Noted for his clarity of line and purity of tone, pianist Gottlieb Wallisch focuses on Franz Joseph Haydn’s London period for his fourth Linn recording. +The famed London Sonatas can be seen as the distillation of the composer’s entire sonata-writing experience. +Mr. Wallisch won the ‘Joseph Haydn Prize’ as well as first prize at the prestigious Stravinsky Awards at age 16, thus launching his international career. +"His playing is a thing of rare beauty and a joy to behold." - Fanfare

John Butt directs Dunedin Consort in this collection of three of Bach’s finest cantatas. Together, they explore the timely themes of consolation and salvation. Having previously received exceptional critical acclaim for recordings of Bach’s Mass in B minor (which was named a Benchmark Recording by BBC Music Magazine) and St. John Passion (nominated for both a 2014 ICMA and a 2013 Gramophone Award), Dunedin Consort now cements its impressive Bachian credentials with these three cantatas.

Bass Matthew Brook takes centre stage in the melancholic yet optimistic Ich habe genug, with soprano Joanne Lunn joining him to portray the searching dialogue of Jesus and the Soul in the profoundly beautiful Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen. Known as ‘Actus Tragicus’, the early cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit is an altogether grander affair. Likely intended for a funeral, it stands out in Bach’s output both for its sublime choruses and its unusual instrumentation – notably the two oscillating recorders in the introduction, which set the tone for one of Bach’s most heartfelt and quietly uplifting cantatas.

For her sixth Linn recording KUNIKO has chosen to pay a personal tribute to one of Japan's most celebrated post-war composers: Akira Miyoshi (1933-2013). Showcasing Miyoshi's marimba works from the last four decades of the twentieth century, this recording represents a reference collection commemorating the composer's significant contribution to this repertoire. Solo marimba works include the Conversation Suite, Torse III, Rippleand the unpublished Six Prelude Etudes, the last piece for marimba that Miyoshi composed. The inclusion of Miyoshi's Concerto for marimba and string ensemble inspired an exciting collaboration between KUNIKO and Scottish Ensemble. This recording offers a compelling exploration of the marimba's remarkable sound-world, highlighting sharper and more percussive characteristics than those heard on KUNIKO's critically acclaimed album, J.S. Bach: Solo Works for Marimba. Tribute to Miyoshiis an important addition to the wider percussion catalogue and enhances KUNIKO's celebrated discography.

"Originally released in 1987, ‘Nice Work’ features a spectrum of standards from the Great American Songbook The song list is chosen with Carol’s characteristic good taste; several Gershwin favourites are interspersed amongst neglected but estimable material From the beginning of Carol's career, her albums were extremely well received"

Following the exceptional success of its debut album the Maxwell Quartet returns with its second recording of Haydn. The intriguing juxtaposition of Haydn string quartets with traditional Scottish folk music once again forms the basis of the programme. MusicWeb Inernational named Haydn: String Quartets Op. 71 as one of its Recordings of the Year stating: ‘… letting this superb playing simply wash over you has been one of the year’s great pleasures.’ The prize-winning quartet is performing Haydn’s Op. 74 and their selection of folk music will include traditional tunes from the Highlands and Shetland plus music by Niel Gow, Jean Finlayson of Lewis and Isaac Cooper of Banff. Following the Maxwell’s performance of Haydn’s String Quartet in F, Op. 74 No. 2 at the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival The Scotsman wrote: ‘Such distinctive personality informed Tuesday’s opening performance… its finely tailored Classicism enlivened with light-hearted repartee and risky spontaneity.’

