Classical Music

Classical Music

Karol Szymanowski numbers among the genuinely great sound magicians, which is why it is unfortunate that his multicolored, shimmering music schooled on Strauss and Wagner is not more frequently performed. One of the first recordings that the renowned Carmina Quartet made for DENON in 1991 gives this Polish composer his proper due. Together with Szymanowski's violin sonata and it's model by César Franck, performed by Chee-Yun and Akira Eguchi, these benchmark interpretations are now once again available - thanks to cooperation with MDG. When Szymanowski wrote his first string quartet, he had already committed a wide range of large-format music to paper. Freer in his dealing with themes and motifs, he found his way to unusual forms. His first quartet is actually a fragment; the concluding fugue he planned for it but never wrote during the turmoil of World War I had to wait until his second quartet. Now this has what it takes! In a genial combination of double fugue, sonata form, and variation movement, Szymanowski not only demonstrates his brilliant compositional talent; the oscillating tonality also contributes to the character of this masterpiece. The highly expressive violin sonata from his younger years exhibits Late Romantic exuberance very much inspired by the works of Brahms, Strauss, and Franck. Franck's sonata is one of the milestones of the violin literature; the masterful motivic interrelation of the movements lends this late work a unique cyclical unity. The tone of the first and third movements in particular anticipates French Impressionism - an ideal complement to Szymanowski's enthralling tones.

Ludwig Thuille participated in "Ritter's Round Table" with his friend Richard Strauss. For the young composer still in search of his musical self, the encounter with Liszt's ardent admirer and Wagner's friend Alexander Ritter, in whose home these gatherings were held, must have been a revelation. Thuille enthusiastically incorporated the harmonic expansions of the New Germans into his compositions. On this re release of a long sold-out recording from 1987, the Stuttgart Wind Quintet and the pianist Dennis Russell Davies perform sextets by Thuille and Francis Poulenc. This re release is a model example illustrating the principles for which MDG has stood for forty years. Outstanding artists perform magnificent music often situated off the mainstream. The careful selection of just the right performance space, a piano excellently prepared for the occasion, and choice microphones form the basis for a freely resonating, natural sound picture. The greatest possible precision, with finishing touches judged by the trained ears of sound engineers, means that many recordings continue to be audiophile benchmarks even today.

Classical Music

Classical Music

When Musica Alta Ripa recorded Jean-Marie Leclair’s Trio Sonatas op. 4 in January 1992 and released them on LP in 1993, this debut album became a sought-after premiere release. Since even then the MDG sound engineers were working with the latest digital technology, this production from Nordkirchen Castle’s Baroque Festive Hall could be transferred to disc and digital without a hitch and with the finest room nuances. Leclair was one of the best violinists of his time. The story is told that he had to compete in a musical duel with Locatelli in Kassel- then a most highly popular form of musical entertainment. The chronicler describes his “devilish” playing, contrasting it with the “angelic” style of his Italianrival. His trio sonatas suggest familiarity with the Italian school but also draw on entirely independent French traditions and shine with ingenious inventions and harmonic refinements. The virtuoso and composer Leclair was repeatedly drawn to Paris, where he would play the role of the victim in one of crime history’s greatest mysteries. His murder in October 1764 was never solved. Musica Alta Ripa has worked with MDG for many years, successfully establishing itself as one of the most sought-after early music ensembles. The ensemble’s recordings have earned many international awards, and the vibrant joy of these performances is a source of pure listening fun.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music