Classical Music

Following up on his recordings of the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinu, internationally acclaimed violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger presents both Violin Concertos of the Czech composer, who so often has to give room to the greater popularity of his compatriots Smetana, Dvorak and Janacek. Martinu's Violin Concerto No. 1 H 226 was written in 1931, during his almost 20 years lasting residence in Paris, France. In 1941, Martinu emigrated via Lissabon to the United States because of his detestation of fascism and war and the fear of political persecution, where he soon (1943) composed his Violin Concerto No. 2 H 293. Irnberger receives top-class accompaniment from the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, which, under the direction of Heiko Mathias F�rster, knows how to translate the Czech gesture of these works into a melodious manner.

When in March 2018 the first bars of Schubert's "Unfinished" reached the recording equipment, this was not the everyday life of musicians who fulfilled their daily tasks, but the birth of a new body of sound: the KlangKollektiv Wien. Under the baton of R�my Ballot, musicians from Vienna's leading orchestras gathered to celebrate the music of Viennese Classicism and collectively rediscover it. In order to take into account the unique sound culture of this young ensemble, the producers of this recording at Gramola insisted on using even the highest quality analog recording device. In each bar of the Symphony No. 1 D 82 and the "Unfinished", the consonant love of music is felt, with which the KlangKollektiv Vienna embarks on it's self-imposed mission.

Art is communication. When I write music, I aim for it to be heard and understood. Therefore I have to make use of a language that is at the very least understandable by a fairly large number of people. [...] Originality of language at all costs is the enemy of communication. With these words, the Hungarian-born composer Iv�n Er�d in 1968 renounced an umcompromising avant-garde and therefore a restriction to new compositional techniques such as serial music or dodecaphony. On the other hand, Er�d's works clearly show a processing of these and more tonal trends, which are wonderfully combined with influences by B�la Bartok or Johannes Brahms. The Accord Quartet from Budapest breathes the spirit of this diversified music and presents as their debut album of the three string quartets by Iv�n Er�d.

Classical Music

Celebrating the 160th anniversary of it's founding, the Parisian Orchestre Pasdeloup dedicates it's new album to two composers who were greatly appreciated by the orchestra's founder Jules Pasdeloup: Hector Berlioz with his orchestral song cycle "Les Nuits d'�t�" and the cantata "Cl�op�tre", and Augusta Holm�s (1847-1903), one of only a few female composers who were regularly performed during their lifetime, with her Symphonic Interlude "La Nuit et l'Amour". The popular French mezzo soprano Stephanie d'Oustrac is collaborating with conductor Wolfgang Doerner, who has been a partner of Orchestre Pasdeloup for more than 30 years.

Following up on their debut album with Gramola with works of Viennese classical era, the Haydn Chamber Ensemble now dedicates this release to piano trios from the period of late romanticism. Cornelia L�scher, Luca Monti and Hannes Gradwohl present emotionally charged works from Buenos Aires to Moscow under the title "Nostalgia". The first piano trios by Sergej Rachmaninoff and Dmitri Shostakovich are considered juvenile works, and both only found their way into the official canon of their composers posthumously. "Las Cuatro Estaciones Porte�as" by the Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, on the other hand, is a collection of tangos that were composed between 1965 and 1970, at the height of his oeuvre, and were combined by the composer as a suite. The arrangement for piano trio was done by his friend, tango-cellist Jos� Bragato, who also arranged the milonga "Oblivion" for this cast.

“The complete violinist” Benjamin Schmid inspires both audiences and international critics in the field of jazz and improvisation. For his latest album “Jazz Violin Concertos” with the Swedish chamber orchestra Musica Vitae; Schmid presents jazz violin concertos written by Austrian composers. Friedrich Gulda’s Violin Concerto entitled “Wings” is conceived as a single large violin cadenza with orchestra; which lacks not only virtuoso but also groovy parts. Herbert Berger’s “Metropoles Suite” was adapted for violin by the composer for Benjamin Schmid; each of the movements “Insomnia”; “El largo adios”; “A la minute” and “Avenida” can be assigned to a metropolis. “Three Songs for an Abandonend Angel” by the Austrian jazz pianist and composer Sabina Hank was also written for Schmid.

Pianist Geri Allen, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian formed a trio in the 1980s. Haden, world-famous as a member of Ornette Coleman's double quartet and Keith Jarrett's trio with Motian on drums, who in turn is writing jazz history with the Bill Evans Trio, and Allen, who is revolutionizing the jazz world with Steve Coleman, present Bud Powell's groovy classic "Oblivion", Ornette's post-bop icon "The Invisible" and their specially created works that manifest the high art of the trio. "In the Year of the Dragon" in the original artwork by Steve Byram will be only available as LP. The 2023 completely remastered release of the 1989 recording was specially created for 180g vinyl and foil-cut for excellent audiophile sound with the best dynamics.

