Following the first in the Bock reads Bruckner series, which has already been released on CD and was dedicated to the composer's self-image and the Upper Austrian period of his life, and the second evening, which has also already been released, which showed the eternal bachelor as a suitor and shed light on his relationship with the 'fair sex', this is now the third recording of a total of five readings with music. Based on letters and diary entries, this time with distributed roles (Wolfgang Bock, Thomas Thieme), it deals with Anton Bruckner's almost unbridled admiration for Richard Wagner, which - of course - was only met by the latter to a limited extent, the encounters between the two composers, who were so fundamentally different, and Bruckner's regular 'pilgrimages' to Bayreuth. Musically, a little-known aspect of Wagner's oeuvre comes into focus: selected songs and piano pieces make it possible to get to know the great music dramatist as a creator of small-scale chamber music works (Daniel Linton-France, piano; Elisabeth Wimmer, soprano).

Domenico Scarlatti, one of the most fascinating composers of the Baroque era, was born in Naples on October 26, 1685 - the same year as J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel. He was the sixth of ten children of the famous opera composer Alessandro Scarlatti. Domenico, who showed exceptional talent at an early age, began his musical journey under the guidance of his father. He became one of the most influential composers and harpsichordists of his time. Canadian-born pianist Christyna Kaczynski-Kozel presents ten of Scarlatti's highly innovative, virtuoso and technically demanding sonatas on this album. Sometimes they are characterized by a lively and upbeat character, sometimes by a melancholy mood, sometimes they are profoundly introverted or they convey a serious lyricism and melody. Many sonatas also contain folkloristic elements such as castanets or drums, guitars and hunting horn scenes. The technical difficulties are considerable: rapid key changes, arpeggios, repeated notes, trills, plus large leaps spanning several octaves and hand-crossing.

Under the title ODYSSEY, the French-Dutch violinist Cosima Soulez Lariviere and the Austrian pianist Philipp Scheucher lead us through a legendary world, as it were, beginning with Karol Szymanowski's "Myths" op. 30. The three movements "Arethusa", "Narcissus", "Dryads and Pan", which are strongly influenced by Impressionism, refer to motifs from Greek mythology and are considered a milestone in the duo repertoire for violin and piano due to their various innovative playing techniques. The following two-movement Sonata in E-flat major op. 11 No. 1 by Paul Hindemith is also influenced by Impressionism, although Hindemith's very specific, simple and "classical" musical language clearly shines through at all times. The Sonata for Violin and Piano by the American composer John Corigliano from 1962/63 captivates with it's diverse moods, which are underlined by impressively virtuoso as well as lyrical or complex rhythmic elements. The final piece is the breathtaking "Aria" by his compatriot Kevin Puts, described as a "master of polystyle", who has enjoyed great success in recent years with his latest opera "The Hours".

Chorus sine nomine, founded in 1991 by Johannes Hiemetsberger, is one of the most distinguished and innovative concert choirs in Austria. On this CD, the choir presents motets by Anton Bruckner. Bruckner simply called them sacred choruses, as the reason for their composition can usually be traced back to a liturgical occasion. The six works on the CD correspond to such liturgical interludes: Graduale (Christus factus est, Locus iste, Os justi, Virga Jesse), Offertorium (Ave Maria) and a hymn for the Good Friday liturgy (Vexilla regis). As an organist, Bruckner was admired above all for his improvisations. He was particularly admired for his high contrapuntal skills, in which he demonstrated his craftsmanship in fugue and imitation. The style of the fugal parts of his improvisations was based on Baroque patterns (such as Handel), while in other, more imaginative parts the tonal language of his organ playing became increasingly typical of Bruckner. Martin Haselbock establishes this connection to Bruckner with his organ improvisations.

