Following on the success of their 2011 release Nordic Sounds, Peter Dijkstra and the Swedish Radio Choir return with a second volume of music in the series, this time focusing on the use of traditional Swedish folk songs in contemporary choral music. The disc's repertoire ranges from Jan Sandstrom's arrangements of improvised folk songs of the Sami people - whose singing is among the earliest continuing vocal traditions of Europe - to recent works such as the sixteen-part Kosijat by Jaakko Montyjorvi, one of the best-known contemporary composers in Finland. The disc concludes with Anders Hillborg's twelve-minute Muoayiayaoum which explores a phonetic sequence of vowels that open and close. The level of vocal virtuosity that Dijkstra elicits from his singers is breathtaking and the choir's performances are a lesson in vocal precision.

The Ragazze Quartet is a young Dutch/British string quartet acclaimed for it's musical enthusiasm, talent, versatility and dynamic presentation. On Cesko, they take us across Europe to the extraordinary land of Bohemia (popularly known as Cesko, but officially the Czech Republic), the homeland of composers Anton�n Dvor�k and Erwin Schulhoff. The indescribable energy of this music transports us. It's folk melodies and harmonies reveal the essence of a nation steeped in a deep cultural history. Both composers were masters of merging the old with the new and fusing a rich new musical heritage.

Classical Music

Classical Music

From the symphony, the largest form for the largest orchestra, to the song, the smallest form for the smallest ensemble, would seem to be an enormous step. Mahler nonetheless brought them together and interwove them in Das Lied von der Erde. Iván Fischer leads the Budapest Festival Orchestra and soloists Gerhild Romberger and Robert Dean Smith in this unity of symphony and song.

Embarking on a series of recordings of classical originals for symphonic wind band is an adventurous quest. On their second volume, the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Major Arjan Tien decided to compile German-Austrian gems. From Beethoven (1810) to Hindemith (1951), this program illustrates the development and expansion of the symphonic wind band across nearly 150 years.

Marcin Swiatkiewicz, a member of Brecon Baroque and one of the most recognizable harpsichordists of the young generation, makes his solo recording debut on Channel Records. This special program features the first three of Bach's solo Harpsichord Concertos, each performed on a different harpsichord, and accompanied by quartet instead of the customary string orchestra. The D Major concerto features a 2008 Christian Fuchs modeled after Johannes Ruckers, the concerto in E Major a 2016 Christoph Kern modeled after Pascal Taskin and the D Minor concerto a 2016 Matthias Kramer modeled after 18th century German builders.

Anna Fedorova is one of the world's premier pianists. From an early age, she demonstrated an innate musical maturity and outstanding technical abilities. Her international concert career took off while she was only a child, and audiences around the world were stunned by the depth and power of her musical expression. For this all-Rachmaninov program, she is joined by Modestas Pitrenas and the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen. Fedorova says, "Throughout my life Rachmaninov and his music have had a special place in my heart. Even though I am Ukrainian and was born in Kiev many decades after the October revolution, I always felt a connection to the old pre-revolutionary Russia. Rachmaninov was never able to return to, or even visit his home country after emigrating from Russia, but his homeland always remained in his heart, and is always reflected in his music."

Until about 1960, Francois Devienne was one of the best-kept secrets of French music history. Celebrated in late-eighteenth-century France as a bassoonist, flautist and composer, his legacy was overshadowed by his Austrian contemporaries Haydn and Mozart. Forgotten to time were no less than seven symphonies, nineteen concertos, forty-six trios, sixty-seven sonatas, a dozen comic operas and fifty songs - all composed before the age of forty-three. On this release, the ensemble Musica Reale performs a selection of Devienne's Flute Quartets and Bassoon Quartets.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Since they met at a summer music camp in Switzerland in 2001, violinist Rosanne Philippens and pianist Yuri Van Nieuwkerk have been working together as a duo. They were awarded the Netherlands Programming Foundation Duo Prize at the National Violin Competition, as well as the Het Debuut at the latest Vriendenkrans/het Debuut. On this new recording, Philippens and van Nieuwkerk pay homage not just to Bartok and Ravel, but to what they call "the unbounded world of music," and their eclectic influences such as Radiohead, Brad Mehldau and Indonesian gamelan.