The growing national consciousness of the European peoples in the 19th century led to numerous innovations and changes in many countries that had hitherto held onto the artistic models of Central and Western Europe. In the case of Czechoslovakia in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Antonin Dvorak is besides Bedrich Smetana and Josef Suk probably the composer that first comes to mind who masterfully understood how to weave into their works the essence of the popular folk songs and dances. Thomas Albertus Irnberger, violin, Pavel Kašpar, piano and David Geringas, cello, present the four piano trios by Dvorak as well as the piano trios by Smetana and Suk on this 3-album set.

Edward Elgar, the most prominent representative of the British Empire in music, completed his violin concerto, which was commissioned and premiered with great enthusiasm by Fritz Kreisler, in 1910. It is said that Elgar never spoke emotionally about his own music – with the striking exception of this one work, about which he uttered the words “I love it“. Violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger from Salzburg, Austria, presents this popular work here with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of James Judd in a particularly beautiful interpretation, which pays special attention to the tempo indications noted on Elgar’s score. In addition, Elgar’s sonata for violin and piano will be heard on this release, also featuring Irnberger in collaboration with the great German pianist Michael Korstick.

When Beth Levin released her third live album seven years ago, she summed up Ludwig van Beethoven's last three piano sonatas under the motto 'A Single Breath'. At the time, a critic called her a titan and wrote that she played as if she was a contemporary of Eduard Erdmann, Artur Schnabel, Wilhelm Backhaus and Walter Gieseking. This has not changed. Since then, colleagues, admirers and connoisseurs have repeatedly asked her to present her interpretation of the Hammerklavier Sonata. She has now complied with this request, also with a 'Live in Concert' recording. And again she plays in a highly explosive manner, spontaneously as in an improvisation and at the same time with an incorruptible inner logic, with inexhaustible power and an immense dynamic spectrum of expression. The Hammerklavier Sonata forms the symphonic climax of Beethoven's piano work with its final fugue that transcends all boundaries. This concert program is introduced with a suite of George Frideric Handel, including a set of wonderful variations. Handel was Beethoven's favorite composer, and the motto "All power to the dominant" could stand above both composers. Between the works of the two old masters is the 3rd Disegno by the great Swedish composer Anders Eliasson, who died in 2013, entitled 'Carosello'. This free-tonal cantabile study in 5/4 time creates a sphere of weightlessness in contrast to the cadential purposefulness of Handel and Beethoven. "One may agree with it or not. No one plays Beethoven like Beth Levin." (Christoph Schlüren, 2013)

Joseph Mayseder, solo violinist of the Vienna Hofoper Orchestra and since 1830 concertmaster of the Vienna Court Orchestra, composed numerous violin pieces and chamber music, and as significant late work the Mass in E-flat major, Op. 64 for mixed choir and orchestra. Mayseder renounces the usual singing solos in favor of the choir. The premiere of the mass took place in 1848 in the Vienna Hofburgkapelle. It was performed from 1875 to 1935 on 49 New Year's days and therefore was given the nickname 'New Year's Mass'. Performing musicians include the Vienna Boys Choir, the Men's Choir of the Vienna State Opera, and members of the Hofmusikkapelle under the direction of the Viennese violinist and conductor Thomas Christian, who also appears as a soloist in the Violin Concerto No. 2, which is also to be heard on this recording.

Anton Bruckner's Fifth Symphony is one of the most moving and magnificent of his symphonic works. Matthias Giesen, who has been working for more than 20 years as the organist and stablemaster of the Monastery of St. Florian, where Bruckner started his musical training as a choirboy, presents his transcription for organ of this monumental opus on this recording for Gramola. Matthias Giesen refined his rendition of Bruckner's Fifth on the Bruckner organ of St. Florian, which can be heard on this recording, but also on numerous other organs for many years in order to do justice to the work both in terms of technical and musical matters. In 2017, Giesen presented his adaptation of the "Fantastic", which Bruckner himself never heard in orchestral version during his lifetime, for the first time to an enthusiastic audience.

Had it been up to his mother, Georg Philipp Telemann would never have become a musician or composer. However, his irrepressible interest in it made Telemann one of the most respected composers of his time and one of the most productive with more than 3000 works. The Pandolfis Consort led by Elzbieta Sajka-Bachler and countertenor Nicholas Spanos present with “moving Telemann” four cantatas from the “Harmonischer Gottesdienst” as well as two trio sonatas for transverse flute or oboe with viola and basso continuo. In addition to the diverse historical instruments with violin, violetta, viola, violoncello and theorbo as well as archiliuto, the use of a (modern) accordion instead of the organ ensures a refreshing and truly “moving” listening experience.