The lavishly produced audio biographies in the BR-KLASSIK WISSEN series tell the life stories of famous composers in an entertaining and amusing way. Who were Mozart, Mahler, and Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn? In what period were their works written? And how did their lives influence their music? This box set contains the twelve audio biographies published to date by the music publicist J�rg Handstein. Great actors and actresses bring the past to life: Matthias Brandt, Martina Gedeck, Gert Heidenreich, Brigitte Hobmeier, Cornelius Obonya and many others. As the narrator, Udo Wachtveitl is the main voice of the series. Numerous musical examples as well as several complete works, recorded by leading musicians at an outstanding level, bring the composers' work to life. All quotations are from genuine sources - after all, what really happened is more exciting than all the anecdotes invented later. In this way, and captivatingly, well-founded knowledge becomes listening pleasure.

Vol. 2 of the portrait of the exceptional cellist who died far too young. Francoise Groben's fascinating dedication to music, her large number of international concerts and her encounters with the most prominent artists of her time - that is what this collection shows par excellence.

Lynden Cranham's earliest memories of Bach were overwhelming, sitting in the huge and resonant space of Westminster Cathedral listening to an organ recital. She subsequently became fascinated (as a listener and a player) by the Bach Cello Suites. It was especially poignant for Lynden, as part of the orchestra during John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, not only to play near the font where Bach had been baptized, in the Georgenkirche in Eisenach, but also to play in Köthen, where he probably composed the Cello Suites. The idea of recording the Suites had been at the back of her mind for most of her career, and when playing part of one of them in a chamber-music concert a few years ago she realized that she'd found an ideal venue for doing such a recording: the beautiful small church of St Peter and St Mary in Fishbourne, West Sussex, complete with its warm, intimate acoustic.

As one concert after another was cancelled it gradually became clear to the recording engineer, the producer and Lynden that, dire as this situation was, it provided the perfect opportunity to begin recording the Suites. So, braving the cold (and maintaining strict social distancing), Suites 1 and 2 were recorded in the church in December 2020. Soon after that, in April 2021, Suite No. 5 was recorded in its original scordatura version; this needed to be recorded alone, as in that way Lynden was able to keep the cello with the A string tuned down to G. Those three Suites make an interesting contrast – the first two relatively conventional in sonority, the fifth introducing something entirely different.

There has not been a more important or influential body of cello music written before or since the 6 Bach Cello Suites. Now treated almost reverentially by cellists, for two hundred years they were virtually unknown until a young Catalan cellist, Pablo Casals, discovered them in a little shop and breathed life back into these masterpieces. For some the music is deeply spiritual, for others the pieces are closely connected with nature… or perhaps it is the ingenuity of their structure and symmetry that inspires people to be moved by the Cello Suites. Whatever the reasons, people always come back to Bach. Through, seemingly the most simple means, Bach speaks to the soul and the intellect at once. Like the best fairy tales or myths, his music is layered and can be enjoyed and understood at different levels at different times of our lives. He is everywhere and a deeply rooted part of our lives, from performances in the greatest concert halls to contemporary films, used as music of political statement, as exciting imaginative music to be explored by the greatest jazz musicians, for mothers to soothe their babies, for people to celebrate weddings or deep consolation at funerals. The profound imagination behind the cathartic simplicity of Bach’s Cello Suites makes his music a companion for life for the listener and a mystery to be constantly re-examined and explored by the performer.

Under the title “Into The Light”, this album brings together organ works recorded on all five organs in Bremen Cathedral played by Cathedral Organist Stephan Leuthold. Since 2002, a single-manual instrument with pedal has been available in the cathedral’s high choir for the musical accompaniment of weddings, communion services and concerts, built by the organ builder Kristian Wegscheider from Dresden. The sound is based on the Saxon organ building of the 18th and early 19th century in the tradition of Gottfried Silbermann. In the east crypt, there is now a small organ built in 1991 by Gerrit Klop from Garderen in Holland. This instrument was built as an “organo di legno” (with exclusively wooden pipes) in the Italian Renaissance style. Bremen Cathedral obtained its first “Bach organ”, as it is known, in 1939. During the war and in the post-war years, the instrument was badly damaged and was replaced in 1966 by a new organ from the firm Gebr. Van Vulpen (Utrecht). This organ stands in a massive oak case on the east wall of the north nave. The Silbermann organ was probably built in the winter of 1732/33. It was already standing in the village church in Etzdorf / Saxony in 1734. The Bremen Cathedral cantor Richard Liesche, born near Dresden, bought the instrument for Bremen Cathedral. Restoration by Kristian Wegscheider, Dresden began in 1993. Today, almost 75 % of the pipe material originating from Silbermann can be found in the organ.

