Agata Kielar-Dlugosz, recognized Polish flutist and winner of numerous music awards, presents a recital consisting of works by Polish composers whose work is rooted in various popular trends of the 20th century. These gems were created somewhat off the beaten track of the artistic activity of their creators, commonly associated with other forms and different instruments, which probably influenced the relatively low popularity of these works. With this release, Agata Kiela-Dlugosz and pianist Andrzej Jungiewicz decided to remind the music lovers in a very interesting interpretation. Agata Kielar-Dlugosz is a graduate of the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munich. She also completed post-graduate studies at the Hochschule fur Musik in Weimar and Yale University in New Haven. She is a prizewinner of international flute competitions, and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and has given premieres of several flute concertos which were dedicated to her by composers such as Pawel Mykietyn, Piotr Moss, and Pavel Lukaszewski. She has served as Principal Flute with the Bayerisches Symphonieorchester Munchen, the Munchener Kammerorchester and Bach Collegium in Munich.

To say that Sikorski’s music is thought-inspiring is not enough. What is more important, it forces us to feel, react, vibrate. And in the case of the repertoire presented in this album, it introduces us to the very essence of the piano. Sikorski’s understanding of the instrument and its possibilities was remarkable. His sounds pierce through us. Only the composer, who fully existed within this sphere of sound, could so convincingly deal with the consequences of the sound’s harmony and repetition, its crescendo and decrescendo, its silence. Tension in Sikorski’s music results from the possibility and willingness to both reveal and conceal emotions with a single stroke of the pen. Passion expressed, passion suppressed, beauty, intensity, solitude, richness of sound and shortage are its essence. These works are beautifully presented by pianist Ezabolcs Esztenyi and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zsolt Nagy.

Martinu composed Ariane in a record time of one month, in the summer of 1958. The Greek myth of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, King of Crete, who helps Theseus slay the minotaur, has been set to music by a number of renowned composers. Martinu based his libretto off Georges Neveux's drama Le Voyage de Thesee. Alongside the opera, this release features the Double Concerto, a work representing the apex of the composer's French period and written amidst dramatic circumstances at the time throughout Europe.

The Belfiato Quintet are yet another exciting Czech chamber ensemble active in the international arena. The members of the young wind quintet perform with renowned orchestras and both as individuals and collectively hav egarnered accolades at competitions. This acclaim, however, has not gone to their heads, with their performances above all revealing their attitude: ''We enjoy it!'' The debut studio album, which they hvae recorded 12 years after the ensemble's foundation, exclusively features Czech music dating from the first half of the 20th century. J.B. Foerster composed the Wind Quintet in 1909 to commission for a virtuoso ensemble, formed by the members of the Wiener Philharmoniker. The work by Janáček's pupil Pavel Haas, written two decades later, bears traces of inspiration by folk music, Janáček, as well as Stravinsky. When listening to the piece, it is difficult indeed to resign oneself to the chilling fact that this immense young talent was silenced for ever at Auschwitz. Leos Janáček had created his wind sextet Youth just five years previously. Owing to the music teeming with joie de vivre, prevailing over languor and melancholia, one is hard pressed to believe that the artist was 70 years of age when he composed it.

The songs included in this album come from diverse origins, united by the subtle narrative, poetic and musical threads all common to the Spanish repertoire. Pieces of literary traditions from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries are intermingled with others belonging to folklore, all of them taken from non-Spanish sources, and organized into five thematic groups, alternating between each other as if they were refined panels in a Renaissance altarpiece. Engaging with this music involves entering a singularly vast field, rich with centuries old intersections, borrowings and appropriations between cultures; a natural occurrence, considering the identity of the old American colonial territories and their population- their complex and mixed nature. Through this program, the artist aims to expose the varied processes of appropriation and transculturation, especially significant to the Latin American colonial repertoire, informed by the interpretive tradition that Jonatan Alvarado inherited and built between the spheres of the popular and the academic.

