Katharina Konradi writes: “The labels “Mozart soprano” and “Strauss soprano” are often said to be practically indistinguishable. Indeed, in terms of melodic style, the two composers are not that far apart. Mozart suits my voice well, and the same is true of Richard Straus’s light lyrical repertoire. Then Schubert, with his astoundingly vast lieder output and his variety of musical expression, holds a special place for me. Every time I prepare a recital, these almost inexhaustible treasures take me on a delightful journey of surprising discoveries, and that is what my life as a lieder interpreter is all about...... Every piece on this album has a special appeal for me.”

With her first solo album, Emily Hoile would like to present works rarely heard on the harp until now. She takes great joy in arranging compositions for keyboard instruments and thus expanding the repertoire available to the harp: J.S. Bach's Toccata in C minor and D. Scarlatti's Sonata K.135 in E major make their debut on the harp with this release. The transcription of the Ballade by Claude Debussy is meant to underline the great importance that Paris had for harp music at the turn of the century. These arrangements are framed by two magnificent original compositions for the instrument: the surprisingly rarely played Harp Sonata by Casella and the Fantasy by Zabel inspired by Gounod's Faust.

Following the success of the Mozart Mass in C minor last year, CORO is delighted to announce the release of its second recording with Harry Christophers and the Handel and Haydn Society. Celebrated soloists Elizabeth Watts, Phyllis Pancella, Andrew Kennedy and Eric Owens joined Harry and the Society to record Mozart's Requiem live at Boston's Symphony Hall earlier this year. Mozart's final moments are reflected through this masterpiece of drama, intensity and depth. The mysterious circumstances surrounding the Requiem's commission (delivered by a 'messenger in black' who refused to reveal the identity of the person who had sent him), and the fact it was left incomplete by a dying Mozart, have ensured a continued fascination with the work. Completed by Mozart's colleague Süssmayr in 1792, the Requiem is one of Mozart's most popular and enduring works and one of the most enigmatic pieces of music ever composed. The CD will also feature Mozart's Ave verum corpus and the first recording on period instruments of his concert aria Per questa bella mano for bass voice and solo double bass obligato--a piece famous for its fiendishly difficult double bass part, performed superbly on this recording by Robert Nairn. Harry Christophers was appointed Artistic Director of Boston's internationally acclaimed Handel and Haydn Society in 2008. Founded in 1815, the Society is the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the U.S. and has given the American premieres of major works by Handel, Bach and Haydn, has won a Grammy Award, and will celebrate its Bicentennial in 2015. "Onstage, Christophers has what it takes to inspire the Society's fine musicians." The Wall Street Journal "...a commanding and compelling reading of an important if often overlooked monument in Mozart's musical development." Gramophone on COR16084: Mass in C minor