Hans-Peter and Volker Stenzl enable us to experience a historic moment in their live recording from the Ehrbar Saal in Vienna. On two original Ehrbar grand pianos, they play Johannes Brahms' original version of his 4th Symphony, as performed in the eponymous hall for friends of the composer in 1885. This testimony to a fading time is accompanied by another work of irreversible finality, Maurice Ravel's tone poem La Valse. Like no other dance, the waltz, which Ravel shatters to bits and Brahms only hints at in finale, defined the 19th century. A quasi volcanic orchestral dance by one of the best piano duos in the world!

The new GENUIN release by the piano duo Roelcke-Gremmelspacher is not only part of an exciting, interdisciplinary research project on the subject of complexity but features above all exhilirating piano music for twenty fingers. The result is more than the sum of the individual parts: Ligeti (Three Pieces), intoxicated by speed, creates superordinate constructs; Debussy (En blanc et noir) piles up tonalities and layers of meaning; and Messiaen, in his breathtaking Visions de l'Amen, unleashes a veritable storm of color. Great literature, magnificently played!

Aleksandra Mikulska is not only a prizewinner of major competitions such as the Chopin Competition but also President of the Chopin Society. She is an internationally active soloist, chamber musician, and Chopin expert who brings together the traditions of Poland, Italy, and Germany. On her new GENUIN album, the successor to her highly-acclaimed debut "Souvenirs," Mikulska juxtaposes the two sonatas in B minor by Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. With sensitivity and natural authority, she works out the similarities and differences between these key works of the Romantic period.

From the very first note, violinist Annette Unger's new GENUIN album will captivate you with an eclectic program featuring early and contemporary music from Dresden, full of electrifying contrasts. The oldest composition is by Bach contemporary Johann Georg Pisendel, while the most recent by Manfred Weiss was premiered by Annette Unger as recently as 2015. Aside from Pisendel's great work, all the other pieces in this production are world premiere recordings. Annette Unger, who plays flawlessly and with a wealth of color, presents a kaleidoscope of violinistic possibilities, compositional ideas, and intellectual approaches to music, intimately connected to the musical city of Dresden.

Works that pay homage to spring have been brought together by Malwina Sosnowski (violin) and Benyamin Nuss (piano) on their new GENUIN album: departure, a new beginning, an exuberance of emotions. On it, the perspective shifts between Japan and Europe. Beethoven’s euphoric "Spring Sonata" is juxtaposed with rarely performed French repertoire by Germaine Tailleferre and Lili Boulanger, as well as a world premiere recording by Masashi Hamauzu and an elegy dedicated to the victims of Fukushima by Benyamin Nuss himself. The interpretative verve and freshness of the two internationally successful musicians match the richness of color and nuance found in the selected music.

The mythical emotional worlds of Romanticism and the flowing imagery of Impressionism unite on the new release by the award-winning Queens Duo, creating an enchanting world of sound. Flutist Verena Beatrix Schulte and harpist Hanna Rabe develop an expressiveness full of magic and sheer virtuosity with arrangements that are partly their own. From the very first notes of Schumann's "Romances," flute and harp entwine, merging into one another in the floating sounds of Debussy's Faun and with exquisite elegance in Caplet. With these delicately interpreted snapshots between dream and reality, the two young musicians create surprises and skillfully put the traditional image of a flute-harp duo in a new light.

Everybody knows Jacques Offenbach's fantastic melodies: the snappy Can-Can from his first international triumph "Orphée aux enfers," which had been danced in numerous film classics, or the Barcarole from "Les contes d'Hoffmann." His music sparkles with charming wit, ingenuity, and slapstick comedy. With his famous operettas, Offenbach established a new genre – political cabaret with enchanting musical ideas. Like no other, he hit the nerve of the time of Parisian life in the 1860 and 70s in his over 100 dramatic works. He composed as if on an assembly line. Pieces that flopped landed irretrievably in the bin. This recording by the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Nicolas Krüger is now dedicated to the little-known works that reflect the richness of this unique composer's multifaceted repertoire. In the caustic satires of the times, he turns dogs and carrots into rulers or abducts them to the worlds of knights and the moon: Offenbach Fantastique!

