In the 19th century William Shakespeare attained honors in Russian literary circles as a generic dramatist, whose works were looked upon as a conceivable model for the country's own theatrical evolution. So it was only a matter of time before Shostakovich as a versatile dramatic composer also felt attracted by the masterly English playwright. The first version of Hamlet was composed for Nikolai Akimov's stage production in 1932. After the war they continued their collaboration and released Hamlet in 1964 based on the original incidental music of 1932. Our album presents the eight movements Suite which Shostakovich's friend Lev Atovmian arranged with the approval of the composer. This condensed version is very effective, painting vivid pictures of the protagonists and the scenes. The Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Orchestra was called by Shostakovich himself a "mocking challenge to the conservative-serious character of the classical concert attitude." It is an overwhelming lot of ideas which are put together to a kind of kaleidoscope. One can identify a theme from Haydn, there is virtuoso piano playing with reminiscences of Liszt, Beethoven is present, Grieg seems to appear and even Hindemith leaves a trace by a foxtrot citation - in short: it is a bunch of musical flowers watered by irony. Shostakovich himself was convinced, that his String Quartet No. 8 was well adapted for an orchestral transcription. The first one for string orchestra was done by Rudolf Barshai, which is known as Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a the composer gave his blessings to. The version on this album however was arranged by Saulius Sondeckis for the St. Petersburg Camerata, adding timpani to the string section grounding the work with some sinster colors.

This Schumann album marks the collaboration between CuGate Classics and Georgian pianist Dudana Mazmanishvili. It contains a tremendous reading of the “unplayable“ Toccata and well-considered examinations of two further romantic masterpieces by Schumann. The album closes with a world premiere recording: Lagidzes Rondo Toccata, which builds a highly virtuoso bridge to the Schumann Toccata, sprinkling some Georgian spice over the German romantic repertoire. The Georgian born pianist, Dudana Mazmanishvili, received her first piano lessons, at age 3, from her mother Tamar Apakidze. Three years later she was accepted into the Central Music School for Talented Children in Tbilisi. Since 1998 she has been a student of Prof. Elisso Virsaladze at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Munich. In 2005 she began her studies with the American pianist Jerome Rose in New York. She has received master-classes from Earl Wild, Dmitri Bashkirov, Paul Badura-Skoda, Boris Berezovsky, Claude Frank, etc. She is a prize-winner of numerous international piano competitions, including the 2005 Washington International Piano Competition. Other noteworthy successes were the Nicolai Rubinstein International Competition in Paris, where she was awarded the top prize. In 1998-2001, she received the annual Honorary Prize awarded by the President of Georgia to talented young Georgians.

New album by the all-female Cuban string ensemble Camerata Romeu and its director Zeniada Romeu with stunning interpretations of compositions by Astor Piazolla, Jose White, Moises Simons, Publio Medina and more. Belonging to the third generation of a family of remarkable Cuban musicians, Zeniada Romeu became the first woman to graduate with Gonzalo Romeu as Orchestra Conductor at the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba in 1982. She attended master classes with professors Koch and Gert Frischmuth in Cuba and Germany, and after a decade conducting large symphonic orchestras and choirs in Spain and Cuba, she founded the Camerata Romeu in1993. The all-female string orchestra (under the sponsorship of the Pablo Milan s Foundation) follows a very unique concept by focusing its repertoire on Cuban and Latin American composers and has been interpreting or accompanying artists such as Egberto Gismonti, Horacio Franco, Ben Sung, Eman and Harold Lopez-Nussa, Gonzalo Romeu, but also performed with international musicians like the opera singer Barbara Hendricks or the swedish violinist Arve Tellefsen. In 1994, the Historian of the City of Havana, Don Eusebio Leal, allowed the orchestra to use the Minor Basilica of San Francisco de As s as permanent headquarters - a unmistakeable proof of the high respect and reputation the ensemble has been enjoying in its Cuban home right from the start. So far, Zeniada Romeu and her ensemble have released 19 albums and won several Cubadisco awards including the Cuba Disco Honor Award, the Order for Cuban Culture plus international prizes like the Marseille Medal, the Philadelphia Bell, a diploma as Illustrious Guest of the City of Los Angeles and Havana, the Giraldilla, Awards Lucas and have been nominated two times for the Latin Grammy. The new album “La Bella Habana”, celebratring Havana’s 500th anniversary this year, is once more a vital document of Camerata Romeu’s unique and fresh approach towards classical music - skilled instrumentalists, joyful interpretations and performances that go way beyond the regular classical concert.