Classical Music

Classical Music

SYMPHONY NO. 9

This new release sees Evgenij Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic in a stunning interpretation of Anton Bruckner's 7th and 8th Symphonies. Eminent Russian conductor Evgenij Mravinsky was born in Saint Petersburg. He began to work backstage at the Mariinsky Theater in 1918, and began studying music at the Leningrad Conservatory in 1924. Yevgeny Mravinsky served as a pantomimist and rehearsal pianist (repetiteur) at the Imperial Ballet from 1923 to 1931. His first public conducting appearance was in 1929. He was conductor of the Leningrad Theater of Opera and Ballet from 1932 to 1938 (Kirov Ballet and Bolshoi Opera). In September 1938, he won the All-Union Conductors Competition in Moscow. Yevgeny Mravinsky made commercial studio recordings from 1938 to 1961. His issued recordings from after 1961 were taken from live concerts. The present recordings were made in 1959 and 1967.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Recorded in 2014 at the beginning of a series marking his 85th birthday season, Christoph von Dohnányi leads the distinguished Philharmonia Orchestra in a live performance of Anton Bruckner’s monumental Ninth Symphony, which stands alongside the other epoch-defining Ninth symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler. Mr. von Dohnányi was the sixth music director of the Cleveland Orchestra for close to two decades; since 2002 he has been an honored, regular guest conductor with many of America’s leading symphony orchestras, including those of New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Boston.

A 2 CD audiobook by French philosopher Pascal Bruckner. "How do love, which attaches, can accomodates freedom, which separates ?" This audiobook deals with an analysis of the love relationship in the modern society. In French

A 2 CD audiobook by French philosopher Pascal Bruckner. This audiobook deals with what the author calls "the apocalypse fanatism" of the modern society, with global warming, polution, non organic food etc. He believes that mankind has the genius skills to overpass these problems . In French

Great hushes, mighty crescendos, time for every duplet and triplet to be grounded and yet to resonate with momentum. This was Bruckner's maximal minimalism at it's most majestic (The Times) "the LSO's principal horn (David Pyatt) here sets down a wonderful opening benchmark for what follows... Haitink's conducting is a master-class in the art of control while appearing to stand back and let everyone play their best... This version easily holds it's own with the best." (Classic FM magazine)

A 2 CD audiobook, red by French philosopher Pascal Bruckner himself, of his best seller "Le devoir de bonheur". This audiobook deals with what the author calls "the duty to be happy" of the modern society. In French

SYMPHONY NO. 3 SYM. NO. 86

SOMM Recordings concludes it's universally acclaimed six-volume Bruckner from the Archives series with his last two symphonies and Psalm 150. By a happy coincidence conductors Eugen Jochum and Henry Swoboda, who were featured conductors in Volume 1, make a welcome re-appearance, bringing the series to an elegant conclusion. This archival series celebrating Anton Brucker's bicentennial was conceived and designed by SOMM Executive Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer, Lani Spahr, with annotations from Professor Benjamin Korstvedt. Of Bruckner's two final symphonies Korstvedt says, "[With] the Eighth and the Ninth, Bruckner reached the pinnacle of symphonic achievement. They both pose considerable challenges, musically, textually and emotionally. Above all, they are unquestionably two of the greatest works in the genre, by any composer before or after." When Bruckner completed his Eighth Symphony in 1887, he asked his supporter, Hermann Levi, to conduct the premiere. When Levi responded, "I don't have the courage to perform it, " Bruckner was staggered by the rejection, but didn't lose faith in his score. On 10 March 1890, he wrote "entirely finished" on a reworked version. His revisions, extensive as they were, stayed true to his original conception of the work's dramatic course, and after the premiere in 1892, Hugo Wolf called the work "a complete victory of light over darkness." To honour Bruckner's bicentennial in this last Volume 6, the Bruckner Archive offers an exciting 1957 live performance, expertly re-mastered by Lani Spahr, featuring the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra led by their founding conductor Eugen Jochum. In 1949, Jochum made the first commercial recording of the Eighth, and this present recording offers a vivid example of his distinctive way with Bruckner in his approach to the dramatic possibilities of the score. Bruckner's last great sacred work, Psalm 150 from 1892, is a jubilant hymn of praise that references music in it's directive to "Praise the Lord" with trumpet and harp, with dancing and cymbals. This recording, the first ever made, is from 1950 during the pioneering days of LPs, with Henry Swoboda conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Vienna Academy Chamber Choir. Twice in 1894, and again in 1896, Bruckner's health declined so gravely that last rites were administered. When death took him on 11 October 1896, he had completed three movements of his Ninth Symphony. The symphony-with it's grimly epic opening, it's insistent Scherzo, and a long moment of silence before the resolution of the Adagio-is usually performed incomplete, as it is here. In this first release, Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the Musikverein-the same orchestra and hall as the premiere in 1903. Lani Spahr's previous SOMM releases include the lauded four-volume sets�Vaughan Williams Live (ARIADNE 5016, 5018-20) and�Elgar Remastered�(SOMMCd 261-4), as well as two Gramophone Editor's Choice picks:�Elgar from America Vol 3�(ARIADNE 5015-2) for "superb audio restorations [bringing] performances fully to life" and�Bruckner from the Archives�Vol. 1 (ARIADNE 5025-2) for the "high standards achieved here, where expert audio restoration and remastering is by Lani Spahr."

Chorus sine nomine, founded in 1991 by Johannes Hiemetsberger, is one of the most distinguished and innovative concert choirs in Austria. On this CD, the choir presents motets by Anton Bruckner. Bruckner simply called them sacred choruses, as the reason for their composition can usually be traced back to a liturgical occasion. The six works on the CD correspond to such liturgical interludes: Graduale (Christus factus est, Locus iste, Os justi, Virga Jesse), Offertorium (Ave Maria) and a hymn for the Good Friday liturgy (Vexilla regis). As an organist, Bruckner was admired above all for his improvisations. He was particularly admired for his high contrapuntal skills, in which he demonstrated his craftsmanship in fugue and imitation. The style of the fugal parts of his improvisations was based on Baroque patterns (such as Handel), while in other, more imaginative parts the tonal language of his organ playing became increasingly typical of Bruckner. Martin Haselbock establishes this connection to Bruckner with his organ improvisations.

Despite all the warnings from the prophets of doom, Bruckner's music has thankfully prevailed. Bruckner was always in search of the ideal structure for his symphonies. Dissatisfaction and perfectionism both caused him anguish and served as motivation in his determination to advance on an artistic level. His goal was to compose absolute music in the spirit of Beethoven. It is his Third Symphony above all, "in which the trumpet introduces the theme", that encapsulates this striving for absolute music - music that is timeless and continues to touch people's hearts.