Before the great wave of Bruckner conducting that has taken place since the 1970s, it was Hans Knappertsbusch (1888–1966) who stood out as unquestionably one of the most important Bruckner exponents, and Bruckner was part of his core repertoire. There are several recordings by him of the 3rd to 5th and 7th to 9th Symphonies, two in the case of the Seventh, a live recording from the 1949 Salzburg Festival with the Vienna Philharmonic, and this transfer direct from the original tapes of 1963 (and not “off the air”) with the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Seventh is particularly suited to comparison with older recordings insofar as there is no question of the alternative versions and editions we otherwise associate with Bruckner. The difference between the two recordings is substantial, which is no particular surprise when it comes to “Kna”. His later reading released here is painted on a broader canvas, goes into less individual detail; at the same time, one can appreciate how comprehensively Knappertsbusch plans the grand design while noting with amazement – especially at the brass-scored fortissimo climaxes typical of Bruckner – how energetically the conductor shapes, phrases, “turns into music” even here, something one does not hear these days. The orchestra is impressive for its exceptional solo contributions. It is the same orchestra that would record the Bruckner symphonies complete with Günther Wand a decade later.

Daphnis and Chloe was commissioned in 1910 by Sergey Diaghilev, head of the Ballets Russes in Paris, one of the most innovative dance companies. Like Ravel, Diaghilev also strived for new aesthetics, therefore it was no surprise that Ravel promised to compose the music for Diaghilev‘s newest ballet. Unfortunately it took a while before the work was seen on stage because Diaghilev and his choreograhper had a fight. The Sinfonieorchester Aachen under Kazem Abdullah show us that the music can stand for itself and is indeed one of the masterpieces of Ravel. The Sinfonieorchester Aachen is the concert and opera orchestra of the Theater Aachen. It consists of about 70 musicians and performs about 140 concerts annually. The regular symphony concerts take place in the Eurogress Aachen. Kazen Abdullah has led the ensemble since August 2012.

Although Johann Christian Bach and the violin virtuoso Carl Friedrich Abel lived together in a kind of bachelor living community in London until the marriage of Bach, Bach’s Œuvre for the gamba is surprisingly small. Through the discovery of an old manuscript it was confirmed for the quartets op. 8 what Thomas Fritzsch and others had already assumed: in the first version of the quartets the viola voice was played by Abel on the viola da gamba. Together with other excellent musicians, Fritzsch shows us how the charming quartets in their original version must have sounded. Thomas Fritzsch was born in Zwickau and grew up in the midst of a lively tradition of Saxon church and house music. He received his first cello lesson at the conservatory in his hometown. After studying cello and viola da gamba at the Leipziger Musikhochschule, he began a freelance activity as a specialist for the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today he is regarded as one of the world’s most sought-after gambists.

Classical Music

For its second vinyl release, PHI has chosen to reissue one of Philippe Herreweghe’s most masterly interpretations: Antonín Dvorak’s ineffable Stabat Mater, for which the conductor and his ensembles, the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, were praised by public and press alike – Editor’s Choice in Gramophone, 4F Telerama, 4 stars in Classica, Le Choix de France Musique, and 10 in Luister and Klara, to name but a few of the distinctions it earned. "With the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, [Philippe Herreweghe and his Collegium Vocale Gent] rid this rarely recorded work of all Romantic excess. The result is a spiritual journey... highlighting the universal greatness of this major work of sacred music.” (CHOIX de France Musique) "All of Herreweghe’s performers clearly love this ravishing music, relishing every detail of this beautifully nuanced score... This new release must be the top choice." (Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Recording of the Month) "The serenity Dvorak succeeded in reclaiming is particularly present in the movements reserved for the choir, and especially so here with the interventions of Collegium Vocale Gent, possibly the only European ensemble . . . that currently offers such purity of timbre, perfection of intonation and accuracy of expression." (4F Teleram)

This release features a program of classical works for a unique instrumentation- oboe, clarinet, and orchestra. The first piece, Double Concerto for Oboe, Clarinet, and Orchestra by Eduardo Alonso-Crespo, sets both soloists as equals. The following works- Rosetti’s Concerto No. 3 in C Major for Oboe and his Concerto in Eb Major for Clarinet, brilliantly showcase each artist individually. Eleanor Weingartner, an American clarinetist living in Mexico has been principal clarinet of Mexico’s National Symphony Orchestra (OSN) since 1990. With the OSN she has played in concert halls throughout Mexico as well as in important venues in Europe and the United States and has participated in many OSN recordings for Sony, among other labels. Miguel Salazar studied music at the University of Guadalajara and later at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. He has previously held positions with the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, and is currently principal oboe of the Queretaro Philharmonic Orchestra.

