He was still young, but already an experienced composer: after all, Attila was already his ninth opera. In March 1846, the 32-year-old Giuseppe Verdi premiered it in Venice. The experience gained from his previous works is evident in the musical quality in many places: Verdi masterfully commands the dramaturgy of the grandiose choral scenes, which also play a major role in key moments of the plot in this work. At the same time, the portrayal of the individual characters' inner conflicts becomes increasingly nuanced and musically tangible. The ancient subject of the murderous Hun king offers many opportunities to present these. Marcus Bosch, the Cappella Aquileia, the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno, and the hand-picked ensemble of soloists work together with their usual precision and add another jewel to the multi-award-winning series of Verdi's earlier and often less-noticed operas.
From Naples to Madrid - Music in the Kingdom of Naples and a
Coviello
CD · 1 disc
$20.99Oct 02, 2026
A remarkable flowering period began for Spain around the middle of the 16th century: the kingdom ruled not only vast overseas territories, but also large parts of the Mediterranean world beyond the Iberian Peninsula, most prominently Naples. Economic prosperity opened up new horizons, and cultural diversity became a defining feature of the ensuing so-called Golden Age. In the 17th century, these diverse influences led to an extraordinary flourishing of music, especially in Naples. One particular specialty there was the mandolin - an instrument with a long tradition that now found entirely new forms of expression in combination with the human voice. The style that emerged became so renowned that it continued to inspire music throughout Europe for decades to come. The celebrated soprano and Baroque specialist Nuria Rial and the ensemble Artemandoline bring this fascinating musical world to life with both virtuosity and great sensitivity.
The Landscape of Clara Schumann unfolds like a finely drawn musical panorama: a recording that combines historical resonances, personal perspectives, and contemporary sound to create a multi-layered overall picture. Pianist Heike-Angela Moser - a descendant of Clara Schumann- dedicates herself here in a special way to the legacy of her ancestor; not in the form of a nostalgic retrospective, but as a lively, artistic exploration of origins and the future. A central element of this recording is the 1859 Schiedmayer fortepiano, whose historical character and fine timbre allow the repertoire to shine with a rarely heard authenticity. The Landscape of Clara Schumann is a poetic journey of sound: a dialogue between generations, between memory and renewal, between the historical breath of an instrument and the living voice of it's contemporary interpreter.
This recording is dedicated to two voices in Romantic music history that are almost forgotten today: Heinrich Stiehl (1829-1886) and Carl Schuberth (1811-1863). Both were highly regarded musicians in their day: one as an organist, teacher, and composer in Leipzig, St. Petersburg, and the Baltic region, the other as an internationally acclaimed cello virtuoso. Their works are exemplary of a musical "second tier" that shaped the musical life of the 19th century, but whose quality can only be rediscovered today. The focus is on Heinrich Stiehl's Sonata for Pianoforte and Violoncello in A minor, Op. 37. Carl Schuberth is represented with two works that impressively demonstrate his melodic inventiveness and virtuoso approach to the violoncello: the Grand Nocturne élégiaque, Op. 6, for two cellos and piano, and the Grande Sonate for cello and piano in D major, Op. 43, a late work that combines orchestral sonority with balladic gestures. This music is interpreted by Martin Seemann and Bettina Messerschmidt (violoncello) and Mira Lange on the historic fortepiano by Streicher & Söhne (Vienna, 1864). The historically informed performance practice lends the works a transparent, colorful sonority and allows their Romantic expression to be experienced in all it's complexity.
Gates presents the Riot Ensemble at the peak of contemporary ensemble performance. The album brings together works by Eric Skytterholm Egan, Eden Lonsdale, Kaija Saariaho, and Bernhard Gander, exploring the tension between order and chaos, structure and excess, historical reference and radical present. Riot Ensemble, one of the world's leading contemporary music ensembles, is renowned for it's precision, stylistic versatility, and close collaboration with living composers. Kaija Saariaho's Gates from her ballet MAA opens a space of fluid transitions, transforming Baroque sonata models into overlapping timbral clouds. In contrast, Bernhard Gander's (2005) channels raw, physical energy inspired by rock, yet retains a structural link to Baroque principles of excess. Gates is an album of thresholds: between past and present, ritual and corporeality, control and collapse. The Riot Ensemble renders these tensions audible with a blend of analytical clarity and visceral immediacy.