Additional CD Content:

• Nathaniel Gow, Niel Gow, Maxwell Quartet: Coilsfield House – Drunk at Night, Dry in the Morning
• Sìne NicFhionnlaigh, Anonymous, Maxwell Quartet: Fear a’ Bhàta / Da Full Rigged Ship / Da New Rigged Ship
• Anonymous, William Marshall, Maxwell Quartet: The Burning of the Piper’s Hut / The Marquis of Huntly / Miss Gordon of Gight

REVIEW:

As in their debut disc of Op 71, the Maxwell Quartet respond eagerly to the boldness and brilliance of these predominantly extrovert works. They always seem to be playing to an imaginary audience. As on their Op 71 recording, the Maxwell – Scottish to a man – interleave the three quartets with their own arrangements of Scottish reels, jigs, and pipe marches.

– Gramophone

Jose Serebrier is a conducting legend, and one of the most recorded classical artists of all time. He has received forty-five Grammy Award nominations, and eight Grammy wins. Along with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Serebrier presents works by Samuel Adler. The compositions chosen include Adler’s Symphony No. 6, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, and Drifting on Winds and Currents. Cellist Maximilian Hornung, who has already been recognized for his recordings, joins the orchestra for the cello concerto. “Jose Serebrier is a top rate conductor/composer with a sense of choice and judgement second to none. He gets the very best from a youthful RSNO.” (MusicWeb International)

This recording is a celebration of the famous Johann Sebastian and ten other lesser-known Bachs, re-imagined for trumpet and piano. Bach specialist Daniel-Ben Pienaar arranged music from a great uncle, close cousins, distant cousins, and five sons, all related to the great J. S. Bach in a unique recital program.

Classical Music

This new recording of Józef Koffler’s arrangement of J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations has been widely anticipated since Trevor Pinnock conducted the UK premiere at Wigmore Hall in 2019. The Goldberg Variations were still largely unfamiliar to the musical public when Józef Koffler completed his extraordinary arrangement –for flute, oboe, cor anglais, bassoon and strings –in 1938. Over eighty years on, the Goldberg Variations are ubiquitous. Bach’s encyclopedic marvel of digital gymnastics and musical invention is regularly performed and recorded. Koffler’s arrangement cleverly reimagines the work in a naturalistic and compelling way. In its second transatlantic musical collaboration, the Royal Academy of Music is joined by students from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto. The partnership with the Academy has produced five recordings with Trevor Pinnock, one with the late Oliver Knussen and one with Reinhold Friedrich in collaboration with The Juilliard School.

Greek pianist George-Emmanuel Lazard's' superb debut release for Linn features two of the most famous works in the solo piano repertoire, both performed in breathtaking style. Originally released in 2006 'Liszt: Sonatas and Etudes' has been re-issued as part of Linn's ECHO series which offers a second chance to enjoy the best of the label's award-winning catalogue. Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor is one of the seminal works of the romantic piano repertoire and one of the most technically challenging pieces any pianist can undertake. Continuing this virtuosic theme, and demonstrating his great ambition as a pianist of the highest calibre, Lazard's also presents Liszt's Grandes �tudes de Paganini. This six-part composition, based on themes originally composed for violin by Niccol� Paganini, again places huge demands on the technical and interpretive abilities of the performer. As well as receiving a multitude of five star reviews upon it's release 'Liszt: Sonatas and Etudes' was chosen as one of '5 Essential Works by Franz Liszt' in 2012 by BBC Music Magazine. Born in Greece, George-Emmanuel Lazard's has a flourishing international career that has taken him from the United States and Mexico to Europe, Russia, Egypt, and the Middle East. During the past 20 years he has performed in some of the most prestigious venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, St Petersburg Philharmonia Hall, Palais des Beaux Arts, Festspielhaus, Cologne's Philharmonie, Stockholm's Konserthuset, Cite de la Musique in Paris, Vienna's Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Athens Megaron and Palace of the Arts in Budapest to name but a few. His appearances have received great critical acclaim; audiences and critics alike recognize him as one of the finest pianists of his generation. Lazard's has received a plethora of honorary awards and scholarships including being named an ECHO Rising Star.

