Artists:
Bram van Sambeek bassoon
Joost Bosdijk bassoon
Ellen Corver piano
Rick Stotijn double bass
Izhar Elias guitar
Marieke Schneemann flute
Sven Figee Hammond organ
Maria-Paula Majoor violin
Marijn Korff de Gidts drums

Repertoire:
• Böddecker: Sonata sopra la Monica (1651)
• Rossini:Three arias from Il barbiere di Siviglia (1816)
• Saint-Saëns: Sonata Op.168 (1921)
• Gubaidulina: Duo Sonata (1977)
• Piazzolla: Café 1930 (1986)
• Dubois: Sonatine Tango (1984)
• Corea:Trio (1968)
• Hagen: Harlem Nocturne (1939)

A more insanely varied program will be hard to find. ”Dutch Music Prize” winner Bram van Sambeek selected an extremely diverse repertoire, spanning 400 years, in which the bassoon plays a prominent role: from the Baroque elegance of Böddecker, through virtuoso variations of Rossini and Saint-Saëns, to the fascinating world of 20th century bassoon music by Gubaidulina, Piazzolla and Chick Corea: a true kaleidoscope!

Having made her operatic debut at the age of 16, singing Barbarina with the Dutch National Opera, Channa Malkin has since made solo appearances with Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as well as early-music luminaries such as Andrew Parrott and Joshua Rifkin. For her first recording, she has chosen to explore her Jewish heritage with songs from her childhood: ‘Underneath the seemingly simple melodies telling life’s usual stories,’ she writes in the album’s introductory notes, ‘I felt the longing of generation upon generation for a homeland left long ago but never forgotten.’ Channa Malkin is joined here by her regular duet partner, the guitarist Izhar Elias, who is well known to collectors of Brilliant Classics recordings for his imaginative choice of repertoire and vivid performances. Gramophone lavished praise on his ‘sympathetic accompaniment’ to Erik Bosgraaf in their recording of the lute book by Jakob van Eyck (BC93391): ‘As a reference work this set should be considered indispensable; as one to be dipped in for pleasure, highly desirable.’ The selection of Sephardic songs they have made ranges between subjects of love, war, birth and death: epic tales sung by medieval Spanish bards, Jewish liturgical melodies and texts, and Arabic styles of melodic ornamentation. Malkin and Elias have made their own arrangements, letting the music guide them intuitively and drawing inspiration from their backgrounds in early music, Jewish cantorial singing and Spanish folk song interpretation, as well as their personal family histories. Their selection also includes several Sephardic songs arranged by contemporary composers, in order to explore the ways in which this music can be performed as classical art song. Israeli composer, guitarist and Sephardic song expert Daniel Akiva, Spanish composer and conductor Lorenzo Palomo and Joaquín Rodrigo each offer a unique take on the Sephardic song idiom. So does the Italian-American composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: his collection of The Divan of Moses-Ibn-Ezra sets the poetry of an 11th-century rabbi from Grenada.

Classical Music

Verdi: Il trovatore

Verdi: Rigoletto

Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Recorded 1962)

Izhar Elias has produced several successful and imaginative albums for Brilliant Classics. None of them have confirmed to a ‘Spanish guitar’ stereotype but all have engaged in various original ways with the developing heritage of the instrument during the 19th century, from ‘Paisiello in Vienna’ (BC95301) to ‘Beethoven and the Guitar’ (BC94631) to Giuliani’s astonishing transcription of Rossini’s grand tragedy Semiramide (BC93902). His latest recording brings the classical guitar up to date with works by composers from four different countries; within them may be heard influences from classical music, avant-garde, Caribbean music, Spanish folklore, flamenco, Arabic music, blues, Argentinean tango and even trip-hop and heavy metal: provocative testament to the world’s most versatile instrument. The Guernica Suite by Pujol (b.1959) focuses on different aspects of Picasso’s painting in six movements, with a tentatively positive conclusion. The Triptych of Roberto Sierra (b.1953) evokes some nocturnal sounds from his native Puerto Rico, including the tropical tree frog as well as a night on the tiles. The three Danzas Concertantes pulse and glide with the rhythms of Leo Brouwer’s native Cuba, offset by some astringent harmonies that place the guitar’s usual role as purveyor of folkloristic colour under threat. Finally there is the Schattenspiel Suite by Florian Magnus Maier (b.1973), who also plays electric Moog guitar on this recording. Maier pursues a diverse career as a composer, guitarist and vocalist with bands including Alkaloid, Dark Fortress and Noneuclid; this tripartite suite inspired by shadows is his best-known work in the classical tradition, and for this recording he has made a new arrangement for two guitars and string quartet. There is something for everyone on this album: it’s essential listening for guitar-music enthusiasts who want to broaden their horizons.

The guitar is not the first instrument one associates with the towering figure of Beethoven, but he did know and appreciate the instrument, and even wrote some chamber music pieces for it.