This album recording, curated by violinist Marie Schreer, is based on notions of origin and belonging-geographically, emotionally, and linguistically. It is centred around three new works by Marie Schreer, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, and Ashkan Behzadi, as well as a new poem by Taher Adel. According to The Strad, German violinist Marie Schreer, who lives in the UK, is "a master of various musical genres," a compelling interpreter of new works, and a prominent representative of the Western classical tradition.
With Missa Iste Confessor Domini, the Musurgia Ensemble presents a fascinating journey into the music of the 16th century, taken directly from the historical manuscripts of the Santa Cruz monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. The focus is on the mass of the same name, which comes from the choir book P-Cug MM 2 - one of Portugal's most important musical sources from this period. This manuscript, probably produced shortly after 1530 in 's-Hertogenbosch, contains eleven masses by renowned Franco-Flemish composers. The program is complemented by colorful instrumental works from other Coimbra manuscripts. João Francisco Tavora, renowned recorder player and artistic director of the Musurgia Ensemble, draws on his many years of experience with Portuguese Renaissance and Baroque music. After studying in Porto and Leipzig, he has toured international stages as a soloist and ensemble musician and has made numerous recordings.
Variation means change - a creative impulse that has driven composers for centuries. Among the great variation cycles in music history, one rises like an eight-thousander: Ludwig van Beethoven's 33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, op. 120. On her new recording, pianist Lei Meng places this monumental late work at the centre and invites listeners on an ascent into Beethoven's most imaginative terrain. Lei Meng pairs this towering cycle with a work from Beethoven's early years: the energetic, sharply profiled c-minor Bagatelle WoO 52 from 1795. Here we already encounter the composer who would make the key of C minor his signature - with scherzo-like wit, driving force and a softly glowing trio in C major.
Philippe Joseph Hinner (1755-1784) - long known only as "Harp Master to Her Majesty, the Queen of France" - was much more than a court musician. His extraordinary biography and elegant music offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of Marie Antoinette and the refined culture of pre-revolutionary France. In 1774, he was appointed to the royal chapel of Louis XVI and soon became harpist and valet to the young queen. In her company, he composed numerous subtle works - romances and airs tendres for voice and harp - intended for the elegant salons of Versailles and often dedicated to members of the royal family. For several years, Julia Kirchner and Vera Schnider have been rediscovering forgotten works for soprano and harp from around 1800. Their new album brings Hinner's romances and airs back to life - intimate, finely nuanced pieces full of expression, grace, and virtuosity.
Der letzte Mund voll Susse - Weltliche Kantaten und Instrume
Coviello
CD · 1 disc
$19.99Apr 17, 2026
'A central concern of the ensemble Der Musikalische Garten has always been to bring musical rarities to light and, in particular, to make previously unknown works accessible to a wide audience. With their new album Der letzte Mund voll Süße, the musicians are continuing this endeavour in an impressive way: the album features no fewer than four World Premiere Recordings and provides fascinating insights into the expressive diversity of the 18th century. The album opens with a previously undiscovered overture by Johann Gottlieb Graun, which can be heard here for the first time on disc. At the centre of the recording, however, are three secular cantatas by his brother Carl Heinrich Graun. While some cantatas are reminiscent of the high baroque operatic style of Vivaldi or Handel with their virtuosity and emotionally charged melodies, the cantata 'Hat die Schönheit kein Erbarmen' presents itself as an intimate chamber music reflection on the suffering of love. It's melancholy mood is taken up in the following trio sonata and developed to a dramatic conclusion. Soprano Isabel Schicketanz impresses in the vocal works with her tonal presence, technical brilliance and sensitive text organisation, her interpretation lends depth and vibrancy to the emotionally charged cantatas. Der Musikalische Garten supports this liveliness with it's orchestral sound, which it achieves with enthusiasm and esprit despite it's small instrumentation, in this way, the ensemble achieves a realisation that is both nuanced and energetic - an exciting rediscovery of two important 18th century composers that makes you sit up and take notice.
