Classical Music

On this recording, acclaimed conductor Herv� Niquet fuses his Flemish Radio Choir and Brussels Philharmonic in a concentrated and intense performance, bringing out the expressive essence of Brahms' music which is at once grand and intimate.

On this generous last installment of their Schubert-Brahms pilgrimage, Pieter Wispelwey and Paolo Giacometti serve us three iconic sonatas, including a world premiere. In it's original hue of G Major, Brahms' first violin sonata op. 78 is more scintillating and transparent than the D-major cell adaptation, and much more enchanting in it's opening Vivace. Brahms' third violin sonata op. 108 fuses surprising ebullience with superior mastery of form, in an epic piece which is an undiluted kick in the groin when played on a cello. And thankfully, Pieter and Paolo revisit Schubert's Arpeggione, that gem of intimacy, fragility, frivolity and humbling, unattainable beauty. A fitting final, in all respects.

On this recording of boccherini's Arie da Concerto, the Belgian ensemble Capriola di Gioia defies the stubborn stereotyping of Boccherini as the gallant master of unsurpassable but insignificant melodies. Close listening to this marvellous music reveals a genius with a profound understanding of human psychology, and a rich harmonic palette to paint the smallest affective nuances. In these arias, Boccherini is rehabilitated as a true her of Handel, a worthy contemporary to Haydn, and an early precursor of the belcanto of Bellini. This album is a rare recording of vocal music by Bocchereini, who himself - at the time - was a neglected composer. This album rehabilitates Boccherini as a true heri of Handel, a worthy contemporary to Haydn, and an early precursor of the belcanto of Bellini.

For this release, Vlaams Radiokoor has collected, with the help of their audience, a few of the most beautiful works from the rich choral repertoire. The result is like an exhibition in which singers emerge from silence, painting with music, color upon color, tone upon tone. The color palette seems endless, and each painting tells a story, with abstract notes and sound. The spectrum of emotions is endless. The Vlaams Radiokoor was founded in 1937 by the Belgian National Radio Institute (NIR/INR). The history of the radio choir is inextricably linked with that of it's sister ensemble at the same broadcaster: the Great Symphony Orchestra (now the Brussels Philharmonic). Today, the Vlaams Radiokoor is a regular player on the European concert circuit. There is great interest in France, Italy and the Netherlands and the first bookings from the UK and Germany are coming in. Renowned ensembles such as Les Si�cles or the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam are working with the choir.

An unusual, intriguing coupling of C.P.E. Bach's "original" Rococo, and the neo-classical ones by Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. Pieter Wispelwey is equally at ease on the modern or period cello. His acute stylistic awareness, combined with a truly original interpretation and a phenomenal technical mastery, has won the hearts of critics and public alike in a wide-ranging repertoire. Wispelwey plays a 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini cello.

Albums rarely contain both chamber works and choral music, but in the case of composer Felix Mendelssohn, the juxtaposition is justified. For which is the more Bach-inspired? The a cappella works which breathe Bach into every note, or the Piano Trio no. 2 with the choral Herr Gott dich loben wir, which also motors Bach’s cantata 130? On this new release, an exceptional trio featuring violinist Pekka Kuusisto, cellist Pieter Wispelwey, and pianist Alasdair Beatson, as well as the acclaimed Flemish Radio Choir and conductor Herve Niquet, bring homage to the composer who gave second life to Bach, and grace and poetry to the romantics. The Vlaams Radio Koor (Flemish Radio Choir) was founded in 1937 by the Belgian public broadcaster of the day. Today it has become a choir of exceptionally high quality that counts both domestically and internationally among the top ensembles. The 24 professional singers rehearse under the baton of chief conductor Hervé Niquet in Studio 1 of the well-known Flagey building in Brussels, and perform throughout Flanders and Europe.

The summer of 1886 was one of the most prolific in the life of Johannes Brahms. The alpine grandeur of Lake Thun and Brahms’ buoyant holiday mood conjured up so many melodies that he declared he was “afraid to step on them.” In a few weeks’ time, Brahms produced two of his major chamber works, the Cello Sonata op. 99 and the Violin Sonata op. 100, that suits the cello delightfully. These chamber icons are aptly coupled to Schubert’s blissfully uplifting Sonata D 574. Wispelwey and Giacometti have been called “exceptionally imaginative and impassioned performers” (American Record Guide), and their collaboration has spawned recordings rated as “fascinating, provocative, almost perverse” (Sunday Times). The first installment of the Duo Pilgrimage was hailed a “successful launch” (Kulturradio) on account of the “unspoken complicity between two virtuosi… who accomplish a sparkling, playful, cantabile account.” (Cobra.be)