On this double SACD, "Paths into Impressionism" are taken: starting with the two important Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Gabriel Faure, the first of which was already described as a masterpiece by Camille Saint-Saens, and four other short pieces by Faure, the great Salzburg violinist Thomas Albertus Irnberger and the German pianist Michael Korstick, who is already very familiar with the French idiom through many of his own recordings, present further works from the French and Belgian repertoire in their usual masterly and spirited interpretations: the Sonata by the early deceased Guillaume Lekeu, which was commissioned and premiered by Eugene Ysa�e, and Maurice Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Piano (with a Blues as the middle movement), which is characterized by Ravel's view that violin and piano were fundamentally incompatible. The resulting manifold parallel developments and bitonal frictions create specific stimuli, though without showing even the slightest hint of the music falling apart. Ravel's "Kaddish" and the "Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure", dedicated to his teacher, can also be heard, as well as the Sonata by Francis Poulenc, written in collaboration with Ginette Neveu and dedicated posthumously to Federico Garcia Lorca, and the fascinating work "Theme et variations" by Olivier Messiaen, which he dedicated to his first wife, a violinist, and which still contains many impressionistic elements.

The instrument was made by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker & Co. From Ludwigsburg in Wurttemberg and was completed in 1878 as Op. 306; the organ was accepted in the presence of Anton Bruckner. Franz Schmidt had already composed several large-scale organ works in the early 1920s, which were followed by smaller works such as "Vier kleine Praludien und Fugen". The Prelude No. 3 in G major develops in a calm, cheerful march movement, the trio with solo cantilena is followed by the first part da capo. The three-part fugue with obbligato pedal is reminiscent of Johann Sebastian Bach's technically demanding "Sonatas for two pianos and pedal" BWV 525-530. Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme (Royal Fanfares from Fredigundis) is Franz Schmidt's first solo organ work. The cycle Vier kleine Choralvorspiele on melodies of common Lutheran Sacred Songs was published in 1926. Prelude and Fugue in A major was written in 1934 as the penultimate of his works for solo organ.

Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn (To me you are beautiful) - the title of the famous Yiddish song perfectly describes the flair of the trio 'Elias and the Yiddish Maidels': three musicians who accept and celebrate each other with all their differences and unique strengths. Shira Karmon, a classical and jazz singer with Israeli and Jewish roots, Clara Montocchio, a jazz singer and singer-songwriter from Vienna with South African roots, and Elias Meiri, a native Israeli and proven jazz pianist with strong Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, present a selection of old-fashioned Yiddish hits, traditional Hebrew folk songs and original compositions. The resulting amalgam of styles captivates with groovy rhythms, swinging melodies and meditative, sometimes melancholy moods, which at the same time are completely devoid of pathos.

On this recording, the piano quintet led by violinist and conductor Remy Ballot juxtaposes Franz Schubert's famous Trout Quintet with Johann Nepomuk Hummel's much less frequently heard Piano Quintet, composed almost 20 years earlier. What both quintets have in common (apart from the fact that they remained unpublished for several years after completion) is the fact that they were - according to the contemporary convention - still scored for double bass, which would usually become replaced by a second violin in the later course of music history. Yoko Urata-Fog, piano, Remy Ballot, violin, Iris Ballot, viola, Jorgen Fog, cello and Manfred Hecking, double bass, impress with their uncompromising musicality and unpretentious playing, which brings out the diverse layers of sound in a unique, almost analytical way, and prove the point that after many dozens of recordings of "The Trout" (yet far less of the Hummel quintet), there still remains something genuine to be expressed with these "Classics".

Native from Naples, Italy, pianist Lorenzo Pone lives in Salzburg and is one of the most highly acclaimed young pianists today. Having been a student of Paul Badura-Skoda's for almost a decade, he dedicates his debut album "Tribute to Paul Badura-Skoda" to this great master. Universally praised for the distinctive quality of his sound and his formidable perfectionism, Pone presents among others piano sonatas which he worked on with Badura-Skoda during the last weeks of the latter's life in 2019, among them the Sonata No. 51 by Joseph Haydn, the Grand Sonata No. 26 in A-flat major by Ludwig van Beethoven, the Piano Sonata Op. 1 No. 10 by Lodovico Giustini and the Three Nocturnes Op. 15 by Frederic Chopin. The program, which is derived from a piano recital given at the Teatro di San Carlo of Naples in honor of Badura-Skoda in October, 2019, closes off with three pieces of Claude Debussy's Preludes: Minstrels, La fille aux cheveux de lin and La Puerta del Vino.

