Christine Pryn started piano lessons at the age of five, and when she was nine, she changed to the violin. One year later she appeared for the first time on Danish Radio and, since then, many of her concerts have been broadcast. In 1992 she was admitted to the Royal Danish Academy of Music and afterwards she continued her education at the Carl Nielsen Academy of Music and at Folkwang-Hochschule Essen with Prof. Adolphe Mandeau (Carl Flesch student). Christine Pryn is particularly interested in 20th century music and contemporary music, and she has been supervised by some of the world’s leading composers of today like Krzysztof Penderecki, Luciano Berio, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Gunther Schuller. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout Denmark and abroad, including the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Polish National Symphony Orchestra and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Her new album with works for solo violin justly confirms her reputation as one of the champions of modern violin music. Here are some of the most challenging works for violin ending with the famous Bach Chaconne. A music tour de force nobody should miss!

Four of the most popular Russian composers are featured on this new release from celebrated pianist Nina Kavtaradze.: Sergei Prokofiev, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Nina Kavtaradze was born in Moscow to a Russian mother and a Georgian father. She began studying the piano at the age of 6 at the Central Music School of the Conservatoire in her city of birth, which was established in 1932 especially for gifted children. Nina has given concerts all over the former Soviet Union, USA, and in most European countries performing as a soloist. Her vast repertoire comprises both the familiar and lesser known pieces in piano literature. She is a juror at several major competitions, including the William Kapell International Piano Competition in Maryland.

The complete recording of the Johann Sebastian Bach “Orgelbuchlein” changed organ playing forever, not only in Denmark, but all over Europa and in America. The rhythmic precision, legato-playing and the perfect registration became, for years, the benchmark for Bach playing. Finn Viderø played the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach in a way that created envy and fear from all other organists. He used the baroque organs to perfection and his stylish way with registrations and performing simply stunned all and brought Bach-playing afresh. This is the first volume in the retrospective release series featuring undoubtedly the greatest Danish organist ever. Finn Videro made these legendary recordings in the 1950s and they are here for the first time collected and presented in new digital mastery. None of these recordings have ever before been available on modern recording technology. All were expertly transferred from the best possible sources, and are presented now with extensive notes.

The songs on this album are played in a version for violin and piano. With the exception of a few passages played an octave higher than the voice part, everything else is performed in accordance with the original score. To give the listener the opportunity to enjoy the almost symbiotic relationship between poems and music, the booklet offers all poems that Grieg and Sibelius use in their music. This may give an interesting insight into the creative musical process. Helge Slaatto (born 1952) was concertmaster of Odense Symphony Orchestra, Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen and Randers Chamber Orchestra. For 25 years he was professor at the Hochschule f�r Musik der Universit�t M�nster, presently he teachers at MGK Copenhagen. He gave master classes throughout the world and his students won prizes at major international competitions. They were also awarded the special prize of Deutsche Schallplattenkritik.

The music of Messiaen seductive. It delights the senses and challenges the mind, emoting both peaceful and violent emotions. It dissolves time into a floating state and creates a multidimensional space of subtle sounds and harmonic colours. The music of Messiaen encompasses great contrasts, from luscious harmonies to harsh cacophonic effects. Simple melodies stand side by side with complex music in many layers. His music possesses delicate nuances and provocative clashes, integrating tones that rise to extreme heights and fall to bottomless depths. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) innovated Western European music through his inventions of new scales, rhythms and harmonies, as well as experiments aimed at assigning precise characteristic features to each single tone. As a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, he was of paramount importance to several generations of 20th Century composers. On this release, his music is performed beautifully by the young Northern Light Ensemble from Denmark.

Ulla Ricklander is one of the world's leading mezzo-sopranos with a long list of critical acclamations. She studied with Hildegund Becker-Lohman in Wiesbaden and Bodil Gumoes and Knud Elimar in Copenhagen. She gives regular concerts in Sweden and Denmark, and also works as an actor in musicals and children's theater. Together with pianist Cathrine Penderup she has found songs from the Nordic countries that are close to her heart. They are all presented here with full texts and translation as well as extensive booklet notes. The brilliant album is yet another feather in the cap of Cathrine Penderup who has recorded extensively for Danacord. This is a release that is not to be missed!

A truly personal and idiomatic performance of the gigantic Diabelli Variations played by the Danish pianist Christina Bjorkoe, already world famous for her recordings of music by Danish composers Nielsen and Gade for the German record company cpo. Listen to her beautifully recorded and very stunning Beethoven.

Young Danish pianist Elisabeth Nielsen created a sensation when she won the Steinway Piano Competition and straight after started a career before she even finished the Music Academy in Copenhagen. This recording was made during her studies in Italy and is marked by a virtuoso technique, a long singing tone and a deep musical understanding of the works. Her Bach is lean, classic and totally in style and the many sides of Schumann captured to perfection. Few pianists today can make the 6th Prokofiev Sonata sound more daring and at the same time so deeply moving. This release also includes an illustrated booklet with a long essay on the young pianist who is experiencing her rise to greatness.

The Danish organist Kristian Krogsoe is the cathedral organist for the second biggest Danish town, Aarhus. The cathedral has the biggest Danish cathedral organ build by Danish organ builder Frobenius. All of the music on this new release is by an organ master, and it all comes back to Bach- it is all either by J.S. Bach himself or inspired by Bach with arrangements done by Guilmant, Middleschulte and Max Reger. The famous Chaconne for solo violin is here receiving a truly stunning performance in an idiomatic arrangement by the German Middleschulte. Overpowering is the Liszt organ work Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, not to be diminished by the Max Reger Fantasy and Fugue on BACH. These works are all brilliantly recorded, and the release includes an extensive booklet.

Elisabeth Nielsen first studied ballet, but later turned to piano with amazing results. Mostly trained in Italy, even as a student she performed critically acclaimed concerts all over Europe. At only 19 she served on the jury of Coppa Pianisti in Italy at the same time studying at the Steinway Accademy in Verona under Federico Gianello. Already an established concert pianist, this is her second solo release presenting works very close to her heart. The repertoire featured- by Beethoven, Nielsen, and Schumann- was also performed by Nielsen at her debut concert to resounding acclaim. An extensive booklet with full illustrations is included.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music