Classical Music

On his second release for Evil Penguin, Belgian piano prodigy Julien Libeer teams up with the new ensemble Les M�tamorphoses to contrast authentic and neo guises of 18th century music. The true classicists are featured on this album with unusually restrained work: Haydn's Passion Symphony no. 49 is broodingly solemn, Mozart's last piano concerto no. 27 deceptively intimate. These repertoire icons are coupled with Dino Lipatti's crystalline Concertino in the Classical Style (1936), which sheds neo-classical light on the vintage idiom. Libeer's fusion of older and newer worlds is not limited to the programme of this release. Although Les M�tamorphoses typically play on modern instruments (albeit with the greatest possible respect for the respective sonorities of different eras), they engaged natural horns and wooden transverse flutes for period color and crisp. The solo piano also represents the best of both worlds: the Concert grand with parallel strings (which Chris Maene originally built for Daniel Barenboim) combines pianoforte possibilities - clearly distinguishable voices and color across registers - with the technical advantages and playing comfort of a modern Steinway.

More than any other instrument, the clarinet is a medium for personal dedication to specific virtuosi. Mozart created his clarinet concerto for Anton Stadler, while Max Bruch dedicated his (double) concerto to his son Max Felix. Belgian virtuoso Roeland Hendrikx also plays Gerald Finzi's clarinet concerto, to which he has front row access via his teacher Thea King, doyenne of British clarinetists and spouse of Frederick Thurston, who premiered the Finzi concerto in 1949. Teaming up with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hendrikx pays homage to a genre - the clarinet concerto - it's gems, and it's genius performers. Roeland Hendrikx is one of the leading clarinetists in Belgium. He appeared as a soloist with the Belgian National Orchestra, The Flemish Symphony Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, the Beethoven Academy, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, The Limburg Symphonic Orchestra, the Georgia Philharmonic, the Symphonic Orchestra of Lithuania and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hagen. Roeland is teaching clarinet at the Maastricht Conservatory (The Netherlands) and the LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium).

First time collaboration between the Zemlinsky Quartet and Paolo Giacometti. A must for anyone interested in the great tradition of Mitteleuropa chamber music. A unique coupling of two beautiful works rarely recorded and underrated by discography. The two Quintets were composed within a ten year span (1904-1914), a period of fantastic musical flourishing. Zemlinsky Quartet belongs to the glorious�tradition of Centre-European string quartets, characterized by nobility and spontaneity�of expression, flawless technique, lack of mannersisms, profound�and humble insight of the score.

The performance is inspired by a significant historical moment, where Beethoven played the"Eroica" Symphony on his Erard Frères piano, evoking the idea of a musical experience so powerful that "Heaven and Earth must shake." Luca Montebugnoli has created a brand-new arrangement of this iconic symphony, tailored for a replica of Beethoven's Erard piano. This unique arrangement offers a fresh perspective on a classical masterpiece.The event contributes to the revival of the often overlooked art of piano arrangement. It showcases the skill of adapting orchestral works for solo piano performance, breathing new life into this artistic tradition.

Made at the age of 50, this is Pieter Wispelwey's third recording of the Cello Suites by J.S. Bach, and in very many ways his most impressive. The big difference in this case is that the cello is equipped with gut strings and tuned to 392 Hz. This results in tuning roughly a half-tone lower than usual, and with lower tension in the strings this has a greater effect than you might imagine. The low tension strings makes the way the music 'speaks' very different, and this is articulated in peformances which have a strong narrative feel and less emphasis on the lyrical side of the music. Wispelwey extends shapes, plays with pauses and silence, and explores the resonance of the instrument to the full. So yes, even if you know and love one or more complete recording of J.S. Bach's Suites for cello solo, then you owe it to yourself to acquire a copy of this release. If there was a recording which takes us behind the notes of these pieces and adds to our understanding of their qualities then this is the one. That these are deeply satisfying performances and a marvelous recording seems an almost incidental bonus. (MusicWeb)

On the final installment of it's Requiem series, the Flemish Radio Choir tackles Poulenc's iconic Stabat Mater (1950) and Alfred Desenclos' Requiem (1963), stunning works which steer clear of the typical Requiem horrors to convey a message of hope. Teaming up with the Brussels Philharmonic, the Flemish Radio Choir and it's acclaimed chief Herve Niquet extract the emotional and rhetorical essence of music which is eminently French, unusually tender, and delicately majestic. Since 1937, the Vlaams Radiokoor has been a reference for vocal music, both in Flanders and in Europe. The voice is the ultimate interpreter of our emotions, and the choir is one of it's greatest ambassadors.