After years of heartfelt requests, Thomas Albertus Irnberger has granted our wish and made us very happy with his Sibelius project. T. A. Irnberger's concept of combining a great violin concerto with chamber music works by the same composer follows the unpretentious idea of a complex presentation of a composer rather than the joint presentation of "great" violin concertos on one CD - which does not make Sibelius' violin concerto any smaller. Here presented in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Doron Salomon, it is one of the six or seven most-performed concertos in the violin literature and, with it's turbulent genesis at the beginning of the 20th century, one of the great works of late Romanticism. The elaborate revisions and new versions have given the work a stringency that is hard to resist. The following violin miniatures on this CD, recorded with Irnberger's busy piano partner Michael Korstick, were composed in the later years between 1905 and 1929.

This compilation of the greatest sacred compositions for bass and organ finds it's ideal performers in singer Gunther Groissbock and Matthias Giesen on the Bruckner Organ in St. Florian. The repertoire spans from J. S. Bach through Haydn and Mozart to Bruckner and Brahms and ends with the conclusion of the oratorio "The Book with Seven Seals". Here, two of the most powerful instruments meet, not in conflict, but complementing each other to create a sound experience of exceptional quality. Three centuries come to life in the great Basilica of St. Florian, radiating their brilliance within the unique acoustics of this exalted church. Clemens Horak, Manuel Huber and Wolfgang Vladar, all members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, complement the outstanding duo Groissbock/Giesen as instrumentalists.

Four years ago, G�nther Groissb�ck, celebrated bassist at the world's most prestigious opera stages, surprised music lovers with a recording of popular Viennese songs. There was hope and expectation that a follow-up would come. Now he returns with a journey through time in the genre, from the Biedermeier period to the present day. While his 2021 album Gemischter Satz featured the Philharmonia Schrammeln, this time it's the Neue Wiener Concert Schrammeln who define the Viennese sound of the CD. It includes songs from the pen of Viennese song poet Andr� Heller, such as "Es is allas unhamlich leicht" (Everything is incredibly easy) or the title track "Annageln kannst es net, die Zeit" (You can't nail down time), as well as classics like Hermann Leopoldi's "In einem kleinen Caf� in Hernals" (In a small caf� in Hernals), Karl Hodina's "Herrgott aus Sta'" (Stony God), or traditional Viennese songs like "Wann i amal stirb" (When I once die) and "I hab die sch�nen Maderln net erfunden" (I can't take credit for the pretty girls). Instrumental contributions from the Neue Wiener Concert Schrammeln, including original compositions by two of it's members - "Hopp Hopp Galopp" (Helmut Thomas Stippich) and "Leopoldina & Pedro or: How Haydn's student Sigismund von Neukomm may have seen Brazil" (Peter Havlicek) - round off this new album.

Since 2004, the lost world of the former “Buchenland” (Beech Country) with its Jewish-Christian culture, which was expelled and destroyed by Naziism, has played a special role in Alexander Kukelka’s oeuvre – his ancestors came from Czernowitz (Chernivtsi) and the former Bukovina. The album “Call to the Highest Vision” is a follow-up to the production “Czernowitzer Skizzen” released in 2008, and stands as a further attempt to pay compositional tribute to this historically unique “multi-ethnic mosaic” on the edge of the Carpathians with its capital Czernowitz, also known as “Little Vienna” or “Jerusalem on the Pruth”. The selected works combine most diverse styles of composing, with works ranging from the concerto for nai (pan flute) and string quintet, songs for bass baritone, bass clarinet and piano, Meditations for solo clarinet and Klezmore Orchestra, works with ironic titles such as “About a March That Set Out to Learn How to Dance – Humoresque for Wind Quartet” or “Requiem for a Dead End – Farce for Flute, Cello and Piano”. However, no “historical distance” or compositional employment can relativize or explain the irretrievable loss of this unique linguistic and cultural landscape, in which half a dozen ethnic groups dreamed of a better world in peaceful coexistence on the eve of the Shoah.