Venice-the 'incomparable city, the most beautiful queen, this paradise'-is how the Englishman Thomas Coryat describes the lagoon city that deeply impressed him on his trip to Europe in 1608. But in addition to the architecture, the canals, and the people from a wide variety of cultures, it was the music in particular that fascinated Coryat: 'It was so beautiful, so delightful, so unique, so admirable, so unsurpassable that it enchanted and amazed all the strangers.'
Emotions are running high in Guiseppe Verdi's eighth opera: two men are battling to win the same woman and the Incas are fighting for their freedom in the face of oppression by the occupying Spanish forces. This cultural conflict provides an exotic backdrop for the unfolding of a captivating love-tragedy, bursting with passion and heroism.
The piano played a central role in the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - from his first musical experiences to his most important compositions. Mozart's openness to new keyboard technologies, such as instruments with hammer action, justifies the modern interpretation of his works, as presented sensitively and historically informed by Amy Lin in her third recording of the intended complete recording. Born in Taiwan, pianist Amy Lin combines her deep understanding of the German musical tradition with an international concert career and an impressive discography ranging from Mozart to contemporary composers. Her education includes studies with Leon Fleisher and Gerhard Oppitz, where she was awarded the highest honor, the Meisterklassendiplom. The piano sonatas on this recording, such as the melancholy K. 280 or the famous 'Sonata facile' K. 545, combine accessible melodies with technical and aesthetic challenges. Mozart's sonatas will delight beginners and connoisseurs alike.
The programme Schonheit und Staatsversagen (Beauty & State Failure) brings together music and text to explore the contrasts of life in Bavaria around 1800 - between city and countryside, wealth and poverty, education and illiteracy. The vivid reports of civil servant Joseph von Hazzi reveal a little-known, often harsh rural reality, full of struggle but also raw, sometimes comical pleasures. In contrast, songs by Munich composers like Josephine Lang, Franz Lachner and Lindpaintner - alongside Schumann, Leopold Mozart and Haydn - paint an idealised, emotional image of alpine life. Though shaped by different worlds, both perspectives reflect timeless human experience. This album opens up new perspectives on the past - touching, surprising, and full of musical individuality. And always, of course, with Alma!
On 10 May 1740, Wilhelmine of Bayreuth's opera Argenore was to premiere at the Margrave's Theatre - a celebration that never happened. The dark dramma per musica, in which only an exile survives and King Argenore rules with brutal force, mirrors Wilhelmine's own life: her isolation at the Prussian court, her father's despotism, and the tense bond with her brother Frederick II are reflected in the opera's characters. Musically, Argenore features emotionally charged keys and a central role for Ormondo, who performs six arias. In 2022, the Gottingen Baroque Orchestra revived the opera in a world marked by crisis, highlighting the dangers of authoritarian rule and misinformation. A newly developed version replaced the Italian recitatives with a German monologue by Marlene Streeruwitz, while preserving all original arias - allowing the full dramatic force of Wilhelmine's music to emerge.
This album reflects the long-standing artistic friendship between Maze and Denis Rouger and showcases the close musical bond between the composer and the chamber choir. The CD presents spiritually rich works like the Trois Choeurs mystiques and expressive psalm settings that blend timelessness with emotional depth. Inspired by liturgical, biblical, and poetic texts, Maze's music ranges from simple to provocative, always marked by inner reflection and power. Highlights include the Messe à double choeur, Psalm 8, and solo performances by tenor Martin Hohler and baritone Georg Benz. Celebrating Maze's 70th birthday, the recording captures the choir's artistic joy and brings his multifaceted choral language vividly to life under Rouger's direction.