After it's 'undeniably beautiful' (The Financial Times) Linn debut and it's 'excellently performed' (Fanfare) follow up, Cappella Nova releases a third volume of choral works by the leading contemporary composer, James MacMillan. Of the eight works performed here, six receive their premiere recording (only 'Missa Dunelmi' and 'Invocation' have been previously recorded). Cappella Nova has enjoyed a 25 year association with MacMillan; the choir has established an intuitive response to his work and a passion for his creativity that is evident on Alpha & Omega. 'Missa Dunelmi' is conducted by the composer; founding director Alan Tavener lends his enthusiasm and expertise for the remaining works. James MacMillan provides illuminating and fascinating insights into his work in a conversation with Rebecca Tavener included in the booklet note.

Gottlieb Wallisch, who has captivated audiences from many of the world's major concert platforms, impressed the critics with his superb interpretations of Mozart's Viennese repertoire. His second solo album on Linn further explores Mozart's rich piano repertoire of works associated with Paris and Vienna, many of which raised the standard for technical virtuosity. Gottlieb participated in the international cycle "Rising Stars" and gave solo recitals in Musikverein Vienna, Konzerthus-Stockholm, Societe Philharmonique in Brussels, the Athens Concert Hall and Carnegie Hall, New York. Numerous concert tours have also led him to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Spain, Germany and Switzerland.

The Big Screen trio explores the worlds of stage and screen, swinging through a selection of timeless melodies that enjoy universal appeal. A heavyweight of British jazz, pianist David Newton is joined for this project by bassist Tom Farmer (from Empirical), and drummer Matt Skelton. Opening with a rendition of the small-screen theme 'Bewitched', most of the action takes place on the big screen, with 'Heather On The Hill', Toy Story 2's 'When Somebody Loved Me', My Fair Lady's 'Get Me To The Church On Time' and 'On The Street Where You Live', among other numbers.

Dunedin Consort made its Linn debut with this 2001 recording of a cappella vocal music by America's two most famous 20th c. composers: Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber. + In their settings for unaccompanied chorus, each had an instinctive feel for the human voice, a natural gift for word-setting, and a pure style of writing that rarely, if ever, obscured its literary dimension. + Winners of two Gramophone Awards, the Dunedin Consort has established a reputation as one of the finest period performance choirs around. + “…a stunning performance, and a brilliant recording.’ (Hi-Fi Choice)

Following its acclaimed Linn debut recording, Copland & Chávez: Pan-American Reflections, The Orchestra of the Americas releases its sophomore album with its Music Director, Carlos Miguel Prieto. Prieto is joined by fellow Mexican and celebrated pianist Jorge Federico Osorio, who brings his superb musicianship, powerful technique, vibrant imagination and deep passion to this all-Spanish programme. Osorio is the soloist in Falla’s highly atmospheric piano concerto, Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a set of symphonic impressions which conjures up the enticing sounds and scents of a summer’s evening. Conductor and pianist received critical acclaim following their performance of this work in Ireland: ‘Prieto elicited a diaphanous palette of colors [and] as Osorio’s arpeggios shimmered up and down the piano we were magnetically drawn into this highly evocative world full of lush sounds and sensuous possibilities’ (BachTrack). Falla’s masterpiece The Three-Cornered Hat is both vibrant and colorful and showcases the ‘superb precision’ of The Orchestra of the Americas. Falla’s finely crafted and meticulous work ensures that the piece’s folklore-based melodies are consistently accompanied by exquisite background music. The programme is completed by the Interlude & Dance from Falla’s La vida breve and the well-known Intermezzo from Granados’ Goyescas.

Following his critically acclaimed debut Liszt Transfigured: Operatic Fantasies for Piano, which won the 40th Liszt Ferenc International Grand Prix du Disque in 2018, Chiyan Wong returns to record his second album for Linn. Alongside the piano music of Liszt, the music of Ferruccio Busoni has been a guiding light for the young, eclectic pianist. Here Chiyan combines Busoni’s kaleidoscopic arrangement of Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations, which celebrates the powerful sonority and range of the modern concert grand, with Bach’s timeless original. Chiyan’s ‘dazzling technical finish’ (Gramophone) and luxuriant sound are on full display in Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s famous Chaconne, a classic in the genre. Inversion, mirroring and variations are also idiomatic devices in Busoni’s Sonatina ‘in diem Nativitatis Christi MCMXVII and Chiyan’s own ‘composition etude’, Inversion of Variation 15 (Canone alla quinta), which complete this one-of-a-kind programme.