Festival organ, grand organ, monumental organ - when it comes to talk in Klosterneuburg about Johann Freundt's masterpiece from 1642, people almost exclusively use these superlatives. As the musical jewel of the Augustinian Canons' monastery Klosterneuburg, it radiates far beyond the borders of Austria and is an important tourist attraction for organ enthusiasts in Central Europe. If intending to portray such a magnificent instrument as the festival organ in the context of a CD, one soon has to deal with the phenomenon of being "spoilt for choice". If you look at the European repertoire for organ from around 1642, you quickly realize that much of it can be performed very well on Johann Freundt's Great Organ. Even if you look a few decades or centuries further back, you will still discover pieces in the organ literature that harmonize wonderfully with the festival organ. This portrait CD is intended to give a small insight into the great variety and possibilities of the organ and also demonstrate it's modernity. After all, it is up to us whether an instrument is considered modern or not. In the opinion of the author of these lines, this organ can be played much more authentically than many a new organ, on which, in today's opinion, "anything can be played". Johannes Zeinler

The applause continues, even some cheers can be heard: definitely get out again, take a grateful bow! And present some more? Something full of verve and vigor to increase the enthusiasm even more? Or would you prefer something calm and soothing for the soul? - Although encores have certainly not been at the heart of musical performances, they are most often an integral part during the conception stage of a concert evening's program. As sort of an encore to his lifetime's achievements, Robert Wolf, who was principal flute player of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra for almost 40 years, and his daughter Agnes Wolf, piano, pay tribute to the wide range of encore pieces from his many years of concert activity on the present CD "ENCORE". In addition to original works by W.A. Mozart, M. Blavet, C. Debussy, M. Ravel and J.S. Bach, there are also arrangements of well-known pieces by C.W. Gluck, F. Schubert, D. Shostakovich, G. Faure and J. Lanner, among others.

The Austrian-Croatian conductor Milan Turkovic, who also has an unparalleled career as a bassoonist, presents a varied Mozart program with the Wiener Concert-Verein chamber orchestra. Turkovic has been particularly interested in preserving the Viennese sound tradition not only since his time with the Concentus Musicus under Nikolaus Harnoncourt. In addition to the world-famous Serenade No. 13 in G major K. 525, also known as "Eine kleine Nachtmusik", this latest CD entitled "Nachtmusik" (Night Music) includes the Divertimento in D major K. 136 and the Symphony No. 39 in E major K. 543, which belongs to the group of the last three symphonies. You can expect Viennese sound tradition "at it's best".

It was nothing short of a sensation: in the autumn of 2021, the Female Symphonic Orchestra Austria (FSOA), under the direction of it's founder and chief conductor Silvia Spinnato and featuring Jacquelyn Wagner - one of the most sought-after and successful sopranos in the lyric and youthful-dramatic repertoire - gave the posthumous world premiere of the Hymnische Symphonie (Hymnic Symphony) by Bruckner's student Mathilde Kralik von Meyrswalden at the International Brucknerfest in Linz. This performance came more than 80 years after the final version was completed. "A sensational symphonic rediscovery," proclaimed the Ober�sterreichische Nachrichten, and the concert audience cheered. Now, the live recording of this concert is being released, paired with the Piano Trio in F major, also composed by Mathilde Kralik. Her early chamber music, after all, was well received by Eduard Hanslick, the universally feared music critic, and her songs, which form the main part of her oeuvre, were popularly sung. In contrast, the few symphonic works from her pen almost without exception ended up in a drawer and, after her death in Vienna in 1944, fell into near-total obscurity until today.

