Johannes Ernst's saxophone is a true chameleon, and on his GENUIN album, he presents works for soprano saxophone by Friedrich Cerha, Georg Katzer and Christian Lauba. Perhaps the most versatile instrument of all, it is capable of producing lyrical cantilenas and irrepressible rhythms but also of extreme experiments of unheard-of expressiveness. Together with the radio orchestras from Leipzig and Vienna and three of the most renowned new music conductors, the fabulous musician Johannes Ernst plays truly contemporary music, each an individual, magical and sonorous portrait of his instrument!

The history of fantasy as a form of composition spans centuries and the term was already used in the Renaissance. Many great composers tried their hand at this genre, each giving it a personal touch. With romantic fantasies by Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann, Amit Yahav presents a number of highlights of this musical form on his new GENUIN recording. The Israeli pianist completed his doctorate on Chopin in London and for his album recording chose, among other works, the composer's posthumous Fantaisie Impromptu, op. 66, which was taken from a manuscript. A wonderful discovery!

Once again, the European Brass Ensemble brings together the best young brass players of the continent and celebrates music and its diversity. Following their grand debut, their second production under the direction of Thomas Clamor is a genuinely regal compilation of inspiring works featuring music from this side and the other side of the Atlantic. The sounds from the baroque to the present swing and groove in a way that makes it a pure joy to hear. Among the showpieces include Richard Blake's "Fantasy on Edelweiss" recorded here for the first time and his rich arrangement of the famous "Te Deum" by Charpentier. Don't miss it–this is pure luster! Since 2010 more than 150 musicians from 24 different countries have been involved in the European Brass Ensemble. They have performed at, among others, the 2011 and 2014 Schagerl Brass Festival, the 12th International Brass Festival in Meran in 2013, the 2013 Carinthian Brass Autumn in Ossiach, as well as having been a regular guest at the Innsbruck Promenade Concerts since 2012 and the Sauerland Herbst since 2015.

Johann Sebastian Bach composed timeless music for solo instruments and invented his own musical worlds for violin, violoncello, flute – wonderful, pure architectural beauty. For his GENUIN album, the saxophonist Arno Bornkamp has arranged solo sonatas by Bach, choosing a different register for each work by using the baritone, soprano and alto saxophones. The symbiosis between instrument and music seems ideal, and, guided by the principles of historical performance practice, the co-founder of the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet plays with great ease and flow. Classical saxophonist Arno Bornkamp is a unique figure in both the saxophone world and the Classical music world in general. In his career, now spanning nearly 40 years, he has amazed the music world of his energetic and stylish interpretations, full of lyricism and passion. He believes in the saxophone as an instrument with an infinite amount of nuance and colors, reflecting the human soul with all its shadings of light and dark. Bornkamp is a natural storyteller on his instrument, and offers a highly personal take in his interpretations of all the music he plays.

"Awakening" is the title of tenor Robert Pohlers' solo debut release on GENUIN. Together with his pianist Friedrich Praetorius, he brings to life a unique compilation of lieder by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs of Nature, Life, and Love, sung mainly from the new edition of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig. Why this is only now available is because the beautiful lieder are predominantly of private origin, and many of them were not originally intended for publication at all. With their intimate character, they are sonorous heart-to-heart messages, brought to us by the gentle voice of the former Thomaner Robert Pohlers and the clear piano playing of Friedrich Praetorius.

The Acelga Quintet's new thematic GENUIN album is full of drama! It features original works and arrangements for wind quintet by Luciano Berio, Franz Danzi, Jacob Gade, Claude-Paul Taffanel, and Giuseppe Verdi. All works relate their own narrative, both musically and dramatically: From homicidal opera thrillers to hungover brawls in the backlot: with a diverse tonal palette and a love of detail, the highly virtuosic wind ensemble interprets music that is dear to them. The five young musicians have won prizes in various competitions, including the ARD Music Competition, and hold positions at universities or major orchestras.

On their new GENUIN release, the internationally award-winning flutist Atsuko Koga and her fellow musicians Georgiy Lomakov (cello) and Radoslaw Kurek (piano) bring together music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Gabriel Fauré, and Charles Martin Loeffler. The trio's airy, free sound with its unusual combination of instruments is a perfect match for the three works, which represent the piano trio genre in completely different ways: Beethoven's Gassenhauer Trio as an amusing and witty play on stereotypes of its time, Fauré's late work as a detached and intimate meditation, and finally Loeffler's misty impressionistic poems – an absolute discovery!

Con Moto is the GENUIN debut of cellist Friedrich Thiele, who won an almost unbelievable number of major prizes in 2019: he won the ARD Music Competition, the German Music Competition, and in Markneukirchen. On his album, which is released in cooperation with the German Music Council, the up-and-coming star presents a classical recital program. This ranges from Brahms` profound F-Major Sonata to Dutilleux` Trois Strophes and Wieniawski's virtuoso delicacy Scherzo Tarantelle, originally written for violin. One gets to know the young musician from every angle and admires his versatile tone and technical superiority.

