This is the 21st CD of the complete recordings of the Haydn symphonies by Thomas Fey and the Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra. Pizzicato praised Fey's interpretations of Haydn as 'mature and coherent.' It's a balanced performance of using historical performance practice, and modern strings and historic brass instruments.

The Staatskapelle Dresden unquestionably belongs to the international elite of orchestras. Here, the outstanding wind soloists of this vaunted orchestra, together with the Munich-based pianist Margarita Höhenrieder, perform two special works from the Viennese classical repertoire: Mozart's Quintet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano in E flat major, K. 452, and the Quintet in E flat major, Op. 16 by Beethoven. As a very special encore, oboist Bernd Schober has edited the beloved Andante from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 for wind quintet and piano.

Classical Music

Much has been written about the contrasting Italian and French musical styles at the beginning of the 18th century, but Telemann was among the first composers who attempted to fuse these contrasting styles into an expressive, emotionally rich church music. The three cantatas featured on this recording are all festive works written by Telemann for performance variously during 1716/17 and 1720 church years, and exhibit the composer's ingenuity at adapting the Italianate style for use in the Lutheran church. The music is easy-going, tuneful with moments of virtuosity and characteristic tone painting.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Der Musikalische Adventskalendar (2007)

Bach: Die schönsten orgelwerke

Liszt: Piano Works

TELEMANN HIGHLIGHTS

CANTATAS: BOX 2

SCALES FROM WEIMAR: ORGAN WORK

SONATAS FOR VIOLIN & PIANO

SCHUMANN: Marchenerzahlungen

RUSSIAN PIANO MUSIC

Piotr Plawner writes of his new release: “Of all the Polish violin repertoire, the works of Henryk Wieniawski are the best known, both in his native Poland and abroad. His two violin concertos and various works for violin and piano are performed all over the world. The International Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poznan (similar to the Chopin Competition in Warsaw) is an internationally acclaimed competition. I find Karol Szymanowski one of the most versatile Polish composers… Eight years ago, I teamed up with the Polish Radio Orchestra to give Emil Milynarski’s First Violin Concerto its world premiere. It is hard to believe that the concerto was composed in 1897 and went unperformed for 113 years. This album is intended to bring home the message that this music must not be forgotten. May this release be a token of my gratitude to all the composers whose highly interesting and beautiful works are to be heard on this release.”

The amalgamation of cultures in a potpourri of musical exchange is what “Mantra Meets Classic” is all about. The pinnacle of a journey of five years has been reached, and what is about to unfold, is a dream, of offering a Divine work, “Shanmuga Kavacham,” to the whole world. It was written in the Tamil language by the saint/poet Srimath Pamban Swamigal in 1891. The saint had prophesized, that after 100 years, this sublime work would reach a Global audience, and here we are today, bearing testimony to this miraculous prophecy, through an Indo-German Collaboration.

The internationally distinguished guitarist Jose Fernandez Bardesio plays music from North, Central, and South America, in all its great diversity of style. Its various influences from tango, folk, jazz and Afro rhythms make this music an essential part of the guitar repertoire. His arrangement of Ginastera’s Tres Danzas Argentinas is a real challenge and an expedition to the limits of the guitar; for the bitonal first and third dances, the three bass strings are retuned. Ginastera employs guitar techniques on the piano, such as the golpe, and for this reason Bardesio’s arrangement is seen as an enrichment of the literature.

Silvius Leopold Weiss is a composer whose compositions for the lute have been subject of much academic research and now enjoy an extensive discography. His early works, featured on this new release, show the new Italian influence on the young composer. Joachim Held is one of the foremost lute players of his generation. He captivates his audience with the refinement of his playing and moves the listener with expressing the different moods of the soul. In 2006 Joachim Held became the first ever lute player to receive the renowned German Echo- Klassik Award. He won in the category of "Best soloist recording of the year" for his album "Delightful Lute-Pleasure. Baroque Lute music from the lands of the Habsburgs," released by Hanssler Classic.

Siemens AG and the Orchestra Academy of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester are linked by a partnership spanning many years. What began with the family of the firm's founder Werner von Siemens, has continued across the generations through to today's company. The intensive fostering of young talent, be it in science, research, art, culture, business or technology, is today Siemens' credo, one that sees the company live it's social responsibility in a sustainable manner. Siemens can look back on a long tradition in the promotion of music in particular. Now, the Siemens Arts Program is going still further in this direction by initiating it's own projects, in which new work is created in direct collaboration with artists. The focus here is on contemporary visual arts, cultural education and classical music. The present recording, which also came about within this framework, offered the Orchestra Academy of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and it's young scholarship holders the opportunity to record an album under exceptional production conditions, bringing harmony to the well-known cello repertoire with a technically innovative audio method. Intensive collaboration between the Orchestra Academy and the Siemens Arts Program, it's artistic director Stephan Frucht, the Bayerisches Staatsorchester solo cellist Jakob Spahn, and the Immersive Audio Network IAN, has here given rise to a completely new aural experience, lending the symphonically arranged cello works of Tchaikovsky and Gulda a transparency redolent of chamber music.