"After an appropriate prelude, the bishop ascended the pulpit, pronounced one of the seven words and began a discourse on it. As soon as he had finished, he descended from the pulpit and knelt before the altar. This pause was filled with music. The bishop entered and left the pulpit for the second, third time and so on, and each time the orchestra reentered after the end of the speech. My composition had to be appropriate for this presentation.” With these words, Joseph Haydn described his work "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross," and this recording is designed in the same way: The reflections on the seven last words are by Father Julius Kappel, FSSP (member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter), performed by the renowned actor and narrator Michael König. Haydn’s music is interpreted by the ensemble Capella Paulana, consisting of Dominik Hellsberg and Georg Wimmer, violins, Robert Bauerstatter, viola, and Benedikt Hellsberg, violoncello, who have been artistically associated with each other for many years. In the sequence of words and music, the underlying biblical message is impressively conveyed both musically and linguistically."

Albin Fries, who is also a passionate natural scientist, presents highlights of his Lied oeuvre on this CD with soprano Margarita Gritskova, who has been a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble since 2012. These include songs that refer to nature, such as the "Seasons" cycle, which includes a setting of Uhland's famous poem "Fruhlingsglaube", as well as music on poems by Hermann Hesse, Stefan Zweig and Heinrich Seidel, songs dedicated to love, such as the cycle "Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Ruckert op. 52" and settings of other poems by Adelbert von Chamisso and Clemens Brentano. The "Five Last Songs op. 53" based on poems by Theodor Storm and Edith Haider, which are dedicated to Margarita Gritskova, were composed under the impression of the composer's determination to cease composing, which had become impossible for him due to his advanced hearing loss.

Under the title "Kaleidoskop Europa", this CD presents a musical journey that encompasses the entirety of Europe. Central to the album is the concept of dance as a medium that both connects people via music and body language, and also motivates them to express themselves with one another, regardless of national origin, language, religion or culture. The album features dances from eleven different European countries, commencing and concluding the musical journey in Vienna-the home of both the ensemble and the painter Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller. By combining pieces of music from different countries, dance emerges as a symbol of the unity found within Europe's diverse cultures. All compositions are arranged for piano trio, with the exception of the opening march by Fritz Kreisler, which was originally composed for this instrumentation. Some arrangements were made by Martin Forst, the cellist of the trio, specifically for this production, thus leading to their premiere presentation on this CD. Through these adaptations, works originally composed for piano or orchestra take on a new form: the auditory experience is enhanced by numerous dimensions-particularly regarding color richness and transparency - revealing intriguing and novel facets of the compositions to listeners.

The fact that an accomplished violinist can also play the piano with equal virtuosity and artistic perfection suggests an extraordinary musical talent. Tomoko Mayeda’s recording of Mozart’s late Viennese violin sonatas already revealed that this is true in her case. On this album, the Japanese artist now presents in a unique way the three violin sonatas by Johannes Brahms by first recording the entire piano part and then adding the violin part in a second recording session. Brahms described his violin sonatas as “Sonatas for Piano and Violin” – himself as an extremely virtuoso pianist being aware of the difficulty and prominent position of the piano part. With this release, Tomoko Mayeda once again demonstrates her extraordinary dual talent.

Anton Heiller (1923-1979) was by far the most influential figure to shape the significance that the 'king of instruments', the organ, achieved in Austria in the second half of the 20th century - a significance that continues undiminished today, decades after Heiller's death, and is passed on by his many students and their students in turn. In Heiller, the composer, the additional creative dimension can be heard and, provided one is able to do so, played. While there is, strictly speaking, no need for anniversaries to honor this outstanding personality, the 100th anniversary of Heiller's birth is a unique opportunity to present his works in a systematic manner, as is the case with this recording of his organ works. Its distinctive character has established Heiller's music firmly in the international repertoire, with sacred music occupying the most prominent place in the composer's oeuvre. His organ compositions also frequently refer to ecclesiastical themes.

