Following his recordings dedicated to Beethoven's piano concertos (BIS-2281) and Franz Liszt's Transcendental etudes (BIS-2681), the gold medal winner at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Haochen Zhang, now brings these two composers together on this new recording with two summits of 19th-century piano literature: Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier' Sonata and Liszt's Sonata in B minor. The Piano Sonata No. 29, the 'Hammerklavier', is the longest, richest and perhaps the most masterful of Beethoven's 32 sonatas. In it, he pushes the instrument and the performer to their limits, and even beyond. It's immense complexity, the utter diversity of it's movements and it's daring structural conception give the sonata an unrivalled place in Beethoven's �uvre. It was very rarely played during Beethoven's lifetime, and Franz Liszt contributed to it's discovery with a concert performance in Paris that has since gone down in history. No stranger to the description 'unperformable', Liszt also wanted to write 'the' piano sonata that would reconcile his own approach to pianism with Beethoven's legacy. His Sonata in B minor, a monumental work that transforms the piano into a virtual orchestra, is a landmark work that sums up Liszt's genius.
Schmidt / Jansson: Oresund Symphony (The) / Gade: Violin Con
BIS
CD
$21.99
October 01, 1994
Classical Music
Schmidt / Jansson: Oresund Symphony (The) / Gade: Violin Con
$21.99
CD
BIS
October 01, 1994
BIS-CD-672
Strauss Family Rarities
BIS
CD
$21.99
December 01, 1993
Classical Music
Strauss Family Rarities
$21.99
CD
BIS
December 01, 1993
BIS-CD-645
Blomdahl / Lidholm / Bortz: Piano Music
BIS
CD
$21.99
September 01, 1993
Classical Music
Blomdahl / Lidholm / Bortz: Piano Music
$21.99
CD
BIS
September 01, 1993
BIS-CD-579
Mozart / Verdi: Opera Arias For Bass
BIS
CD
$21.99
October 01, 1991
Classical Music
Mozart / Verdi: Opera Arias For Bass
$21.99
CD
BIS
October 01, 1991
BIS-CD-520
Music From The Time Of Christian Iv: Madrigals From The Sout
BIS
CD
$21.99
January 01, 1988
Classical Music
Music From The Time Of Christian Iv: Madrigals From The Sout
$21.99
CD
BIS
January 01, 1988
BIS-CD-392
Burlesque Trombone
BIS
CD
$21.99
January 01, 1986
Classical Music
Burlesque Trombone
$21.99
CD
BIS
January 01, 1986
BIS-CD-318
Classics For Chamber Orchestra, Vol. 2
BIS
CD
$21.99
February 01, 1995
Classical Music
Classics For Chamber Orchestra, Vol. 2
$21.99
CD
BIS
February 01, 1995
BIS-CD-186
Virtuoso Percussion Music
BIS
CD
$21.99
October 01, 1993
Classical Music
Virtuoso Percussion Music
$21.99
CD
BIS
October 01, 1993
BIS-CD-149
Spohr / Donizetti / Krumpholz / Hovhaness: Music For Flute A
BIS
CD
$21.99
January 01, 1995
Classical Music
Spohr / Donizetti / Krumpholz / Hovhaness: Music For Flute A
$21.99
CD
BIS
January 01, 1995
BIS-CD-143
Schumann / Brahms / Schubert / Mendelssohn: From Solo Till Q
BIS
CD
$21.99
January 01, 1996
Classical Music
Schumann / Brahms / Schubert / Mendelssohn: From Solo Till Q
$21.99
CD
BIS
January 01, 1996
BIS-CD-77
Pettersson: Vox Humana / Rosenberg: Dagdrivaren
BIS
CD
$21.99
October 01, 1994
Classical Music
Pettersson: Vox Humana / Rosenberg: Dagdrivaren
$21.99
CD
BIS
October 01, 1994
BIS-CD-55
Music For Viola Da Gamba And Lute
BIS
CD
$21.99
December 01, 1993
Classical Music
Music For Viola Da Gamba And Lute
$21.99
CD
BIS
December 01, 1993
BIS-CD-22
Virtuoso Violin Works From The 20Th Century
BIS
CD
$21.99
April 01, 1992
Classical Music
Virtuoso Violin Works From The 20Th Century
$21.99
CD
BIS
April 01, 1992
BIS-CD-9
Seicento Stravagante - Violino over cornetto
BIS
SACD
$42.99
$30.99
February 28, 2025
