With “Première Portraits” Capriccio sets an example for the support of young and talented artists and invites them to release their première album for a worldwide audience. The South Korean pianist Franziska Lee is one of today’s leading young musicians. Lee is celebrated by the press for her “artistic maturity and intelligence”, her “room-filling, orchestral sound” and “emotional depth and passion.” Born in Seoul, Lee completed her music studies in the class of Professor HeeSung Joo at Seoul National University, where she was best in her year. In 2011 she came to Germany as a scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service to complete her master’s degree with Professor Sontraud Speidel and then her soloist exam in piano at the Hochschule fur Musik Karlsruhe. She graduated with honors. In addition to her busy concert schedule, Franziska Lee is also committed to the promotion of young musical talent. She is a regular jury member at Jugend musiziert, and participates in the jury committee of several international competitions.

Music in the tempest of the times: If we seek to deal with Gerhard Frommel’s personality and music (a master pupil of Hans Pfitzner) in greater depth, as in the case of many other German composers of his generation, we cannot avoid going into the historical and political events and the underlying active and reactive behavior of the individual. Concepts like opportunism or passive obedience come readily to mind, but they fall short of the truth, if we were not direct contemporary witnesses. His position during the years 1933-45 becomes all the more salient as regards the works recorded here, both of which were written at that time. Many things sound familiar; Wagner, Bruckner and other elements from the past stand out trenchantly, ‘For me, the 1st Symphony is at the centre of my oeuvre.’ Frommel says. The score reached Wilhelm Furtwängler, who then scheduled its premiere with the Vienna Philharmonic for the autumn of 1942.

Many works by the Argentinian composer Martín Palmeri are completely inspired by the style of ‘Tango Nuevo’ in terms of form and harmony, as is also the case with the tango mass Misa a Buenos Aires, composed in 1996. In his Misatango the composer combines the text of the Latin mass with the traditional music of his homeland, making the classical Roman Catholic mass, such as it has been set to music for centuries, appear in new apparel. Martin Palmeri was recently awarded First Prize in the Choral Arrangement Competition organized by AAMCANT, as well as First Prize in the National Choral Arrangement Competition by The National University of Rosario. Several of his works have been recorded, and he regularly takes part on the adjudication of choral festivals across Europe. It is fitting, considering Palmeri’s stylistic influences, that the ensemble led by Ulrich Stotzel has chosen to juxtapose works by Astor Piazzolla and Ismael Spitalnik with Palmeri’s mass.

Dora Deliyska writes of her new release: “Based on a thorough musical analysis, I have tried to make a selection of pieces that will not only respond musically to one another, but also represent part of an overarching concept, the structure of B-A-C-H. The core of my concept is based on the idea of how musical compositions, written in different centuries with different compositional styles, can find a connection between one another, giving rise to very new and unique reflections. This way, the three composers (Bach, Chopin, Shostakovich) ‘communicate’ with one another, mutually influencing their artistic ideas.” Dora Deliyska has gained an international attention of audience and critics with her concert appearances, audio and video recordings. Due to her many recordings of works by Franz Liszt, she is considered one of the mot important Liszt interpreters of the young generation. But not only this has aroused the interest of the public: she has also gained recognition for her recordings of Schubert and her regular appearances in the renowned Vienna Musikverein and in the Vienna Konzerthaus.

Hermann Reutters compositional talents were already being recognised in 1923 when he became acquainted with musical modernity at the festivals in Baden-Baden and Donaueschingen, where he met Paul Hindemith. In 1956 he assumed the post of Rektor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, which he retained until his retirement. Reutter's early compositions reflect the stylistic influences of the romantic models of Anton Bruckner and Hans Pfitzner. However, the impressions made by Bartók, Stravinsky, and Hindemith resulted in a change in Reutter's musical language. In the context of a dialogue with the music of his own time, he learned to express his own ideas and develop his own individual style. The works of this recording, although stylistically and chronologically distant from one another, present an unmistakeable manifestation of a strong and deeply human musicality, which discovers an authentic and sincere voice beyond any stylistic or national borders.

