Born in Maryland in 1954, John Stamp - universally known as 'Jack' - is a well-known figure, both as conductor and composer, in the symphonic wind-band movement that flourishes in US universities. But the sound of the brass band familiar in the UK has long been an enthusiasm, and his involvement with brass bands on both sides of the Atlantic - particularly the Minneapolis-based Lake Wobegon Brass Band, which takes it's name from Garrison Keillor's fictional Minnesota town - has generated a number of works which bring elements of the British brass tradition to audiences in the US Mid-West, imbuing them with a catchy rhythmic swing.

The first collaboration on record of long-time recital partners Viktoria Mullova and Katia Labèque. Ranging from the Schubert Fantasy of 1827 to Stravinsky’s 1933 Suite Italienne, this fascinating programme spans a tremendously exciting 100 years, in which music changed radically, rapidly, and irreversibly. These works demonstrate the massive alterations wrought in those years; the contrast between the Romanticism of Schubert and Clara Schumann, and the innovation of Ravel and Stravinsky. Yet Stravinsky’s use of Baroque music and Ravel’s appropriation of jazz show that the 20th century embraced diverse influences, including those of the past. Viktoria Mullova and Katia Labèque have played this recital together many times, and, as is clear from this recording, relish each composer’s distinctive approach to writing for violin and piano. This is a re-release of the original 2006 production.

Quatuor Danel, internationally celebrated for their interpretations of Shostakovich and Weinberg, present Sergei Prokofiev's rarely heard string quartets in a stunning new recording. Prokofiev composed only two quartets, yet these works reveal his genius in crafting masterpieces within a genre he rarely explored. The String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50, was commissioned by the Library of Congress during Prokofiev's American tour in 1930. It's intricate textures and unconventional form, culminating in a poignant slow finale, showcase Prokofiev's unique voice and meticulous attention to detail. String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 92, composed during Prokofiev's wartime exile in the Caucasus, integrates Kabardinian folk themes into a vibrant, classical framework. It's lively dances and evocative melodies demonstrate his ability to merge folklore with sophisticated artistry. Completing the album is the Visions Fugitives, a series of fleeting miniatures originally written for piano and arranged for string quartet. This adaptation highlights Prokofiev's kaleidoscopic tonal palette and lyrical depth. Recorded in the Mendelssohn Hall of Leipzig's Gewandhaus in March 2024, this album offers a deeply immersive journey into Prokofiev's "closed world" - a magical blend of drama, intimacy, and innovation that defines his chamber music legacy.

Swedes are proud of Elfrida Andree. She was the first woman that conquered the position of cathedral organist. Even reactionaries that were appalled at having a woman playing from the gallery capitulated at hearing her skill. Critics that reviewed her compositions found positive words for her - even for her first symphony, premiered in 1869, which the composer later disparaged as an "early work". The Fritiof Suite, on the other hand, was an unqualified success. In 1909, Elfrida Andree made a suite of five movements based on her (only) opera Fritiof Saga. Unlike the staged work of 1898, these 'scenes' were once very popular - a fantastic piece of incidental music for the Fritiof epic by the poet Esaias Tegner, which practically every child in Sweden knew.

Lepo Sumera (1950-2000) was one of the most important figures in Estonian music after WW2. Sumera can also be considered among the most important European symphonists of his era: between 1981 and 2000 the composer wrote an impressive series of 6 Symphonies. These dramatic and emotionally-packed works of great beauty and contrasts were greatly admired, among others, by John Adams. This new album by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Olari Elts is first instalment in a new fascinating symphony cycle.

To arouse wonder: this was the mission the Baroque bequeathed to the Galant style. The celebrated opera composer and keyboard virtuoso Baldassare Galuppi achieved this by applying tools from the visual arts to music, playing with light, colour, and perspective. The trendsetting fire of his imagination and the sweetness of his cantabiles captured the spirit of the city of Venice with the whimsy and drama of it's new Goldonian theatre, earning him renown throughout Europe. Wonder in Venice is a selection of solo sonatas and concertos for harpsichord and strings that showcase the eclecticism of Galuppi's music, which combines the brilliance of the Venetian Galant style with tempestuous Sturm und Drang outbursts. The young Italian harpsichordist Arianna Radaelli, a brilliant soloist who performs with Il Pomo d'Oro, Zefiro and Jordi Savall, gives Galuppi's keyboard works a new reading which is faithful to historical performance practice, yet also dynamic and audacious. Flanked by the excellent string ensemble La Filarete, she successfully explores the expressivity of this repertoire, which is ripe for rediscovery.