Born in Guadeloupe to an aristocratic plantation owner and a black slave, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George (1745-1799) was one of the most enigmatic figures in 18th century Paris: one of the best violinists and one of the most popular composers in France, but also a heartthrob, an excellent fencer and swimmer. In fact, his biography almost resembles that of a character from Bridgerton. Jens Barnieck (fortepiano) and Jeanette Pitkevica present a selection of printed sonatas and manuscript pieces.
Georg Philipp Telemann is undoubtedly one of the composers who wrote the most parts for the recorder. No wonder, as he had mastered the instrument since his childhood and provided it with rewarding parts not only in chamber music, but also in orchestral and vocal works. The young Portuguese recorder player Joao Francisco Tavora studied in Porto and Leipzig and presents works for recorder by Telemann in various scorings, which show off his extraordinary playing technique and interpretative skills to their best advantage.
From an artistic point of view, Dvorak reacted with this work to the Stabat Mater by the German church musician and priest Franz Xaver Witt, the founder of the Cecilia Society, which was performed in Prague in 1875. This work, scored for only choir and organ, was a pontifically approved version of contemporary church music. In the nineteenth century, the Vatican generally supported a return to the sober a cappella style of Palestrina while being critical of orchestral sacred works. Dvorak, at the time organist at the Prague church of St. Adalbert, did not agree with this view. He had a different idea of a Catholic choral work, and his Stabat Mater is more in line with Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonic conception of the Missa solemnis
His life, shrouded in mystery, offers plenty of room for speculation and fantasy: Large parts of Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli's biography lie in unexplored and now probably also unexplorable darkness; he appears in various places, first secured in Innsbruck in 1660, then in Upper and Central Italy, he is preceded by a legendary reputation as a violin virtuoso, he publishes violin works, apparently without worrying about a stringent opus narrative, and it probably comes to a dramatic climax when he kills a fellow musician in a dispute in Messina in 1675 and then flees to France and finally to Madrid. His sonatas are no less fascinating: To many they did indeed seem 'baroque', i. e. overloaded and bizarre, but today we recognise in them a fascinating link between the virtuoso Italian and the southern German-Austrian baroque instrumental style, with it's typical harsh contrasts and surprise effects. Daniel Sepec and his colleagues present them with their usual precision.
MELODIA MEDITERRANEA is a collection of art songs based on the folk music of the Mediterranean region. It draws upon melodies and traditional texts, many of which are still sung today in Italy, Greece, and Spain. The project was born from a musical encounter between Yannis Tsanakaliotis, Andreas Nebl, and Lee Santana with soprano Maria Palaska. This meeting developed into a long-term collaboration, characterised by a shared longing for the sounds and images of the Mediterranean. In this project, the three instruments - piano, accordion, and vihuela - merge in a unique way with the voice, creating a distinctive musical atmosphere.
Of all the great composers of classical modernism, Bartok undoubtedly made the most significant contributions to violin chamber music. The Latvian-Armenian violinist Georg Sargsyan and the Australian pianist James Maddox present two major works from this repertoire. The piano sonata, the only contribution to the genre in the composer's otherwise extensive piano oeuvre, rounds off the program.
Mendelssohn: Transcriptions arr. by Andreas N. Tarkmann
Coviello
CD · 1 disc
$20.99Dec 13, 2024
After it's Baroque heyday, the oboe did not have an easy time of it in the 19th century. The Romantic period favoured the warmer, fuller sound of the clarinet, and the former star among the wind instruments was rarely featured in solo works. Reason enough to remedy this situation, thought the famous master arranger Andreas N. Tarkmann and set to work. It was no coincidence that he chose Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, whom he considers to be the consummate composer of the early Romantic period. From seven selected 'Songs without Words' - typically Romantic short piano preciosi - Tarkmann creates a fascinatingly dense suite for oboe and string orchestra. A much larger work inspired him to create a homage to Mozart and his concerto for flute, harp and chamber orchestra. Tarkmann takes up this instrumentation and gives Mendelssohn's concerto, originally scored for violin, piano and chamber orchestra, a completely new tonal guise.
