The three tracks on this album are all world premiere recordings. +Composer William Blank (b. 1957) composed his first piece, Hesse-Lieder, in 1978 for the inauguration of the Studio Ernest Ansermet of the Radio Suisse Romande. Since then, his works have been performed across Europe and the US. Swiss ensemble Quatuor Sine Nomine String Quartet performs these works. They are joined by soprano Barbara Zanichelli for the final number.

For the fifth time, the festive sounds of the Saxon Wind Philharmonic can sound forth from your loudspeakers – from the new GENUIN CD presenting works by the ensemble’s home composers: Wagner, Bach and Mendelssohn. As seemingly different as these three are from each other, they all ideally fit the fingers, lungs and lips of these elite Saxon musicians. From the solemn pomp of Lohengrin to Isolde's sighs of longing, from the Mendelssohnian drive to Bachian D-major groove: everything brilliant and glittery, pearly and sparkling, played with a naturalness born of intimacy and familiarity.

A small sensation awaits us in the GENUIN debut release of Estonian pianist Kärt Rubel: the works of the great Baroque composers Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Joseph Fux performed on a modern piano. And when we hear the limpid and spirited playing of the young artist, at the start of a burgeoning international career, we wonder how the “hidden treasure” of Froberger’s music could have escaped us until now, and how Fux could have been given so little attention! Rubel places the two composers alongside Johann Sebastian Bach, opening a fascinating window onto a previous era, when both were at least as famous as the Cantor of St. Thomas.

Everything is possible on stage. At least that’s our impression upon hearing the members of the young, award-winning brass ensemble 10forBrass. On their new (third) GENUIN release, no woodwind run is too fast for them and no string pianissimo too soft: they are both witches and kings, mermaids and jesters, angels and huntsmen. From Carl Maria von Weber to Sergei Prokofiev, no music theater work is safe from the brass virtuosi – whatever isn’t bolted to the floor is fair game for the sizeable brass ensemble. Each opera scene is more beautiful than the next: simply ravishing! The brass ensemble 10forBrass was founded in 2010 by young musicians from across Germany. They have all been members of highly regarded international orchestras such as the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Festival Orchestra of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

Once again, the Ensemble Mixtura takes listeners along on a fascinating journey of discovery. + This time, the two musicians, Katharina Bäuml, shawms (double reed instrument of the Middle Ages and Renaissance), and Margit Kern, accordion, perform an extremely exciting balancing act between the centuries: the Prophetiae Sibyllarum of Orlando di Lasso are contrasted with commissioned compositions by Karin Haußmann (b. 1962), Annette Schlünz (b. 1964) and Babette Koblenz (b. 1956) which reflect, supplement, contradict and continue Early Music…

On their second GENUIN album, Christian Mattick (flute) and Mathias Huth (piano) transport us to the world of the Blue Flower, the era of Romanticism. What could be more Romantic than the polished gem of the Lied with piano and the smaller, wordless forms influenced by the vocal genre? This is precisely what we can look forward to on this release by the two exceptional artists featuring classy arrangements for their combination of instruments. Songs with and without words, in eloquent yet sensual interpretations: from Schumann’s Märchenbilder to Schubert’s Taubenpost, from the Violin Sonatina to the variations on Trockene Blumen. An enchanting and magical journey!

A traveler between worlds, navigating between tradition and avant-garde, the highly acclaimed pianist Jan Gerdes exemplifies mastery in both realms. With his new GENUIN album, he more than lives up to his reputation as a fearless musical adventurer: he releases exciting, contemporary piano music by six composers from various countries in the African continent. Names like Clare Loveday, Andile Khumalo, or Bongani Ndodana-Breen urgently deserve our attention! Gerdes contributes with his brilliant recordings to a new focus that the increasingly internationalized music scene needs. Top marks for interpretation and repertoire value!

Noted for her interpretations of contemporary music, soprano Eva Resch tackles the music of Debussy and Britten in this showcase of French poetry. The Hamburg-based singer has already thrilled audiences with her previous two GENUIN releases. Resch is joined by prize-winning pianist Francois Salignat.

This sensuous and poignant release by pianist Karim Shehata, his second album on the GENUIN label, is more than just a prelude: it is a collection whose pieces flow into each other, comment, prelude and postlude so seamlessly that, without the booklet, it is hard to believe that these are exclusively preludes-pieces conceived as preparation for something essential. The list of composers is a "Who is Who" ranging from Johann Sebastian Bach to Olivier Messiaen. The young and yet already mature Karim Shehata plays all this with such ease and depth that one would like to rank him among the greats! Absolutely recommendable.

This new release is part two of the complete recording series featuring Schubert’s works for male choir. Under the direction of Jan Schumacher, this is the Camerata Musica Limburg’s fifth CD for GENUIN. Including songs like Song of the spirits over the waters and Good night, each song is given beautiful life with these gentlemen’s voices.

The young American percussionist and sound explorer Sabrina Ma debuts with this wide ranging collection of contemporary works which includes pieces by Steve Reich and Brian Ferneyhough, along with four tracks that are world premiere recordings and cross-pollinated collaborative arrangements that veer into non-classical territories. Ma is accompanied by Rilli Willow (vocals), Alexandros Giovanos (percussion), Olga Zheltikova (harpsichord), and Jan Sch�wer (Guitar).

Even with composers whom one thinks one knows, one can still embark on an astonishing journey of discovery: for example, with the Romanian national composer George Enescu and with Gabriel Fauré, whose works for piano trio have now been tackled by the young Enescu Trio, winners of international prizes, in a first production for their GENUIN debut CD. + Founded in 2011, the prizewinning Enescu Trio’s young soloists are already seasoned veterans of the concert stage.

The investigation of white space on the musical map, the exploration of sound and tonal formations: for the third time with GENUIN, the guitarist Rainer Stegmann takes us on a musical journey. He calls the production A Tribute to Benjamin Britten, in which he combines Britten's great Nocturnal, based on John Dowland, together with commissioned works that being recorded for the first time. Interpreting at the highest level as always, Stegmann also presents musical discoveries and combinations on this CD that open our ears and let us admire the versatility and the profundity of this "world traveler on six strings"!

The title of this new release from GENUIN translates into “In memoriam of a great artist.” Each of the three piano trios featured on this album- from Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Goldenweiser- all share this subtitle. It is worth it to note that two of these pieces were dedicated to other composers included on this release. Rachmaninoff’s work is dedicated to the memory of Tchaikovsky, and Goldenweiser’s piece is dedicated to the memory of Rachmaninoff, tying all of these works together even more. Michael Shafer, Ilona Then-Bergh, and Wen-Sinn Yang make up the trio performing these works. These musicians are all familiar to audiences individually, and now their forces are joined to create a truly incredible listening experience.

Classical Music