14.99

Benjamin Moser writes of his new program with Avi: “I have had the idea for this project since 2016. For the occasion of the 10th anniversary of my prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition and of my first album with Russian music, I wanted to make another recording, a sort of “Volume 2” with Russian repertoire. Within that framework I wanted to couple a well-known work with others that are more seldom performed: the Pictures at an Exhibition seemed like a good choice, since I had always wanted to play them- particularly in the original version, which I love. I wanted to couple them with Rachmaninoff’s 1st Piano Sonata, a seldom-performed work which is both marvelous and underrated. But then I discovered Earl Wild’s arrangements of Rachmaninoff songs, and soon became thrilled with these technically demanding yet delightfully lyrical miniatures. A further inspiration was provided by the focus on “America” chosen by the Ruhr Piano Festival, where, in the summer of 2017, I performed the programme now featured on this album under the name “Songs and Pictures” in a live recital- a daunting challenge indeed! Now, in cooperation with Deutschlandradio Berlin and Avi, this recording now finally sees the light of day.”

It is rare to find a situation where one of the most exquisite national operas, according to many, has been recorded only a few times. Although The Haunted Manor by Stanislaw Moniuszko has been considered to be an outstanding showcase of Polishness in opera for more than 150 years, the modest number of comprehensive recordings of this composition may give rise to profound disbelief. This recording was created thanks to the determination of the artists of the Stanislaw Moniuszko Academy of Music in Gdansk, who wished to honor the Patron of the university on the occasion of it's 70th anniversary in a special and permanent way. This album is a documentary of a concert performance of The Haunted Manor, prepared with the participation of the most eminent pedagogues of the Academy. An interesting recording was made, faithful to the spirit of the Opera and, like it, full of noble humor, which is the setting of extremely serious content.

ONE WEEK IN RIO is the phonographic debut of the duo, as well as the world premiere of two exceptional pieces. The title suite, written by Sérgio Assad, and a new version of the History of Tango by Astor Piazzolla. Adam Woch and Robert Guzik are one of the most interesting guitarists of the young generation in Poland. They have made their common debut in one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world – Carnegie Hall in New York. Their debut album consists of two world premieres: the seven-movement suite One Week in Rio by Sérgio Assad, composer and guitarist of the legendary Assad Brothers duo and the famous History of Tango by Astor Piazzolla in a completely new version for violin and two guitars, recorded together with Roksana Kwasnikowska. The remaining repertoire is complemented by works by Latin American composers, which have been the most popular during the last years at the concerts of the ensemble.

David Childs is joined by the BBC Philharmonic and Ben Gernon for this second volume of Euphonium concertos, featuring music by Vaughan Williams, Mealor, Gregson and Ball. King Edward III once said: "If you want to train a longbowman, start with his grandfather." This adage holds just as true for British euphonium soloist David Childs, born in 1981, to a family whose name had been synonymous with brass for the last two generations. His grandfather John was a well-respected euphonium player from the Welsh Valleys who inspired his sons, Robert & Nicholas to take up euphonium. Robert began teaching his son David from an early age and in recent years David has emerged as one of the finest brass soloists of his generation. In the year 2000 he broke new ground for the euphonium becoming the first euphonium soloist to win the brass final of the televised 'BBC Young Musician of the Year’ which led to David’s highly acclaimed première performance of Philip Wilby’s Concerto for Euphonium with the BBC Philharmonic under Yan Pascal Totelier. In the same year David was awarded the coveted ‘Euphonium Player of the Year’ title, a title he won again in 2004 and still holds today. Since that time David has been instrumental in raising the euphonium’s profile in the classical world of music and has not ceased to wow audiences with his astonishing technique, extrovert musicality and engaging stage presence.

