The works in this collection emerged from the genre of duo concertant initially conceived as showcases for the virtuosity of Nicolò Paganini and his successors in the Franco-Belgian school of violin playing, notably Henry Vieuxtemps. He and Louise Farrenc remain attractive outliers in the chronology of French violin sonatas, which began proper in 1877 with the first performance of Fauré’s First Sonata, followed in short order by comparably significant works by Saint-Saëns and Franck. These three works considered together form a trinity linked by features which came to define the character of the French violin sonata as a genre over the next few decades: recitative-like sections, cyclical form, modal techniques and organ-like pedal points, especially in the piano part – all three composers having spent a good part of their career as titular organists at landmark churches in Paris.

A further spur to the flood of of violin sonatas from Paris during the first decades of the 20th century was the abundance of superb performers who had made Paris their home: foremost among them Pablo Sarasate, Eugène Ysaÿe, Georges Enescu, and Jacques Thibaut. The Wagnerian shadow falling over works by Roussel and Lekeu is decisively dispelled by Debussy’s late and sinuous masterpiece, and then more radically by Ravel in the lazy, seductive Blues of his Sonata. The collection evolves further with a bold Sonata of 1932 by André Jolivet, whose movement titles advertise his rejection of the classical forms honored by previous rarities – not only Louise Farrenc but also Rhené-Emmanuel Bâton, who composed in a richly mystical but traditional idiom as an outlet for the creative urges accumulated and repressed like Mahler during his occupation as a conductor.

REVIEW:

A sure-fire bet for collectors of unusual repertoire is Brilliant Classics’ set of French Violin Sonatas, which is headed, interpretatively, by the Debussy, Ravel (Second), and Franck sonatas, superbly played by violinist Kristóf Baráti and pianist Klára Würtz. All of these excellent recordings date from between 1987 and 2020.

-- Gramophone

Brilliant Classics proudly presents the 5-album sets series: QUINTESSENCE, attractively priced compact box sets containing essential core classical repertoire in outstanding performances. Aimed at attracting both the discerning classical connoisseur and the classical newcomer it presents the pillars of classical music freshly packaged with eye-catching colorful and booklets containing liner notes in English. A new series at an unbeatable price!

The present installment features Mozart’s complete piano sonatas, performed by pianist Klara Würtz.

Excerpt from a review of a previously released edition of this set:

The Hungarian pianist Klára Würtz's Mozart performances here are, in a word, miraculous. Listening to this set left me almost speechless. By the time I finished auditioning just the first six sonatas, I knew that Würtz’s Mozart was something special. Highest recommendation.

-- Jeffrey J. Lipscomb, FANFARE

As the central figure of Spanish music in the first half of the last century, de Falla (1876-1946) came to define the sound of Spain for listeners beyond its borders. Folk music, romanticism, neoclassicism, modernism: all the prevalent styles of his time were assimilated and absorbed within a personal idiom that advanced the work of notable predecessors such as Albeniz and Granados in establishing a distinctively Spanish idiom for art music, making him a worthy contemporary of other composers outside the central European mainstream from Vaughan Williams in England to Bartók in Hungary and Sibelius in Finland. Falla’s cycle of Seven Popular Spanish Songs is a perfect synthesis of artsong and folksong, performed here in Luciano Berio’s orchestration by Marta Senn and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela under the baton of Eduardo Mata, the Mexican conductor renowned for his dynamic interpretations of Hispanic repertoire. The songs return in their instrumental guise as the Suite populaire espagnole, with the cellist Timora Rosler accompanied by Klára Würtz. Rafael Puyana is a uniquely sympathetic soloist in the Harpsichord Concerto which gave the instrument new life beyond its Baroque associations. Benita Meshulam is widely recognized as the inheritor of Alicia de Larrocha’s mantle with her superbly atmospheric recordings of Spanish piano music.

