Classical Music

Classical Music

Masques, the title of this album, is a reference to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet; it mirrors his visionary music, so full of wit, color and drama, that expresses every possible human emotion. The thousand characters created by the music are both actors in and spectators of their own lives by turns. The Sonata No. 1 is a truly epic work; it leads us from an anguish-laden grief permeated with a gust of wind from the grave to a nostalgic lyricism — the memory of a lost paradise? — that is then driven by tremendous rhythmic energy to the apocalyptic climax of the work: we experience an explosion, a dissolution of every hope, before a return to the frozen whiteness of the beginning and an ending in resignation. The Sonata No. 2, unrestrainedly lyrical and punctuated with humour, can be seen as a contrasting counterpart to the previous work. The release also includes the undervalued Sonata for solo violin and two miniatures in Prokofiev’s characteristic style: they are filled with alacrity, humour and biting wit — an extract of life!

Alice Ader’s first Debussy disc (Erato) won all the awards in the specialist press on its release twenty years ago and is still regarded as an unequalled benchmark. Now this unconventional pianist at last unveils her recording of the complete Ravel piano works. And what better moment could there be than Debussy Year to present these two hours or so of music in dialogue, en Miroirs as it were, with the œuvre of ‘Claude de France’? Ravel, the hot-blooded Swiss watchmaker, the discreet Lisztian, the mediocre pianist who made such extreme demands on his colleagues, the man of so many sublime paradoxes, deserves only the finest interpreters: those who take the time to explore his deepest recesses. Alice Ader, light-years away from the flashy gestures often encountered in this music, takes us to the very heart of one of the most secretive composers of his time.

Genuine presents the third release in the "Homage 'a Debussy" series. This time, we are introduced to young Chinese pianist Chenyin Li. Chenyin has collected an impressive array of international first prizes including the European Beethoven Gold Medal, the Jacques Samuel Competition, the Sheffield Piano Competition, the Dudley International Competition and the Campillos International Piano Competition.

Classical Music

The Essence of Christmas is the Leipzig Flute Ensemble Quintessenz second release on the Genuin label. Anna Garzuly who leads the ensemble has studied in Budapest Munich and New York with Paul Meisen and Jeanne Baxtresser. She has also won prizes in renowned international competitions in Kobe Budapest Geneva and more.

After the release of their first CD "White", which received an ECHO Klassik award, the Amaryllis Quartett continues it's successful CD series with "Blue". This time, alongside the shimmering magic of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, the young, internationally acclaimed and award-winning musicians perform the world premiere of a quartet by the Chinese composer Lin Yang, who has dedicated the work to them. It is impressive how the tonal concentration of contemporary music and the richness of impressionistic works unfold when juxtaposed. State of the art quartet playing at the highest level!

Claude Debussy was profoundly permeated by his French roots. However, his Ballad demonstrates that Russian influences from Tchaikovsky also played an important role in his compositions. In works such as the Danse bohemian and the Arabesques, the fusion of both French and Russian inspiration comes together for a unique aural experience.

Winner of the 2015 German Music Competition, clarinetist Bettina Aust presents this new release alongside her brother, pianist Robert Aust. For Bettina’s debut album, she has chosen a varied programs, immersing the listener in a kaleidoscope of styles, including pieces from composers Francaix, Burgmuller, Widmann, Bernstein, and Brahms. “The two young musicians supply from a performance that is a huge thunderstorm of sound feels…they mingled rapid pace with crystal-clear sound…” (Der Tagesspiegel)

Duo TschoppBovino, on their debut GENUIN CD, show us their versatility as Mirjan Tschopp successfully performs onboth violin and viola. Dmitri Shostakovich occupies a unique place in 20th century music. The duo has chosen his Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134 and Sonata for Viola and Piano Op. 147. These two pieces were composed toward the end of the composer’s life, during his most mature compositional period.

This new release on the Genuin label is the introduction to a 4 CD Blüthner-Debussy collection. Praised by the critics for her fiery temperament, exceptional charisma and great command of her instrument in the romantic and modern repertoires, Brazilian-born pianist Juliana Steinbach is considered as one of the most gifted artists of the young generation.

The young, talented Finnish-Russian pianist Julia Dahlkvist has provided the finale in the four-part Bluthner-Debussy cycle on GENUIN. And she shows that etudes certainly do not have to be dull, nor do children's pieces have to be only for young people. From the slightly elegiac, finely satirical tones of Doctor gradus ad parnassum (Children's Corner) to the ecstatic chord sequences of the last Etudes, she works out the infinitely detailed richness of Debussy's piano works with superior technique and audible joy in the tone colors.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Iannis Xenakis invented his own instruments for Les Pléiades, a suggestive, interstellar work for percussion ensemble. And once again the Ensemble DeciBells commissioned their very own grandiose musical instruments for their outstanding recording of this work. The musicians led by Basel solo timpanist Domenico Melchiorre play the shimmering music, which fuses the boundaries between individual instrument, ensemble, and listener on a dizzying scale: subtle and yet with nerve! Percussion ensemble DeciBells is closely associated with new music, and regularly works on projects with contemporary composers. The ensemble’s roots are in Basel, however, concert tours have taken them to Asia and throughout Europe. DeciBells is Adrian Romaniuc, David Gurtner, Robin Fourmeau, Sakiko Yasui, Szilard Buti, Till Lingenberg, and Domenico Melchiorre.