Do you remember the song at evening and the voice that lulled you to sleep when you were little? A lullaby brings a quiet close to the day, to hours, which can be so new and exciting for a child! And if you sing a lullaby to a child yourself, it is a different, but just as emotional and intimate an experience. Both these experiences have inspired the creating of this song recital out of original instrumental works and arrangements. This programme reflects the most important human emotions. It could stand for one day in the life of a child or for the whole course of a lifetime. Music accompanies the most important moments in life. Even before birth, sounds play an important part in a baby's development. Music therapy has a particularly beneficial influence on babies who arrive early, because it's healing and calming effect has lasting consequences for the child's continuing development. The present recording has been made in close partnership with the Foundation for Neonatology in Zurich. As a child takes it's first musical impressions from voice and song, the musicians have made up a programme of songs in which their instruments sing the songs and tell the stories. The Duo Arnicans is made up of Florian Arnicans, whose roots are in Germany, and Arta Arnicane, who was born in Latvia. They found each other through music and now live together in Zurich.

Marek Raczynski belongs to the young generation of Polish composers and relates his artistic work mainly to choral music. He has composed many a cappella choral pieces which have entered the repertoire of many vocal ensembles all over the world. His artistic repository also includes vocal-instrumental pieces, instrumental forms and numerous arrangements. His initiation to the world of music Marek Raczynski owes to Prof. Stefan Stuligrosz, the conductor of “The Poznan Nightingales”, the boys’ and men’s choir in which Marek Raczynski sang for over a decade. Later, as a member of many choirs performing in Poland and Germany, he further developed his sense of music and knowledge of choral literature. Marek Raczynski graduated from the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw where he mastered his composing skills during a Post-Graduate Composition Course in the class of Prof. Pawel Lukaszewski. Additionally, Raczynski also graduated from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan where he studied psychology. Marek Raczynski does not limit himself to composing. He is a co-founder and member of “Minimus” Vocal Ensemble and, since 2015, he is a vice-president of the Chamber Music Promotion Association, “Musica Minima”. Marek Raczynski’s pieces have won many prizes at composing competitions.

The music scene of Paris during the reign of Louis XV could be defined as truly cosmopolitan. The change in aesthetic preferences were already observed in the works written as early as the 1700s, when French composers started to assimilate more and more willingly some elements of Italian style into their pieces. What strikes is the fact that concepts concerning the creation of a mixed style (les goûts rèunis) were primarily developed by instrumental music composers. In contrast to opera, which was naturally connected with the morphology of the language and literature of a given country, compositions lacking the semantics of a text were more suitable for the creation of a universal musical language. The figure of Boismortier can be described as French Telemann. Similarly to his German counterpart, he favored the idea of a mixed style and experimented with unorthodox instrumentation solutions. Boismortier was also one of the first composers that did not have a wealthy patron or protector, living off his works solely. He owed that position to the royal prerogative (1724) to print and sell sheet music, which helped him to avoid the necessity of working as a teacher or seeking employment as an instrumentalist in one of numerous court ensembles. This new recording is the first complete album of Boismortier’s suites performed on the recorder solo.

The series 'L'Oreille de...' from Cypres and the Huelgas Ensemble, that began with "L'Oreille de Zurbar�n" and "L'h�ritage de Petrus Alamire," juxtaposes the music of a particular period and the creative world of a contemporaneous painter, scribe or explorer. What might he have listened to if he had had a transistor radio, a hifi system or the possibility of streaming on a computer? In conjunction with the exhibition: "Theodoor van Loon, a caravaggist between Rome and Brussels" in BOZAR Brussel, this album introduces the first Southern Netherlands Caravaggist between Rome and Brussels through the music of the seventeenth century. Paul Van Nevel has selected some emblematic pieces played in Italy, where van Loon used to live between 1602 and 1608, and in the musical chapel of Albert and Isabelle.