REVIEW:

Manuel de Falla Collection is an honest title, since the five CDs present only a selection of his works, including well-known ones such as Nights in Spanish Gardens, El Amor Brujo, and The Three-Cornered Hat. The recordings with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra from 1981 convey particularly well the intensity of Spanish emotional worlds that Central Europeans like to assume. The round is opened with El Amor Brujo in a striking and lively performance. The interpretation of the Seven popular Spanish Songs, as well as Homenajas let the listener dive into Spanish worlds. The three dances from The Three-Cornered Hat in the version for orchestra will be joined by others in the piano version on a later CD.

For the recordings made in Venezuela, the conductor Eduardo Mata certainly holds the orchestra together and inspires it to effective performances. One could well imagine more sensitivity here, the nocturnal sultriness of the tango instead of the midday heat, so to speak, but there is little more to offer in the way of fire and color. More delicacy without sacrificing the technical quality of the recording is offered by the oldest recording.

In Nights in Spanish Gardens, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra performs under the judicious direction of Günther Herbig. The singers go along with the emotional South American approach, not without delicately savoring the music.

The two pianists offer mature quality. Benita Mehuslam, who has also recorded the complete works for piano by De Falla on the label, is featured here with excerpts, Dances from the The-Cornered Hat and Spanish pieces. In the only chamber work, besides the piano music, Klara Würtz accompanies cellist Timora Rosler on the piano in the Suite Populaire Espagnole. The two artists, who have also won awards as a duo, give the top dance of sensitivity and European noblesse, so to speak, with their interpretation that concludes the collection. Harpsichordist Rafael Puyana from Colombia can show all the registers of his skills in the harpsichord concerto. Here and also in El Retablode Maese Pedro as well as in Psyche the Solistas de Mexico play, again conducted by Eduardo Mata. Those who want to experience this composer intensively will find in this compilation a good opportunity to be infected by the joie de vivre of the music.

-- Pizzicato

Born in Nuremberg in 1564 within a musical family, Hassler received his formative musical instruction from his father and quickly developed into a keyboard player of formidable gifts: in the dedication to his 1591 Cantiones sacrae he noted that he was ‘from a tender age more talkative with the fingers than with the tongue’. In 1584 Hassler left Nuremberg to continue his education in Venice, becoming one of the first in a long line of German musicians who journeyed south of the Alps for study in Italian musical centers. While his motets and other vocal works were widely disseminated during his lifetime and have attracted recordings by period-instrument luminaries such as Philippe Herreweghe, his output for organ and harpsichord has received much less than its fair share of attention. Manuel Tomadin demonstrates that across its range there is no reason for music of this invention and lively originality to be hid under a bushel. In a 1593 portrait, Hassler is described as a ‘most esteemed organist’, and a single-manual chamber organ with pedal is prominently included in the frame. After moving back to Germany, taking a succession of prestigious posts in musical centers across central and southern Germany including his home city, he became known as an expert in organ design, and his own music for the instrument exploits every possible technical and coloristic refinement of the new instruments of his age.

On this set, Manuel Tomadin plays a collection of historically appropriate instruments in Italian churches, and the collection is highly attractive as a gallery of Italian organ-building in its own right. The formal weight of Hassler’s output falls on instrumental paraphrases and elaborations of the Magnificat hymn, complemented as in Frescobaldi with ornate and harmonically adventurous ricercars and more lyrical canzonas.

Brilliant Classics proudly present 5 new albums in this series: QUINTESSENCE, attractively priced compact box sets containing essential core classical repertoire in outstanding performances. Aimed at attracting both the discerning classical connoisseur and the classical newcomer it presents the pillars of classical music: Brahm’s Complete Symphonies & Concertos, Beethoven’s Complete Piano Trios, Mozart’s Music for Violin, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Orchestral Suites & Violin Concertos and Schubert’s Piano Trios, String Quintets and String Quartets. World class performers include Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra with Jaap van Zweden, Hungarian Chamber Orchestra with Kristóf Baráti and conductor Heinz Bongartz as well as the Berliner Sinfonie-Ochester with Günter Herbig.

