In its new GENUIN CD "Die Weihe des Hauses" (The Consecration of the House), the Philharmonie Südwestfalen / Landesorchester NRW presents the entire diversity of a modern symphony orchestra. The occasion for this CD is the orchestra's move to its new domicile, the Haus der Musik in Siegen. Chief conductor Nabil Shehata chose orchestral music from the beginning of the 19th century to the present day for this production, making full use of his orchestra's strengths: Beethoven's overture to "The Consecration of the House", with its almost baroque sonority, Tchaikovsky's passionate and virtuosic 5th Symphony, and Andres Reukauf's lively and playful "Südwestfalen-Fanfare" (South Westphalia Fanfare) span a wide range of the repertoire that the powerful state orchestra offers its audience.

From the first notes, the snowy steps of "Fremd bin ich eingezogen" (As a stranger I arrived), the new recording of Schubert's "Winterreise" by the GewandhausChor makes one sit up and take notice: Choirmaster Gregor Meyer has arranged one of the most paramount lieder cycles for his "instrument", the choir, and makes virtuosic use of the possibilities offered by the ensemble's polyphony and sonority. Meyer has split the original piano part between two accordions, played here by Heidi and Uwe Steger. Their instruments are astonishingly close to the human voice, breathing, shouting, whispering, and singing. Tobias Berndt, an accomplished lied singer, takes on the baritone solo part in this recording with the choir of one of the most renowned concert halls.

Die schöne Magelone (The Fair Magelone) is the name of a wonderful lied cycle by Johannes Brahms, which the duo Tomas Kildišius (baritone) and Ani Ter-Martirosyan (piano) is releasing as a debut CD on GENUIN. Fortunately, they have linked the 15 Romances on texts by Ludwig Tieck with the poet's original prose fragments so listeners can experience Brahms' music in the context of the entire romantic and exotic story. With her young voice, actress Jannike Liebwerth provides the setting for the Brahms interpretations of the Armenian-Lithuanian duo, whose work has been characterized from the beginning by a shared love of lieder. This can be heard in the subtle soundscapes that bring to life the adventures of Count Peter of Provence and the fair Magelone.

Rhythm is at the heart of the new CD of piano music released on the GENUIN label by José Navarro-Silberstein. The winner of numerous competitions (including the Anton Rubinstein Piano Competition in Germany, the Claudio Arrau Competition in Chile, and the Tbilisi International Piano Competition) combines Schumann's “Davidsbündler dances” with South American piano works by Ginastera, Villa-Lobos, and Sandi. Dance has played an essential role in all civilizations and is an integral part of everyday life in a wide variety of cultures. Navarro-Silberstein offers a veritable palette of diverse musical dance forms, ranging from stylized folk music to sublimated art music, all in accomplished, beautifully sonorous interpretations.

On her new GENUIN CD, accordionist Eva Zöllner gathers the leading names of Colombia's younger generation of composers: voices that express diversity, creativity, and energy, as well as violence and darkness. In Colombia, the accordion is a popular instrument for folk and dance music, and the CD reflects the traditions of their country in its range. Sounds of contemporary music, environmental noises, electronics, and seemingly familiar things intermingle in the compositions of Ana María Romano G., Carolina Noguera Palau, Carlos Andrés Rico, and others, creating exciting soundscapes and an acoustic journey into an unknown world. All works were created in collaboration with Eva Zöllner.

The CD "Voyages" by the young, internationally up-and-coming Eternum Quartet is a musical journey for saxophone quartet. It takes us from the great quartet of Alexander Glasunov to a Bach arrangement and two works written especially for the four young musicians. The GENUIN debut of the ensemble features two new works by composers Konstantia Gourzi and Helena Cánovas i Pares, which are ideally suited to the warm, chromatic sound of the Eternum Quartet: Gourzi's "Voyager 1" is a tribute to the space probe that has fired our imagination for the past 45 years. Cánovas' composition is a journey into the vast interior of our dreams and desires. Exciting chamber music in unusual interpretations!

The Schola Heidelberg covers a wide range of musical styles in its new GENUIN CD with works from the Renaissance and today. Under the title "Eros und Gewalt" (Eros and Violence), the virtuoso vocal ensemble juxtaposes works by Gesualdo di Venosa and Michelangelo Rossi with those by Claude Vivier. Neurobiologist Hannah Monyer explains the psychological background of the emotionally charged music, in which Italy from around 1600 and our time find themselves very close to each other. The Schola Heidelberg sings under the direction of its founder Walter Nußbaum. It is one of the leading European vocal ensembles, mastering a wide variety of styles and vocal techniques, including microtonal intonation and vocal and breathing sounds.