The title 'Solitaires' evokes the singularity of each work on this album; each of these works needs to be polished like a diamond, as Karla Haltenwanger, the pianist of the Boulanger Trio, remarks. Violinist Birgit Erz adds: "We want to shed new light on the piano trio genre by focusing on small, concentrated forms. In such short pieces, everything needs to be immediately in place: the tuning, the attitude, the timbre, from the very first second!"

PEER GYNT

Soloist and leader of the Camerata Bern, Antje Weithaas - "For any violinist, the Brahms Concerto is a special challenge and a precious gem, a piece one works on for decades. I studied it more intensely for the first time when I was 18-19; now I'm astounded to note how one's perception of such a work can change so radically. Amongst all violin concertos, Brahms, Beethoven and Mendelssohn play an essential role, and I would add Britten and Shostakovich. The Brahms Violin Concerto is part of our essential repertoire, and was composed at a time when the "customary" violin concerto no longer had any significance as virtuoso display for a soloist (incidentally, that's my own credo as a performer). This is a symphonic work, an aspect that relates it to the recording of Berg and Beethoven I made with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra a couple of years ago. Those two pieces from different stylistic periods are actually works for orchestra with obligato solo violin - and the same applies to the Brahms Concerto. The violin often plays passagework around the orchestra melody, as in the Beethoven Concerto, which is why I find the symphonic approach so important here as well...We tackled the challenge of performing and recording without a conductor. Of course, when I otherwise perform this concerto with a conductor, I intensely learn and think through the orchestra part in my head. It is a challenge I am aware of, and I thus probably would never have had dared to perform this concerto without a conductor. But since I've often performed the Beethoven Concerto with the Camerata Bern without a conductor, I started thinking that the Brahms Concerto just might work as well. Over teh past 7-9 years we have become so well-acquainted with one another on a musical and personal level that by now we manage to communicate with blindfolds on. I probably would not have dared to embark on this adventure with any other ensemble. The most important thing is that each musician should remain in a "chamber music" attitude while providing the necessary symphonic energy and assuming his/her share of responsibility.

“What we are about to hear is not a performance by conceptual artists who have decided to set a discarded Bechstein or Bluthner on fire- no, we are going to hear piano pieces by Galina Ivanovna Ustvolskaya.” The words of the renowned Dutch music critic quoted above offer a precise, vivid description of the musical output of one of the most enigmatic composers of our time. It is hard to apply the usual musicological jargon to Ustvolskaya’s music. She was not the apocalypse of the 20th century- she was its echo. Thanks to providence, she was never sent to one of Stalin’s concentration camps: destiny allowed her to live in seclusion as an artist never blinded by hopes of success. In choosing solitude, she was by no means a Romantic “hero” fleeing from reality, overtly proud of fulfilling a mission or playing an exclusive role. Her seclusion, instead, was the bitter loneliness of a noble soul trembling in view of the world’s utter imperfection. She mourns for it. She prays for us. Ustvolskaya chose to live the life of a hermit. Contact with other human beings was something she often found difficult- even with musicians who really liked her. As she put it herself: “My sincerest wish would be to crawl into a barrel like Diogenes and just live secluded therein. That would be the best option for my life…”

Classical Music

Conductor Adam Fischer reflects on Mahler’s Third Symphony: “Mahler’s entire output seems like one long farewell to me: it is as if he was bidding farewell to the past and likewise to the future, since he had a great fear of death. At the end of his symphonies we often encounter utopias, as here in the Adagio of the Third, and many years later, particularly, in the Ninth. Something new sets in, but the movement is still a closure. From it we learn that whatever is new will no longer occur in this world. The Third Symphony, on the whole, is one of Mahler’s richest: the individual movements are so different from one another that they almost seem to stem from different periods of Mahler’s life. The Third contains its own world in itself- already in the first movement, longer than most Beethoven symphonies. Then Mahler plunges into the Wunderhorn world: the world of simplicity where his style seems inspired by Schubert. He quotes from his own works and creates his own mythology. Just as in a grand novel, the same figures appear in different stories. The second and third movements belong together; then, a new dimension is introduced in the fourth one with the human voice. With the contralto’s first note, Mahler truly opens up a new world. This is a new kind of composition altogether. The measures almost seem to flow into one another; Mahler is freeing himself from the rigors of rhythmic bars… This abandonment of the rigorous diktat of meter represents a challenge for every conductor.”