Ivan the Terrible – the second joint project of Sergei Eisenstein and Sergei Prokofiev – is, much like Alexander Newski, a historical epic, portraying the rise and fall of the autocratic ruler Ivan IV in the 16th century. Sergei Prokofiev’s musical portrayal is unique in film history, for the score conceives both parts of the film on an epic scale. Prokofiev’s rich melodic invention thrives on the expressive sound palette of his native Russia, mostly as they echo the spiritual works of the Russian-orthodox liturgy. These film scores were not published during Prokofiev’s lifetime. They were arranged as an oratorio for soloists, chorus, and orchestra by Levon Atovmyan, one of Prokofiev’s assistants, in 1961. This version received its concert premiere in Moscow that same year. This, however, is the original, straight from the composer’s hands, receiving its world premiere recording.

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REVIEW:

The music is well worth the listener’s time: it is very inventive and highly atmospheric owing to the composer’s uncanny ability to depict the characters, moods and historic aspects of the story. As mentioned, the performances are quite fine and Strobel, who earlier gave us the world premiere recording of the complete film music from Alexander Nevsky, has a grasp on Prokofiev’s film music style that few other conductors do.

– MusicWeb International

The Doppler brothers played a dominant role in the K&K Monarchy’s musical life as composers, conductors, musicians and as orchestral soloists. They were on good terms with acknowledged artists of the era, such as Ferenc Liszt, Ferenc Erkel, or Jozsef Bajza. This is the sixth release in a set of 10 albums comprising the Dopplers' complete music for flute(s), including various arrangements. Flautist Claudi Arimany spent decades researching this project, inspiring many famous musicians to become involved in its realisation. Flutists Janos Balint, Shigenori Kudo, and Maxense Larrieu are heard alongside Claudi Arimany on this volume. Internationally renowned flautist Claudi Arimany is considered the direct heir, both in style and concept, of Jean-Pierre Rampal, his mentor and colleague. He has been performing alongside leading international orchestras as a guest soloist as well as teaching and studying flute pieces.

With “Première Portraits” Capriccio set an example for the support of young and talented artists by inviting them to release their première album for a worldwide audience. Thomas Ebenstein was born in Carinthia/Austria in 1979 and studied singing with Helena Lazarska at the Vienna University of Music and Dramatic Arts. Since the beginning of the 2012/13 season he has been a member of the Vienna State Opera. From 2003 to 2012 the tenor was a member of the Berlin Komische Oper. His repertoire includes such roles as Pedrillo (The Abduction from the Seraglio) – amongst others at the Salzburg Festival, also published on DVD on Arthaus Musik, David (The Mastersingers from Nuremberg), Steersman (The Flying Dutchman), Dancing Master (Ariadne on Naxos), Truffaldino (The Love for Three Oranges) and Alfred (The Bat). For his debut release he has chosen a program of works by Arnold Schonberg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Richard Strauss, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Dmitry Kabalevsky – despite the vague name recognition a widely unknown composer of socialist-realist music – has rightly been forgotten, if only because of his actively unsavory, toadying, opportunist politics that netted him three Stalin Prizes and four Orders of Lenin. He was chummy with the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians when that seemed expedient and later a very active member of the Union of Soviet Composers. Weinberg is the exact opposite of Kabalevsky, politically and musically. He was a life-long victim of the Soviet Union and his music is – some genuine incidences of humor apart – a dense shot of genius that makes breathing difficult, not easy. With this Album Capriccio presents with a famous cast the music of two nearly forgotten Russian Masters their music and biography could not be more different.

The baritone Paul Armin Edelmann presents on his already 4th Album for Capriccio a very specific personal selection of Schubert Songs: 'The title we had in mind was ‘On Fierce Roads’. Many things can be fierce, from storms to life battering you. It’s a broad field. But they are all agitated pieces and not very elegiac.' His international success as Lied Interpreter can be relived once more with this new release. Paul Armin Edelmann's association with music began at an early age as the second son of the internationally renowned singer Otto Edelmann. As a child, he was a member and soloist of the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir. Later on he reinforced his musical studies by studying voice with his father at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Shortly after completing his studies he became a member of the Opera Theatre in Koblenz in Germany, where he sang over 30 roles.