This remarkable release reveals the full breadth and genius of a creative career known to most merely by the tip of the iceberg: a small number of seminal works written in the composer’s final decade of life. Cesar Franck (1822–1890), although considered one of the foremost 19th-century French composers, was not in fact French by birth, but Belgian. He only became a full French citizen in 1873 after he had been appointed organ professor at the Paris Conservatoire.

Franck's career can be divided into three distinct periods, each characterised by the production of very different types of music. From 1834 to 1846, under pressure from his father, he concertised as a piano virtuoso, and most of the works of this period were written with that purpose in mind. In the decade following his marriage in 1848 he composed virtually nothing but became celebrated as an organist, and he would bring the spacious dimensions of that instrument to his sound world in the years to come. His ‘middle period’ – from about 1858 to 1879 – was devoted to the production of works for organ, church music and a series of monumental choral pieces on religious or biblical subjects. In these three decades he wrote virtually nothing for the piano. From 1879 begins the decade of his late flowering in the great chamber and orchestral works, ushered in by his well-loved Piano Quintet and containing the pieces for which Franck is widely known. Spanning all three periods were opera and his small output of 18 mélodies.

Recordings date from 1976-2016.

Includes new liner notes on the music and composer by David Moncur.

Selected excerpts of reviews from some of the previously released volumes included in this set:

Franck: Melodies / Francesca Scaini, Mattia Ometto

Scaini’s vocalism, rich and full with a luscious yet powerful tone and outstanding vocal control. She has no “break” in registers, her voice has the same burnished bronze quality from her lowest to her highest notes, and her vibrato is light and rapid, making her timbre sound almost vibratoless. Her breath control is staggering, spinning out the longest lines as if in one breath, and her musicality unquestionably great (Scaini, the notes tell us, has also sung the modern music of Hespos, Ligeti, and Neurath in addition to the standard Italian operatic repertoire). If I have any complaint, it is that she is more of an operatic animal and less of a song stylist; it’s a bit like hearing Gilda Cruz-Romo sing Schubert Lieder. Pianist Ornetto, following her every mood and impulse, also accompanies along “big” lines. This may not really be the ideal style for Franck’s chansons , but as I say, you can’t fault her voice or phrasing.

– Fanfare

Franck: String Quartet, Piano Quintet / Rubackyté, Vilnius String Quartet

Joined by Mûza Rubackyté, one of the great pianists of our era, the Vilnius Quartet galvanized to bar-by-bar involvement and escalating drama lifting into superbly mastered ecstasy verging on hysteria.

– Fanfare

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CONTENTS:

• Franck, C: Le Chasseur maudit
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Symphony in D minor
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Symphonic Variations for piano & orchestra, M46
François-Joël Thiollier (piano)
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Les Djinns, Op. 45
François-Joël Thiollier (piano)
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 11
Martijn van den Hoek (piano)
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Les Eolides - Symphonic Poem
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Roberto Benzi

• Franck, C: Psyché
Sofia Symphony Orchestra
Vassil Kazandjiev

• Franck, C: String Quartet in D major
Vilnius String Quartet

• Franck, C: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14
Muza Rubackyte (piano)
Vilnius String Quartet

• Franck, C: Trio Concertant in F sharp minor, Op. 1, No. 1
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Trio Concertant in B flat major, Op. 1, No. 2 'Trio de salon'
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Duo Concertante
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Andantino quietoso in E flat, Op. 6
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Trio Concertant in B minor, Op. 1, No. 3
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Trio Concertant in B minor, Op. 2 No. 4
members of the Academica Quartet

• Franck, C: Violin Sonata in A major
Mariana Sîrbu (violin), Ruxandra Colan (piano)

• Franck, C: Ballade, Op. 9
Julia Severus (piano)