Having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2019, it is perhaps remarkable that the Fitzwilliam String Quartet has not already recorded this towering pinnacle of Western music repertoire: Schubert’s String Quartet in G major, D. 887. This revelatory recording on period instruments proves it was well worth the wait! The work’s idiomatic grandeur and overall complexity coupled with its everchanging tonalities and otherworldly atmosphere call for the sort of stamina that is the privilege of a limited few. The Fitzwilliams rise admirably to the challenge, demonstrating the characteristic expertise which has defined their recordings over many decades. Inexplicably left unfinished, the C minor ‘Quartettsatz’ rounds off the program. This chiseled, and yet formally unorthodox, single movement is presented here with its Andante second movement completed by leading Schubert scholar Brian Newbould.

Conceived by Jonathan Freeman-Attwood and Mozart scholar Timothy Jones, this program of four sonatas ‘by’ and ‘after’ Mozart represents a belated apology to the composer on behalf of all trumpet players. Had the trumpet developed into a chromatic solo instrument in the 1770s and 80s – like the oboe or flute – Mozart might have been inspired to write great music for the instrument. Following eight recordings for Linn of similarly re-imagined trumpet and piano music from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss, this recital is a compelling new contribution to the trumpet repertoire with four Classical-style sonatas, drawing on varied styles and periods in Mozart’s music. It exhibits canvases from the Salzburgian church sonata to the strutting swagger of a 21-year-old pianist-composer in Munich and two large mid- and late-sonatas from the golden Viennese years. Accompanying Freeman-Attwood is the multi-award-winning Polish pianist Anna Szalucka.

This unique harpsichord recital by Trevor Pinnock charts two incredible musical journeys four hundred years apart. Inspired by the travels of Antonio Cabez�n, the sixteenth-century organist and composer, Pinnock's programme weaves a path not only through Cabez�n's life but also through his own enviable career. In celebration of his seventieth birthday, Pinnock has chosen a personal selection of works that evoke vivid memories from different stages of his life. Success in their respective careers led both Pinnock and Cabez�n to travel widely; Cabez�n's journeys through Europe resulted in meetings with several of the composers included in this program. Journey sees Pinnock perform repertoire spanning two hundred years (encompassing works by Tallis, Byrd, Bull, Sweelinck, Bach, Frescobaldi, Handel and Scarlatti) on his favorite home instrument, a harpsichord made in 1982 after a model by the mid eighteenth-century French builder, Henri Hemsch. Pinnock's own journey has seen him recognized as one of the finest players of his generation, receiving many prizes and international recognition along the way whilst amassing an exceptional discography; his truly is an epic journey.

Where late the sweet birds sang is a gorgeous contrapuntal choral collection of works by three of the leading Elizabethan composers featuring some of the repertoire's best singers. Directed by Philip Cave Magnificat specializes in the restoration and performance of neglected choral masterpieces of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Following it's successful full length opera, 'Artaxerxes', Classical Opera return with the first in an epic series of Mozart operas 'Apollo et Hyacinthus'. Classical Opera was founded in 1997 by conductor Ian Page. It specializes in the music of Mozart and his contemporaries, performing with it's own period-instrument orchestra, and is considered one of Britain's most exciting and highly regarded young arts organizations. The company features a mix of seasoned and young performers including Klara Ek (Melia), Sophie Bevan (Hyacinthus), Lawrence Zazzo (Apollo), Christopher Ainslie (Zephyrus), Andrew Kennedy (Oebalus), Marcus Farnsworth and David Shipley (Priests of Apollo). These young singers and a period-instrument orchestra deliver uniformly superb interpretations.