18 years and 55 discs later, a great adventure is brought to a close. The chronological approach adopted by Suzuki means that the three works included here are the last extant cantatas by Bach’s hand.

This series has been a landmark recording project for BIS and is released to coincide with the label's 40th anniversary.

Throughout the series, individual volumes have regularly picked up "choice" awards from the major music magazines as well as numerous appearances in the UK classical chart.

This is no deception - right from the first work of this recording, a concerto from the rich oeuvre of Bach's contemporary Johann Friedrich Fasch, a 'Brandenburg' mood is set and this becomes increasingly tangible as the music unfolds. After virtuoso pieces by Johann David Heinichen, Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel and Melchior Hoffmann, the Leipzig St. Thomas Cantor himself ultimately surprises us with the Sinfonia to his Cantata 174, a splendid, lavishly-scored variant of the first movement from the third Brandenburg Concerto. This is a great challenge for the two main protagonists, who perform true marvels on their natural horns and trumpets together with the inspiring ensemble L'arpa festante.

This recording features a work with a strange coincidence in it's compositional process and an astonishing dual authorship. Remarkably, Silvius Leopold Weiss's Lute Suite SW47 (which he named Suonata) also comes with a violin part that can be played over the top of it, composed by none other than Johann Sebastian Bach. A recent comparison of sources revealed that the harpsichord part in Bach's Suite for Violin & Harpsichord BWV1025, long considered to be of doubtful attribution, perfectly matches Weiss's suite. The violin part, meanwhile, was indeed composed entirely by Bach and is an additional melody independent of Weiss's musical material. It feels almost like a 'free improvisation' above the suite and recalls a similar process carried out by Charles Gounod in 1859: his Ave Maria fits over the first Prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier BWV846. The sole exception is the Fantasia movement in Bach's piece, which is not derived from Weiss's suite, meaning both the violin and harpsichord parts in it are unique to Bach. This recording presents Weiss's suite on it's own and with the addition of Bach's violin part, both versions arranged by guitarist Alberto La Rocca for his instrument in place of the lute or harpsichord. (The all-Bach Fantasia is not included in the version without violin.) Weiss's Suite (Suonata) is a high-quality work composed for a 13-course Baroque lute. It is rarely, if ever, performed by either lute or guitar players, yet it contains all the best features of the great German lutenist's oeuvre: a refined and elegant compositional style and a varied range of expression. Bach's 'added melody', composed with his usual superhuman ability, shines a new light on the original suite, as if dressing it up in extraordinarily elegant attire. The violin part comments on the original lute texture without suffocating it, almost like a free improvisation above it. It plays with the various elements of Weiss's music, extrapolating ideas for themes, imitating them or simply wandering freely. Bach's part is also highly imaginative and varied in it's expression, frequently adding complex rhythmic dovetailing and significant virtuosity while always staying true to the emotions of Weiss's movements. Bach and Weiss were friends and met on several occasions. Johann Friedrich Reichardt even describes them challenging each other to an improvisation competition: 'Anyone who understands the challenge of playing harmonic modulations and decent counterpoint on the lute will be surprised and amazed to hear an eyewitness say that Weiss, the great lutenist, competed with J.S. Bach, the great harpsichordist and organist, in playing fantasies and fugues.' While the origins of his 'transcription with accompaniment' of Weiss's Suite SW47 are still a mystery, the fact remains that we can now enjoy a unique and unusual masterpiece, which these two brilliant composers had a hand in writing.

