Piano Recital Series sponsored his 1997 recital in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, which the New York Concert Review hailed as "... an absolutely remarkable tour-de-force." Recitals in France, Germany and Korea have received a similarly enthusiastic response. Mr. Ehlen has recorded the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas for the Azica label. After the release of volume III, Fanfare Magazine wrote: "... I have the feeling that the cycle with the richest rewards will turn out to be the Ehlen."