For this complete recording of all 36 works, Ludwig Lusser, cathedral organist at St. Pölten, recorded the 24 works for solo organ, the ten works for choir and organ, and the two concertos for organ and orchestra on the cathedral's Metzler organ, starting in 2012, and working with conductor Otto Kargl (Domkantorei St. Pölten, Cappella Nova Graz), Simon Erasimus (Momentum Vocal Music), Norbert Matsch (Puellae Wilthinensis), and Peter Planyavsky (Niederösterreichisches Tonkünstlerorchester).

It is both comforting and gratifying that, contrary to current trends in dealing with deceased contemporary composers, Anton Heiller remains widely present today through his vital musical legacy.

Stuttgart-born mezzo-soprano Christina Baader has been a much sought-after musician for many years, not only as an opera singer and soloist, but is also an internationally successful visual artist. To mark the 100th anniversary of Gabriel Faure's death, Christina Baader and Gert Hecher, piano, are presenting an album by the title MONDE ET MYSTeRE with a selection of his songs as well as those by Henri Duparc, who also played a significant role in establishing an independent French art of song. The expressive songs are based on poems by famous French poets such as Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire, Armand Silvestre, Theophile Gautier, Rene-Fran�ois Sully-Prudhomme and Jean Lahor. Together with Gert Hecher, a specialist in the restoration of historical keyboard instruments, two grand pianos from 1868 and 1879, respectively, from the famous erard piano manufactory in Paris, which at the time had a similar status to Steinway & Sons today, were chosen to best emphasize the different tonal and stylistic elements of the works of the two composers.

Anton Bruckner and Sankt Florian, an incomparable and authentic relationship: In the monastery of Sankt Florian, Bruckner’s home and resting place, not a single stone has changed since Bruckner’s time. Conductor in Residence Rémy Ballot and the Altomonte Orchestra of St. Florian have been using the annual gathering at the St. Florian Brucknertage festival for more than ten years now to devote themselves intensively to a selected Bruckner symphony and to present it to the audience in one or two celebrated concerts. From the live recordings this 10-part cycle was created and in 2023 completed with the recording of the “Nullified Symphony WAB 100” and is now being released as an exclusive complete edition. In the entire history of Bruckner’s reception, this is the only cycle to have been performed live in its entirety by a single conductor – Rémy Ballot – exclusively in Sankt Florian. The acoustics of the St. Florian Abbey Basilica are problematic due to their reverberation time of up to ten seconds, and are only suitable for a few works, as there is a danger of “harmonic mush” if the tempo is too fast and the harmonic changes too rapid as a result. Far from this trap, on the contrary, music is made in alliance with the acoustics in the present recordings. The architectural and acoustic conditions of the basilica require a consciously specific articulation and dynamic shaping. The Altomonte Orchestra, made up of local musicians reinforced by members of the most important Austrian orchestras, is traditionally deeply familiar with these, as well as is the Upper Austrian Youth Symphony Orchestra, which has been performing Symphonies VI and VIII for this edition.

Baroque world music – Four musicians (a Sicilian, a Catalan, a South Tyrolean of Italian origin with Slovenian roots and a Viennese) meet in Vienna to make music together out of love for Baroque and traditional music from southern Italy. Coming from all points of the compass, like the ROSA DEI VENTI – the wind rose, the sounds of violin, cello and harpsichord mingle in an intimate embrace with the intense songs of southern Italian music. With the album “ROSA DEI VENTI”, the ensemble, founded by Marinka Brecelj in 2012, draws on the rich musical tradition of southern Italy, which has its roots in various cultures. The focus is on serenades and love songs in Griko, a language that combines ancient Greek, Byzantine-Greek and Italian elements and is spoken in the Magna Graecia region of southern Italy’s Apulia (Salento) and occasionally in Sicily. The songs are part of the traditional music of the Greek colony in Italy. The songs from Sicily are touching with their rough tenderness and are reminiscent of the most diverse Oriental and Arabic influences from the Mediterranean region. The album combines music from the southern Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods with folk songs, with various versions of the tarantella adding a dance-like note to the program.