In 1980 the Queen Elisabeth Competition was played out in the context of the Cold War: the Russian candidates were absent, too many Soviet laureates having taken advantage of their success to cross to the other side of the Iron Curtain. The Americans therefore arrived confidant they would be giving a demonstration, yet this was to neglect the contribution of Japan, which had three laureates among the top four. And, a remarkable fact, all came from the teaching environment of their own country. Belgium was in delight as it discovered the winner of the competition that year: Yuzuko Horigome. She had already made a big impression during the semi-final, notably with her performance of a sonata by Ysaye that showed remarkable clarity and determination. This formidable musician of 22 years confirmed in the final this excellent impression with a magnificent Brahms' First Sonata performed in thoughtful silence. Her Sibelius Concerto galvanized the orchestra and roused the public to a passion for one of the very finest performances of this concerto in the history of the competition. Since this first success of an Asian laureate at the competition, Yuzuko Horigome has pursued a superb career in Europe and in her native country as a soloist yet also as a renowned teacher. Every day she shows that knowledge and talent, with regard to Western music, have been universal for a very long time.

What do an Opera Aria by Gounod and a short Serenade by Borodin have in common? They both served as models for two short piano pieces by Maurice Ravel: Portraits of other composers. Anne Riegler offers in her debut album a perspective on Ravel's music that is unique in its approach. All piano works in which Ravel names and refers to other composers are paired with original compositions of those portrayed composers, resulting in an exceptional journey through all periods of music history from Couperin to Ravel.

The premiere of the monumental Third Symphony Op.42 Ilya Murometz on 23rd March 1912 was a huge cultural and political event in Russia. A program symphony, the music depicts the life of Kievan Rus’ folk hero Ilya Muromets. The piece was dedicated to Alexander Glazunov, and won Reinhold Gliere his third Glinka Award. The work lasts between 70 and 80 minutes, and is divided into four sections, each of which depicts an episode from the epic. Gliere wrote a narrative in both Russian and French to accompany the score. On this recording Gabriel Feltz presents the remarkable work together with the orchestra Beogradska filharmonija and makes it clear that we should keep a closer eye on the works of this extremely interesting Russian late romantic.

This release is the continuation of the Wiener Symphoniker's Road to Beethoven project, an undertaking in preparation of the 250th anniversary of the birth of the Viennese by choice and patriarch of classical music in 2020. Following the huge success of the respective releases of the cycle so far, the expectations are high indeed. The third part featuring Symphonies No. 2 and 7 received numerous accolades and ranked high in the annual best lists of international critics. The German classical music magazine Concerti, for instance, praised: "There, Philippe Jordan with the Wiener Symphoniker succeeded in creating something amazing: The symbiosis of the fine Viennese sound and the directness and transparency of historical performance practice, dynamically flexible and driven by emphasis." The Wiener Symphoniker wrote music history with the premieres of works by Bruckner, Ravel and Sch�nberg. Under the direction of such illustrious conductors as Wilhelm Furtw�ngler, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini or Georges Pr�tre, it gained worldwide fame for it's Viennese sound style. In light of this more than hundred-year magnificent history, it is all the more astonishing that the Orchestra has never so far recorded Beethoven's nine symphonies, which are often described as the peak of the symphonic repertoire. This gap in the Orchestra's discography has been in the process of being closed since autumn 2017: The Orchestra is releasing all nine symphonies of the great Viennese by choice at half-yearly intervals on a total of five albums. The whole cycle will then be available on the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 2020. They were recorded live under the direction of Music Director Philippe Jordan in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein during an acclaimed cycle in spring/summer 2017.

Franz Schubert‘s song cycle Winterreise, the undisputed highlight of the Romantic lieder genre, achieves new dimensions: Gregor Meyer sets a stylistically varied and atmospherically dense choral accompaniment alongside the solo baritone voice of Daniel Ochoa and the piano played by Christian Peix. Soloists, choir and conductor have intimately worked together to create a knowledgeable and refreshing reinterpretation of this timeless classic, which, with its new approaches to understanding both text and music, will hopefully soon be heard more often in the concert halls. Baritone Daniel Ochoa, who is praised for his stage presence and expressiveness by audiences and critics alike, recently added many achievements to his portfolio. In 2015–2016 he had his role débuts as Giovanni and Marcello at the Vienna Volksoper, played the role of Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) in Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan Theatre and gave several concerts in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Furthermore, several recordings featuring Ochoa have been released in the last few years, among them two Bach recordings by Deutsche Harmonia Mundi.