This rich set of music by J.S. Bach (or connected to him by attribution or publication) and transcribed for the guitar provides a stunning example of the versatility of the composer's music, the unquestionable genius of which renders it universally successful on any instrument with polyphonic capabilities (solo string instruments included). Luigi Attademo and Stefano Cardi provide an eclectic selection of Bach pieces in successful transcriptions by themselves and virtuoso classical guitarist and arranger David Russell. This is followed by a large set from Anna Magdalena's Notebook performed and transcribed by Jan Depreter, and complete sets of the Violin Sonatas & Partitas and Lute Suites by Franceso Teopini and Attademo, respectively.

REVIEW:

Some recordings just make you joyous at the vitality of the classical guitar world. This collection shows the variety of possible interpretations of his music from accomplished performers clearly devoted to making it work on the guitar. Liner notes, written by each performer, are well-crafted and offer insight into their creative practices.

— American Record Guide

After his first recording for na�ve of Bach's Goldberg Variations (V7566, 2022), the Chinese pianist Tianqi Du gets back to the composer closest to his heart, of whom he this time plays four Concertos, with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Jonathan Bloxham. The four works chosen here by Tianqi Du are among the most famous and remarkable of the series of Bach's keyboard Concertos.

Christopher O'Riley's THE WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER BOOK I delves into the subtle intricacies of Bach's famous masterwork, revealing the composer's nuanced craftsmanship through an exploration of the spaces between notes. Inspired by Bach's profound lyricism and informed by historical insights, O'Riley's interpretation transcends conventional keyboard traditions. Embracing the expressive potential of articulation and texture, he illuminates counterpoint with dynamic contrast, unveiling hidden dialogues within Bach's compositions. Through meticulous attention to intonation and rhythmic flexibility, O'Riley uncovers layers of meaning, echoing the Japanese concept of "Ma" - the significance of space and silence. This album invites listeners to immerse themselves in Bach's universe, where every pause resonates with depth and possibility.

Frank Peter Zimmermann is widely regarded as one of the foremost violinists of his generation. He has been performing with all major orchestras in the world, among which the Berliner Philharmoniker with whom he made his debut in 1985 with Daniel Barenboim; the Wiener Philharmoniker with whom he played a first time in 1983 with Lorin Maazel in Salzburg; the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, all London orchestras, as well as all big American orchestras. Frank Peter Zimmermann is a regular guest at all major music festivals of among others Salzburg, Edinburgh and Lucerne. Over the years Frank Peter Zimmermann has built up an impressive discography: He has recorded virtually all major concerto repertoire, ranging from Bach to Ligeti, Dean and Pintscher; the six solo sonatas of Ysa�e; the 24 Caprices of Paganini and the complete Violin Sonatas of J.S. Bach and Mozart. Born in 1965 in Duisburg, Germany, he started learning playing the violin with his mother when he was 5 years old. He studied with Valery Gradov, Saschko Gawriloff and Herman Krebbers. He plays on the 1711 Antonius Stradivari violin "Lady Inchiquin", which is kindly provided by the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dusseldorf, "Kunst i'm Landesbesitz".

OLGA SAMAROFF (1880-1948) and FRANK LA FORGE (1879-1953) were amongst the earliest pianists to record for the US Victor label, both making most of their discs in the acoustic era before 1925. Though American, both went to Europe to study - Samaroff to the Paris Conservatoire and La Forge to Leschetizky in Vienna. Samaroff was the greater virtuoso, as can be heard in her famous recording of Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries', but after a fall, in 1926 she retired to an equally successful teaching career at the Juilliard School, her pupils including William Kapell, Raymond Lewenthal and Rosalyn Tureck amongst many others. La Forge gravitated towards accompanying and went on to record hundreds of discs for Victor in that capacity. His discs as soloist include some of the earliest attempts to record concerted works.

Francesco Tropea plays the Sonatas BWV 963 - BWV 970 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Recorded on a Steinway B Grand Piano.

Embark on a captivating journey bridging time and soundscapes with Lithuanian pianist Guoda Gedvilaite's latest GENUIN album. Featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach at it's core, this recording interlaces Bach's original compositions, his arrangements of other Baroque pieces, and romantic piano works by famous pianists such as Wilhelm Kempff and Egon Petri. The meticulously curated album is elevated by the ethereal works of Domenico Scarlatti, a contemporary of Bach, played with brilliance and profound depth, culminating in a masterful blend of artistry.