This captivating new recording by violinist Viviane Hagner brings together two composers whose music, at first glance, seems to come from very different worlds-yet reveals striking artistic affinities. Max Bruch, a pillar of German Romanticism, and Alexandre Tansman, a cosmopolitan Polish composer who spent much of his life in France, share a gift for melody and expressive nuance. Hagner, joined by the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Lukasz Borowicz, offers radiant performances of Bruch's Konzertstück and the beloved Kol Nidrei, alongside Tansman's rarely heard Violin Concerto and Cinq Pièces pour violon et petit orchestre. Recorded in July 2025 at the Poznan Philharmonic Hall, the album highlights the rich cultural threads linking German and Polish musical traditions, as well as the composers' shared appreciation for their Jewish heritage. With her luminous tone and keen musical insight, Viviane Hagner brings these works to life with both emotional depth and precision. This album is an invitation to rediscover two remarkable composers-and to experience the beauty and breadth of a repertoire that deserves far wider recognition.

The fourth and final volume in this important series! This new album showcases guitarist Roberto Moronn Perez performing works that are fundamental milestones of the guitar repertoire of the 20th century. Included are works by Alexandre Tansman, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Hans Haug, Joan Manen and Federico Mompou. These works were also performed by Segovia himself during his lifetime. The genesis for this unique series is a collection of pieces recovered in May 2001 at Segovia's archive in Spain. All pieces in the archive were dedicated to Segovia or commissioned by him, involving composers from eight countries. This new album was recorded in the lovely acoustics of Holy Trinity Church, Weston, Hertfordshire, U.K. It was produced, recorded, edited and mastered by the outstanding U.K. engineer John Taylor.

Born in 1985, the Italian pianist Maria Argentiero gained an enthusiastic online following during lockdown with her streamed performances of repertoire from Haydn to Satie, Kapustin and beyond. She teaches in Rome and specializes as a performer in quirkier voices from the past century such as Tansman. The booklet features a thorough profile of the composer and his piano music, plus an interview between Maria Argentiero and Marianne Tansman, the composer’s daughter, who recalls him as a ‘very loving but very anxious’ father. Alexander Tansman (1897-1986) was born in Lodz, Poland, into a wealthy Jewish family of great culture. He spoke 5 languages and studied law and philosophy. His early compositions show experiments with atonality and 12-tone music. In 1919 he left Poland for Paris, where he settled permanently.

Tansman: “I spent the first twenty years of my life in Poland. In regard to the importance of Slavic influence in my music, I can readily say that I followed the same path as Bartók or Manuel de Falla: folklore imaginé. I did not use popular themes per se. I used, however, their general melodic contour. This folklore remained strongly present in my musical sensitivity.”

One could say that Tansman had a similar approach to writing music as Chopin – namely to use folklore as source material to be transformed by his imagination, without actual quoting. In a similar vein he used the different traditions he encountered when travelling round the globe, no matter whether it was jazz, gamelan or Japanese music. This new recording presents a selection of piano music by Tansman: the jazzy Sonatine Transatlantique, Trois Préludes en forme de blues, and the cycle La Tour du monde en miniature, delightful and vibrant musical depictions of places from all over the world.