• Franck, C: Transcriptions of Four Schubert Songs, Op. 8
Julia Severus (piano)

• Franck, C: Fantasy on Two Polish Folk Songs, Op. 15
Julia Severus (piano)

• Franck, C: Souvenirs of Aix-la-Chapelle, Op. 7
Julia Severus (piano)

• Franck, C: Grande Fantaisie sur des motifs de Gulistan de Dalayrac
Francesco Bertoldi (piano)

• Franck, C: Fantaisie No.2
Francesco Bertoldi (piano)

• Franck, C: Fantasy on Two Polish Folk Songs, Op. 15
Francesco Bertoldi (piano)

• Franck, C: Grande Fantaisie No.3
Francesco Bertoldi (piano)

• Franck, C: Prélude, Fugue et Variation Op. 18
Muza Rubackyte (piano)

• Franck, C: Prelude, Aria et Final M23 (1886 / 7)
Muza Rubackyte (piano)

• Franck, C: Prélude, Choral et Fugue, M21
Muza Rubackyte (piano)

• Franck, C: Fantaisie in C major, Op. 16
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Grande Pièce Symphonique in F sharp minor, Op. 17
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Prélude, Fugue et Variation Op. 18
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Pastorale, Op. 19
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Prière, Op. 20
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Final in B flat, Op. 21
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Trois pièces pour grand orgue, M. 35-37
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Trois Chorals pour grand orgue, M. 38-40
Adriano Falcioni (organ)

• Franck, C: Cinq Pièces pour Harmonium
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Prélude, Fugue et Variation Op. 18
Joris Verdin (harmonium), Jos van Immerseel (piano)

• Franck, C: Offertoire in A major
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Petit Offertoire
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Quasi Marcia Op. 22 pour Harmonium
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Petit Offertoire pour Harmonium
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Offertoire sur un noël breton
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Entree pour Harmonium
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Piece in E flat major
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: L'Organiste
Joris Verdin (harmonium)

• Franck, C: Stradella
Isabel Kabatu (Léonor), Marc Laho (Stradella), Werner Van Mechelen (Spadoni), Philippe Rouilon (Duke of Pesaro), Xavier Rouilon (Pietro), Giovanni Iovino (Michael), Patrick Mignon (Beppo), Roger Joakim (An officer)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie
Paolo Arrivabeni

• Franck, C: Les Béatitudes, M53
Cornelia Kallisch (alto), Ingeborg Danz (mezzo-soprano), John Cheek (bass), Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano), Scot Weir (tenor), Reinhard Hagen (bass), Gilles Cachemaille (baritone), Keith Lewis (tenor), Juan Vasle (bass)
Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR
Helmuth Rilling

• Franck, C: Redemption
Gé Neutel (soprano)
The Netherlands Radio Choir, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic
Jean Fournet

• Franck, C: Mass in A Major Op. 12
Mariann Bódi (soprano), Attila Wendler (tenor), István Rácz (bass)
Kodály Kórus Debrecen
Salamon Kamp

• Franck, C: Quae est ista
Kodály Kórus Debrecen
Salamon Kamp

• Franck, C: Dextera Domini
Kodály Kórus Debrecen
Salamon Kamp

• Franck, C: Sept Paroles du Christ sur la Croix
Mainzer Domorchester, Mainzer Domorchester
Karsten Storck

• Franck, C: Trois pièces pour grand orgue, M. 35-37
Daniel Beckmann (organ)

• Franck, C: Nocturne
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Ninon
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Le vase brisé
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Lied (Lucien Paté)
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Le mariage des roses
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Souvenance
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Robin Gray
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Passez
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Roses et papillons
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: L’ange et l’enfant
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Les Cloches du soir
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: L’émir de Bengador
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: S’il est un charmant gazon
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: A cette terre où l’on ploie sa tente
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: Aimer
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

• Franck, C: La Procession
Francesca Scaini (soprano), Mattia Ometto (piano)

