For baritone Alexandre Beuchat and pianist Marija Bokor, life with music is an exciting and never-ending journey; a journey through a wide variety of works and eras, a journey to faraway places and a journey to themselves. For the album "Songs of Travel", they have embarked on a journey that is as arduous as it is rewarding, with songs by Vaughan Williams, Schubert, Bloch and Mahler.

MASS NO. 6 IN E-FLAT MAJOR, D

We at Challenge Classics are proud to present the complete edition of Schubert's symphonies in the interpretation offered by Jan Willem de Vriend conducting the Residentie Orkest Den Haag.�-� Even among experts, these symphonies were regarded as second-rate copies of the great Viennese classics. de Vriend's exceptionally fresh and pulsating interpretation, however, decisively corrects the old prejudices and points to Schubert's own emerging symphonic concept (Crescendo - DE - on CC 72739, vol.1 I soon became accustomed to the sheer brio of de Vriend's approach, which included striking variations in volume, decisive accents and many lickety-split finales... combination of delicacy, decisiveness and drive (Fanfare - USA - on CC 72802, vol.2) ... The feeling is of musical values leading at every point. (BBC Music Magazine - UK - on CC 72863, vol.3) The enchanting opening theme of Symphony No. 5 sets what will be the preponderant tone, vigorous and elegant, and that agreeably bracing idiom is maintained throughout both symphonies. (BBC Music Magazine - UK - on CC 72803, vol.4)

Baritone Randall Scarlata has been praised by MusicWeb International for his "extraordinary vocal range and colour palette" and for his "masterful authority and secure technique" (Die Presse, Vienna). Gilbert Kalish's 30-year partnership with the mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani was widely recognized as one of the most remarkable artistic collaborations of recent years. Kalish maintains long standing duos with cellists Timothy Eddy, Joel Krosnick, and with soprano Dawn Upshaw.

SCHUBERT: WORKS FOR MEN'S VOIC

Both works are a legacy. Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata is the only document that such an instrument existed, no longer exists today and has been replaced by a viola or cello. Shostakovich's Viola Sonata is his last work; he died a few days later. A legacy of his thoughts and musical explorations, one of his most famous works. Andreas Willwohl travels as a soloist with his viola, but is also a member of the highly acclaimed Mandelring Quartet. Daniel Heide is certainly very famous as a partner to various singers, but also as a chamber musician.

From the song cycle Die schone Mullerin, Op. 25, D. 795 ("The Fair Maid of the Mill"), the eighteenth lied titled Trockne Blumen ("Withered Flowers") served as inspiration for Schubert to compose Introduction and Variations, D. 802 for flute and piano. This piece was written in 1824 for Ferdinand Bogner, a flute professor at the Vienna Conservatory and one of Schubert's friends. Eventually, Bogner became head of the Gesellschaft der osterreichischen Musikfreunde (Austrian Philharmonic Society) and helped organize the premiere of several of Schubert's works. Deeply expressive and lyrical, the version for flute and string quintet in this recording was arranged by Rainer Schottstadt and is a technical tour de force for every flutist.

SYMPHONY NO. 8, D 944 & NO. 3,

Discover the timeless beauty of Franz Schubert's music with this double album. This compilation showcases some of his finest works for piano four hands, composed during his final years. Be enchanted by the Fantasy in F minor, the powerful "Lebenssturme," the Fugue in E minor, and the gentle Rondo in A major. Experience the impressive "Grand Duo" and the exquisite Variations in A-flat major from the summer of 1824. Immerse yourself in the emotional depth and human drama that Schubert masterfully captures like no other - a true treasure trove of piano artistry.

V 5: EDITION FISCHER-DIESKAU

I am the instrument of a higher power. With God's help and grace, I shall one day be a Liszt in technique and a Mozart as a composer. The ambitious plan in the 18-year-old composer's diary was eventually fulfilled. He was a very sought-after pianist. As a composer, he left his mark most clearly in the cycle of symphonic poems titled Ma vlast (My Country) and through chamber music in his Piano Trio and the String Quartet "From My Life"; those three works reflect tragic episodes in Smetana's life. The Trio in G minor, one of the gems of 19th-century chamber music, was written in under three months of 1855 as an outgrowth of the composer's immense sorrow over the death of his daughter. Smetana's emotionally gripping trio is heard on the album together with one of the most important chamber works of the romantic era, Schubert's monumental Piano Trio in E flat major (1827). This masterpiece was likewise written by a 30-year-old composer, but it is also one of Schubert's last completed works; at the time, Schubert had only a year of life remaining. The ensemble reaching the depths of the two composers' music on their debut album is the youthful Trio Bohemo, who have been appearing for several years with great success at prestigious competitions and on concert stages around the world (London's Wigmore Hall, Vienna's Musikverein), usually with programmes combining Czech and foreign repertoire. There is yet another important name behind the recording: the late Hatto Beyerle, a founding member of the Alban Berg Quartet, who coached the young ensemble in both works and set them on the path towards their own individual interpretation, seeking the meaning hidden behind the musical notation. Trio Bohemo, Smetana, Schubert. A debut with a capital "D".

Dina Ugorskaja counts as one of the most distinctive artists of the classical piano scene. She writes of this new release: “Schubert and his “heavenly lengths” have accompanied me throughout my entire life. In this music, time occasionally seems to stand still: the state of lingering and resting seems to predominate above all others. We are overwhelmed with unbearable pain, with abysses of despair and hopelessness. How can it be that the confrontation with death – so immediately present in this music – dissolves all of a sudden into a floating, ethereal impermanence? Unexpected joy emerges, as if we were hearing the laughing of a child.”

Having blazed her way into public consciousness with her fearlessness on stage as well as on record, Georgian-born pianist Khatia Buniatishvili has become known for her distinctive artistic approach and bold interpretive flair, which combine to make her playing and performances both unmistakable and unmissable. Celebrated by media around the world, she has been described by The Observer as “one of today’s most exciting and technically gifted young pianists”, while Madame Figaro has called her “the popstar of the classical music world,” adding that “with Khatia Buniatishvili, only the repertoire is classical. As for the rest, there’s no limit.” This brilliant young musician now turns her attention to Franz Schubert (1797–1828) in her eagerly anticipated first recording of the composer’s works, including his great last Piano Sonata D 960, the four popular Impromptus D 899, and Liszt’s arrangement of “Standchen” from Schwanengesang. The Schubert album follows on from Buniatishvili’s acclaimed series of single-composer albums for Sony Classical already featuring Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, as well as her two fascinating collections Motherland and Kaleidoscope. Khatia Buniatishvili made her debut as a soloist with an orchestra when she was only six years old; by the age of ten she had played in Europe’s most prestigious halls, as well as in Israel and the United States of America, and has never looked back. Her career has advanced into many new dimensions, especially since receiving the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2010 and participating in the pioneering BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme (2009–11), as well as twice receiving the ECHO Klassik Award. Much in demand internationally, she performs regularly at leading halls around the world with top orchestras and conductors of the day.

BAROQUE ESPRIT - SCHUBERT: SON

Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 13 & 14, "Death and the Maide