Jennifer Lim’s Mozart CD with GENIUN was received to great accolades, and now she shows her abilities as a sensitive chamber musician. Joining Lim is the fantastic young oboist Katherine Needleman, who makes her GENUIN debut with this album. The program of this recording displays a compelling combination of canonical works of the oboe repertoire (Schumann and Poulenc) and an exciting rediscovery of the Pavel Haas Suite. This is the premier recording of David Ludwig’s Pléaden, a piece played by Katherine Needleman with particular attention, as it is a seven movement sonata dedicated to her.

In 2015, Wies de Boevé because the first double bassist to win Germany's National Music Competition, one of the world's most renowned instrumental competitions. Boevé played with passion and it can be heard for the first time here, on this album. With his piano partner Tomoko Takahashi, Boevé performs literature by Gliere, Bottesini Piazzolla and several others.

The time has come: The Camerata Musica Limburg is releasing its latest album with GENUIN featuring works by Franz Schubert for male choir. Since 2015, enchanted by their warm, round and flawlessly refined sound, we have listened enthusiastically to this vocal ensemble with every release. The sixth and final production now extends beyond Schubert: it unites arrangements and pieces inspired by him. They range from the romantic, sonorous arrangements of Silcher and Brahms to world premiere recordings by Marten Jansson and Christopher Tarnow. The male vocal ensemble Camerata Musica Limburg was founded in 1999 and has since been under the direction of Jan Schumacher. For the members of the choir, the founding is a further development of their common musical roots, which are in the choir of the Limburg Domsingknaben.

It is often said that Elliott Carter is the most European of all American composers. Without a doubt, the New York-born composer is one of the most interesting personalities of the New Music scene in the USA. His wide-ranging compositional output is complex, filled with philosophical and poetic allusions that range from orchestral and chamber music, solo instrumental and vocal pieces to his first opera, which he first wrote at the age of 90. He wrote his compositions from his head, without using any instruments, and many of his works were only heard at the premiere. For his 100th birthday, the Sonatina for oboe and harpsichord was premiered by Heinz Holliger and Peter Salomon and has now been recorded for the first time on GENUIN. With this recording, the Swiss Chamber Soloists honors the rich oeuvre of Elliot Carter – music that is full of elegance and transparency.

REVIEW:

This is a very pleasing recital of miscellaneous works from throughout Carter's career, with one significant discographic gain. This is the elegant and utterly charming extant movement of the 1947 Sonatina for Oboe and Harpsichord, a cheerful and genial piece full of neoclassical poise and melodious invention, and romantic warmth. The Études and Fantasy give the lie to the notion of Carter as an unapproachably complex composer. Expressive little character pieces, each addressing a different compositional and technical issue, they are remarkable for their clarity and charm. Carter was 103 when he wrote his concentrated little String Trio, featuring the viola in an unusually prominent rôle. Like most of the composer's late music it is brief and relatively easygoing, while still compressing many ideas into a brief span and exhibiting no diminution whatsoever of his imaginative or technical powers. The vocal pieces demonstrate Carter's natural sense of writing for the voice, reminding us that in his youth he had considerable experience as a choral tenor. The Zukovsky songs in particular are especially tender and expressive, the two "voices" duetting in affectionate dialogue. Nine by Five is the composer’s second wind quintet, written six decades after the neoclassical brass quintet. All but one of the players double their instruments, hence the title, producing a wide range of timbral possibilities in various combinations. The work has a strong pull towards tonality in some sections.

– Records Intenraional

The Saxon Wind Philharmonic presents music that appeals directly to the heart on its new release: English works from early baroque to classical modernism. The only classical orchestra in Germany to perform exclusively in symphonic wind instrumentation is supported by the world-class tubist and ECHO Classic prizewinner Andreas Martin Hofmeir. The musicians, headed by Chief Conductor Thomas Clamor, have already released several albums with national classics, including music from France, the USA, and Russia. The unique English hues, the proximity to folk music, and the connection to tradition can be found on the new release in the works of William Byrd and Henry Purcell as well as in the music of Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar. And the exceptional artist Andreas Martin Hofmeir plays Ralph Vaughan-Williams' Tuba Concerto with incomparable ease.

Twenty-five years of Ensemble Obligat: reason enough to celebrate and honor an extraordinary chamber music formation! On its anniversary release on Genuin, Ensemble Obligat has expanded into a chamber orchestra with soloists to present Johannes Brahms's Serenade No. 1 and Louis Spohr's large Nonet in F major. These are two pieces that require a balance between soloistic leadership and overall sound, a quality that the ensemble embodies perfectly. Brahms' youthful work takes on a chamber-music-like sonority in this version. The nonet of the "German Paganini," who broke new ground in his time, benefits from the ensemble's harmonious spirit.

The musicians working with soprano Maacha Deubner take us to exotic worlds of sound on their new GENUIN album, which is exclusively comprised of world premiere recordings. These include works by the Russian composer Elena Firsova and fellow composers, set in dialogue with the oeuvre of the poet Ossip Mandelstam. In addition to Firsova's works, we make acquaintance with music by Sofia Gubaidulina, Edison Denissov, and Valentin Silvestrov. Maacha Leubner and her colleagues from the KAPmodern ensemble of the Kammerphilharmonie Potsdam devote themselves to the invariably highly expressive music, performing it with great seriousness and mastery.