The son of a Weimar-based organist, Johann Krebs (1713-1780) entered the Thomasschule in Leipzig under the tutelage of Capellmeister Bach at the age of 12 in 1726. There he remained for the best part of a decade, and a glowing testimonial from Bach commended his talents on the clavier, violin and lute, as well as in composition. Krebs never attained the Leipzig post which his instrumental talents deserved, but he served as an organist in several churches south of Leipzig through the course of a long and distinguished professional life which reached fruition as organist at the court of Prince Friedrich of Gotha-Altenburg from 1755 onwards. The inveterate traveler and commentator Charles Burney reported that ‘M. Krebs of Altenburg, scholar of Sebastian Bach, has been much admired for his full and masterly manner of playing the organ.’ The style of Krebs’s own music reflects the transitional period in which he lived. The hand of the master lightly guides the cosmopolitan elegance of the three partitas on album 1 of this collection. Krebs compiled a Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice) of his own in 1744, from which Michele Benuzzi performs a C major suite and, six lively Italianate sonatas. A volume of six suites from 1746 shows the influence of the galant style which was coming into fashion at the time, embodied by the output of Bach’s most accomplished son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Several more suites here are sophisticated examples of Krebs’s mastery in the ‘French and Italian taste’ as well as demonstrating the fluency of his keyboard writing and the craftsmanship of his counterpoint.

This important collection joins several other albums of little-known keyboard music from the period, recorded for Brilliant Classics by Michele Benuzzi. A student of Ottavio Dantone, he has performed the complete sonatas of Scarlatti and given recitals at major festivals in Europe and Asia.

This set offers a fascinating overview of piano works by Martucci, Cilea, Busoni, Sinigaglia, Caetani, Fano, Respighi, Pizzetti, Casella, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Dallapiccola, Rota, Malipiero, Castiglioni, and Einaudi.

This release is a substantial anthology of piano music written by Italian composers in the twentieth century. In an era dominated by opera, several Italian composers chose a radically different path, concentrating on purely instrumental music, influenced by widely varying sources such as Wagner, Impressionism, Neo-Classicism and Dodecaphony. Only leading Italian pianists perform on this release, including Sandro Ivo Bartoli, Michaelangelo Carbonara, Pietro de Maria, Alessandra Ammara, and more.

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REVIEW:

To sum up, this is a most interesting and highly valuable set, one which presents the whole ambit of twentieth century Italian piano music, from romanticism through neo-classicism and serialism to popular minimalism. Everything is put across to the listener in at least good performances, with most of them excellent. The booklet notes are truncated versions from the original releases and are in many cases essential in getting to know the composers represented. Indeed this set offers the listener a real bargain. At around £2 a disc you can’t go wrong. Grab it whilst you can.

– MusicWeb International

Johann Sebastian Bach’s stature as a composer of extraordinary talent and widespread influence is so firmly established in Western culture that it is difficult to believe that only 150 years ago his works lay in veritable obscurity, unknown to all but a small group of scholars. It is largely thanks to Mendelssohn, who essentially effected a revival of the composer’s music through his rediscovery and promulgation of the St Matthew Passion, besides other pieces, that his works are today regarded as pinnacles of music expression. That they are among the most performed and widely attended is in no doubt; in Holland alone, thousands of singers and musicians are involved in dozens of performances of the St Matthew Passion in Holy Week, with hundreds of thousands listening in churches and concert halls, or gathered around the radio, to what has been described as ‘the Gospel according to Bach’.