Once upon a time ... at the heyday of the piano, between 1880 and the Second World War, when nearly every pianist was also a composer and arranger. The distinction between interpretation, arrangement, and composition is not always clear-cut nor decisive – the only important thing is the delightful effect of these gems for piano, which pianist Jacob Leuschner, who has been exploring the repertoire of this "Golden Age of the Piano" for decades, has recorded for his new GENUIN CD. The names Leopold Godowsky, Ignaz Friedman, Federico Mompou can be found there, as well as a premiere recording by the Dutchman Dirk Schäfer. These are intimate piano moments that, played enchantingly and without the noise of shellac records, nevertheless bring their era back to life before our ears.

On their new GENUIN CD, baritone Florian Gotz and the musicians of the Grundmann-Quartett dare to present well-known works in new contexts: they perform Franz Schubert's moving „Winterreise” in a version in which the vocal part is accompanied by English horn and string trio. Exciting chromatic worlds open up, and the moods of the individual songs take on new plasticity and tremendous expressive power. The subtle arrangement by Eduard Wesly, the uniquely personal baritone voice of Florian Gotz, and the nuanced tonal mixtures of woodwind and strings all contribute equally to this.

In a fascinating musical interplay, the young, highly acclaimed pianist Anna Khomichko presents works from the 18th century on her debut CD in cooperation with SWR (Southwest Broadcasting). Mozart meets Bach's sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian, as well as the supposed rival and contemporary piano star Muzio Clementi. In the supple and clear piano playing of this critically acclaimed artist, the differences and similarities between the works, the personalities of the composers, and the tastes of the time emerge clearly. Khomichko, who is also a successful classical music blogger, thus takes up the cause for a wide-ranging, sensuous repertoire that is absolutely worth discovering.

Rediscovering a great composer is possible with the new GENUIN CD of works by Maria Herz. She was born in Cologne in 1878 and died in New York in 1950. The singer Christiane Oelze, the Asasello-Quartett, and the E-MEX-Ensemble for New Music have partnered up to present a cross-section of the work of the Jewish composer, who used at times the pen name Albert Maria Herz. From arrangements of Bach to lieder as well as string quartets and mixed chamber music, the works span stylistically from the enthusiasm for baroque music of the 1920s to free tonality. All this is excitingly new, well worth hearing, and recorded superbly!

Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms were bound together for four decades by a great artistic friendship. They shared a common interest and exchanged ideas on a personal and artistic level. The violinist Sophia Jaffe and the pianist Bjorn Lehmann have been duo partners for many years and are now putting all their experience and love for Brahms and Schumann into a new GENUIN CD. The program includes the three violin sonatas by Johannes Brahms and three violin romances by Clara Schumann – conceivably different works in their scope, yet related in their view of the world and art: romantic treasures, recorded with dedication!

An undiscovered continent opens up before us when we listen to the new GENUIN CD by clarinetist Yulia Drukh: Virtuoso, dreamy, sonorous music composed exclusively for the solo clarinet is compiled here, punctuated by the young musician and poet's own verses. Except for the finale, a composition by the great sound magician Isaac Albeniz, the CD features works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including three pieces dedicated to Yulia Drukh. The artist covers a wide range of cultures: the recorded works are inspired by the folklore of different regions, thus reflecting the power of music as a unifying universal language.

The classical spirit hovers over the compositions for solo violin presented by the internationally sought-after violinist Marketa Janouskova on her new GENUIN CD. These are works spanning a century and whose common feature is a neoclassical return to ancient forms, expressed in their creators' very distinctive tonal languages. Paul Hindemith and Sergei Prokofiev combine past and present in their solo sonatas, as does Ernst-Lothar von Knorr, whose works are rarely performed, and the Belgian composer Jacques-Alphonse de Zeegant. The latter wrote his poetic "Sonata l'Astre Bleu" for Marketa Janouskova, presented in a world premiere recording.

The novel Lux Nova Duo is already releasing its third CD with GENUIN. Lydia Schmidl, accordion, and Jorge Paz Verastegui, guitar, are joined this time by the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Eddie Mora and the soprano Marcia Lemke-Kern. The track list offers an exciting program comprised exclusively of world premiere recordings – all dedicated to the Duo Lux Nova, including works by guitar alto master Leo Brouwer as well as Sascha Lino Lemke, Eddie Mora, and Hector Docx. The CD's color palette is vast, ranging from Brouwer's Latin American colors to Mora's eclectic take on György Ligeti and Lemke's variations on the human breath to Hector Docx's "Transfigurations", which plumbs the depths of silence.