The eagerly awaited volume 2 in the fascinating exploration of Antoine Reicha’s keyboard music by the trailblazing pianist Ivan Ilic is now out! Ilic here digs into a crucial aspect of Antoine Reicha’s music: counterpoint and the manner in which Bach’s music served as a point of departure for Reicha’s eclectic, fertile mind and wide variety of musical styles. If most of these etudes are made up of a Prelude paired with a Fugue, their variety offers the album great diversity, and unveils the compositional genius of Antoine Reicha: here are unexpected moods and textures, sophisticated canons, cheeky invertible counterpoint, chaconnes and minuet-like character pieces, even a piece the only unifying characteristic of which seems to be its tumbling scales in dotted rhythm. Ilic’s unique interpretations are supported by enlightening booklet notes, written by the pianist himself, shedding light on revelatory moments in the composer’s life. While the musical world will soon become saturated with celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, his friend and exact contemporary Antoine Reicha will enjoy a renaissance with this unmissable series.

Featured on this album, Missa ex D by Józef Zeidler (around 1744-1806) was intended for four voices (SATB) and instruments - two violins, two trumpets and organs. Zeidler displays in it solid compositional skill, which abounds in a variety of employed means. The collection includes two compositions by Antoni Habel (1760-1831), including one symphony. Symphonia was written for two violins, a viola, two flutes, two horns and a basso. In the then Commonwealth, church centers and bands acting in them played a major role in popularizing the symphonies. They served as a setting of church services. It was therefore a type of a local church symphony, which drew on European standards. Habel's Symphony is an example of this. The MUSICA SACROMONTANA Festival serves the continuation of the intentions of the Filipino Order, who wanted to evangelize through the broadly understood propagation of culture. It is thanks to their efforts that in the 17th century a great band was created there, and the greatest composers came to Gostyń.

Roman Palester (1907–1989) was a man of great erudition, well-versed in the literature and art of his day, as is evidenced, for example, by his regular programmes for Radio Free Europe. The radio station, where he worked as head of the culture department for twenty years (1952–1972), provided him with a substitute of home. It made him feel closer to Poland and its affairs – since announcing his decision to emigrate in 1950, he had been a persona non grata in his homeland, banned as a man and as an artist. This is why his music is still so little known – it has not been performed for years and in many cases has not been published either. And yet it is very much worth exploring and incorporating into the canon of Polish 20th-century culture, as is evidenced by the present recording. The three substantial vocal-instrumental works by Roman Palester included in it – Kolacze [The Wedding Cake] to words by Szymon Szymonowic, Trzy wiersze Czeslawa Milosza [Three Poems by Czeslaw Milosz] and Listy do Matki [Letters to the Mother] to words by Juliusz Slowacki – present various hues of the composer’s musical world. Written in different periods of his life – Kolacze in 1942, Three Poems by Czeslaw Milosz in 1973–1977, and Letters to the Mother towards the end of his life (1984–1987) – they perfectly convey the musical style close to the composer in each period, as well as the feelings and emotions he struggled with at the time.

The one-act opera Djamileh by Georges Bizet set to the libretto by Louis Gallet tells an oriental love story between the slave named Djamileh and Cairo sultan Haroun. The plot, bringing to mind the atmosphere of One Thousand and One Nights, is a quite typical example of Romantic fascinations with the Far East. Bizet's had his doubts about the work- many considered it to be too difficult for a stage adaptation. However, the artistic craft of the creator of the balanced libretto surrounding the story of oriental lovers with a suggestive sound, and the craftsmanship of Jennifer Feinstein, performing the title, allows the listener to enjoy all the values ​​of this little known opera. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein has been likened by the Los Angeles Times to "a young Horne, so rich is her mezzo and so full of spark was she on stage." She is becoming increasingly coveted for her portrayals of the dramatic mezzo repertoire.