Martin Luther reformed the structures of the church. Preaching the gospel was bound to have visible consequences for the form of divine service. Preaching and Luther’s own writings are complemented by the sacred song, through which evangelical faith is spread. The new song of the Reformation springs from the faith of a confessing church. In arranging, translating and expanding a whole series of older church melodies, and in particular through his own figures of speech, Luther was the true founder of German Protestant congregational singing. His own hymns reflect his strong personality founded on faith, exercising a powerful effect on his and following generations. He was the “Wittenberg Nightingale.” The reforming of the old order of service had shown the need for Latin chants to be replaced by verses sung in German. Luther’s first congregational hymn “Nun freut euch, liebe Christen gmein” was written in 1529. The first Lutheran hymn book, Geistliches Gesangsbuchlein, appeared in 1524. This “little book of sacred songs” introduces the great hymns of the Reformation, soon to find a place in popular culture and to be sung wherever the gospel is preached: Music had great significance for Luther. In honor of the 500th anniversary of the reformation, this collection of hymns by Martin Luther and songs from JS Bach is released.

The Ensemble Dreiklang Berlin presents this light-hearted album entitled Badinerie. The album’s title comes from the baroque dance which was frequently paired with a Gavotte, Sarabande, Minuet, and other dance movements to form a suite. The ensemble performs these works on recorders.

Born in Hanau near Frankfurt-am-Main in 1895, where he was something of a musical prodigy, Hindemith entered Hoch’sche Konservatorium where he studied violin, composition and conducting. He supported himself by playing in local dance bands and theatre groups. He soon made his mark as a performer and became deputy leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra at the age of nineteen, becoming its leader three years later.

His early compositional style earned him the reputation of something of an enfant térrible. Whilst his music is modernist in outlook, he rejected some of the modern trends in music, including the teachings of Schoenberg, who he admired, in favour of a more individualistic outlook. In 1921 he had his String Quartet Op. 16 and his Kammermusik No. 1 performed at the Donaueschingen festival of contemporary music. This was followed by further performances of his music the following year at the International Society of Contemporary Music festival which served to bring Hindemith and his music to the attention of a wider audience.

The music presented on these two CDs seems to have been performed as part of the centenary celebrations of Hindemith’s birth during the 1995 Schwetzingen Festival. This is a well planned and executed concert which brings together two of his better known pieces with two of his less well known theatrical works.

Der Dämon or "The Demon" is described as "A Dance-Pantomime" and is set in two scenes, revolving around the said Demon's seduction of two sisters. In the first scene he seduces the first sister, leading the second sister into a Dance of Grief and Longing. The second scene deals with the second sister's advances towards the Demon and his rejection of her. I really enjoyed this performance. This is a work known for its more jazzy elements, and the Ensemble Varianti highlight this aspect far more than the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt under Werner Andreas Albert on CPO (999 220-2) whose performance is more symphonic.

The Kammermusik No. 2 is in reality a mini piano concerto and marks the first in a six-part series of solo concertos which Hindemith completed in 1927. It has a highly virtuosic obbligato piano part and is in itself quite dramatic; it is believed that Hindemith composed his The Four Temperaments in order to stop George Balanchine re-working the Kammermusik No. 2 as a ballet presentation.

Herodiade which is a Ballet – Orchestral Recitation after Mallarmé, is the latest work presented here and displays greater maturity. It is available in two versions, one with recitation, and one purely orchestral. The one presented here has the wonderful Gisela Zach-Westphal whose declamation is far more dramatic than Ann Gicquel for Albert on CPO (999 220-2), although I do prefer his more orchestral sound and he does present both versions.

The final work on the disc is a spirited performance of the Kammermusik No. 1 with its famous finale entitled 1921 and siren-call ending. This was the piece that really announced Hindemith on the world-stage. Both of the Kammermusiks are given performances here that bring out the chamber music aspect more than in the other versions I have, Albert on CPO (999 301-2, 999 138-2) and Chailly on Decca (473 722-2). Even so, each version has a lot to offer.

These four works all have a significant role for the piano and here Florian Henschel is on top form, especially when you take into account that he was a late replacement for Sviatoslav Richter. His playing is strong and impassioned and he seems to make light of some fiendish sounding piano writing. As mentioned above, the Ensemble Varianti are excellent and really bring out the different colours in the music. As for Gisela Zach-Westphal she makes this disc worth buying just for her part in Herodiade. Whilst I knew that Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau also liked to dabble in conducting, especially towards the end of his singing career, this is the first disc I have of him in this role. He manages to keep a tight control on his forces whilst not losing any excitement from the music. First rate performances.

The sound is clearly from a live event; you get the applause and one or two coughs. There is also a slight string twang that I am sure is not in the score. Despites this, these are performances that are full of thrilling and energetic playing. I would have loved to have attended this concert. The booklet essay is exemplary; it is detailed and informative and fills in a couple of blanks in my knowledge of this composer.

– MusicWeb International (Stuart Sillitoe)