Until recently, Bronsart von Schellendorf's career as a composer has been almost completely overlooked. But Liszt was aware of Bronsart's prowess, referring to his orchestral work Fruhlings-Fantasie as "beautiful and invaluable" and later declaring, "I value him as a character and a musician." Even a cursory listen to the Piano Concerto reveals a composer working in ambitious dimensions and an extrovert musical language. Rich in melodic and emotional content, Bronsart's piano writing gives ample opportunity for virtuoso display while delivering Bronsart's musical arguments with power and precision. Bronsart's good friend Hans von Bulow, another pupil of Liszt, had toured the work from 1870 onwards. He took the concerto abroad, giving a concert in Manchester under the baton of Charles Halle in 1877, by which time the work had secured a temporary foothold in the repertory.

As a concept musical, Love Life was a real trailblazer, inspiring musical theatre favourites of the 1960s, 70s and beyond from Cabaret and Chicago (originally subtitled 'A Musical Vaudeville') to Sondheim's Company (told through a series of vignettes). It is "one of Weill's best scores" (conductor Jim Holmes), a masterpiece of putting different musical styles together, "a compendium of American musical idioms, cunningly chosen so that they suit the dramatic material". Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner teamed up in 1947, both riding high on recent successes (Street Scene for Weill, Brigadoon for Lerner) and looking for new projects. When Love Life premiered on Broadway in 1948, Weill called it "an entirely new form of theatre." Stephen Sondheim denoted it as "a useful influence on my own work."

Paul Ben-Haim ranks among those leading Israeli composers from his generation. Born Paul Frankenburger in Munich he studied composition with Friedrich Klose and served as an assistant conductor to both Bruno Walter and Hans Knappertsbusch. His extensive catalogue comprises works in all the primary genres apart from opera. Music for or with cello features prominently throughout Ben-Haim's output. Following emigration, he increasingly advocated a specifically Jewish national expression while his own compositions favoured a late-Romantic vein redolent of - though by no means indebted (unlike other contemporaries) to - Ernest Bloch and frequently informed by Middle-Eastern overtones.

Miloslav Kabelac ranks among the most significant Czech composers of the 20th century. Alongside Antonin Dvorak and Bohuslav Martinu, he is recognized as one of the greatest Czech symphonists, and his work represents a cornerstone of Czech musical heritage. His work encompasses nearly all musical genres except opera, but at it's core are eight symphonies, each with a unique orchestration. With the czech conductor Jakub Hrusa the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra had a welcome expert for this recording, as he examines carefully these rich orchestrated scores of this still underrated music and composer.

Julian Walder (*2000 in Vienna) is first prize winner of numerous international competitions, including the NYIAA - New York International Artists Association Violin Competition. He is the Grand Prix winner in all categories at the Grumiaux Competition in Belgium and was awarded, among other distinctions, the 3rd prize at the 2023 International Henri Marteau Violin Competition in Germany. The Chaconne by BACH, a source of inspiration for countless composers over centuries, forms the heart of this CD. Around this fundamental Baroque masterpiece, many currents, influences, admirations, and tributes have emerged. The title of the CD, "(R)-EVOLUTION", encompasses the word "evolution," signifying how, through the adoption and application of Bach's compositional techniques, his structures continue to live on in many works across the ages. The "revolution" refers to the deliberate transformation of his defining style by other composers over time.

Although he had famous students (i.e. Szymanowski) and teachers (Moniuszko), few listeners know much, if anything, about Zygmunt Noskowski. And yet, for most of the 19th century, he was the primary exponent of modern symphonic music in Poland. His Third Symphony and his symphonic poem Steppe, Op. 66 blend sweeping Romanticism with Polish folk spirit. The symphony's seasonal journey is lush and lyrical, starting with spring and ending with the optimistic outlook to the next. Steppe evokes Poland's vast landscapes with Borodinesque colors. Under Antoni Wit, these overlooked gems shine anew and make for intriguing listening for lovers of melodic symphonic music.

The name of Domenico Ferrari (1722-1780) was well known throughout Europe in the second half of the 18th century. He was considered one of the finest violin virtuosos as well as a sublime composer. One of Tartini's best Italian pupils, Ferrari quickly gained fame first at the imperial court in Vienna and later at the Wurttemberg court in Stuttgart. After his successful debut at the Concert Spirituel in Paris in 1754, he was granted a ten-year royal privilege to publish his works in France, where he remained until the end of his life, never to return to his native Piacenza. During his stay in Paris, Ferrari published six sets of sonatas for violin with continuo. His Op. 3, featured on this CD, dates back to 1760 and consists of six sonatas. These works showcase a blend of late Baroque and Classical characteristics.

Shostakovich, D.: Odna (Alone)

Wolf, H.: Goethe Lieder

Flute and Guitar Arrangements - Mozart, W.A. / Haydn, F.J. /

DONIZETTI, G.: Parafrasi del Christus / PERGOLESI, G.B.: Sal

Dmitri Shostakovich is first and foremost known for his symphonies and string quartets - works that contain some humor, but even more darkness, brooding, and desolation. But there is the jaunty side of the great composer, too, and nowhere does it come to it's cheerful fore than in these works, the Jazz Suites, the Tahiti Trot, and his Ballet Suites. This set, accompanying Capriccio's boxes of Shostakovich's Symphonies, Film Music, Orchestral Songs, and Chamber Music, is rounded out with two concertos. In the playful Piano Concerto, that humorous side comes through in the many quotations of songs, own works, and Beethoven. Only the grim Violin Concerto, held back, like the 4th Symphony, for fear of retribution, offers no smile.

Dmitri Shostakovich is known for his symphonies, his chamber music, maybe the popular Suites, and to some extent even his film. Largely unknown, however, is his vocal symphonic music, of which only the cycle on Jewish Folk Poetry, Op. 79, has gained some wider popularity. Here these hidden gems are brought together in authoritative interpretations under Michail Jurowski and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne with it's rich Shostakovich tradition under Semyon Bychkov and Rudolf Barshai, among others, from the Six Romances on words by Japanese poets to the Suite on Verses by Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Dmitri Shostakovich is one of the indubitably great composers of the 20th century and left works of greatness in every genre, from the symphonies to opera, film- and light music, concertos, and, of course, chamber music. This collection offers a great overview of his contributions to that genre. It features a few favorites, like Rudolf Barshai's Chamber Symphony (arranged from String Quartet No.8), String Quartet No.1, and the Piano Quintet to lesser-known gems and rarely heard works for two pianos like the tiny, witty Tarantella or his dramatic, cinematic Concertino. It is capped with Alfred Schnittke's tribute to the master, the Prelude in Memory of Dmitri Shostakovich.

After a prolonged period during which they were ignored wholesale, the compositions of both Philipp and Xaver Scharwenka are performed again - occasionally, anyway-and some of them have been seen the light of day on record. However, no discographic attempt has yet been made to explore their music in relation to each other, which might seem surprising, given their very similar artistic influences and the close connection between the two composing brothers. In this collection, Yoerae Kim and Matteo Weber demonstrate their sensitivity to a dramaturgically cohesive program, which highlights those intriguing biographical connections. They pair a violin sonata by each brother with a serenade and a suite, spanning a creative period of some 35 years.