No work has inspired the music world, above all connoisseurs of polyphonic composition, and triggered more sheer astonishment than this cycle of fugues by Bach. Is it not astonishing that the Art of the Fugue only seldom makes it's way to the concert stage? Why do musicians and concert presenters shy away from presenting this masterpiece to their audiences? Austrian Art Gang is the name of the acoustic dialog of musicians who have found one another from different musical genres. The members' highly diverse musical backgrounds enable Klaus Dickbauer, saxophones and clarinets, Daniel Oman, guitar, Wolfgang Heiler, bassoon, Thomas Wall, cello and Wolfram Derschmidt, double bass, to play freely and thrillingly, beyond the limits of the score. Since it's debut with Johann Sebastian Bach's mysterious and highly admired late work The Art of the Fugue in 2013, the ensemble has sought to create a modern interpretation using new sounds and improvisation. A fascinating experiment with inspiring sounds and textures.

Classical Music

While the theme of this album may seem contradictory, the chamber music of powerhouse composer Richard Wagner has been taken by Gerald Schubert and proven to be of substance and beauty. Gerald Schubert, who is a long time member of the Vienna Philharmonic, joins with pianist Bernadette Bartos for this recording. The works on this recording include Wagner’s Duo for Violin and Piano on Motifs from Wagner’s “Tannhauser”, Walther’s Prize Song from “Die Meistersinger von Numberg,” Five Poems for a Female Voice after Texts by Mathilde Wesendonch, and Isolde’s Love Death from “Tristan and Isolde”, Sigfried- Paraphrase, and Parsifal-Paraphrase. +

The Austrian violinist, teacher and composer Joseph Mayseder can be counted among the most well-known virtuosos in 19th-century Viennese musical life. He played under the baton of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert and wrote an impressive number of own compositions. More than 900 printed editions of his works in European countries and abroad illustrate the popularity of Mayseder, which nonetheless over the decades seemed to vanish. The piano quartet around Raimund Lissy, member of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra made it their business to bring to a broader audience the chamber music works of Mayeder. This first edition contains as world premiere recordings the Concert Variations Op. 63 "Souvenir a Baden", Op. 57 and Op. 24, as well as the Divertimento for violin and piano, Op. 35. The members of the Lissay Quartet, founded in 2008, have made it their goal to give more attention in the concert hall to infrequently played repertoire for piano quartet. Breathing together musically and personal harmony remain decisive for their success as chamber music performers. The four artists Raimund Lissy, violin, Robert Bauerstatter, viola, Maria Grün, cello and Srebra Gelleva, piano strive to bring their joy in making music in unison with their striving towards the highest artistic quality.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Ever since the film during the intermission of the 2017 Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, the "Kolophonistinnen" cello quartet has made a striking impression on a broad public. With their commitment and their enthusiasm, performances by the four young women-Hannah Amann, Marlene F�rstel, Theresa Laun and Elisabeth Herrmann-take listeners' hearts by storm. For their debut release, the "Heldinnen" ("heroines," an affectionate and appreciative appellation by their teacher) have compiled an exciting program rich in contrast, in keeping with their characters, full of Viennese esprit and Slavic soul, world-famous melodies from blockbuster movies, as well as fascinating new pieces by top Austrian musicians Florian Bramb�ck and Matthias Bartolomey.

The second album that Shmuel Barzilai has recorded for Gramola shines like the first "Areshet Sefateinu" with great, sophisticated orchestral and choral arrangements by Dr. Mordechai Sobol. The selected compositions and their interpretation by Shmuel Barzilai, with Yedidya-Tzviel Weksler as a soloist and duo partner, with the S.F. Y. Philharmonic Orchestra and choir under the well-proven direction of Dr. Mordechai Sobol is certainly to be understood as a tribute to the fantastic Jan Peerce and the great cantors of their time Sirota, Kwartin and Rosenblatt, as well as a bridge between Jewish tradition and Israeli culture, as the combination of Hasidic and Cantoral music.

The German author Emmanuel Geibel (1815–1884) enjoyed great popularity during his lifetime; his support for a strong and aggressive Prussia – uttered in his poetry as well – contributed to the end of the reception of his texts at the latest in 1919, after the German hegemonic demands had led to World War I. Until then, however many of his poems were set to music by many composers. On this album by bass baritone Ulf Bästlein and Sascha El Mouissi, piano, dedicated to the work of Geibel, there can be found songs by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert Schumann, Franz Lachner, Adolf Jensen, Alexander Fesca, Benedict Randhartinger, Clara Schumann, Alfred Grünfeld, Hugo Wolf, Edvard Grieg, Johannes Brahms, Gottfried Herrmann, Anton Bruckner, Ignaz Brüll, Justus W. Lyra, Robert Franz, Max Reger and Martin Plüddemann.

Classical Music

Classical Music