Carl Stamitz's Clarinet Quartets Op. 8 and Op. 19 are amongst the earliest compositions for clarinet and string trio and document the increasing significance of the clarinet in the second half of the eighteenth century. These quartets demonstrate Stamitz's profound understanding of the instrument and also allow an illuminating insight into his idiom. With his sensitive interpretations, Arthur Campbell manages to emphasise the cantabile quality of the clarinet, which dominates all the quartets recorded on this SACD.

Arthur Campbell was born in Canada and studied at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, USA, where he was taught by the renowned clarinetist and pedagogue Robert Marcellus. He has won numerous international and national competitions, including the International Clarinet Competition and the National Music Festival of Canada. An internationally sought-after clarinet virtuoso, Arthur Campbell has toured throughout the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia. He regularly presents international master classes at universities, conservatoires and conventions. Arthur Campbell was appointed professor at the Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids Michigan, where he has been teaching a class of clarinet students from across the globe.

The new Bronislav Gimpel Edition presents on three CDs all recordings made by the violinist between 1954 and 1957 for the RIAS Berlin, creating a striking profile of the artist and the broad stylistic range of his repertoire. This Master Release is of the finest audio quality as befits the artist, an "old school" virtuoso who had a profound effect on violin playing.

Sardanapalo, who prefers wine and concubines to politics and warfare, and Mazeppa, who dies with glory, having endured pain and humiliation: dramatic literary models, impressively set to music by Franz Liszt. Written at the same time, these works represent Liszt's ideas striving to unite literature and music, on the one hand modernising Italian opera and on the other advancing towards the symphonic poem in his orchestral writing. The Sardanapalo manuscript comprises the first act. For 170 years the material lay dormant in the Goethe and Schiller archive in Weimar: it was only in 2017 that David Trippett deciphered, edited and orchestrated the manuscript at the University of Cambridge. Kirill Karabits conducts the Weimar Staatskapelle: Liszt's orchestra in the city in which he composed the opera. Audite continues its series of the great Weimar Kapellmeister-composers.

Having already garnered a number of accolades sisters Mona and Rica Bard present a specially programmed pas de deux through eighty years of French piano music. At one and at two pinstruments they create a panorama of piano sound to animate the sometimes playful often elegant but always masterful music of Milhaud Ravel Bizet and Poulenc.

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Ferenc Fricsay was seen as an exponent of modern, detailed and precise music-making, and as a leading Mozart conductor alongside Bruno Walter and Karl Böhm. Two live recordings and one studio production from the early Fifties document the collaboration between Fricsay and "his" RIAS Symphony Orchestra which, after becoming its chief conductor in 1948, he had made into an elite ensemble. These recordings also document his esteem for Mozart's music which was characterised by a deep seriousness. Fricsay's devotion to sculpting the melodic line fi nds a precise and supple medium in the meticulous and stylish RIAS Symphony Orchestra who display an astonishing quality, particularly in the live recordings.

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On this release the award-winning Quartetto di Cremona draws on sixteen years of giving concerts and making recordings. Leading Italian pianist Andrea Lucchesini joins the ensemble for the Piano Quintet. These two chamber works of Camille Saint-Saëns represent crucial stages in his oeuvre - the Piano Quintet, a work of early perfection, demonstrates his engagement with German Romanticism while the String Quartet, marks the transition into his late style.

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Recorded between 1950 and 1964, these holiday carols are sung by some of the finest recital singers of that time, including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Rita Streich, Erna Berger, Elisabeth Grümmer. In tandem with exquisite arrangements that transcend the usual sentimental tropes, these famed carols gain a gem-like quality with the RIAS Symphonie Orchester (today known as Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin).

Franziska Pietsch's recent recording of the Prokofiev Violin Concertos with large-scale orchestra is followed seemingly by the opposite: works for solo violin. What appears, at first sight, to be a contrast is in fact a logical continuation of her extensive discography, even an enhancement: whilst in her previous releases, Pietsch demonstrated her expressive range and intensive approach both as a brilliant soloist and as an eloquent chamber musician, she now faces the greatest possible reduction, namely a solo recital. This limitation demands incredible presence, power and intensity, for which Franziska Pietsch is predestined. From isolation, she draws depth and grounding; "less" becomes "more"; soleness transforms into greatness. For her solo recital, she has put together an individual choice of compositions which have accompanied her from an early age and which, for her, represent significant personal and artistic experiences. Prokofiev, to whose works she feels a particular affinity, is also featured here. Once again, Franziska Pietsch displays a compelling combination of technique and interpretation: her irrepressible creative force penetrates all technical challenges, never losing sight of her interpretation, every note forming part of her reading - a deeply personal recording of the solo sonatas by Bart�k, Ysa�e and Prokofiev. Bart�k's solo sonata, written for Yehudi Menuhin in 1944, and the six sonatas Op. 27 by Ysa�e are amongst the most prominent twentieth century compositions for violin. Bach, the great paragon, is present in all these works. From Ysa�e's cycle, Pietsch has chosen the particularly striking Sonatas Nos 2 and 3 which are dedicated respectively to the violinists Jacques Thibaud and George Enescu. As an "encore" she plays the solo sonata Op. 115 by Sergei Prokofiev which had been intended for ambitions violin students.