Bringing together all of his works, this dynamic 142-CD set offers a resounding impression of this great spirit of our Western culture, presenting dynamic performances – many period-based, many acclaimed by the international press – that are divided according to genre, thus making for a highly user-friendly compendium. The set draws on all periods of his career, tracing the development of a style that was much influenced by contemporary and past fashions but which was always adapted to Bach’s own purpose, often far surpassing the models on which he drew. The German composer travelled a great deal from city to city, and the different circumstances of his various positions are reflected in the great range of works comprising his output: while his early years are dominated by much keyboard music, on account of the numerous organist posts he held during this period, later positions at various courts accorded him more personal and artistic freedom – in Cöthen, for example, Prince Leopold’s passion for music-making and his renowned resident orchestra resulted in a string of unforgettable works including the great Brandenburg Concertos, the Solo Cello Suites and the Well-Tempered Clavier Part 1, beside many others.

Bach was a master of all genres, whether sacred, secular, instrumental or vocal, and his oeuvre is a rich mixture of severe Baroque craftsmanship and expressive Romanticism. Thomas Zehetmair, Kristof Barati, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, René Jacobs, Peter Schreier and Lucia Popp are just a handful of the first-class performers and ensembles gracing this set. It is a collection not to be passed up.

R E V I E W S:

"Brilliant Classics embarked on a daring project in the year 2000, the year of the 250th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach's death: this budget label decided to release a complete set of Bach's works...some 65% of the 155 CDs in this set were newly recorded (the remainder was licensed from other labels), including Bach's almost 200 sacred cantatas...I highly recommend this set. I have recordings of all of Bach's works and yet I was delighted and surprised as I listened to the many pearls that I discovered here...if you like Bach's music, you owe it to yourself to get this - at its super-bargain price, even those recordings you don't like will not cause too much disappointment, but the quality of the excellent ones is such that you will certainly be delighted...If only to have the 60 CDs of sacred cantatas, and to discover what is an incredible collection of moving and memorable music, this set is worth having. Treat yourself to 160 CDs of Bach, then, take a few weeks off to enjoy this music." -- Kirk McElhearn, MusicWeb International, reviewing the original version of this set

"Brilliant's 2006 recordings of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, performed by Pieter-Jan Belder and the Netherlandish original instruments ensemble Musica Amphion, have been reissued several times as two separate discs, though the original release containing all six concertos maintains a separate existence as a budget release. This volume contains the Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049, the Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050, and the Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051, all played in clean and colorful period style and recorded in a resonant church acoustic that gives the music a fresh, lustrous ambience. Because this, like other titles in Brilliant's catalog, has the drab appearance of a poorly produced cost-cutter release, some collectors may pass it by, but that would be a mistake since these are exceptional performances that can give many of the better-known authentic renditions a run for the money. As leader of the group and performer on recorder and harpsichord, Belder offers intelligent and expressive interpretations that closely follow accepted Baroque practices, and though he and his fellow musicians aren't widely known outside the circle of listeners interested in early music, they can be respected for their musicianship and scholarly credentials. While these Brandenburgs may not be everyone's favorite performances in the end, they deserve attention from experienced listeners and newcomers alike." -- Blair Sanderson, AllMusic.com, reviewing the Brandenburg Concertos

"In their fusion of grand rhetoric, sharp technique, and obvious musical intelligence, Baráti’s readings of this bedrock literature recall both the most majestic and the most thoughtful ones from an earlier era. Urgently recommended, especially to those who honor that tradition and who lament its coming to a premature and unfortunate end." -- Robert Maxham, FANFARE, reviewing the Sonatas and Partitas for Violin

"Jaap ter Linden's traversal of the Bach cello suites is exceptionally fine; right across these discs, his playing never falters. His painstakingly researching interpretations are vividly spontaneous, yet unusually acerbic and philosophically probing." -- Classic CD, reviewing the Cello Suites

Mark Wigglesworth recorded his cycle of Shostakovich’s symphonies between 1996 and 2010, collaborating with two different orchestras, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In spite of the long gestation and the change of orchestra midway, the cycle was described as one never ‘compromising its particular characteristics of high seriousness, fine detailing and a certain fierceness of articulation’ (Gramophone). Already the first instalment – Symphony No. 7, ‘Leningrad’ – raised expectations, for instance with the reviewer in The Sunday Telegraph: ‘There is plenty of competition among Shostakovich cycles, but this one will deserve serious consideration.’ And 17 years later, on the release of the final album, The Guardian could report that ‘Wigglesworth's cycle emerges as one of the finest of recent time’. What particularly impressed reviewers was Mark Wigglesworth’s faithfulness to the score and sharp ear for detail, and the structural clarity he achieved even with the most complex works – without sacrificing any of their impact and emotional power.

