Behind the very common name of Hans Huber is one of the strongest compositional talents that Switzerland produced during the course of the 19th century. Eight symphonies, four piano concertos, five operas, as well as oratorios, cantatas and a large number of chamber music works are part of the impressive oeuvre of this man. In this recording, we hear his relatively late quintets for piano and strings - two highly contrasting works that would have made Johannes Brahms stroke his beard approvingly. The dramatic power of Opus 111 and the capricious playfulness of Opus 125 would have probably reminded him of a transition or two; on the other hand, the autonomy of Huber's invention would have pleased him favourably - and he could only have wished for interpreters like those in our recording.

At the beginning of 1763, a conflict ended that could be described as a "world war" in terms of the common perception at the time, since it raged not only in all of Europe but also in parts of the New World. After seven years, the front lines were settled and the people who were subjected to it all were able to catch their breath for a while. The Luneburg church musician Johann Christoph Schmugel wrote a comprehensive Friedens-Cantata (Peace Cantata) for the thanksgiving festivities of the Electorate of Brunswick-Luneburg, recorded here for the first time after it's premiere on 6 January 1763. According to Georg Philipp Telemann, Schmugel was one of his best composition students. Telemann is also represented here with several musical commentaries on the military events - war and peace being two sides of the same coin.

When father and son write popular spa music together...! That would be the right motto for this incredibly entertaining, enthralling portrait of two artists who shaped the musical landscape in Bohemian Karlovy Vary for many decades. The creme de la creme gathered here every year to recuperate in the healing thermal baths, so a well-maintained orchestra was a must. Joseph Labitzky, a contemporary of Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss Sr., transformed it into a real gem. He performed his own pieces with the ensemble as a matter of course, and it is no wonder that they were a success. Catchy melodies, sparkling rhythms, beautiful sounds - many a spa guest will have recovered just by listening. August Labitzky continued his father's life's work with great aplomb, and maestro Christian Simonis is once again enthusiastically committed to the sons of light entertainment.

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.

Domenico Cimarosa Le astuzie femminili A Neopolitan nurse who starts a career in Rome as a notary; a young girl, who is placed in his charge and may only receive her father's rich inheritance if she weds the Neapolitan Don Giampaolo, who is enthralled with her; a poor dolt who is hopelessly in love with the heiress; a housekeeper who adores the wrong lawyer; and a scheming girlfriend who cleverly arranges a happy ending. Le astuzie femminili, "Feminine wiles", may only have six characters, but they stir up such a frenzy that even today one cannot help but grin. Underscored by the exuberant and extraordinarily melodic music of the once successful composer Domenico Cimarosa, this Buffa is the ideal counterpart to Il matrimonio segreto, which joined the cpo catalogue just three years ago.

Six dozen is half a gross. And Georg Philipp Telemann composed that many cantatas for the Frankfurt Church Year of 1714/15. cpo, Felix Koch, the Gutenberg Soloists and the Neumeyer Consort have taken up the cause to record this so-called "French church year" in its entirety – a mighty project that is all the more impressive given that the creative spirit behind these scores never worked en gros. Although he usually limited his instrumentation to two oboes, strings and basso continuo, adding a flute, bassoon, horns, trumpets and timpani for special Sundays or festive occasions, the composer's talent for orchestration was evidently boundless. He finds the appropriate sounds for his musical "sermon" on every theological topic. Every subject determined by the church calendar is reflected in his own individual way with a range of expression from the contemplative to the theatrical – and we are only one-third of the way through this fascinating journey.

Whether it be buffa, giocosa, semi-seria or seria – without a quantum of love's troubles, baroque and classical opera would be in poor shape. Arias of desperation, heart-wrenching entreaties, scenes of jealousy and webs of intrigue are all part of the iron-clad stock of effective staged works – whatever class of society the protagonists belonged to. The noble emperor, who ultimately grants a pardon to the evildoers, was just as little immune to emotional humiliation as the bubbly and flirtatious Colombinchen, who in the end refreshingly thumbs her nose at her unfaithful lover, while the audience gleefully slap their thighs. Soprano Stéphanie Varnerin, accompanied by the excellent instrumental ensemble L’Astrée, is the soloist in this new production dedicated to a colourful anthology of Turin's opera scene in the 18th century. Fourteen arias by nine once successful composers, whose works were performed or premiered at one of the two famous theatres in Turin (Regio and Carignano) are included in the program, where only one emotion is absent – boredom.

Although the Greek gods were mightier than the vermin that they had build their temples, they were not immune to human impulses. Jealousy in particular often confused them – as Johann Sigismund Kusser showed the Stuttgart court around 1700, when he sent the "divine" opera heroes into a commotion. Cupid shoots wildly in every direction, causing Apollo to be after Daphne and Venus burns for Adonis, who in turn is only interested in a lively hunt – until finally an arrow hardened by Vulcan penetrates and he succumbs to the goddess of love. She weakens his aim and so a wild boar takes him by the tusks. It was long thought that this exquisite, effervescent opera was lost. However, it was tracked down and rediscovered by an Australian scholar in the Württemberg State Library in 2005, enabling Halubeck and il Gusto Barocco to record it and add another gem to the catalogue of baroque opera.