In her debut GENUIN album, the soprano portrays a day from morning to evening, spanning the centuries. She combines works by Tarquinio Merula from 1638 with Claude Debussy and four works by Lorenzo Romano and Aigerim Seilova from 2019 - all world premiere recordings! Dreamy soundscapes and expressive dramaticism, a cappella singing and accompaniment by electronic instruments: in this conceptual album, Pia Davila places herself in the service of the poetic idea, borne by her extraordinary and intense soprano voice.

Schubert's lieder offer a whole universe of sensorial representations of the four seasons and their characteristics, images, and symbols. Sharon Carty, one of Ireland's best internationally successful mezzo-sopranos, has taken on this enchanting repertoire with her piano partner Jonathan Ware. Together they are releasing a colorful bouquet of treasures at GENUIN. The present album features titles such as Klage der Ceres, Sommernacht, and Greisengesang and offers everything ranging from spring flowers to autumnal evening breezes, as well as the scent of summer and winter moonlight.

The armonia ensemble, made from the ranks of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the MDR Symphony Orchestra wind sections, dishes up a veritable explosion of sound on their new GENUIN release. At the heart of their exploration of Harmoniemusik, music for an ensemble of woodwinds, horns, and double bass, is Mozart's "Gran Partita," the opus ultimum of the genre. In addition, the elite wind players allow us to discover three works by Salieri, whose material was crafted just for them: An opera overture, an "Armonia per un tempio della notte,” and a "Piccola Serenata." The armonia ensemble produces a dense, historically informed sound that beautifully showcases the splendor of these four extraordinary works.

"Jewels from five centuries" aptly describes this collection, featuring small pieces of great music, that the a cappella group Octavians presents on their new GENUIN album: canzones, motets, folk songs, and pop songs to which the winners of the 2017 A Cappella Contest Leipzig give their own unique coloring. The spectrum ranges from an old Spanish hymn of praise to motherly love to lieder by Franz Schubert and celebrated songs of our time by Paul Simon and Sting. The charm exuded by the internationally successful gentlemen is fully the match of their vocal skills: a uniform sound, infectious groove, and sparkling clean intonation are the hallmarks of the Octavians - truly a "deluxe boy band"!

21 meters 60: that's the length of the tubes of the three instruments that give us an extraordinarily low-frequency experience on a new GENUIN album: Tubists Constantin Hartwig, Fabian Neckermann, and Steffen Schmid perform music from Monteverdi to the present on their trio's debut release. Their creative arrangements combine a wide variety of styles and genres: Monteverdi's canzonettas are given a completely new warmth and roundness. Astor Piazzolla's famous Libertango surprises us with pulsating rhythms and rough edges. And finally, the three tuba players take us to the cinema, to a tongue-in-cheek and breathtaking homage to Morricone. Our recommendation: take a deep breath and immerse yourself in this extraordinary world of sound!

Franz Schubert established the musical genre of the Moments Musicaux: small, characteristic piano pieces that attempt to capture the moment or make it eternal. These qualities of the genre fascinate the Korean pianist Yeseul Kim. On her new GENUIN release, she combines Schubert and Rachmaninoff together with the world premiere recording of the Moments Musicaux by the Seoul-based composer Uzong Choe. On this carefully curated album, the prizewinner of numerous music competitions presents herself as a subtle yet gripping pianist of stature—a true discovery!

Isn't always love the same and yet constantly new? This could be the motto of the new GENUIN album by soprano Heidi Maria Taubert. Here she mixes passacaglias and chaconnes from the Baroque era with her own arrangements and compositions by Ercole Nisini, which take up the examples. The infinite variety of the variations on an ostinato bass fits in with the multifaceted poetical play about the joys and sorrows of love. The release is a delightful journey of discovery featuring works by Monteverdi and Frescobaldi, by Purcell and Krieger: highly valuable in terms of repertoire and exquisitely executed by Heidi Maria Taubert and the ensemble Instrumenta musica!

Combo CAM presents a GENUIN release full of rarities: music from all over the world, from Peru to Sephardic Spain, and from Frescobaldi to Purcell. The early music ensemble's instrumentation, with its richly colored percussion, plucked instruments, recorders, and voice, is unusual; the tailor-made arrangements are unique! An added extra of the production is Doris Meeresbüchner, the "soul" of Combo CAM, who guides listeners and readers of the booklet through the program in her characteristic style. The set includes an album with music and interludes by Doris Meeresbüchner and a second album featuring magnificent baroque music!