Victor Bruns, born 1904 in Ollila in today’s Finland, wrote over 20 solo concertos, 50 chamber pieces and several ballet works. Bruns discovered the bassoon as his true vocation and moved to the Leningrad Conservatory in 1924, until he became bassoonist at Leningrad State Opera in 1927. Bruns completed his studies in composition with Vladimir Shtsherbatshov beside his work in the orchestra and he continued his compositional studies in 1946 with Boris Blacher. He worked as bassoonist of the Staatskapelle Berlin from 1946 until his retirement in 1969 and became a frequently performed composer, popular among musicians and audience alike far beyond the borders of the German Democratic Republic, whose works continue to deserve our attention. In 1960, Victor Bruns was awarded the Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic. In 1971, he was appointed an honorary member of the Berlin State Orchestra, and 20 years later the International Double Reed Society in the USA made him an honorary member.

Daniel Behle is one of the most versatile German tenors, with successes in concerts, recitals and the opera alike: “The basic idea for this programme was originally a homage to the golden 1950s and 1960s and my favourite singer of that time, Fritz Wunderlich. Earlier, not everything used to be bad, and for this reason I find it legitimate to ‘re-animate’ the greatest ‘pearls’ once more and present them to a younger audience.” Daniel Behle was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2014 in the recording of Leonardo Vinci’s Artaserse. His lieder recordings and solo CDs, including Die schöne Mullerin, Dichterliebe, Strauss songs and Bach arias, have been praised by critics. His debut album for Decca (Gluck arias with Armonia Atenea) was released in 2014.

Bohuslav Martinů has suffered the fate of not enjoying the same popularity and wide appeal like Bedrich Smetana, Antonín Dvorák und Leoš Janácek on the podium. This often goes so far that his singular skill is referred to, but that the wealth of his oeuvre in all the salient genres is hardly familiar. For decades, Martinu had shied away from composing a symphony. The first one was finally to be written in the USA in 1942, followed by another one every year until 1946 (the sixth was only added to the work catalogue in 1953). For this reason, there is sometimes talk of the ‘American’ symphonies. The symphonies do mirror the events of the time, but at the same time long passages must be regarded as absolute music. Cornelius Meister is regarded as one of the finest young conductors of our day and age, and here he fantastically interprets these six symphonies with transparency, emotion, and aplomb.

REVIEWS:

It is always good to discover new recordings of Martinů’s symphonies, a sequence all the more remarkable for the short period, in which the first five symphonies were composed. Cornelius Meister, with the ORF Orchestra, provides us with a distinctive vision of Martinů’s symphonies. These performances sit very much in the Austro-German traditions of interpretation. Some moments are almost Brahmsian, phrasing is weighty, structure is emphasized.

Cornelius Meister is one of the most interesting of the younger conductors around. He has a superb rapport with his orchestra, whose playing is very fine throughout.

-- MusicWeb International

The appearance of this complete set of six symphonies on three CDs, recorded live in Vienna from 2011 to 2017, serves to reinforce the essential importance of Martinů as a 20th century orchestral composer. Although it doesn’t supplant the splendid Belohlávek Onyx set, it's nonetheless a very fine cycle. The sound is clear and lifelike, with most of the advantages of live recording, a sense of occasion and excitement and a more organic and natural arc to the performance, without too many of the disadvantages. The audience is mainly well-behaved and the applause is edited out.

-- Music for Several Instruments

Founded in November 1918 by Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) and a few of his confidants, the Association for Private Musical Performances constituted perhaps the most progressive and most intensive opportunity for a select Viennese musical circle to familiarize themselves with contemporary and the latest works of the international composers’ scene in the immediate aftermath of the First World War and hence at the time of a dearth of a cultural spirit of optimism and innovation. Schoenberg had a close personal tie with many of the composers performed at the association concerts and sometimes even an amical one, as in the case of Zemlinsky. The association became a nursery for the entire modern music from Richard Strauss and Debussy to Webern, as far as the instrumentation of the works allowed.

The cantata Das klagende Lied even today constitutes a veritable rarity in concert programmes – in an age that without contradiction recognizes Mahler as one of the most eminent milestones in the music history, seeing him permanently embedded in the repertoire. The salient significance of this large-scale, vocal symphonic work is to be seen in the fact that de facto it forms the beginning of Mahler’s familiar oeuvre, explaining and illustrating to the scholar and the exclusively listening music lover alike so many things that make up Mahler. In the context of Das klagende Lied especially, it might justifiably be asserted that Mahler contains everything that was prior to him, but he also anticipates everything that came after him.

20 years ago, at the beginning of his career, the young baritone Bo Skovhus made his first recording of Schubert's ''Schone 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 man you do not reflect so much what happens. 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 hte piano part in a new different light.

