To me, this album is both a personal story and a musical narrative about one of the (piano) composers I find the most fascinating: Frederic Chopin. I chose a dozen works; twelve of his jewels that represent different stages of his life and that each hold a particular significance for me. I open up this album with the First Impromptu, the first of Chopin's works I was to learn as a young teenager. The album closes with the first piece by Chopin that I heard as a toddler: my mother often played the Waltz, opus 64 no. 1, at home on our dark brown Rippen piano. My mother, who was always so closely involved and supportive from the first time I reached up to the piano as a young girl until my last concert before her untimely death last April.

With their long-awaited new album Max Richter Remixed the Trio Fibonacci invites us to rediscover the genius of Max Richter through their own completely new and original transcriptions for piano trio. Following the centuries-old tradition of adapting music for chamber ensembles, the Fibonacci's interpretations renew our listening of these contemporary masterpieces thanks to new instrumental colours, always delivered with their signature passion and elegance.

We at Challenge Classics are proud to present the complete edition of Schubert's symphonies in the interpretation offered by Jan Willem de Vriend conducting the Residentie Orkest Den Haag.�-� Even among experts, these symphonies were regarded as second-rate copies of the great Viennese classics. de Vriend's exceptionally fresh and pulsating interpretation, however, decisively corrects the old prejudices and points to Schubert's own emerging symphonic concept (Crescendo - DE - on CC 72739, vol.1 I soon became accustomed to the sheer brio of de Vriend's approach, which included striking variations in volume, decisive accents and many lickety-split finales... combination of delicacy, decisiveness and drive (Fanfare - USA - on CC 72802, vol.2) ... The feeling is of musical values leading at every point. (BBC Music Magazine - UK - on CC 72863, vol.3) The enchanting opening theme of Symphony No. 5 sets what will be the preponderant tone, vigorous and elegant, and that agreeably bracing idiom is maintained throughout both symphonies. (BBC Music Magazine - UK - on CC 72803, vol.4)

World premiere recording of Torelli's Triosonatas op. 2 (1686). Torelli's Opus 2 sonatas�consist of three dances: in each of these dances he explores a great variety of styles. This recording is an important contribution to our appreciation of Torelli as a pivotal chamber music composer.

As much as the now popular sentence naming Shostakovich "the Beethoven of the 20th Century" is debatable, nobody can deny an amount of contact points between the two composers: above all, the favorite musical mediums and the engagement in historical and political coeval affairs. However, we think that nothing like their Late String Quartets can offer material for a comparative listening and analysis. In both cases we can easily detect what Edward Said defined and discussed as the "Late Style". And in both cases we are in front of a complex and vibrant dialectic between a process of abstraction and a moral imperative to stick to the "hic et nunc". Such an intellectual and existential confrontation is fruitfully without solution and offers a never-ending space to insights and interpretations. Here we propose Alma Quartet's outlook first instalment.

Schubert / Drigo / Vieuxtemps / Cage / Stravinsky / Apituley

The Christmas Oratorio is a series of six separate cantatas, collectively relating the story from Christmas through to Twelfth Night. Bach wrote the work in Leipzig in 1734 and 1735 for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the third day of Christmas, New Year, the Sunday after New Year, and Twelfth Night. As with the Passions, the texts here are drawn from three sources: the evangelical texts intoned by the Evangelist as recitatives, chorales from the Lutheran tradition and free texts for arias and some choral passages, written by the poet Picander. This performance is perhaps as close as presently possible to what we imagine Bach might have had in mind as he composed the work in Leipzig. First of all, we have the 'one to a part' aspect: historical research among the various sources clearly shows that Bach did not ask for a choir to perform his cantatas, but simply a vocal quartet. This 'single line singing' certainly adds to the individual expression of the text and the music's transparency. Bach's religious music always uses the text as it's starting point and a great deal of attention is therefore paid to correct enunciation. The vocal principle of 'one to a part' also has a major influence on the instrumental forces. Bach employed a small-scale string ensemble, as well as single wind instruments where appropriate, all supported by an organ, which formed the continuo in conjunction with the bass violin. And since the instrumental music is also completely permeated by the rhetoric that stems from the text, the transparency of this small ensemble intertwines seamlessly with the vocal lines, giving a refined polyphony that reached it's zenith in Bach's music.

Mouton, C.: Concertos a 5 Nos. 1-10

Bach, J.S.: Cantatas (Complete), Vol. 16 - Bwv 16, 27, 39,

This CD by The Counterpoints, entitled Italophilia: Discovering the Italian style in Handel's London, investigates the Italian musical influences on English baroque music in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.�Already in 1683, Henry Purcell (1659-1695) had written in the foreword of his Sonatas of three Parts that he had 'faithfully endeavour'd a just imitation of the most fam'd Italian Masters'. In later years, the impact of these Italian Masters would only increase, reaching it's apogee in the work of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). This CD contextualizes Handel's work with composers he influenced and was influenced by, both in England and Italy.

Second volume of Narratio Quartet complete survey of Beethoven's string quartets. This 2CD set gathers together the three complex Quartets op. 59 and the more accessible Quartet op.74. Early Music Review about CC 72969 (Early String Quartets):�The quartet's name refers to the art of rhetoric, the projection of which is tellingly apparent in these marvellously communicative performances.

Geminiani's Sonatas op.5 are particularly significant, marking milestones in my musical journey. What fascinates me about Geminiani is his propensity for unpredictable, asymmetrical and improvisatory style - both as a composer and as a performer. This inspired our own improvisatory approach to ornamentation, continuo realization and timing during the recording session. Geminiani's The Art of Playing the Guitar contains the most comprehensive example of basso continuo realization on the cello, a practice I encouraged in this recording.

Music in Bali plays a vital role in society and in daily life. Apart from serving art, music is also used to support religious ceremonies. For us as brothers from a Dutch father and Balinese mother, music was also a daily presence in our lives. We grew up in The Netherlands and are trained classical musicians but the Balinese music always served as a great source of inspiration. This album resembles the mutual inspiration from two different cultures that are actually closer that one would think at first hand.

Second of three instalments in this�Lazic-de Vriend-Bergen Philharmonic unique project. Famous Concertos nos. 21 & 9 are alongside the Rondo K. 382. Once more all candenza and leads-in are inventive creations by�Lazic. Fanfare (USA):�I find Lazic and de Vriend's K 449 quite exhilarating and rate it an unmitigated success. Classica (FR):�In total: a record of quite astonishing eloquence. Luister (NL): Recommended.

I do not believe that there is a 'right' and a 'wrong' instrument on which to perform Beethoven's Sonatas Opus 2. What matters is the musical result. It depends on the alchemy that is created between the performer and the instrument. I extensively tried various modern copies of fortepianos from 1795 - 1800, trying to get closer to the sound and expressive world of early Beethoven. However, with the opportunity of having a Graf fortepiano (No. 429) in my studio, restored in 2023, I was able to prepare this recording on that instrument, playing it regularly for a year and achieving a kind of familiarity with it's action and timbral response that I have grown fond of - Roberto Prosseda.