“The piece is unlike no other of its kind,” Bela Bartok affirmed: “the world of ideas it contains is entirely new.” Timbre acquired an unusual, novel dimension by having the two lowest strings tuned one half-step down, to B and F#, respectively. Thus the three lower strings form a B minor chord, which Kodaly places in particular prominence at the onset of the sonata. Julian Steckel was first inspired to tackle this “everest of cello literature” for the first time at the age of fifteen. The technical challenge was certainly exciting in itself, but he was also fascinated by the music’s beauty, and by Kodaly’s special musical language- “even though at that time I didn’t yet know what was Hungarian about it, or what came from Debussy or other sources,” he remarks. Steckel proceeded to work on the sonata with several cellists including the venerable Hungarian-American legend Janos Starker. He studied the work’s historical background: “When you know where a certain music is coming from, it reinforces the sort of telepathic connection you feel with the audience, and you end up playing much more convincingly.” Janos Starker, for one, insisted that “all the beginnings, including those in the slow movements, are consonant. You should never play as if you were murmuring. In this music, none of the beautiful cantilenas ever emerge out of nothing. You must always remain entirely clear in your expression and in the way you produce the sound. The fact that the music is rhapsodic should not entice you to start playing freely all the time. Precise rhythm is of utter importance. Otherwise you would be fishing in troubled waters, and the music would become a sort of goulash soup…”

So far and yet so near. The harmonies and the virtuosity: that is what the two composers Sergei Rachmaninoff and Carlos Guastavino have in common. "Even though at first glance the geographical distance between them was immense, their approach to the piano was strikingly similar," remarks Martin Klett. In both composers he loves the Romantic element- paired with attractive simplicity in one case, with ambitious piano artistry in the other. "I don't think one could even say if this music is by Guastavino or Rachmaninoff! It's somewhere in between, and thus provides a smooth, perfect transition- the ideal piece to play before the Rachmaninoff sonata." (Klett) Martin Klett has made a name for himself as a solo pianist and chamber musician. Ever since winning the International Johannes Brahms Competition and the German National Music Competition, he has become a welcome guest at prestigious music festivals.

Andre Cheron was an influential musical personality in Paris during the mid-eighteenth century. He worked at the Paris Opera as a harpsichordist and inspecteur de l’orchestre de l’Opera. In this capacity he supervised several premieres of Rameau’s operas and the controversial performance of Pergolesi’s intermezzo La serva padrona. With his 1729 sonata collection, André Cheron (1695-1766) cultivates the “Corelli” notation, which was so highly regarded in the French Régence. Ensemble Matis is made up of young musicians of various nationalities who originally met at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona, and ultimately came together to form the current group at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel. Since the ensemble’s inception in the autumn of 2012, they have worked together intensively in formations contingent on the repertoire and have attempted to share and expand upon their experiences in their joint music-making. With Japan, Switzerland, and South Kroea, many different cultures are represented in the ensemble, which enriches and consistently makes the collaboration exciting. The ensemble has specialized in the performance of Baroque chamber music and, as the name “Matis” implies, pays special attention to small details, nuances, and timbres in the music and in ensemble playing. The ensemble’s goal is to bring the music with its wealth of color closer to the audience and to bring to life different expressive values.

On this production Hans Agreda shows impressively that the prejudices traditionally held against the contrabassoon are incorrect. With this recording he wants to break through boundaries and show positive perspectives. Indeed, the contrabassoon proves to be a concert and chamber music instrument that can also fulfill soloistic tasks as a matter of course. Hans Agreda was born in Venezuela in 1981. At the age of 14 he took up his musical studies at the Universidad de Los Andes in Merida, Venezuela. A few years later he moved to Germany to study at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Dusseldorf in the class of Gustavo Nunez. During his studies he also took private lessons with Klaus Thunemann. He graduated from university with the best possible grade. At the moment he is a Postgraduate Student at the same university, doing his Konzertexamen.