The Choir of New College Oxford, one of the most acclaimed British choral ensembles, makes its Linn debut with a recording of works by the English Renaissance composer John Sheppard. New College Choir was already 150 years old when Sheppard arrived in Oxford intent on contributing to the wealth of choral polyphony that defined the era. Media vita is his most celebrated work, almost symphonic in its proportions, in which he combines and elevates conventional Tudor musical devices to striking effect. Sheppard’s boundary-pushing polyphony requires the skill and precision of liturgical professionals, and in the hands of director Robert Quinney it is compelling. The programme is completed by several motets in which Sheppard sets text from the Old Testament; we are delighted that four of these motets are premiere recordings: A solis ortus cardine, Inclina Domine, Iudica me Deus and Confitebor tibi. This is another distinctive and stylish performance from this acclaimed choir, which marks the first in a new series of recordings for Linn Records.

Following the success of its 2017 recording Edinburgh 1742: Barsanti & Handel, Ensemble Marsyas returns to the music of the Italian composer Francesco Barsanti who made his home in eighteenth-century Scotland. Having already explored Barsanti’s Concerti grossi-Parte Prima, double horn concerto and his arrangements of Scottish tunes, fans will be pleased to be able to hear more music from this engaging composer. The new album will feature Barsanti’s Concerti grossi -Parte Seconda, composed and published in Edinburgh in 1742, thus completing the Opus 3 collection. Another set from ‘A Collection of Old Scots Tunes’, featuring Elizabeth Kenny and Colin Scobie, plus Handel’s Overture to Atalanta, which was performed by the Edinburgh Musical Society, complete the programme. Ensemble Marsyas’ groundbreaking recording of the Parte Prima enjoyed a rapturous reception, gaining a 2018 ICMA nomination and Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ and Music Web International ‘Recording of the Year 2017’ accolades. Artistic Director Peter Whelan has once again created an album that provides a fascinating glimpse into eighteenth-century musical life in the Scottish capital.

Two super groups - the strings led by violinist Markus Däunert (leader of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra), and the winds led by oboeist Nicholas Daniel (whose distinguished career began with him being named BBC Young Musician of the Year) - combine in this, their second recording for Linn. A counterpart to the Aldeburgh Strings course, whose recording of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings launched this partnership in 2016, Aldeburgh Winds offered an opportunity for exceptional wind and brass players to work intensively alongside leading international professionals. Strauss poured out some of his most heartfelt inspiration in Metamorphosen, a 25-minute string masterpiece written as an elegy in the wake of Germany’s destruction in the Second World War. In complete contrast the Serenade radiates Mozartian bonhomie combined with Strauss’s exquisite chamber scoring which provides a tantalising glimpse of the composer to come. The Symphony for Wind Instruments (‘Fröhliche Werkstatt’) adds a third clarinet, basset horn and bass clarinet to the Serenade’s line-up and is very important work in the wind ensemble repertory. The Aldeburgh Strings/Wind ensembles are a product of the Britten–Pears Young Artist Programme, founded over forty years ago by Britten and Pears, in order to provide high-level performance training for the world’s best emerging professional musicians. Tutors are drawn from some of the world’s finest orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philharmonia and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and direct the ensemble sections from within, in an inspiring dual role of mentor and performer.

‘All My Sins’, the 2009 debut album from Glasgow’s rising star Maeve O’Boyle, is a master class in melodic, folk-tinged pop and showcases Maeve’s poignant, personal and deeply meaningful self-penned songs. Her unique blend of melodic pop, folk and rock won the acclaim of many established musicians and the press upon its release. Ms. O'Boyle first came to prominence in 2006 when she won a Danny award at Celtic Connections. Testament to her mounting status was an entry into The Scotsman ‘Scots Women of the Year’ in 2007 and a recommendation by the Daily Record showbiz editors as ‘One to Watch For’.