In the sixteenth century, the quality of a 'civil conversation' was a topic of great interest, both within learned academies and in the verbal games of convivial banquets. As musical virtuosi learned how to 'speak' through their instruments, it was only natural that they would also begin to 'converse'. After a much-acclaimed release in 2023, Seicento Stravagante give us another example of musical conversation, this time between three musicians. In works by thirteen Italian composers from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the musicians of Seicento Stravagante, recreate the extravagance of early baroque music, when composers wove many individual 'voices' (whether vocal or instrumental) into a harmonious whole. While the compositions could often be played on instruments of various kinds, it was on the violin and cornetto that they could shine most brightly, and the two instruments developed an increasingly close relationship, to the point that they were virtually interchangeable. This recording allows us to appreciate the subtle blend of colours of these two instruments and the richness of Italian instrumental music of the period.
On Sale
Seicento Stravagante - Violino over cornetto
$42.99
$30.99
SACD
BIS
February 28, 2025
BIS-2726
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem / Nagano, Hamburg State Philharmonic
BIS
SACD
$42.99
$30.99
February 21, 2025
Recorded in August 2022 at concerts given in Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie by the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg under Kent Nagano, this version of Johannes Brahms's celebrated choral masterpiece will come as a surprise to many. The German Requiem is heard not in it's usual seven-movement version, but rather as it was first performed in Bremen Cathedral on 10th April 1868 (Good Friday) under Brahms's direction, without the fifth movement for soprano and choir that was completed later that year. On the other hand there are numerous interludes, instrumental and vocal, secular and sacred, by Bach, Tartini, Schumann and Handel - including pieces that were then regarded as essential parts of a Good Friday concert. Such a programme might seem unusual today, but these musical additions shed new light on Brahms's work, which in this version manifests itself as what Umberto Eco might have described as an 'open work'. Presenting the work in the form heard at the Bremen premiere is more than just a reconstruction: it enriches our understanding of this unique music.
On Sale
Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem / Nagano, Hamburg State Philharmonic
$42.99
$30.99
SACD
BIS
February 21, 2025
BIS-2720
Fagerlund: Autumn Equinox
BIS
SACD
$21.99
February 14, 2025
The title of Sebastian Fagerlund's Octet 'Autumn Equinox' derives from it's links with his opera Autumn Sonata, based on the Ingmar Bergman film. Some of the moods and musical material of the opera appear in the octet, as a kind of reflection. With the instrumentation of Schubert's famous octet in mind, Fagerlund has created an intense, sometimes almost explosive work. For Arcantio, a double bass concerto in variation form composed for and dedicated to Niek de Groot, Fagerlund imagined a musical atmosphere from some distant, archaic time. Throughout the concerto the soloist constantly guides the orchestra in new directions - at times a virtuoso, at times meditative, as if in a trance. Sky II, originally composed for baroque ensemble, consists of a single movement that presents a fast and flowing, almost playful musical idiom. The musical expression combines dance-like rhythms, minimalism and field-like soundscapes that sweep over the listener. The fast flow of the music is interrupted only by a repeated translucent harmony, which also opens and closes the work. No stranger to Fagerlund's work, John Storgards - who has also previously recorded the opera Autumn Sonata for BIS - conducts the Lapland Chamber Orchestra in two works, while the Octet is played by members of the orchestra.