The music of the English Virginalists (virginal is a smaller variety of harpsichord) dating back to the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries served as an inspiration for the French harpsichord style, which, after several years, returned to Great Britain. It was adopted in such a mature form by the most outstanding composer born in England. Henry Purcell, conscious of the music's sources, enriched it with subsequent references to native musical traditions and with his own original compositional technique. The extremely meticulous interpretations of eight harpsichord suites by Purcell, performed by Ewa Rzetecka-Niewiadomska, convincingly confirm the artistry and aesthetic value of these compositions, with plenty of charm and stylistic treats, which, due to extra-musical reasons, are on the margin of the mainstream of the history of music.

The term "South German" in keyboard music refers geographically to the southern part of the German-speaking region, also containing parts of Austria and Switzerland – and even eastern European regions of Poland, Bohemia and Transylvania. The composers featured on this six-album release include Kerll, Muffat, Pachelbel, and Hassler, as well as selections from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch. Joseph Kelemen has been an active church musician in the South German region since 1986. He is passionately dedicated to historical performance practice and is considered in the specialist world as the authority for German organ music of the 17th century and the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He studied at the Franz Liszt Music University, and then emigrated to Switzerland where he studied at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basle. He now resides in Germany. His previous releases have won him several awards, including the French Diapason d’or.

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DETAILED TRACKLIST:

CD 1
Johann Caspar Kerll (1627–1693)

[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 03:24
[02] Canzone prima . . . . . . . 02:09
[03] Toccata ottava . . . . . . . 03:34
[04] Ciaccona . . . . . . . 02:22
[05] Canzone sesta . . . . . . . 02:37
[06] Toccata quarta Cromatica con durezze, e ligature . . . . . . . 04:41
[07] Capriccio sopra’ il cucu . . . . . . . 02:24
[08] Canzone quarta . . . . . . . 01:55
[09] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 03:14
[10] Canzone terza . . . . . . . 03:11
[11] Toccata sesta per il pedale . . . . . . . 02:48
[12] Ricercata . . . . . . . 03:07
[13] Canzone seconda . . . . . . . 02:29
[14] Toccata terza . . . . . . . 04:33
[15] Canzone quinta . . . . . . . 02:26
[16] Toccata settima . . . . . . . 03:08
[17] Battaglia . . . . . . . 04:59
[18] Toccata seconda . . . . . . . 03:27
[19] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 06:12
total 64:12

Egedacher Orgel (1708)
Prämonstratenserstift Schlägl (A)

CD 2
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)

[01] Toccata prima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata secunda . . . . . . . 05:57
[03] Toccata tertia . . . . . . . 05:49
[04] Toccata quarta . . . . . . . 07:11
[05] Toccata quinta . . . . . . . 05:57
[06] Toccata sexta . . . . . . . 09:22
[07] Toccata septima . . . . . . . 09:51
[08] Toccata octava . . . . . . . 06:32
[09] Toccata nona . . . . . . . 06:56
total 64:29

CD 3
Georg Muffat (1653–1704)

[01] Toccata decima . . . . . . . 06:00
[02] Toccata undecima . . . . . . . 06:39
[03] Toccata Toccata duodecima
et ultima . . . . . . . 07:25
[04] Ciacona . . . . . . . 06:18
[05] Passacaglia . . . . . . . 13:49
[06] Nova Cyclopeias Harmonica . . . . . . . 11:57
total 52:40

Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
CD 2: [01], [03], [05], [06], [08]
CD 3: [03], [04], [06]

L’orgue Silbermann 1732 d’Ebersmunster (F)
CD 2: [02], [04], [07], [09]
CD 3: [01], [02], [05]

  CD 4
Johann Pachelbel (1653 –1706)

[01] Praeludium d Minor . . . . . . . 05:34
[02] Wir glauben all an einen Gott . . . . . . . 04:04
[03] Ciacona f Minor (transponiert nach d-Moll) . . . . . . . 07:03
[04]–[9] Magnificat octavi toni . . . . . . . 05:26
[10] Ricercar C Major . . . . . . . 03:45
[11] Toccata C Major . . . . . . . 02:09
[12] Ricercar c Minor . . . . . . . 05:42
[13] Fuga d Minor . . . . . . . 03:02
[14] Toccata c Minor . . . . . . . 02:59
[15] Fuga C Major . . . . . . . :22
[16]–[25] Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan . . . . . . . 02:22
[26] Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn . . . . . . . 03:46
[27] Nun lob mein Seel den Herren . . . . . . . 02:13
[28] Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her (transoponiert nach C-Dur) . . . . . . . 01:22
[28]–[35] Aria tertia . . . . . . . 07:01
[36] Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt . . . . . . . 03:04
[37] Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern . . . . . . . 02:49
[38] Toccata C major . . . . . . . 01 : 49
total 75:08

