Beethoven as the symbol of affinity to the masters of Viennese Classicism, but also as a visionary and a trigger of the new - this is in keeping with the "main focus" of the TrioVanBeethoven: the cultivation of classical trio literature, but also composition commissions for world premieres or crossover projects are features of its activity. Nevertheless, with their first album Clemens Zeilinger, Verena Stourzh and Franz Ortner devote themselves to the name giver of their ensemble with an arch from Beethoven's first listed work, the Piano Trio in E flat major, Op. 1/1, the even earlier Trio in E flat major WoO 38 up to one of the best-known works of the genre, teh Piano Trio in D major, Op. 70/a, which was later give the sobriquet of "Ghost Trio" because of the sometimes mystic mood in teh slow movement. Why "van Beethoven"? Beethoven stands for independence of mind, for revolutionary ideas, for music that reaches far beyond his own time. Beethoven was a "lone wolf", but at the same time the central point of departure for new traditions of composition, such as the lineage from Brahms to Schoenberg. In its foundation year in 2011, the trio held its debut at the renowned FEstival Tage der Alten Musik in Herne. Since then, the ensemble has appeared in Austria, Germany, Italy, and many other countries throughout the world.

Classical Music

With their debut CD the Pacific Quartet Vienna takes on a musical journey through very different spaces and epochs. The album title is derived from the “Alpine Triptych Becoming-Being-Passing Away” by the painter Giovanni Segantini, which he made for the World Exhibition in Paris, and constitutes the central source of inspiration for the internal structure of this recording. _ Starting with the Prelude for string quartet by Toshiro Mayuzumi, the ensemble presents one of the “Sun quartets” by Joseph Haydn, the String Quartet and the Six Bagatelles for String Quartet by Anton Webern. Triptychon by the Swiss composer Martin Derungs is dedicated to the Pacific Quartet Vienna and with its movements “becoming,” “being,” and “passing away,” directly refers to the influence of Segantini’s painting. With their passion for string quartet leading to the foundation of the multinational Pacific Quartet Vienna, the four musicians continue to enthuse audiences worldwide with their sensitive and warm sound alike. Appearances at renowned festivals such as at the Lucerne Festival, the Ravenna Festival, the Kalkalpen or the Niksic International Festival of Chamber Music and concerts in major concert halls worldwide equally form the quartet’s touring schedule.

Classical Music

Pop music for people who are being bored by pop music is the motto of the specialist ensemble Birds of Vienna, the instrumental trio around accordionist and pianist Heidelinde Gratzl, with Melissa Coleman, violoncello and Helmut Jasbar, guitar. Birds of Vienna call their music "Acoustic Chamber Pop", deriving their unique style from different musical genres whilst upholding a close connection to their musical Viennese roots. The current release features the musical genius of Franz Schubert. Besides adaptations of L�ndler and dances, the ensemble also appears as composers of works titled Death and the Maiden - Six New Variations, "Schubert h�rt sich ein Lied an" (Schubert is listening to a song), Schubert's Belongings or Schubert ok. These compositions testify a profound commitment to the "Schubertian" essence of these character piece-like miniatures.

- Richard Strauss' Sonata for Violin and Piano in E flat major op. 18 is a work with a Janus face, illustrating the past and the present and pointing ahead to the future. - It mirrors the composer's musical roots, such as in the second movement which contains references to Beethoven's 'Pathetique' and Schubert's Der Erlk�nig, whilst the first and final movements are influenced by Schumann, on the one hand, and express Strauss' current enthusiasm for Wagner's Tristan, on the other. - By contrast, the hidden allusions to his own tone poem Don Juan show the way the composer wanted to go in the near future.

After attracting attention with her clear soprano voice in the classical and opera genre, German singer Esther Kretzinger discovers new paths with her second album Sound of Poem. Together with a small jazz ensemble of international reputation, she sheds a new light on a special selection of Romantic and Impressionistic songs by Claude Debussy, Joseph Marx and Othmar Schoeck. With the Swiss violinist Georges-Emmanuel Schneider, New York's vibraphone player Tim Collins, renowned bassist Wayne Darling and Austrian drummer Gerald Endstrasser, Esther Kretzinger works out the essence of these songs in the language of jazz, showing that the difference between Impressionist music and jazz often lies more in externals such as sound color, articulation and instrumentation rather than in its artistic core. Esther Kretzinger, who was awarded the Lilli Lehmann-Medal of the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum and has won several prizes in national an dinternational singing competitions, can today look back on a distinguished music career. She concentrates in particular on the music literature of the 19th and 20th century, and on contemporary music. Slovenian composer Peter Kopač dedicated his work Waldseligkeit for soprano, violin and piano.

Classical Music

Classical Music

With this album, the great Austrian musician Rudi Wilfer takes a broad audience by the hand into the worlds of the concentrated impressions of a rich artist’s life. Alongside jazz standards like Falling Grace, Night and Day, or the eponymous Somewhere from L. Bernstein’s West Side Story, there are original compositions by Rudi Wilfer on this recording from the Odeion in Salzburg, Austria. The pieces “Tod eines Jazzers” and “Erdäpfel von unten” from the Requiem for Joe constitute an obituary to his great friend Joe Zawinul, furthermore he plays tribute to Stan Getz. The musical experiences with the Greatest of jazz and classical music of Rudi Wilfer’s meanwhile eight decades-lasting artistic life unfold their overwhelming effect on this release.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music