The Syrian singer Dima Orsho has recorded lullabies of different provenance for DREYER-GAIDO. In addition to traditional songs from her homeland, her own compositions as well as Aramaic and Azerbaijani songs can be heard - even a work by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla is included. Her selection of Hidwas (lullabies) is both moving and intuitive. All pieces are strongly influenced by the charismatic artist, not only by her unique singing, but also by her way of composing and arranging. The songs awaken emotions that are familiar to all of us: Motherly love, care and protective instinct. Hailed by Hamburger Abendblatt as" her singing is the most beautiful thing human vocal cords can produce" Dima (b.1975) is an established and seasoned performer, recording artist, and collaborator with renowned international musicians. Dima holds an M.M. in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory, and B.M. in Voice & Clarinet from the Damascus High Institute of Music.

In her music the Azerbaijani composer Khadija Zeynalova (*1975) skillfully combines the orally handed down music of the Mugham (since 2003 recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site!) with contemporary composition techniques. Her work is characterized by the combination of Western instruments with those from local folk music. Khadija Zeynalova is an award-winning Composer of contemporary, film and theatre music as well as Organist and Musicologist. Her compositions are performed by some of the world’s leading orchestras, ensembles and musicians in Germany, France, UK, Netherland, Cyprus, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Oman, Cyprus, Azerbaijan and many other countries. As multilingual PhD graduate, she was a winner of prestigious Friedrich-Ebert PhD Scholarship in Germany. Khadija is currently based in Germany continuing her career as a professional composer as well as teaching at Detmold Academy of Music (Germany).

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake in the sea off the east coast of Japan with an epicenter near Miyagi Prefecture triggered a tsunami that flooded large parts of the region Tohoku and cost about 200,000 lives. The monster wave also severely damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant, causing one of the most devastating nuclear reactor disasters to date and radioactively contaminating a large area around Fukushima. Not only Japan, but the whole world was deeply affected. This event prompted Sandeep Bhagwati to spontaneously write 17 haiku compositions as musical elegies- in memory of the victims, but also as a “meditation on the thin skin of our civilization on this restless planet.” (Bhagwati)

The Morgenland All Star Band first came together in 2012 at the Morgenland Festival in Osnabr�ck. Uniting musicians from the Middle East and Europe, the group is defined by the diverse artistic backgrounds of it's members and by the crossing of musical boundaries. From traditional music to jazz and rock, each of their performances is full of opposites and surprises. This release was recorded live at Global Week for Syria, Masrah Al Medina Theatre, Beirut in June 29th, 2017. The pieces included feature works primarily by the artists in the ensemble, as well as arrangements of traditional tunes. Especially notable is the inclusion of the Yalla! Children's choir on the track 'Hal Asmar El Loun.'

The premiere of the monumental Third Symphony Op.42 Ilya Murometz on 23rd March 1912 was a huge cultural and political event in Russia. A program symphony, the music depicts the life of Kievan Rus’ folk hero Ilya Muromets. The piece was dedicated to Alexander Glazunov, and won Reinhold Gliere his third Glinka Award. The work lasts between 70 and 80 minutes, and is divided into four sections, each of which depicts an episode from the epic. Gliere wrote a narrative in both Russian and French to accompany the score. On this recording Gabriel Feltz presents the remarkable work together with the orchestra Beogradska filharmonija and makes it clear that we should keep a closer eye on the works of this extremely interesting Russian late romantic.

The ouevre of Gustav Mahler has been a focal point of the ten year cooperation between the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and Gabriel Feltz (2003 - 2013). The last recording made during this period is Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony". The Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and Feltz are joined by the outstanding soloists Chen Reiss and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner and the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno. Feltz writes: "Gustav Mahler's symphonies have accompanied me since I was a youth of about 13. It is certainly not unusual for a youth who is interested in orchestral music to be fascinated by these works once he has discovered them. The abundance and complexity of the scores, which I was fortunately able to study in my early years, was however, somewhat overpowering. The composer's aspiration to create "whole worlds" is overwhelming, and which young person is averse to being overwhelmed?"