Excerpts from reviews ofpreviously released volumes included in this set:

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, "Babi Yar"

This is outstanding in every way. You only have to hear the violins’ slashing accents at figure 4 in the first movement, where the soloist sings “and fine ladies with their lacey frills shriek and poke their parasols in my face,” to know that Wigglesworth & Co. are fully attuned to the music’s expressive world. The menacing second subject, with its description of a pogrom, erupts with an impressive sense of menace, while the big climaxes in the first, third, and fourth movements are as powerful and intense as anyone could ask. Bass soloist Jan-Hendrik Rootering has the range for the part and an evenness of tone unmatched by most Russian singers, while the men of the Netherlands Radio Chorus sing as though their lives depended on it, with a genuine understanding of the words.

– ClassicsToday.com (10/10; David Hurw1tz)

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11

Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony has fared well on disc, even on SACD. It doesn’t ask for much more than great playing and sound, and an interpretation that keeps the music flowing and lets the climaxes achieve the necessary intensity. Mark Wigglesworth certainly delivers in this respect. If you’ve been collecting this series, which has developed handsomely over the years, you can purchase this release with complete confidence.

– ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15

The performance of the First Symphony gets better as it goes. The first movement, crisp and clear though it undoubtedly is, lacks that element of exaggerated humor that it ideally needs—it’s a function perhaps of less than characterful woodwind solos combined with a slightly low-level recording. The scherzo, swift and pointed, also could do with more devilry, but the Lento movement and finale remain impressive on re-hearing.

The Fifteenth Symphony features an interesting interpretation, deliberate and deadly serious even in the lighter moments, rather like Sanderling’s for those of you who know it. The performance makes an imposing conclusion to a cycle that, quietly and without much fanfare, ranks among the best.

– ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

REVIEW:

All of the discs in this set have been reviewed individually, and in detail. Still, it's worth pointing out that this is unquestionably one of the great Beethoven cycles, and on SACD there's certainly none better. Osmo Vänskä manages to have the best of both worlds--an interpretive perspective enhanced by the latest scholarship, as performed by a great orchestra on a mission. And this is exactly what Beethoven needs: a point of view, and total commitment. There are no weak performances here. In the "Eroica" I was just a touch disappointed in the first movement when Vänskä's pursuit of the barely audible pianissimo threatened to become a mannerism, but that is about the only criticism possible to level at this set.

His Fifth blazes; the Seventh offers the apotheosis of excitement that never spins out of control. The early symphonies have charm and humor in abundance. The Fourth and Eighth reveal Beethoven's masterly command of movement and proportion with effortless enthusiasm. In the Sixth we find a perfect balance between programmatic description and symphonic logic. It's all capped by one of the great Ninths, with a perfectly timed Adagio and a gloriously sung finale. If you haven't been purchasing these discs as they were released, then get the box. It's one of the few cycles that maintains the highest standards all the way through, and the sonics are uniformly stunning.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

This release, containing all nine of Bruckner’s symphonies, is one of Challenge Classics’ greatest achievements so far. The quality of the performances- by both conductor and orchestra- and of the recordings makes this Bruckner’s complete survey a primary reference for anyone interested in such repertoire. Each one of these symphony recordings has received positive press. Of the Seventh: “Conductor and orchestra bring out the structural and thematic complexity of the final movement, in a fine end to another very strong and recommended performance.” (Classical Net Review) Of the Third: “This is a resplendent addition to an important cycle in the making.” (Gramophone) And of the Sixth: “Exceptional engineering achieved by Challenge Classics, with natural-sounding timbres and an extremely realistic sense of acoustic space.” (International Record Review) Jaap van Zweden has risen rapidly in the past decade to become one of today’s most sought-after conductors. He has been Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2008, and Music Director of the Honk Kong Philharmonic Orchestra since 2012. Earlier this year he was announced as the next Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

