Classical Music

This CD production emerged out of the project "Room for Fanny Hensel" of the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna (mdw), presenting and promoting rarely received works by Fanny Hensel as well as the artistic collaboration with her husband Wilhelm Hensel. The composition of the Journey Album exemplifies that music, painting and poetry had been integral components of their lives: Fanny, sibling of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, wrote the work on paper of varying color, while Wilhelm Hensel decorated the beginning of every composition with vignettes, putting the musical characterizations into perspective to the months and adventures of their journey to Italy in 1839/40. The earlier "dramatic scene for soprano and piano" Hero and Leander exhibits the artistic ties of the couple on a different level: Fanny Hensel setting the verse of her husband to music. This recording features music students from four different departments of mdw.

The 20th anniversary of the Bruckner Festival in St. Florian in 2017 was celebrated with the Fifth Symphony, B major WAB 105 by Anton Bruckner. Interpreted by the Altomonte Orchestra with maestro Remy Ballot - the brilliant combination which since 2011 has been honored with numerous international prizes - the "Fantastical" (cit. Bruckner) came to be a truly worthy culmination of the festival. Through the interaction with the unique acoustics of the Priory Basilica, the abysses of deep despair Bruckner was afflicted with during the time of composition come to light, but also the strength and force which kept him alive and gave him Newton-like powers. For "The conclusion of the 4th movement, the incomparable so-called final coda of the Fifth, is one of the most convincing messages of confident optimism ever written by human hand." (Klaus Laczika)

Classical Music

Classical Music

"•On their third recording for Gramola, Johannes Hiemetsberger and his Chorus sine nomine devote themselves to the German Requiem op. 45 by Johannes Brahms. • Nevertheless, both the work itself Mr. Hiemetsberger’s decision to record the composer’s own version for piano four-hands, which places greater emphasis on the choir, must be termed unconventional. _ • Founded by Johannes Hiemetsberger in 1991, the Chorus sine nomine ranks among Austria’s leading vocal enembles. "

At the beginning of his career the Austrian artist Werner Pirchner appeared mainly as a jazz musician, but at an early age began studying classical composers and theorists of the avant-garde like Schonberg, Messiaen and Adorno. Later, he composed works for diverse casts of instruments, while his trademarks are a provocative style and humoristic titles centering around the nature of man and his behavior. With this album the Eggner Piano Trio, consisting of the brothers Georg, Florian and Christoph Eggner, releases the three piano trios of Werner Pirchner going by the titles: “To whom does a human being belong?” “Homeland,” and “Today… was yesterday tomorrow. Today… is tomorrow yesterday.” The Austrian Eggner Trio is among the best-known piano trios of the present day. Founded in 1997 by the three brothers Georg (violin), Florian (cello), and Christoph Eggner (piano), this ensemble is regularly a guest in important concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall London, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Musikverein in Vienna. The Trio attracted international attention in 2003 by winning first prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in Australia and in 2006, in the framework of the “Rising Stars” series, with performances in Carnegie Hall, Cite de la musique Paris, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Kolner Philharmonie, and in the Musikverein in Vienna.

Classical Music

Classical Music

During the first months of World War I, a surge of patriotism and glorification of war coursed through Viennese musical life. Out of those echoes of violent patriotism came the songs featured on this release. The tracks chosen here are taken from operettas and traditional Viennese songs from composers like Franz Lehar, Emil Hochreiter, and Robert Stolz. Performing these songs is baritone Csongor Szanto. Szanto began his career studying composition in Vienna before switching his concentration to voice, studying under Peter Thunhardt. He specializes in early music, and frequently performs Renaissance and Medieval songs.

Classical Music

� In it's latest project, the Chorus sine nomine, one of Austria's leading choirs, under it's founder and director Johannes Hiemetsberger has turned to a very special work: the Miserere by Gregorio Allegri in an arrangement for saxophone and three choirs a cappella by Vladimir Ivanoff. � The setting of the 51st Psalm from the 1630s, which is uniquely captivating due to it's simplicity, was a fixed component of the liturgy of Easter week in the Sixtine Chapel in Rome for over 250 years and soon achieved cult status because of the high penalties on it's 'pirate copy'. � Here, the three-choir ensemble is in a subtle equilibrium with the young saxophonist Michael Krenn and meets any trace of sentimental mush with the respect due. � Recorded in the splendid Viennese acoustic of the Otto Wagner designed Church am Steinhof, built in the first decade of the 20th c. on the grounds of the then Lower Austrian State Asylum.

The guitar was a popular accompaniment instrument during Schubert’s time, and Schubert composed for the guitar both in an accompaniment role as well as part of chamber ensembles. Matthias Helm, Austrian baritone, along with guitar duo Hasard are bringing to light on this release one of the most moving song cycles, “Die schone Mullerin,” by Schubert. Matthias Helm gained his fame with his oratorio and passion performances, and he is regularly invited to concerts and opera halls such as Teatro Monumental Madrid, Musikverein Wien, and Philharmonie Luxembourg. He has performed numerous recitals of Schubert and Shumann’s song cycles. Duo Hasard is made up of Stephan Buchegger and Guntram Zauner, who both come from Upper Austria. They formed the duo in 1994 while they were students at the Brucknerkonservatorium in Linz.

The Slavonic soul of Antonín Dvořák is undoubtedly present with violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger in conjunction with PKF – Prague Philharmonia under the direction of Petr Altrichter. The violin concerto in a, op. 53, like the Mazurek, op. 49 and the Romance op. 11 for violin and orchestra exhibit many Bohemian folk dance and song references. The Sonatina in G, op. 100, written at the end of Dvorak's relocation to the “New World” exhibits Negro Spiritual as well as Irish and Scottish folk tune influences. The Slavonic Dance, op. 46/2 and the Humoresque, op. 101/7, appear here as well.

The piano festival piano forte: the next generation, a Bank Austria initiative features a selection of five young pianists from Austria and the four neighboring countries to the east, namely the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia. The up-and-coming musicians Julia Kociuban, Peter Nagel, Tim Jancar, Lukas Klansky und Fülöp Ranki were granted the possibility to present their talents to an enthusiastic audience in the course of an one-week concert series at the Bank Austria Salon in Vienna’s Old City Hall. These concerts were recorded, with the highlights being released on this album. Works presented here are by composers such as L. Janacek, J. S. Bach, F. Chopin, W. Lutoslawski, B. Bartok and O. Messiaen, as well as by contemporaries from the native countries of the nominated like Juraj Hatrik, Carl Vine, Janez Maticic, Barnabas Dukay or Lubos Fiser.