This release showcases Jeroen Berwaerts' musical versatility on several levels: he developed the concept of this album, performs as a trumpet soloist and jazz vocalist and directs the ensemble. Jeroen Berwaerts and Salaputia Brass prove congenial partners on the same wavelength. The Belgian musician does not believe in genre boundaries. He performs early music equally naturally as he does new music or jazz. No matter how diverse the musical styles, Berwaerts always looks for, and finds, one element in particular - a soulful profundity. "Signals from Heaven" combines spirituals and spiritual music by Takemitsu, Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Gershwin and Ellington. Historically, stylistically and geographically speaking, these musical styles could hardly be further apart. Listening carefully, however, it becomes apparent how close they can be. Defying the confines of epochs, continents and genres, they form a new harmony. This search for a soulful profundity in music unites all participating artists, as well as the aim of connecting people through music. Jeroen Berwaerts' concept does not represent "crossover" but a combination of voices which have something to say to one another. And they do - the concept is audibly successful.

Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.

Edvard Grieg: Symphonic Works Vol. I present two of the composer’s principal collections on 180g vinyl LP: the first Peer Gynt Suite, Op. 46 and his four Symphonic Dances, Op. 64. Eivind Aadland's roots in the tradition of Norwegian folk music influence his interpretations. Grieg's connections with Germany stretched from his Leipzig studies to his numerous concert performances and extraordinary circulation of his works there. This recording, with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Köln, represents on several levels a German-Norwegian synthesis already in existence during Grieg's lifetime.

With seven commissioned works, eight world premieres and first recordings, these new pieces for brass ensemble are worth listening to at every moment, always enjoyable and never aloof or elitist. As dedicatees and performers of the works they themselves commissioend, Salaputia Brass significantly enriches the repertoire and range of recordings for brass ensemble. The members of Salaputia Brass met already as young musicians while playing for the Bundsjugendorchester, before forming the ensemble in 2007. Their success story began when they won First Prize at the Jugend musiziert national competition, continuing with a prize at the International Competition for Brass Ensembles in Passau. Today many of the ensemble's members hold solo positions in such leading German orchestras as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Gurzenich-Orchester Koln, Konzerthausorchester Berlin and several others.

Following the successful release of Volume I in the complete edition of Beethoven String Quartets with the 'Quartetto di Cremona', audite now continues the series. The choice of works for the second volume refers to two periods during which Beethoven turned away for good from the culture of music amateurs of the late eighteenth century. The Quartets Op. 59 of 1806, commissioned by Count Andrey Kirillovich Razumovsky, were written for Vienna's most famous professional string quartet, led by Ignaz Schuppanzigh. Beethoven's musical language is no longer balanced and well-seasoned, as that of his contemporaries, but is extreme in every respect: ruthless and with feeling, dramatically operatic and full of contrapuntal finesse. The 'Quartetto di Cremona' contrasts this work from Beethoven's mature phase with his opus 127 of 1824. It is this work in E flat major with which the already deaf Beethoven began his series of late works, received by his contemporaries with alarm, but by posterity with admiration. For a long time after the dissolution of the 'Quartetto Italiano' in the 1980s, no Italian string quartets seemed to come forward to seek international renown. The four young musicians from Genoa, however, who formed the 'Quartetto di Cremona' following their studies in the violin making town of Cremona, have revived Italian string quartet playing. Since it's foundation in 2000, the ensemble has developed into the best quartet of it's country, and also into one of the most prestigious and imaginative quartets within Europe. This status is documented by the audite recording series of the complete Beethoven String Quartets which was started one year ago - a touchstone for all string quartets in it's textual dimension, as well as in it's technical demands.

"•Between 1899 and 1930, Vierne wrote six organ symphonies of hitherto unknown richness in timbres, mysticism and cyclical architecture. • With this volume, the three-part audite recording of the six Louis Vierne organ symphonies is complete. • The St. Martin Goll organ creates unobtrusive power and fullness of sound yet remains clear. • The work's polyphonic structures become distinct and the transparency of sound permits freshly considered tempi. Hans-Eberhard Roß is Director of Church Music in Memmingen."

This debut audite album by the virtuoso PianoDuo Takahashi|Lehmann, focusing on three orchestral and ensemble masterpieces, explores the multifaceted cosmos of piano duet transcriptions. Each arranged for piano duet by their own composers, these Beethoven, Schumann and Schönberg transcriptions come alive thanks to the suspense between the piano's own sound and the suggestion of colors which do not form part of the instrument's spectrum. Founded in Berlin in 2009, the duo has performed in many European countries, South Korea and Japan.