An unrivalled collection of lesser-known 20th-century piano concertos in both Romantic and modern styles, in definitive recordings by Dutch artists. This survey of Dutch piano concertos actually begins in 1886, with the A minor work by Carl Smulders (1863-1934). Smulders sidesteps convention by opening not with a grand gesture but a slow, expectant build-up, breaking the template for A minor piano concertos established first by Schumann and then Grieg. The piano writing itself has a lyrically Griegian flavour, however, which Ivo Janssen brings out in this 1994 recording. The collection steps confidently into the last century with a glittering 13-minute concerto of 1927 by Willem Pijper, and a punchy neoclassical concertino from 1928 by Henriette Bosmans, who brings sumptuous, Rachmaninoff-style lyricism to the contrasting episodes. The shadows of Bartok and Ravel continue to fall on Kees van Baaren's 1934 Concertino, and Leo Smit's 1937 concerto for piano and wind ensemble. Another chronological leap forward takes the collection to 1964, with a second concerto by Van Baaren, who by now had adopted an angular serial idiom in tune with the times. From the same year, Henk Badings' Concerto for Two Pianos casts a retrospective look at the age of expressionist film scores in a dark and turbulent but conventionally structured work. Coming further up to date, the collection embraces the personal engagements with both modernism and the concerto tradition crafted by Tristan Keuris in 1980, and Ton de Leeuw in 1990. Finally, the 1991 concerto by Jan van Vlijmen encapsulates the musical journey of the 20th century into modernism and then towards an accommodation of it's principles with tonality. Like several other composers in this set, the name of Van Vlijmen deserves to be known far wider than his native Netherlands, and this superbly prepared recording presents the most compelling case for his music. Long unavailable since it's original 1994 release on the specialist NM Classics label, this reissue by Brilliant Classics includes full booklet introductions to each composer and their work. - "Piano concertos by 20th-century Dutch composers" reflect the dynamic evolution of classical music during this period, marked by a blend of modernism, neoclassicism, and unique national character. - This 3 CD set offers a comprehensive collection of Piano Concertos written by 20-th century Dutch composers: Henriette Bosmans (1895-1952), Kees van Baaren (1906-1970), Ton de Leeuw (1926-1996), Leo Smit (1900-1943), Carl Smulders (1863-1934), Willem Pijpers (1894-1947), Henk Badings (1907-1987), Tristan Keuris (1946-1996) and Jan van Vlijmen (1935-2004). - Stylistically ranging from the Late-Romantic to the experimental and jazz, these concertos offer a testimony of the rich cultural life of the Netherlands. - Played by top Dutch pianists: Ronald Brautigam, David Kuyken, Ivo Janssen, Sepp Grotenhuis, Ellen Corver and Rene Eckhardt. The Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and Radio Philharmonic Orchestra are conducted by Lucas Vis, Jac van Steen, Ed Spanjaard, Kees Bakels and Alexander Vedernikov. - Licensed from the rich catalogue of NM Classics, the label for music from The Netherlands.

For this third instalment in his survey of orchestral works by Ruth Gipps, Rumon Gamba, conducting the BBC Philharmonic, is joined by the horn soloist Martin Owen. The album opens with Gipps's Coronation Procession. The piece depicts the journey of the Crown(s), perhaps as observed from the Royal Coach, culminating in the entry to Westminster Abbey. Written in January 1953, the piece was not used at the coronation, and instead first performed in September 1954 in Melbourne, Australia. Ambarvalia is a memorial tribute of 1988 by Gipps to the composer and colleague Adrian Cruft, who had died in February 1987. Gipps wrote the Horn Concerto in 1968 for her son, Lance Baker. The piece was later championed by Frank Lloyd, who gave a BBC broadcast in 1982. Here the virtuoso Martin Owen brings the work vividly to life. The Lake District was the inspiration for the 'Impression' Cringlemire Garden, a pastoral miniature for string orchestra. Dated September 1942, the First Symphony is a direct reflection of the horrors of war. The work demonstrates Gipps's personal voice, and features some wonderful writing for winds.

As for this new album, neither Glinka nor Dvorak are strangers to Haiou Zhang, since he is considered to be one of the most passionate pianists of his generation as far as piano chamber music is concerned. The Dvorak Piano Quintet and Glinka�s Gran Sestetto have always been at the heart of his chamber music repertoire. Haiou Zhang has performed these masterpieces in numerous concerts with ensembles. "It took me quite some time to feel really ready for a recording. Both pieces are delicate and need careful attention to obtain the perfect balance of sound and harmony".