[01]–[10] / [26]–[38] Stertzing-Orgel 1702, St. Petri, Erfurt-Büßleben (D)
[11]–[25] Crapp-Orgel 1722, Klosterkirche, Pappenheim (D)

CD 5
Buxheimer Orgelbuch (ca. 1460)

[01] Glockenläuten, Glocke St. Andreaskirche Ostönnen, gegossen am 24. Juni 1306 . . . . . . . 00:44
[02] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . . 03:35
[03] Wolhin laß vögelin sorgen (14) . . . 01:40
[04] Portigaler (43). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[05] Vil lieber Zit uff diser Erde (51) . . . 02:20
[06] Kyriel(eyson) Angelicum – Christeleyson – Ultimum Kyriel(eyson) (153–155) . 01:43
[07] Praembulum Super C (232a) . . . . . 01:52
[08] Praembulum Super Mi (233a) . . . . 01:37
[09] Redeuntes in mi (232d) . . . . . . . . . 02:09
[10] Allegalea (185) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[11] Praembulum Super D (232c) . . . . . 02:17
[12] Gaudeamus (omnes in Domino) (35). . . . . . . . . 04:41
[13] Ellend du hast umbfangen mich (48) . . . . . . . . . . . 03:42
[14] Sequitur adhuc semel Ellend und Jamer (49) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:28
[15] Redeuntes in idem (231) . . . . . . . 03:23
[16] Ein fröuwlin edel von natueren (19) . . . . . . . 03:10
[17] Veni virgo (76) . . . . . . . 01:54
[18] Salve Radix Josophanie (250) . . . . . . . 01:19
[19] Se la phase pale (255) . . . . . . . 02:06
[20] Redeuntes in d (232b) . . . . . . . 02:02
[21] Descendi in ortum meum (161) . . . . . . . :32
[22] Rorate celi desuper et nubes pl(uant iustum) (36) . . . . . . . 03:45
[23] Jeloy mors (18) . . . . . . . :18
[24] Redeuntes in La (234) . . . . . . . 01:09
[25] Anna vasanna (92) . . . . . . . 02:35
[26] Kyrieleyson de S(ancta) Maria V(irgine) – Christeleyson – Kyrieleyson Ultimum (150) . . . . . . . 02:23
[27] Ave Regina (258) . . . . . . . 02:57
total 64:12

Anonymus-Orgel ca. 1425, St. Andreaskirche, Soest-Ostönnen (D)
Ebert-Orgel 1558, Hofkirche Innsbruck (A)

CD 6
Hans Leo Hassler (1564–1612)

[01] Introitus IV. toni. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14:20
[02] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:15
[03] Kein grösser frewdt. a. 8. voc: (transponiert nach g-Moll). . . . . . . . 04:14
Orgelmesse
[04] Kyrie Apostolorum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:07
[05] Kyrie Secondo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:44
[06] Christe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01:31
[07] Kyrie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:42
[08] Et in terra pax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:18
[09] Domine Deus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 02:25
[10] Cum Sancto Spiritu. . . . . . . . . . . . . 04:41
[11] Ach Gott von Himel sieh darein. . . 03:38
[12] Credo in unum Deum. . . . . . . . . . . 04:13
[13] Introitus in d. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:07
[14] Ricercar in e. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06:39
[15] Canzon in C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:27
[16] Ach weh der schweren pein. . . . . . . 03:09
[17] 2. Theil: Und weicht von mir gar ferr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03:46
[18] Ricercar del secondo tono. . . . . . . . . 10:30
total 79:51