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C. SCHUMANN Piano Trio in g, Op. 17. SCHUMANN Fantasiestücke, Op. 88. Piano Trio No. 3 in g, Op. 110 • Swiss Pn Tr • AUDITE 92549 (SACD: 77:42)


This is now the third occasion on which I’ve been privileged to review a new release by the outstanding Swiss Piano Trio. The ensemble’s Mendelssohn trios received an urgent recommendation from me in 34:6, and its account of Tchaikovsky’s Trio, if not quite as enthusiastically received by me in 36:3, still earned my nod of approval. Expectations for this Schumann disc thus ran high, and, I’m happy to report, they were not disappointed.


Clara Schumann (1819–1896) was a devoted wife, loving mother, accomplished pianist, and, no doubt, a composer of some talent. But I’ve always felt that her eminence in the latter capacity has been exaggerated both by virtue of her being spouse to one of the most famous of romantic composers and for being somewhat of that 19th-century novelty, a female composer. It has thus come about that when someone is asked to name three or four women composers, Clara Schumann invariably tops the list. Yet, if one 19th-century composer of the female gender deserves equal billing with her male counterparts, it’s not Clara Schumann or Fanny Mendelssohn; it’s Louise Farrenc (1804–1875), a composer who wrote symphonies and chamber works on a scale and of a quality comparable to many of her male contemporaries.


The Piano Trio in G Minor, dated 1846, is Clara’s only large-scale chamber work; in fact, it’s her only chamber work of any scale, period. Most of her catalog consists of songs and pieces for solo piano, though, as a teenager, and later, with the help of her husband to be, she did try her hand at a Piano Concerto. The trio was long held to be Clara’s crowning compositional achievement; some even credited it with being the inspiration for Robert’s first numbered Trio in D Minor, op. 63, written the following year. Thus, I was rather surprised to find fewer recordings of Clara’s opus listed than I would have expected; and of those currently in the catalog, more than one logically pairs it with Fanny Mendelssohn’s Trio in D Minor, written in the same year, 1846.


Whether pairing Clara’s trio with Robert’s third and final Trio in G Minor, composed in 1851, is a logical choice or not, I can’t say, although it seems to me that juxtaposing Robert’s D Minor, the one supposedly inspired by Clara’s effort, would have made more sense. However, in addition to Robert’s G-Minor Trio, Clara’s trio also shares the disc with Robert’s 1842 Fantasiestücke , which, though otherwise named, is his actual first work in the medium, though not designated or numbered as such. The present program therefore makes this new release unique, at least insofar as other current listings are concerned, although another recent disc, which also happens to be in SACD format, contains Clara’s trio and Robert’s G Minor-Trio, but not Robert’s Fantasiestücke . That recording by the Boulanger Trio on the Ars Produktion label was filled out with a work for piano trio by Wolfgang Rihm, and was favorably reviewed by Steven E. Ritter in 33:5


I’ve not heard the Boulanger disc, but the playing here by the Swiss Piano Trio leaves nothing to be desired. I doubt that Clara’s trio has ever received a more loving performance. The only word that describes the ensemble’s tone is voluptuous, and Audite’s perfectly positioned and balanced recording affords that ideal sweet-spot perspective. I do agree with Steven that Clara’s trio is not Robert’s. One has only to listen to the first few bars of Robert’s G-Minor Trio to recognize the difference between talent and genius. But I honestly have to say that I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated Robert’s trio as much as I have in this performance. The Swiss players seem to be absolutely swept away by the score, sweeping me away in turn. It doesn’t even feel like they’re performing the piece as much as they’re becoming one with it and living and breathing it.


This is definitely going on my provisional list of Want List candidates for 2013, and I most strongly urge you to acquire it. The Swiss Piano Trio, in my opinion, has rapidly risen to become one of the very top piano trio ensembles on today’s stage.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins    

Beethoven's trios make up a significant portion of his instrumental music, not least due to the fact that the three so-called "Lichnowsky" Trios of 1795 were his opus 1, representing the official beginning of his oeuvre. With them, Beethoven asserted a comprehensive and unmistakable artistic aspiration, aiming at a consolidation of symphonic and concertante elements and a compression of the form by planned thematic, rhythmic and harmonic organisation. The juxtaposition of the first Trio, Op. 1,1, in E flat major, and the last Trio, the "Archduke", Op. 97, premièred in 1814, on the one hand reveals the enormous degree in subjectivisation and creative might which Beethoven had gained during the course of the intervening two decades, and on the other hand brings to mind the numerous significant parallels showing the extent to which Beethoven detached the piano trio from its original function as courtly or bourgeois entertainment, awarding it the highest measure of artistic autonomy. - Audite

Franziska Pietsch and Detlev Eisinger make their audite debut with the three sonatas for violin and piano by the great 19th c. Romanticist Edvard Grieg, who himself rated these three sonatas as amongst his best works. Violinist Franziska Pietsch gave her debut at the Komische Oper Berlin aged eleven, after which she regularly performed as a soloist in the GDR until leaving East Germany in 1986, enabling her to pursue a career in the West. Pianist Detlev Eisinger gave his first piano recital at age thirteen, his busy international career now almost three decades long.

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