Iv�n Fischer leads the Budapest Festival Orchestra in Beethoven's Symphonies Nos.1 and 5. The first, though rooted in his classical examples of Haydn and Mozart, was nothing less than a turning point in the symphonic tradition. It can be seen as a fitting farewell to the eighteenth century, as an exploration of new horizons, and as an energetic statement conceived to surpass his esteemed predecessors. The fifth is the ultimate proof of Beethoven's immortality. For who does not know it's world-famous theme?

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

The Ragazze Quartet has been acclaimed for their musical enthusiasm, talent, versatility and presentation. The young Dutch ensemble frequently collaborates with composers, musicians - classical or otherwise - and artists working in a variety of disciplines. In spite of it's life-affirming title, Vivere, the group's Channel Classics debut, is not exactly a cheerful disc. All three compositions refer in various ways to death. This is reflected in the key signatures of the repertoire (D minor is considered the key of death) and the programmatic content of the Schubert and Widmann quartets. The cellist actually 'dies' in the Widmann! Spectacularly well recorded, this disc presents an unusual and compelling program and introduces the world to a dynamic and exciting new ensemble.

On this program from the Oyster Duo, Anna Fedorov and husband Nicholas Schwartz, travel criss-cross through two centuries and six countries in search of melodious gems. We are treated to the piano alongside the giant of string instruments, the double bass, as it whets it's appetite on the melodious and virtuosic repertoire of it's smaller siblings, the violin, viola and cello. This extensive journey of musical discovery is a treasure chest of 'stolen gems' from 19th and 20th century Argentina, Germany, Austria, America, Russia and Italy.

Bart�k Bound (Vol. 2): String Quartets 3, 5 & 6 - The music of B�la Bart�k has everything: the mysterious tension of a thriller, loving lyricism, warm string sounds, almost impossible techniques challenging any string player to rediscover his instrument, and exhilarating rhythms which could well be rooted in folk dance. With the second volume of Bart�k Bound, Ragazze Quartet complete their string quartet cycle.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Anna Fedorova's Shaping Chopin features the music that made her feel less lonely in 2020, and will hopefully bring some consolation and joy to you as well. The album’s cover art was created by Marcelle Schoenmaker during a live concert.

“Chopin’s music had an important place in my life from early childhood," says Fedorova, "and I worked extensively on various pieces with my parents, who were my teachers at that time in Kiev. While we were separated for a long time, I felt closer to them through his music. Practicing certain waltzes or nocturnes seemed to transport me in time and space and reflected the current mood with their dreaminess and melancholy.

When the opportunity to record a new album spontaneously arose, I immediately thought about the music of Chopin. I selected various Waltzes, Nocturnes and Mazurkas, and added the Fantaisie Impromptu, as they cover a wide spectrum of emotions, moods, and colors. It’s incredible how Chopin can express himself so intensely and so deeply in a piece which lasts just a few minutes. He always manages to create a captivating atmosphere and a unique dreamworld. While performing Chopin’s miniatures it feels like diving into a living painting, artistically shaping its unique story, colors, and characters with music.”

Classical Music

The city of Prague was a cultural hotspot in the 1920s and 30s. Three population groups, enriched by emigrants from Russia, the Ukraine, Germany and Austria, competed with one another but also inspired each other. This was the city of the composers on this recording by Werner Herbers and the Ebony Band, long known as champions of unknown or forgotten music from the first half of the 20th century. In the repertoire on this album we hear the old and the new, tradition and renewal, but above all, imagination and talent. When the border between East and West opened up in 1991, this music had hardly been heard in the West for some fifty years, having been suppressed first by the Nazis and then by suffocating communist rule.