[01]–[12] Freundt-Orgel 1642 Stiftskirche Klosterneuburg (A)
[13]–[18] Günzer-Orgel 1609 St. Martin, Gabelbach (D)

These discs are hybrid Super Audio CDs playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

The radio recordings between 1939 and 1945 with the Berlin Philharmonic and Wilhelm Furtwängler are among classical music’s most compelling sound documents. Created at the peak of the collaboration between orchestra and conductor, Furtwängler’s artist personality is conveyed more vividly than anywhere else. What can be heard is music in which inspiration and the expressive will know no bounds and in which, not least, the existential experience of the Second World War reverberates. For the first time, the Berlin Philharmonic are releasing a complete edition of these recordings.

Wilhelm Furtwängler is accorded almost mythical status to this day. Biographically and artistically rooted in the 19th century, he embodies a bridge to the late-Romantic period and the founding years of the Berlin Philharmonic, whose chief conductor he was from 1922.

Furtwängler’s auratic charisma stems from an intriguing basic interpretive concept which avoided authoritarian gestures and deliberately aimed at the blurring of tonal contours. The result was a warm, mixed sound, in which developments and intensifications never appear calculated, but seem to grow organically.

This edition not only brings together all surviving radio recordings of the period, but also draws on the best available material – in particular, original tapes, which were taken to the Soviet Union after the war and only returned to Germany from the early 1990s onwards. Especially for this edition, the recordings have been carefully restored, digitally sampled using state-of-the-art technology, and remastered in 24-bit resolution. A total of 21 concerts are presented here, in whole or in part. The edition’s features include numerous historical photos, articles on the history behind the recordings, plus an extensive essay by the American musicologist Richard Taruskin on Furtwängler’s art – all of which results in a release which provides an opportunity to discover and relive this great chapter in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker in all its facets as never before.

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REVIEW:

Do you want this box? Yes, you do. Is it worth it? Again, yes, almost certainly, it is. For one thing, these are the recordings that have come, more than any other, to define this conductor’s identity, and his legacy. The audio restoration does wonders for the piano concertos in particular. These are the concerts that, so they said later, made life worth living for many Berliners. They matter.

– Gramophone

On this new release, The Goldberg Trio presents well-rehearsed string trios by Klein, Weinberg, Dohnányi and Cras. These pieces are some of the most important and interesting contributions to the genre in the 20th century. The Trio Goldberg was founded when three key members of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (Liza Kerob, Federico Hood, and Thierry Amadi), rich with the diversity of their respective cultural backgrounds, joined forces to create this dynamic and eclectic ensemble. With a repertoire ranging from Mozart to Schnittke, the Trio performs works by Schubert, Enescu, Kodaly, Piazzolla, Sibelius, Jean Francaix, Ysaye, and Ton-That Tiet, among others. It draws its name from the brilliant transcription by Dmitry Sitkovetsky of J.S. Bach’s immortal Goldberg Variations. A passionate devotion to this masterwork soon became the ensemble’s trademark and led to a recording that received warm response from the press. Frequently the ensemble collaborates with prestigious musicians such as Patrice Fontanarosa, Regis Pasquier, Olivier Charlier, Gerard Causse, Dominique de Williencourt, Jean Ferrandis, Matan Porat, Iddo Bar-Shai, and Luis Fernando Perez.

A large part of Feliks Nowowiejski’s work, especially his larger works, remained in manuscripts and soon after the composer’s death in 1946, he was forgotten. As if he’d faded into oblivion. This state of affairs lasted until the last few years, when part of the Polish music community began to notice severe gaps in knowledge about the work of the composer. The Opole Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Przemyslaw Neumann has also played a big role in decoding Felix Nowowiejski’s music. The testimony of this is a smaller album that gathers the symphonic works of Rota’s creator, previously only rarely performed and almost absent in phonography. These are extremely interesting, selected symphonic works, composed with incredible impetus, full of melodic invention, pathetic culminations and deep romantic aesthetics.