More than 24 countries are represented in the European Brass Ensemble, which meets at the Melk Abbey in Austria. This new release is the ensemble’s first album with GENUIN, and features world premiere recordings. Renowned trumpeter James Morrison joins the ensemble. Morrison is highly sought-after for both his classical and jazz trumpeting skills.

Genuin presents the second release of the Saxon Wind Philharmonic, this time featuring for the first time, festive wind music. Director and conductor Thomas Clamor leads the group through Bernstein and Gershwin classics such as Candide, Summertime, and Strike up the Band.

Classical Music

Jewish Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg is associated with the expressionist movement and is touted as the leader of the Second Viennese School. This new release features Schoenberg’s four numbered string quartets. Even inside this single genre, these works are extraordinarily diverse. The Asasello Quartet has released two previous albums, both of which have been well-reviewed. They are known for their unconventional concerts, and are now making a name for themselves by winning international competitions.

The world renowned Westminster Choir College’s Williamson Voices presents this new release with music from some of the greatest choral composers of all time, including Britten, Bruckner, Mendelssohn, Part, and Whitacre. The sound worlds which are explored in this release are colorful, vivid, and contrasting. Britten’s “Jubilate Deo” is joyful and shimmering, Mendelssohn’s “Veni Domine” adds a unique texture as a work for women’s choir, and the “Kyrie” from Tomas Luis de Victoria’s 1604 Requiem casts an enchanting and timeless glow over the listener. The music chosen for this program has a common thread, and that is the ability to tear a hole into our spiritual core and provide a deeper understanding of life and living. The Westminster Williamson Voices is conducted by James Jordan, and was described by Gramophone magazine as an ensemble of “intimate and forceful choral artistry,” with a tone that is “controlled and silken in sustained phrases as they are vibrantly sonorous in extroverted material.”

The creation of the GIA WindWorks label represents an expanded relationship between the North Texas Wind Symphony and GIA Publications, Inc. Composers, conductors, music critics, and connoisseurs worldwide have praised the recordings conducted by Eugene Migliaro Corporon for their innovation, excellence, and professional standards.

Includes work(s) for band by Percy Aldridge Grainger. Ensemble: North Texas University Wind Ensemble. Conductor: Eugene Migliaro Corporon.

The GIA Composer's Collection seeks to bring together into one place the master works by some of the most respected Wind Symphony composers of all time. Stunningly performed by the North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Corporon, this series also includes extensive liner notes about the composers and their contributions to the Wind Band. Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) is perhaps the first American-born composer to achieve worldwide fame and recognition, but as Ned Rorem pointed out: "His books and lectures have re-shaped the way America listens, and his mastery of keyboard and podium has defined the notion of American performance." This stellar recording of Bernstein’s great works features Eugene Migliaro Corporon directing the North Texas Wind Symphony, giving exceptional life to this wonderful music, including Overture to Candide and JFK Fanfare. This recording is spectacular on every level—a showcase of great music recorded by one of the great wind symphonies of our time.

Copland & Thomson: Sacred & Secular Choral Music - Celebrating the centenary of Aaron Copland's birth, Gloriae Dei Cantores presents a broad spectrum of choral music by Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson. These two musical giants exemplified the ideals of American culture and established a truly American style for music. The centerpiece for this recording is the first American recording in many years of Copland's choral masterpiece In the Beginning, featuring American mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee. Also included are Thomson's beloved Four Southern Hymns and some of his fascinating early works written during his sojourn in Paris, and a selection of vibrant choral arrangements of Copland's Old American Songs. "Best of all are the Hymns from the Old South, sung with care, elegant but never lost their bright simplicity. Green Fields may be the loveliest hymn I've ever heard." - American Record Guide

The GIA Composer's Collection seeks to bring together into one place the master works by some of the most respected Wind Symphony composers of all time. Stunningly performed by the North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Corporon, this series also includes extensive liner notes about the composers and their contributions to the Wind Band. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) is perhaps the first American-born composer to achieve worldwide fame and recognition, but as Ned Rorem pointed out: "His books and lectures have re-shaped the way America listens, and his mastery of keyboard and podium has defined the notion of American performance." This stellar recording of Bernstein's great works features Eugene Migliaro Corporon directing the North Texas Wind Symphony, giving exceptional life to this wonderful music, including Overture to Candide and JFK Fanfare. This recording is spectacular on every level-a showcase of great music recorded by one of the great wind symphonies of our time.

Classical Music

Following up on his recordings of the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu, internationally acclaimed violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger presents both Violin Concertos of the Czech composer, who so often has to give room to the greater popularity of his compatriots Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek. Martinu's Violin Concerto No. 1 H 226 was written in 1931, during his almost 20 years lasting residence in Paris, France. In 1941, Martinu emigrated via Lissabon to the United States because of his detestation of fascism and war and the fear of political persecution, where he soon (1943) composed his Violin Concerto No. 2 H 293. Irnberger receives top-class accompaniment from the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, which, under the direction of Heiko Mathias F�rster, knows how to translate the Czech gesture of these works into a melodious manner.

Classical Music