Oscar Wilde’s A Florentine Tragedy was written in 1893, but remained a fragment when the author was arrested. But the material was in the air, so to speak, and Alexander von Zemlinsky, who may have had Richard Strauss’ recourse to Wilde’s Salome in mind and hoped for a similar success with A Florentine Tragedy, finally converted the play into a one-act opera. Puccini had also been interested in the material, but the publisher Tito Ricordi advised him against it. Other potential takers also included Ferruccio Busoni who also found the ending too hackneyed. However, such alleged triviality did not deter his colleague Alexander von Zemlinsky, who celebrated success with his opera. Alban Berg admired the work so much that musical parallels to the Florentine Tragedy can be found in his Wozzeck, premiered eight years later.

Harald Genzmer was a composition pupil of Paul Hindemith in Berlin from 1928 to 1934. Whoever studies Genzmer’s enormous oeuvre in detail will recognize in the pupil’s music many Romantic gestures and a sensual imagination rarely occurring in the teacher’s works. What Genzmer adopted from his mentor was the masterly craftsmanship, an awareness of classicism and form and joy in performing in itself and in the colours of the most differing instruments. The broadly educated scion of an academic family never regarded himself as a genius transcending boundaries, but as the servant of performers and the public: ‘Music should be zestful, artful and comprehensible. As practicable, it may win over the interpreter, and then the listener as graspable’. Musicians have always enjoyed performing Genzmer’s inspired music, which is affectionally adapted to the most varied instrumentations, and are now continuing to do so in increasing measure.

The Doppler brothers played a dominant role in the K&K Monarchy’s musical life as composers, conductors, musicians and as orchestral soloists. They were on good terms with acknowledged artists of the era, such as Ferenc Liszt, Ferenc Erkel, or Jozsef Bajza. This is the fifth release in a set of 10 albums comprising the Dopplers' complete music for flute(s), including various arrangements. Flautist Claudi Arimany spent decades researching this project, inspiring many famous musicians to become involved in its realisation. Flutists Walter Auer, Shigenori Kudo, and Massimo Mercelli are heard alongside Claudi Arimany on this volume. Internationally renowned flautist Claudi Arimany is considered the direct heir, both in style and concept, of Jean-Pierre Rampal, his mentor and colleague. He has been performing alongside leading international orchestras as a guest soloist as well as teaching and studying flute pieces.

The Doppler brothers played a dominant role in the K&K Monarchy’s musical life as composers, conductors, musicians and as orchestral soloists. They were on good terms with acknowledged artists of the era, such as Ferenc Liszt, Ferenc Erkel, or Jozsef Bajza. This is the fourth release in a set of ten albums comprising the Dopplers’ complete music for flute, including various arrangements. Flautist Claudi Arimany spent decades researching this project, inspiring many famous musicians to become involved in its realization. Flutists Walter Auer, Shigenori Kudo, and Massimo Mercelli are heard alongside Claudi Arimany on this volume. Internationally renowned flautist Claudi Arimany is considered the direct heir, both in style and concept, of Jean-Pierre Rampal, his mentor and colleague. He has been performing alongside leading international orchestras as a guest soloist as well as teaching and studying flute pieces.

20 years ago, at the beginning of his career, the young baritone Bo Skovhus made his first recording of Schubert’s “Schöne Mullerin”. Now, as a famous opera and Lied interpreter he presents a new production of all 3 Schubert Cycles: “I’m very thankful to do this again. As a young men you do not reflect so much what happen. Now, when I’m older, I understand much more about. Especially for this cycle it’s important to have another point of view.” (Bo Skovhus) Stefan Vladar, the famous Viennese pianist and his partner on the piano, shows us the virtuosity of the piano part in a new different light.