The title "Zan Tontemiquico" is drawn from a poem by Tochihuitzin, a prince and poet who lived at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The poem was written in N�huatl, which was spoken in the present Mexico before the arrival of Spaniards. In a free translation the title means "We only come to dream." This, closing the album, programme piece for orchestra, superbly performed by the Aukso ensemble directed by Marek Mos, is preceded by two compositions dedicated to the musicians of the Silesian Trio. The Titanic Trio is inspired by a whole range of cultural associations, not only musical, present in the legend of the Titanic, including the poetry of Czeslaw Milosz. The deprived of the programme references Trio Concertante, recorded together with Aukso, is calligraphically economical, yet at the same time emotionally rich music - consisting of strongly separated sound plans. The works present the main characteristics of the pieces by Mikolaj G�recki: musical erudition, allusiveness, atmosphere, and stylistic diversity.

Jir� Belohl�vek (1946-2017) was an important worldwide ambassador of Bohuslav Martinu's music. For the Supraphon label alone he recorded nearly forty of Martinu's symphonic compositions, concertos, and stage works, and many of these were world premiere recordings. Despite large-scale plans, this recording also represents both the highpoint and the conclusion of Belohl�vek's noteworthy discography of Martinu's works. The premiere recording of the opera-pastoral What Men Live By was made from three concert performances in December 2014. Martinu composed it to his own libretto in America at the turn of 1951-52, and he had a clear idea concerning it's performance: "It must not be played 'pathetically', but joyfully... The text strongly tempts one to come up with a very serious, 'deep' conception, but that is not what I had in mind. To me, it is a rather joyful work, and what the listener must feel is not some sort of religious moral (lesson), but instead joy. The moral is in fact in the joy." This recording of the Symphony No. 1 was made in January 2016, and it joins the earlier releases of Symphonies Nos. 3-6. It was part of a planned but unfortunately unfinished complete set of Martinu's late orchestral works. Belohl�vek's tenure with the Czech Philharmonic during the last five years of his life was a very happy time for both parties, and it led to the development of new qualities in the orchestra's sound. This recording shall endure as living proof of what was a very special constellation of humanity and artistry.

"Where opera is concerned, our generation will undoubtedly be remembered for its emphasis on restoring scores to their pristine state, or at least attempting to divine and then execute the original intentions of the composer. Whether it be Gluck, Mozart, Verdi or Mussorgsky, authenticity and completeness have been the order of the day, perhaps going even beyond the composer's own wishes. In the case of Boris nobody has been more diligent than Abbado over the past 15 years, since he first presented the epic at La Scala, in seeking the truth about this vast canvas. Now we have the latest fruits of his efforts. Incidentally, this work forcibly reminds us how little has changed in Russia regarding conflicts of power: fanaticism and religion competing for attention with cruelty and intrigue. Plus ça change ...

As happens most often today, Abbado plays the definitive 1872-4 version, adding scenes, including the complete one in Pimen's cell and the St Basil's scene from 1869. To avoid the Simpleton losing his kopek twice he omits the repetition of this episode, cutting from fig. 20-25 (in the OUP full score) in the Kromy Forest scene; a sensible solution.

This recording took place in 1993, as Richard Fairman explains on page 16, around the same time similar forces presented two concert performances in the Berlin Philharmonie, where the set was also recorded. It precedes stage performances in Salzburg (Easter and summer this year) with similar forces. As when Abbado conducted the work at Covent Garden in 1983 and at the Vienna State Opera in 1991, his is a taut, tense reading. With the Berlin Philharmonic now at his call, it has become grander, more virtuosic, at times hard-driven, favouring extremes of speed. The orchestra is very much in the foreground, sounding more emphatic than would ever be the case in the opera house. The total effect, for all its magnificence, is a shade unrelenting and the extremes of dynamics, recalling Karajan, are very marked. The precision and clarity are undoubted: whether or not Mussorgsky might not have preferred Gergiev's more understated, equally incisive Kirov reading on the Decca video version which I reviewed last month, is a matter of conjecture.

What cannot be doubted is that Michael Haas's first opera recording as producer for Sony Classical is of demonstration standard: most potent in the way it captures the wonderfully incisive and pointed singing of the combined choruses in their various guises, best heard through the most wideranging loudspeakers. Here all is vividly brought before us by conductor and producer in the wide panorama predicated by Mussorgsky's all enveloping vision.