Together with his friend Holst, at the beginning of the 20th century Ralph Vaughan Williams deliberately took the course of liberating himself from ''German influence'', as they called it, working for original British music. He found models and inspiration in original English folk music. Most of the works recorded here rank among the less known pieces by the composer, but all of them very clearly reflect the personal hue, the absolutely ''personal style'' of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

On May 28th May Mitsuko Shirai celebrated her 70th birthday. She looks back on life rich with musical performances: lieder, concerts, and also operas. The Lied duo Mitsuko Shirai / Hartmut Holl have created their own vast library of songs with numerous recordings and set new standards with concerts and releases. ''I prize all the recordings of Mstuko Shirai and Hartmut Holl, a historically great partnership in song, and I cherish the memory of the many times I heard them live.'' (Richard Dyer, Boston Globe)

With "Premiere Portraits" Capriccio set an example for the support of young and talented artists and invite them to release their premiere album for a worldwide audience. American soprano Julie Davies has been featured in Darmstadt's productions of The Tales of Hoffman, I Pagliacci, Don Pasquale, La traviata, Desdemona in Otello and Gerhilde in Due Walkure. Ms. Davies has won several competitions: Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, First in the Naftzger Young Artists Competition, and Finalist in the Marilyn Horne Foundation Competition.

All the works on this album derive from the inter-war years, i.e. the period in which Toch completely de-romanticized his music by disregarding late Romantic harmonic conventions and restrictions. "What has always fascinated and impressed me from the outset - particularly in the works after 1918 - is their reduction to the essential and salient. Every note conveys the impression of being absolutely necessary, and not one is superfluous or replacable. Ernst Toch's music is convincing, and his story moves me in such a special way that I feel a great need to make his music accessible to a broader public again and to contribute my share towards re-integrating the "most forgotten composer of the 20th century", as he often called himself in the final years of his life, in musical life today." (Anna Magdalena Kokits)

REVIEW:

Pianist Anna Magdelena Kokits has mastered the composer's idiom, and this is an affectionate, eloquent, and vividly played collection of Toch's piano works from WWI until his forced exile in 1933.

-- Gramophone

It’s possible that much of the warmth of this music emanates from the performer. Anna Magdalena Kokits has a very warm, almost relaxed style of playing, allowing individual notes to linger and written pauses to pause a fraction longer. But she also has a sparkling technique that allows her to play such works as the Burlesken No. 3 (“Der Jongleur: Muilto vivo”) with crystalline clarity and outstanding articulation. She’s the kind of pianist who doesn’t have to try very hard to make the music sing; it comes naturally to her.

-- The Art Music Lounge

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 third release in a set of ten comprising of Copplers' 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 realization.

Capriccio Encore is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio's back catalogue, fully re-mastered. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys' Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day. This specific Encore album features the Vienna Boys' Choir alongside the Symphonieorchester der Wiener Volksoper, performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem in D minor and Ave verum corpus. Also on the album is Anton Bruckner's Motetten.

20 years ago, at the beginning of his career, the young baritone Bo Skovhus made his first recording of Schubert’s “Schöne Müllerin”. 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 man you do not reflect so much what happen. Now, when I’m older, I understand much more. Especially for this cycle it’s important to have another point of view.” (Bo Skovhus) Bo Skovhus studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, and with Oren Brown in New York. His 1998 debut as Don Giovanni with the Vienna Volksoper launched his impressive career. Since his career launched, he has also recorded multiple albums, all of which have been met with critical acclaim.

Capriccio Encore is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio’s back catalogue, fully re-mastered and competitively priced. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys’ Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day. This installment in the series features Ton Koopman performing Domenico Scarlatti’s sixteen keyboard sonatas. Born in The Netherlands, Ton Koopman had a classical education and studied organ, harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam. He received the Prix d’Excellence for both instruments. He became fixated on Baroque music, and soon became a figure in the “authentic performance” movement, making him perfectly suited to record these pieces.

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REVIEW:

This reissue brings back harpsichordist Ton Koopman's engraving of 16 famous sonatas, including the dazzling triad K. 490 to K. 492. The Dutchman grabs this music with gluttony and gusto, conferring a jubilant and virtuoso baroque fantasy. His ornaments the works with imaginative renewal. More than thirty years later, here is a record that has not aged in the least.

– ConcertoNet.com

Capriccio Encore is a series of re-releases of the most famous recordings from Capriccio’s back catalogue, fully re-mastered and competitively priced. The legendary recordings of artists such as Sandor Végh, Ton Koopman, Sir Neville Marriner and the Vienna Boys’ Choir also contain repertoire highlights that have a particularly special appeal, from the baroque to the present day. This installment in the series features Sir Neville Marriner conducting his Academy of St. Martin In the Fields as they perform ballet suites written by French Romantic composer Jules Emile Frederic Massenet. Massenet was a skilled orchestrator, and willingly wrote ballet episodes for his numerous operas as well as one stand-along ballet. His style with its graceful movement was perfectly suited to classical French ballet.