Classical Music

Classical Music

Written when the composer was only in his late twenties, Mahler's first symphony is a study in optimism. 'In full sail' (his original title for the second movement) could be a motto for the whole work. In this vast symphony, we hear his love of nature and beauty, Mahler's childhood memories, fragments of distant military music, birdsong and even Yiddish folk tunes as they blend together into a paean to life and hope. The work's tribute to Beethoven is seen in it's architecture, as it takes cues from his idol's famous ninth symphony. The fact that Mahler's first was debuted in the Hungarian capital Budapest gives Ivan Fischer and his Budapest Festival Orchestra a unique connection to it's history. This new Super Audio CD recording from Channel Classics brings out all the nuances and colors of the work, from it's softest whispers to it's most thundering climaxes.

On this exciting release, Candida Thompson leads the Amsterdam Sinfonietta in a rich and varied program of Argentinean works featuring well-known repertoire combined with commissions, new arrangements and rarely performed works. The selections range from Ginastera's unique masterpiece Concerto per corde to Golijov's showpiece Last Round to Piazzolla's Four Seasons in an arrangement by Leonid Desyatnikov.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The music of Giovanni Bottesini is little played in international concert halls. He was a virtuoso on the double bass as well as a colorful composer, and a character about whom many an anecdote could be told. His compositions for double bass are now staples of the instrument's repertoire. This disc of favorite works by Bottesini features Rick Stotijn, making his debut on Channel Classics. Stotijn is currently leader of the double basses in the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. He is also guest leader of orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and the London Symphony Orchestra. The disc also features the bass player's sister mezzo-soprano Chistiane Stotijn, and orchestral support from his friends in the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

Dances Of The Dolls / Wang Release Date: 05/13/2014 Composer: Geng Chen Fu, Tan Dun, Theodor Oesten, Dmitri Shostakovich, Performer: Serena Wang It has been said that the hope for western music can be found in the east. The recent spate of Asian superstar musicians offers some support for that position, and with Dances of the Dolls, the Channel Classics debut album by 9-year-old Serena Wang, the cycle continues. Prodigies are more common than one might think. However, among recent recent examples, Serena Wang truly stands out. Born in 2004, Wang began her piano studies at age 4. Her talents developed quickly, and only six years later she became the youngest-ever prize winner of Berkeley University's Bach Piano Competition. It was to be the first in a string of prizes, and the beginning of what promises to be an impressive career. This recording, appropriately, is a disc of music for children, played by a child. It features works by Mozart, Poulenc, Shostakovich and some works by Chinese composers including Tan Dun.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music