Kotcherga, the Russian bass who will also sing the title-role at Salzburg, has a superb voice, firmly produced throughout an extensive register. Even before I read RTF's report, I was astonished and delighted at the accuracy of his reading and at its complete avoidance of conventional melodrama. I was interested to read that he was concerned to show the loving father, for his scene with Boris's children is here among the most rewarding. Given the velvety, soft grain of his timbre, it may not be surprising that the inner torment is not always much in evidence as it is with Talvela (on the reissued EMI recording), even more with Ghiaurov for Tchakarov. But these may seem like quibbles when set beside the beauty and musicality of Kotcherga's concept.

The ambitious lovers are well represented. Indeed, Larin is quite the best Grigory yet on disc, sounding at once youthful, heroic and ardent, and quite free of tenor mannerisms. Lipovkk characterizes Marina forcefully: we are well aware of the scheming Princess's powers of wheeler-dealing and of erotic persuasion. A certain hardness that has now come into her tone lately is not inappropriate. Even so, I would like to have heard the lovely Elena Zaremba in the role: here she makes a lively Hostess, a part so often consigned to superannuated mezzos. Marina's scene with the Rangoni of Leiferkus is one of the set's best, accompanied with a sure feeling for its many undercurrents of religious bigotry, voluptuousness and cant.

Ramey is classy casting for Pimen, but – for all his fine singing – he doesn't quite convince me that he is inside the part. Ghiuselev (Tchakarov) or Morozov (Gergiev) show just how much more subtlety can be read into the old monk's narration through variations of colour, tone and phrase deriving from long experience in the genre (Tchakarov is also gentler, more yielding here than Abbado). Langridge certainly knows everything there is to know about Shuisky, a role he has often sung with Abbado and though his tone hasn't true Russian character, his range of colour is arresting.

There seems no end these days to the new talent coming out of Russia. Here we have Albert Shagidullin as Shchelkolov, the Boyar's Secretary, disclosing a baritone of infinite possibilities and Alexander Fedin, a Covent Garden Rodolfo, singing the Simpleton with plaintive beauty."

-- Gramophone [5/1994] Reviewing original release

Even though Charles Gounod is now mostly remembered as a composer of the opera Faust, his main creative focus was church music. His sacred oeuvre eclipses that of his French contemporaries, but cannot conceal Gounod’s affinity for opera. On the occasion of the composer’s 200th birthday, Carus is re-releasing an outstanding recording by the chamber choir I Vocalisti under the direction of Hans-Joachim Lustig of the oratorio "Die letzten Worte des Erlosers am Kreuze" and other sacred compositions: works to which the composer was particularly inspired by his stay in Rome and the Gregorian chant which is very frequently heard there. Depending on the project, the chamber choir I Vocalisti consists of 20 to 60 vocally and musically trained singers from Northern Germany, who come together to perform challenging sacred and secular choral music at a professional level. Since its founding in 1991, the ensemble has performed in numerous concert series and has received prizes at national and international choral competitions, including first prize at the 6th German Choir Competition in 2002 and 1st prizes at the international choral contests in Tolosa, Spain in 2004 and in Cork, Ireland in 2009.

Not that a flutist would actually need to poach in foreign territories due to a lack of attractive repertoire, but the arrangements presented here, based on well-known chamber music works and songs, nevertheless make sense: they underline not only the versatility of the instrument, but also the interpreter's abilities. When the Russian-Swiss flutist Sofia de Salis, together with her piano accompanist Iryna Krasnovska, performs such well-known chamber music works as Franz Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata or C�sar Franck's Violin Sonata on the flute, she astonishes us not only once.

The violin virtuoso Heinrich Anton Hoffmann (1770-1842) was a member of the Kurmainzer Hofkapelle until 1799. Later he moved to Frankfurt, where he became concertmaster of the theatre orchestra and vice music director. His string quartets Op.3 (1795) astound with their modernity, which despite their proximity to the models of the Viennese Classical period already show the style of later decades. They are characterized by formal variability and harmonic flexibility with a special preference for chromaticism. The Ensemble Alte Musik Köln, playing on historical instruments, lets us discover this amazing Beethoven contemporary.