This imaginative recital of chamber music by Beethoven takes its inspiration from the Romantic poem of the album title which describes the kind of unattainable love to which Beethoven was throughout his adult life susceptible, and from which he appears himself to have drawn creative energy. His own setting of Adelaide (the text of which appears in the booklet in both Matthisson's original and in English translation) was arranged by the 19th-century guitarist-composer Nicholas Coste; it introduces not only the playful Op.8 Serenade, perhaps the most obvious contender among Beethoven's music for a transcription of the piano part to the piano, but movements from two of his string quartets and even the funeral march from his Piano Sonata Op.26, transcribed for guitar solo or duo and played here on instruments of the period by a young and dynamic ensemble of European musicians, led by Izhar Elias, who have already released acclaimed recordings on Brilliant Classics, including guitar music in memory of Debussy (9246), spectacular transcriptions of Rossini arias (93902) and a sparkling survey of 17th-century music from the Spanish territories (94352). Elias himself plays a selection of guitars on this recording, by Guadagnini and Stauffer père et fils, including a rare terz model, which is smaller than the regular model and tuned a minor third higher to produce a more brilliant and penetrating sound in company with other instruments.

Other information:
- New recording made in April 2013.
- This original and appealing programme presents works of Beethoven in chamber music arrangements with guitar, written by contemporaries, a practice that was quite common in the period, playing its role in the popularisation of the music.
Eminent guitarist Izhar Elias plays on several period instruments, including a rare "terz" instrument, smaller in size and tuned a minor third higher in order to achieve a more brilliant sound. He is joined by violin, viola and another guitar, according to the setting of the arrangements.
- Unique album concept.
- Extensive booklet notes written by the artist.

Pietro Castrucci (1679-1752) was a student of Arcangelo Corelli. Moving to London in 1715 he became concertmaster of the newly-founded Royal Academy of Music opera house. He went on to be one of the first beneficiaries of the Royal Society of Musicians, and became a trendsetting composer. The works featured on this release are among his finest. These are wonderful, historically informed performances. The works on this release are performed by Gerald Elias, violin; Pamela Palmer-Jones, harpsichord; and Noriko Kishi, cello, this is the first complete recording in history of Castrucci’s inexplicably neglected Opus 1 sonatas, composed in 1718.

Solti's "Falstaff" still shines brilliantly as a masterpiece! Solti's overwhelming interpretation is vividly revived here with the beauty of the Decca sound of the time. Although Verdi’s "Falstaff" has an important place as the last opera of the 1950s, there are not many recordings of it compared to the popular work "La Traviata". Among them, the 1963 recording board by Solti who still shines brightly (released under the name of "RCA Italian Opera Orchestra & Chorus" at that time). Solti, a great conductor born in Hungary, recorded "Falstaff" in the 1990s, but the singers of the 1963 recording remain unmatched and their overwhelming interpretation is the original version. Also, the wonderful sound by Decca at that time vividly conveys Solti's accurate interpretation.

2024 release. Multi-Grammy winner, internationally celebrated pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger Eliane Elias returns to her signature style of Brazilian jazz with TIME AND AGAIN. Recorded in Sao Paulo, TIME AND AGAIN showcases Elias' exceptional songwriting with eight new songs including three newly revisited and revised from across her storied career. Four of the songs were co-written with her partner and renowned bass player Marc Johnson. Joining her are section of noted Brazilian musicians along with special guests virtuoso guitarist Bill Frisell, and the legendary Brazilian singer Djavan. Produced by Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson and Steve Rodby.

Born in 1990, pianist Elias Stemeseder has become a creative force of contemporary jazz in recent years. Based primarily in New York since 2015, the Austrian-born pianist has made a name for himself in a wide variety of advanced improvisational contexts. Up to now, Stemeseder has been content to work as a sideman, though all those familiar with his work in the Jim Black Trio will know that he is a musician of remark - able skill, flair and imagination. His diverse playing ranges from songoriented to contemporary classical pieces to electronic music. His spirit of discovery leads him into different musical realms and thanks to his great empathy for the respective musical idiom, his piano playing always captivates with authenticity. Deeply rooted in the tradition of jazz and equipped with a fearless passion of experimentation, he distinguishes himself on this solo album as a profound pianist with a sovereign will to create. He is an inventive improviser whose playing sparkles with complexity and conceptual verve. On Piano Solo, Stemeseder skillfully plays with structures and moods and presents an album that is laden with surprises and bursting with ideas.

Umbra is the new album by pianist, composer, and electronic musician Elias Stemeseder and drummer, composer, and producer Christian Lillinger. As a core duo, they are planning a long-term series of releases, each with guest musicians playing a key role. "Their works explore the principles of time and space, growing from quiet melodies into broad statements. On Umbra, Stemeseder and Lillinger continue to expand their palette, bringing together an eclectic group of collaborators - New York based musicians Brandon Seabrook, DoYeon Kim, Peter Evans, and Russell Hall - to build off of their ideas, combining the textures of strings and percussion to weave together a visceral sonic tapestry", writes Vanessa Ague in the liner notes and adds: "Each piece on the album offers it's own careful examination of sound, peering into every fleeting moment to unearth some new texture or timbre that's hiding within each instrument."