This Blu-ray box contains legendary concerts from 1977 – 1990 of Leonard Bernstein conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker, Orchestre National de France and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. The set also includes the Centennial Celebration Concert at Tanglewood, featuring John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma, Andris Nelsons, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tony Yazbeck and many more, performing works by Bernstein, Williams, Mahler and Copland. Notable compositions include Jean Sibelius’s Symphonies 1, 2, 5, and 7, Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16, Haydn’s Missa in tempore beli, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and many more.

Wind ensembles saw an interesting development throughout the eighteenth century, both in their scoring and in their function, from musique de table to Harmonie. Mozart, who appreciated all the wind instruments of his time and gave them important roles in his orchestral and chamber music, including writing solo concertos for most of them, also composed important works for wind ensembles. His early divertimenti for six wind instruments were written in Salzburg between 1775 and 1777, mostly to entertain at outdoor banquets. The two serenades for wind octet K375 and K388/384a, composed in Vienna in 1781 and 1782 respectively, coincide with the foundation of the Kaiserliche Königliche Harmonie by Joseph II of Austria, which originated a widespread trend in the Empire and elsewhere. The function of such ensembles was mainly that of playing arrangements of famous opera tunes in the palace. The most sublime example of Harmoniemusik, however, is to be found in the Serenade K361/370a, the so called ‘Gran Partita’, written between 1781 and 1784: this is the most expansive of Mozart's works for wind in duration and scoring. Award-winning ensemble ZEFIRO brings together the world’s leading specialists in performance on historical wind instruments and has gained a reputation in its thirty years of activity for lively, eloquent and expressive renderings of Mozart’s music. This six-album set assembles for the first time its complete Mozart recordings, some of which are now considered as milestones in the discography.

To provide an initial account of 10 years of musical rediscovery, the Palazzetto Bru Zane is bringing out a boxed set of 10 albums showcasing extracts from some of the works that have been unearthed: a wide spectrum (1780-1920) of music is presented, spanning tragédie lyrique, opera, operetta and café-concert, cantata, sacred music, orchestral music, concertante music, chamber music, piano music and mélodie. This boxed set also includes recordings made in collaboration with labels working in partnership with the Palazzetto Bru Zane since 2009.

The vocation of the Palazzetto Bru Zane - Centre de musique romantique francaise is to favor the rediscovery of the French musical heritage of the years 1780-1920 and obtain international recognition for that repertory. Housed in Venice in a palazzo dating from 1695 specially restored for the purpose, the Palazzetto Bru Zane - Centre de musique romantique francaise is a creation of the Fondation Bru. Combining artistic ambition with high scientific standards, the Centre reflects the humanist spirit that guides the actions of that foundation. The Palazzetto Bru Zane’s main activities, carried out in close collaboration with numerous partners, are research, the publication of books and scores, the production and international distribution of concerts, support for teaching projects and the production of recordings.

REVIEW:

Well worth anyone’s attention, especially those attracted to the less familiar areas of 19th-century repertoire. In fact, I have rarely encountered a ‘compilation’ that has yielded so much listening pleasure...it helps that the standard of performance (and recording) is first-rate throughout. Treat it as an educational indulgence, I say.

-- Gramophone

CONTENTS:

• CD 1: Tragédie lyrique
• CD 2: Opéra
• CD 3: Opérette et Café-Concert
• CD 4: Cantate
• CD 5: Musique sacrée
• CD 6: Musique symphonique
• CD 7: Musique concertante
• CD 8: Musique de chambre
• CD 9: Piano
• CD 10: Mélodie