Accordion and shawm - there could hardly be a greater contrast between instruments - at least at first glance. During the 14th to 17th centuries, the shawm - a double-reed wind instrument - was widely used. Performing together with the cornett, oboe and trombone, the Middle Ages and Renaissance are it's musical home. Town piper ensembles as well as representative and sacred music determined it's world of sound. On the other hand, for about 50 years the accordion - an aerophone of the 19th century - has been evolving into a concert instrument on the classical concert podium. Many contemporary composers write music for it and have learned to love it's tonal aesthetic. What can a combination of such very different instruments achieve and reveal today? Margit Kern and Katharina B�uml were convinced from the beginning that it would have to be more than merely an experiment. A new beginning, a journey with an unknown destination. The present recording involves nothing less than an encounter between different historical periods and musical cultures; it really is more than merely a tonal experiment. Their present album looks at a musical icon of the Trecento and examines to what extent the themes of the 14th century are compatible with today's attitudes and aesthetics.

In 2008 the Erfurt Theater tasked Alois Br�der with composing an opera. For a long time the composer searched for the ideal opera subject until he found it in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story 'The Wives of the Dead.' The template offers everything that the operatic heart desires: "It requires almost no reduction, is ambiguous, irresistible, narrative broken and almost without an internal narrative," says the composer. First published anonymously in 1831 and then again in 1851, Hawthorne's 'The Wives of the Dead' is regarded as one of the most remarkable short stories in 19th century American literature. In the story, the wives of two brothers learn that both men have been killed abroad on consecutive days. In their grief, "sleep did not steal upon the sisters at one and the same time"; one woman slumbers while the other is awake. Far more than the tale of the grief of two widows, "The Wives of the Dead" deals with the "waking dreams such as Hawthorne explored again and again in fiction and in sketches like 'The Haunted Mind,' " notes scholar Arlin Turner, and the ambiguity of the boundaries between the widows' dream-worlds and their realities leaves readers wondering how much of the story the two women experienced and how much they imagined. Alois Broder's operatic interpretation is carried out here by the Opernchor des Theaters Erfurt and the Philharmonisches Orchester Erfurt.

Aynur, the most prominent Kurdish singer of our time, represents Kurdish music heritage as a global genre and introduced it to the international music world. Aynur's music has received the acclaim of fellow artists. She has collaborated with acclaimed artists including world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Kayhan Kalhor, Javier Limón, Kinan Azmeh, the Nederland Blazers Ensemble, the NDR Bigband, and many more. She appears in one of the most remarkable scenes of Fatih Akin’s documentary “Crossing the Bridge / The Sound of Istanbul” and is part of Morgan Neville's documentary about Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, "The Music of Strangers”. Aynur has enthusiastic audiences in sold-out Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg as well as Carnegie Hall in NYC or Southbank Centre in London. In 2017, Aynur received the "Master of Mediterranean Music" Award in the category of “Mediterranean Women in Action” from the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute. In 2021, she was awarded the "Womex Artist Award". Aynur's new album, RABE, features Chinese-American pipa star Wu Man as well as Michael League on guitars, Chris Jennings on bass, and many more. Like only exceptional artists do, Aynur is reaching listeners in all generations, she is connecting the young generation with the roots of Kurdish music, combining treasures of the past with a musical language of today. "She is a reason to love live music for centuries.” - Javier Limón

Brahms: String Sextets Opp. 18 & 36, Arr. for Piano by Theodor Kirchner

Black Pencil's latest CD 'SCHOKLAND' contains short compositions written for the ensemble, all works inspired by Unesco World Heritage Schokland. Schokland is a unique combination of cultural history and nature, in the middle of the Noordoostpolder. Evidence of human habitation dating back more than 10,000 years can be found there. Black Pencil launched an international call for compositions called BLACK PENCIL IN SCHOKLAND PRIZE. The call was a huge success: 174 compositions from 36 countries. The most beautiful compositions are on this CD. This project was made possible by the Province of Flevoland and the Performing Arts Fund NL.

With their project Sistanagila; Israeli and Iranian musicians living in Berlin seek dialogue by approaching each other; listening to each other with curiosity and playing together. Carried by centuries-old Jewish and Iranian musical traditions; the musicians embark on a journey that ultimately leads them to themselves. Bazaar represents a new phase for Sistanagila. This Album is a connection between what was; what is; and what is to come. We are taken on a trip to an old market place where different stalls offer a colorful pallet of musical styles; from acoustic to electronic; folklore to classic; jazz to ambient. At the heart of the Bazaar is the violin virtuoso Guy Braunstein; joining Sistanagila for their originally composed “Four Oriental Seasons"; showcasing a new style of concerto for a classical virtuoso and band. As we stroll along the smell of different spices enwrap us; we watch the sunlight play with the shade; and experience a fusion of composition; improvisation; and imagination.

