Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Prokofiev’s Second Sonata (1912) adopts an incredibly delicate tone that at the same time appears aggressive in its motoric energy, reflecting the modernist spirit of St. Petersburg, Russia before WWI. Schubert’s lyrical, dramatic Four Impromptus D. 899 is a popular cycle whose innovations are often underestimated. Georgian pianist Elisso Bolkvadze was selected as a UNESCO Artist for Peace in January 2015. A superstar in her home country, she is regularly invited to perform alongside international orchestras, and also gives recitals in major concert halls across Europe and the US.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

This CD launches a complete series of recordings of Robert Schumann's orchestral works, performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Heinz Holliger. Holliger's performances draw on a lifetime study of Schumann's music, thought, personality and fate. His approach imparts lightness and lucidity to these opulent scores through a hierarchical balance of parts, delicately gradated dynamics, and invigorating tempos. The widespread image of this romantic composer as a weak orchestrator receives a refreshing and well-grounded correction. Volume 1 of the series presents the First Symphony in B-flat major (Op. 38), Overture, Scherzo and Finale (Op. 52) and the original 1841 version of the Fourth Symphony in D minor (Op. 120).

Classical Music

Classical Music