Joseph & Santana: Paradeis - Angelus Silesius Songbook
Coviello
CD · 1 disc
$20.99Dec 13, 2024
Antje Rux and Lee Santana venture on an unconventional spiritual journey in their latest release. They found inspiration for their song cycle in the poet Angelus Silesius, who made a particularly deeply felt religiosity the basis of his texts. The Breslau court composer Georg Joseph set the 200 poems of his Heiligen Seelenlust to music as early as the 17th century. Lee Santana selected 14 of them and made them the starting point for further arrangements with ritornellos and preludes. Antje Rux explains the unusual principle behind this compilation: 'We have combined the Silesius songbook by Lee with a small, fine selection of Georg Joseph songs, harmonised in terms of content. Since both composers use modal keys, it will sometimes not be immediately recognisable to the listener whether they are musically in the 17th or 21st century.' These interweavings create extraordinary sound effects that make the spirituality tangible.
Giuseppe Verdi wanted his seventh opera to be passionate, fiery and action-packed, and he wanted a real prima donna to take centre stage. He found the ideal subject in one of the most famous female figures in world history: Joan of Arc. Verdi was highly satisfied with Temistocle Solera's libretto. It was, he wrote in August 1844, 'almost of an unusual beauty'. In fact, the title role brings a special radiance to the opera, which is not necessarily one of the composer's most prominent roles on the repertoire today. However, it was celebrated by the premiere audience, and the day after the premiere Verdi wrote to his friend Francesco Maria Piave: 'Without exception and without doubt, it is the best of my operas'. A few successful performances followed, but then the work faded into the shadows of Verdi's later, even more famous operas. It is high time to bring it back to light!
I was less interested in God and religious ceremonies than in singing of unrivalled beauty. What Sergei Rachmaninoff later said about his early childhood contact with the Orthodox liturgy and it's rituals also applied to his later life as a composer. Singing plays a central role in the Russian Orthodox rite: almost the entire service is sung, instruments are not permitted and only the word should take centre stage. This mystical a cappella singing is characterised by it's Byzantine tonal system based on eight notes and it's strong bass foundation. In combination with the peculiar language of the special Church Slavonic, the result is an archaic, exotic and fascinating world of sound, which Rachmaninoff masterfully combines with his modern tonal language in his Ganznachtliche Vigil, written two years before his emigration to the USA.
Intermedial, occasionally multimedia, filmic, (photo-)graphic, electro-acoustic, radiophonic, instrumental, improvisational, notated, installative and often collaborative. This is how Nikolaus Heyduck, born in Kassel in 1957, can be described. He is not just an artist and composer, he is a performing musician, a sound artist, an equally active player in the various aesthetic metiers. The CD Horizons features seven of his works that have been created in recent years as joint projects with artists and composers who are also predominantly polyaesthetically active.
Few works by Johann Sebastian Bach have given rise to more research and speculation than the 'Sei Solo', the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. From the search for models to dating based on stylistic features, from the identification of the paper used for the autograph from 1720 to the mysticism of numbers, no stone has been left unturned to solve the numerous riddles posed by this exorbitant work. The pieces in this collection are exorbitant in several respects. Not only does Bach go beyond what was customary at the time in terms of length, but the musical content and technical demands are also unprecedented, both in the context of contemporary violin music by other composers and within Bach's own oeuvre. As so often in Bach's oeuvre, an entire musical cosmos is explored in a single work.
His 18 piano sonatas can be described as the secret stars of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's extensive oeuvre. They were often important areas of experimentation, which in Mozart's short biography describe a development from early rococo to classical maturity, in which he explored new compositional techniques and then later transferred these to the larger genres. This is exemplified by the three works now recorded by Amy Lin in her familiar sensitive manner: the Sonata K. 333 emphasizes the lyrical and pastoral. In K. 284, the 18-year-old composer establishes the alternation between 'quasi-tutti' based on the orchestral writing and soloistic passages in dialogue-like interplay. The famous C minor Sonata K. 457, which Beethoven admired so much, shows a completely different, darkly dramatic tone and thus Mozart's fascinating stylistic diversity in this genre as well.