The Trio Cénacle was founded in 2015 by German soprano Evelyn Czesla, Dutch bass-baritone Nico Wouterse and Luxembourgish pianist Michèle Kerschenmeyer. The name Cénacle refers to Le Cénacle de Victor HUGO, a changing group of artists who met between 1827 and 1830 in the house of Victor Hugo to perform their latest works to each other, as was customary in the 19th century. This period is generally considered to be the birth of French Romanticism in literature. In the relatively short time since the formation of the trio, the musicians have accomplished various extraordinary projects: Commissioned by the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture, the Luxembourg composer Marco Pütz composed a composition entitled A Vianden in 2017, which he dedicated to the Trio Cénacle. The composition was premiered by the trio in October 2017 at the Philharmonie Luxemburg. In 2018 the label "Profil Edition Günter Händler" released the trio's first CD with songs by the Trier composer Georges Schmitt (1821 - 1900). In the summer of 2020, a film adaptation of the composition A Vianden was made in collaboration with the film director James Chan-A-Sue. The premiere of the film took place in the presence of HRH Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Mr Jean Asselborn. The premiere in Vianden Castle was exactly on the 200th anniversary of the poem A Vianden. The film Victor Hugo - A Vianden was nominated in 2022 by the international film festivals Beyond the curve, The Soho London independent film festival and the Heart of Europe, international monthly film festival, which also selected the film as Best Short Art Movie. During the 2021/2022 season, the Trio Cénacle presented a weekly series on the song, entitled On wings of song, on the Luxembourg culture and news channel Radio 100,7.lu. A new CD recording Joy, joy - For Christ is born with international Christmas carols has been released for Christmas 2022. A co-production with the Calamus Reed Quintet and arranger and composer Christopher Meux. The next CD will be released in spring 2023 with songs based on texts by Victor Hugo, supplemented by quotes from Hugo, spoken by the Luxembourgish actor Pitt Simon.

Daring compositions for a Daring New Land. Bringing together newcomers from all corners of the world, with an openness to experimentation and a wonderfully unexpected mix of old and new; these elements apply to both to the province of Flevoland and to ensemble Black Pencil. Almere, located in Flevoland, is the home base of Black Pencil since 2020. It is the youngest and greenest city of the Netherlands. As an artist you often can become inspired by the green and the space to enjoy this environment, you organically develop an affinity with nature while there. The relationship between music and nature has been a source of inspiration throughout history. We felt the urge to create new music for this remarkable new province; inspired by Flevoland’s landscape and its own history, written by composers of calibre with different backgrounds. Thanks to the openness and decisiveness of the province, the ideas became reality.

Includes:

Calliope Tsoupaki (Greece, 1963): Into Space (2022)

Arnoud Noordegraaf (Netherlands, 1974): Almere 100 (2022)

Aart Strootman (Netherlands, 1987): Popular Archeology-Volca #1 (2022)

Yannis Kyriakides (Cyprus, 1969): Observatory (2022)

Aart Strootman (Netherlands, 1987): Sea Level (2022)

Jonatan de Jesús Carrasco Hernández (Mexico, 1981): The Gangway (2022)

Florence Anna Maunders (UK, 1978): Muurhagedis (2022)

Meriç Artaç (Turkey, 1990): Earth Sea (2022)

Florian Magnus Maier (Germany, 1973): Stormproofing (2022)

The German tenor, Markus Schäfer, studied with Marga Plachner, Armand McLane and Evelyn Dalberg. Following his attendance at the Opera Studio in Zürich, Markus Schäfer's first professional engagement was at the Opernhaus Zürich in 1985. Since then guest appearances have take Markus Schäfer to many a prestigious musical location - the Salzburger Festpiele, the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, La Fenice in Venice, Liceo in Barcelona and the State Opera on Munich, to name but a few. He has undertaken principal roles in various operas by W.A. Mozart, Monteverdi, Alessandro Scarlatti, Johann Adolf Hasse and Rolle. He worked closely with René Jacobs and the Concerto Köln at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, on Cosi fan tutte, and Krösus by Reinhard Keiser.