This 2CD set of Schubert’s Piano Trios features historically informed performances, with the piano part performed on fortepiano by Viviana Sofronitsky, the daughter of legendary Russian pianist Vladimir Sofronitsky. Violinist László Paulik is one of the founding members of the Concerto Armonico Chamber Orchestra, and the Quartetto Luigi Tomasini. Cellist Sergei Istomin is in demand throughout Europe and North America as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire includes baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary music on both period and modern instruments.

This recording contains a charming five-movement work by German composer Franz Schmidt (1874-1939) - Quintet in A major for Piano Left-Hand, Clarinet, Violin, Viola & Cello. Musicians featured on this recording are pianist Kae Hosoda-Ayer, clarinetist Christopher Ayer, violinist Jennifer Dalmas, violist Kathryn Steely, and cellist Evgeni Raychev. This performance was recorded in June of 2014 at Baylor University, Waco, Texas.

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*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***

This new release features two works for violin and cello: Zoltan Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, and Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello. Cellist Jeffrey Lastrapes and violinist Kristen Yon perform these works with assurance and ease.

*** This title is a reissue of a Japanese release with liner notes in Japanese. ***

...the two 1980 concerto performances she made, as director/pianist, with the London Sinfonietta. Of the two it’s the Haydn that is the more immediately appealing, not that the Beethoven is disappointing, with its lissom drive, rhythmic verve and incision in the outer movements and a penetrating stillness and beauty of tone in the slow movement with its superbly realised cadenza.

-- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
reviewing these performances previously released as RCA 98836

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Recording information: Bennington College (01/2007).

In his music, Camille Saint-Saëns constantly aimed for clarity and balance, qualities he considered to be the essence of French style. The form of his wonderfully balanced String Quartet no. 1 in e, op. 112, is difficult and demanding. Past the age of sixty when he finally attempted composing a string quartet, the result was a masterpiece. The String Quartet no. 2 in G, op. 153, is more modest in its proportions. Known primarily as interpreters of choice in French post-Romantic repertoire, the echoes of praise in the press exemplify the best of the Joachim Quartet across all styles and all ages.

During the Weimar Republic era, alongside Richard Strauss, the then oft-performed composer Walter Braunfels was considered an important exponent of a moderate modernism. Despite his Jewish roots, his works are characterized by a deep Christian humanism. Written in 1933, Verkündigung ("The Annunciation"), set in medieval times, reflects on the major issues of that time, including a search for meaning behind undeserved suffering. Ulf Schirmer leads the Münchner Rundfunkorchester with renowned soprano Juliane Banse and rising tenor Matthias Klink in the main roles.

Joseph Schwantner is one of the most prominent American composers of our day. This new release features Looking Back, a commission in honor of flutist Sam Baron by his former students. Sarah Frisof showcases Schwantner's works with her vibrant and soulful playing. Frisof was the winner of both the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition and the Heida Hermanns International Woodwind Competition. Frisof considers herself a proponent of contemporary music and frequently premieres major works.

This new release is a rousing program of patriotic works for piano by John Philip Sousa, James Hewitt, Charles Grob, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and more. Kirsten Johnson was born in America, but has lived in the United Kingdom since 1994. While she is now a dual-national, she remains very proud of her American heritage and roots. Recording this album was a very important task for her, and one that she did not take lightly. A multi-instrumentalist, she began on piano and recorder, then added clarinet, organ, and harpsichord to her arsenal. A mentor once told her, “You’re a musician first and a pianist second,” a mantra by which she has lived out her professional career.

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STRING QUARTETS NOS. 3, 5, 7

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The name Arcangelo Corelli still rings familiar even 300 years after his death. Of his pupils, however, who knew him and could pass on his style first hand, we have very little information. On this recording, in addition to a sonata by the Master, we have selected compositions by these excellent violinists, who were celebrated virtuosi in their time. Apart from the Corelli piece, all the others are world premiere recordings.