"As a piece from an opera" was the intention of the Protestant theologian and poet Erdmann Neumeister (1671-1756) in his Geistliche Cantaten (sacred cantatas), which he first published in 1702. No wonder that several composers of sacred music jumped at the chance to use his texts to fulfill their duties. The varied structure of the poetry, some of which rhymes quite drastically, lends itself well to musical settings, in which recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales alternate quite easily. As such, devout congregations could be presented with theological subjects in a non-ascetic manner. There were, of course, more austere cantatas with settings of psalms or other passages of the Holy Scriptures, either on their own or in connection with new poetic creations. This present production combines four examples from the quills of two contemporaries who successfully attempted various playing techniques, apparently in a relatively undogmatic phase.

Friedrich Eck, eleven years younger than Mozart and three years older than Beethoven, caused a sensation in the music capitals of Europe towards the end of the 19th century. The press gushed about the quality of his sound and praised the ample, beautiful tone of the man who without a doubt would have enjoyed an even more successful career if he had not suddenly put down his bow and hung up his instrument on the wall for reasons that are still unknown. In 1800, he retired to France with his second (noble) wife. This sudden departure from the concert stage may have also contributed significantly to the fact that the virtuoso concertos he wrote for himself disappeared into obscurity, although they were printed by renowned publishers during his lifetime. This was presumably due to the enormous technical playing difficulties in the solo part, since the enchantingly melodic, intuitive and beautifully sounding music of the unknown Eck are in no way inferior to the five Mozart concertos. Listen for yourself!

For some time, writes viola virtuoso Mathis Rochat in the preface of this new release, he had been thinking to adapt Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's Cello Concerto in B-flat Major for his own use. He calls it a "somewhat audacious transcription", but the range of the solo part is well-suited for the viola and can be performed on the instrument with great ease. Which had to be proven first! Indeed, the young Swiss artist lends the "higher-pitched" composition a power of momentum and elasticity from which the already supple, melodious music can only benefit. All the more, since it is a superb "overture" to both of the following works, which Johann Gottlieb Graun, eleven years Bach's senior, had intended for the viola. Sometimes flanked by its little sister, as in the quiet Sturm und Drang C Minor concerto, then alone in sole competition with the string orchestra, this under-appreciated instrument shows in the music of the Berlin Court a wealth of expression that need not hide behind its higher and lower rivals.

In every composition he wrote, Telemann shows a skill which seems to be almost akin to science fiction – the mastery of time. His every waking moment was restlessly filled with productive activity, and yet the assembly line was alien to him. Even in his advanced years – he lived to be 86 – his wealth of inventiveness is surprising, as are his poignant melodies and picturesque instrumental colors. He produced successful works that go far beyond everyday pieces until the very end of his life. These include the so-called 'Donner-Ode' and its 'second part' (1756/60), where Telemann unleashes divine forces with a grand timpani roar; they also include treasures such as the tenor aria 'O wie sich Dunkelheiten' from the cantata Dich rühmen Welten (1762), with which this wonderful album begins.

In contrast to his more famous classical contemporaries, Antonio Rosetti was a "provincial" composer in terms of his external living circumstances. But the suspicion that he was only active for a quarter century in Swabian Wallerstein because his level was not high enough for the great centres of music has proven to be completely without merit. Whether we look at his symphonic works, concertos, chamber music or vocal works – a master's hand is unmistakable, as our continuously growing collection of impressive examples shows. This now includes the oratorio The Dying Jesus, which depicts the events of Good Friday both urgently and compassionately – an ideal complement to the scenes of Jesus in Gethsemane already available.

Volume 9 & finale of the long-running series! The volcanic presence of composer Max Reger from the Upper Palatinate region of Germany does not make things easy for his interpreters or his listeners. Almost everything he wrote features such a bounty of musical ideas that only gradually is the persona behind it revealed. The organist Gerhard Weinberger is among those who have the proven ability to break through this facade. On his CDs no. 17 and 18, which comprise the ninth volume of this complete recording of colossal proportions, he also proves himself to be the ideal medium of a world view in which all is in continuous and inextinguishable motion. He has the organs of Chemnitz and Schwyz at his disposal – two stylistically appropriate instruments to produce the perfect Reger experience.

Towards the end of his life, Joachim Raff began a project that could not have been expected from this artist, who was all too often labeled (and misunderstood) as a prolific writer – an oratorio on the 'World's End, Judgement and New World', as depicted in the vision of St. John. It was a mighty undertaking, with which he wanted to produce an opus magnum to complete his already huge oeuvre – and succeeded in doing so. The musical course of events is focused on the Book with Seven Seals, the apocalypse interwoven with blistering, seemingly inexplicable images, which the composer reveals primarily through the character of John; occasionally an angelic soprano voice joins in, as do grand choral scenes, suggestive orchestral interludes and psalm chants – the last judgement on Joachim Raff puts an end to old prejudices.