Classical Music

2020 release. Equipped with a variety of trumpets, a ridiculous array of percussion instruments, and far too many electronics, Wim Van Hasselt and Koen Plaetinck combine to create an entirely new musical space inspired by the electrifying philosophy of the Surrealists from the roaring 20's. Presenting brand new commissions, as well as arrangements, they stretch the boundaries of classical music into a unique world of sounds and visuals, infused with traditional music, electro-underground, improvisation and their own vivid personalities.

Classical Music

The music on this recording demonstrates how Baroque composers in Germany, Italy, Austria and England responded to the challenges of writing for violin senza basso. Music for violin solo had a distinguished history before Bach and was widely cultivated by his contemporaries. Violinistic virtuosity was extraordinarily experimental in the late seventeenth century, with novelties in the tuning of the strings (scordatura), bowing techniques, chordal playing and contrapuntal textures (with the development of sophisticated double-, triple- and quadruple-stopping techniques) and playing in high positions. This disc of solo violin music is a real mixture of some of Rachel's favorite pieces.

Classical Music

Classical Music

For their second duo album, Dutch baritone Thomas Oliemans and Italian pianist Paolo Giacometti chose to record one of the pinnacles of the Lied repertoire - Schubert's Winterreise. Winner of the 2013 Prix d'Amis of The Netherlands Opera, Oliemans explained, "As each year passes [Winterreise] has become a work to turn back to again, to measure myself against, to immerse myself in; what is more, as soon as the hurdy-gurdy man has turned his handle for the last time, it seems to invite me to open the score once more at page one and try yet again to conquer this magic mountain of the repertoire."

Classical Music

Classical Music

This CD marks the silver jubilee of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Under Lev Markiz, the first artistic director, the orchestra presented numerous national and international premieres by composers including Schnittke, Shostakovich, Ustvolskaya, Port and Denisov. It recently presented world premieres by Gubaidulina, Mansoerjan and Vasks, as well as the west-European premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Concertino in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in 2009, with the present artistic director Candida Thompson as soloist. This anniversary recording features Weinberg's Concertino and two now world-famous Chamber Symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich. The three works are not only related by their musical language, but also by a lifelong friendship between the two composers.

On one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year, Ivan Fischer conducts music of Richard Wagner, offering a demonstration quality surround-sound disc featuring excerpts of favorite passages from Gotterdammerung and Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, coupled with the Siegfried Idyll. Joined by soprano Petra Lang, Fischer's hand-picked Budapest Festival Orchestra shines in these evergreen selections from some of Wagner's most popular operas.

The two composers presented on this recording by the acclaimed English ensemble Florilegium both came from families of musicians active at the Court of Versailles. Francois Couperin was organist of the Chapelle du Roi, and Jean-Fery Rebel was a violinist in the Chapelle du Roi and composer for the King. Like many chamber works of the period, Couperin left no precise instructions as to instrumentation for his suite Les Nations. This adds versatility as the treble parts are therefore suitable for flutes, violins or oboes or any combination available. Rebel was an innovator, and one of the first French musicians to compose sonatas in the Italian style. His ballet Les Caracteres de la danse was one of his most popular and widely performed works.

From his first spectacular performance, the eleven-year-old violin prodigy Niccol� Paganini took Italy and the rest of Europe by storm. His success as a virtuoso was due both to his mysterious, demonic aura and to his unsurpassed technique. Many considered him to be the best violinist of their age. Violinist Ning Feng has also been hailed for his great lyricism, innate musicality and stunning virtuosity. On this release, Feng performs concertos by Paganini, Vieuxtemps, another composer who enjoyed an outstanding career as a virtuoso violinist.

Classical Music

The Rite of Spring's 1913 premiere created one of the most famous classical music riots in history. It's intensely rhythmic score, primitive scenery and radical choreography completely shocked the audience, who were accustomed to the elegant conventions of classical ballet. Almost 100 years later, the Rite of Spring still has the ability to shock - it still sounds fresh, pagan and new. On this Super Audio recording, Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra offer a powerful and intense performance that reveals the underlying simplicity that forms the foundation of the work.