The pianist Zlata Chochieva is well known for creating unexpected associations. In "Chiaroscuro", her first album for naive (V7542, 2022), she had combined the worlds of Scriabin and Mozart, in whom she hears not only the same desire for clarity and weightlessness but also a similar poetic sense of rhetoric. Her next album ("i'm Freien", V7959, 2023), a homage to nature, revealed alongside Ravel's Miroirs and Schumann's Waldszenen a short cycle, so little known and graceful (Petite Histoire), by Felix Draeseke! No wonder she is now offering us, for her first album with orchestra, one of the most obscure works of Russian Romanticism, the Piano Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakov. Written in 1883 in memory of Franz Liszt, whose two opuses in the genre strongly influenced the author of Scheherazade, this Concerto, with it's monothematic structure, built on a Russian folk theme, had greatly impressed Balakirev, who was surprised to hear such an idiomatically written soloist part, from a composer who was not a pianist himself. At the age of fourteen, Zlata Chochieva had played the work under the direction of Mikhail Pletnev, then head of the Russian National Orchestra. This Concerto remains for her a "miracle of taste, poetry and inspiration". Her intelligent and limpid playing is ideally suited to the very delicate lyricism that Rimsky-Korsakov deploys throughout this astonishing score full of numerous and subtle contrasts. At the heart of this recording, where Zlata Chochieva is joined by the musicians of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the German conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens, surges the merciless ardor of Sergei Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto. In a departure from the stormy way in which this formidable score (for the fingers) is generally approached by pianists, Zlata Chochieva prefers a certain sense of phantasmagoria, rightly recalling that Prokofiev, as a spiritual disciple of Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, enjoyed stories, old Russian fairy tales and legends. After this, we have a total change of atmosphere with the Jazz Suite for piano and orchestra by Alexander Tsfasman which concludes the album. An eminent disciple of Felix Blumenfeld, an incredibly talented pianist, to whom Shostakovich intended piano part of one of his film scores, Tsfasman introduced American jazz to the Soviet Union, and formed the first orchestra dedicated to the genre. In Russia, he premiered Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, a composer for whom he had the deepest admiration. A brilliantly written, comforting and sincere score, his Jazz Suite sometimes evokes the American composer but above all Hollywood and Soviet film scores. Not without a most contagious and mischievous pleasure, Zlata Chochieva and Karl-Heinz Steffens revel in it's ingenuous charms (Snowflakes). 17 July 2024

This volume of modern premieres of works by Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688 - 1758) was recorded in concert, the programme opening the 2023 International Fasch Festival, in Zerbst, the city in which he was Capellmeister to the princely court. Tempesta di Mare has had an ongoing love affair with the orchestral music of Fasch that goes back to 2007, when the band received images of manuscript part books for several as-yet unpublished orchestral works held at the Dresden Library. They have been investigating, discovering, and performing works by Fasch every season since then, and recording those that have not already been recorded - this album is the fourth volume of such discoveries. One of the things that fascinate Tempesta di Mare about the music of Fasch, which goes beyond the craftsmanship, expressivity, inventiveness, and wit, is his very distinctive voice. Plenty of other central European composers of his time were content if their music could sound like that of Vivaldi, Corelli, or Telemann. Those influences remain clearly present in his music, but Fasch does not sound like any of them - nor, for that matter, like Bach, Handel, or any other of his contemporaries familiar to us.

John Cage's importance for a comprehensive aesthetic reorientation of New Music after the Second World War can hardly be overestimated. His self-discovery and compositional articulation took place particularly in the field of piano music: in the art-merging experimental laboratory of New York around the dancer Merce Cunningham, the painter Robert Rauschenberg and the congenial performer and pianist David Tudor. It is good fortune that Sabine Liebner, who has already released several internationally acclaimed, award-winning albums with WERGO, has thrown herself into the complex pianistic and artistic demands of interpreting another of Cage's great works. The result is the first recording of the complete "Winter Music" for one pianist: all notated events (aggregates) from each of the 20 unnumbered pages are played consecutively. The additional, fascinating expansion of the sound space through "harmonics" - overtone vibrations - creates a very differentiated sounding, kaleidoscope-like music of surprisingly idiosyncratic beauty. Dedicated to the artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, "Winter Music" calls for a new way of listening: listening to sound with crystalline clarity and permanent change both inside and outside the sound. This integral recording, which is set against the tide of a strongly event-driven cultural life, represents a milestone and point of reference for the further impact of "Winter Music"!

As is the case with so many 18th-century composers, Giuseppe Sarti (1727-1802) enjoyed fame in his lifetime to rival W. A. Mozart's but is scarcely known today. Some might remember him as the author of the aria "Come un agnello", borrowed by Mozart in Don Giovanni. After all, Sarti's arias were in his lifetime regarded as true models of Italian style. Even after his death, they were regularly performed in the salons of the nobility. But by about 1840 the memory of the man and his works had largely faded. In recent decades, however, there has been a renewed focus on Sarti; not only for his compositions, but also for his merits as a pedagogue and theorist. The 6 Sonate a Flauto Traversiero solo e Basso Continuo were published in Paris by Christophe Le Menu. The date of publication, 1772, can be deduced from an advertisement that appeared in a periodical late that year. It is a collection of sonatas definitely conceived for an audience at a more professional than amateur level, with writing decidedly suited to the instrumental peculiarities of the transverse flute, which, according to the taste of the time, took as it's model the singing qualities of the human voice. This allowed Sarti to take advantage of his skill at composing operas in order to write particularly touching, even dramatic melodies, with typically theatrical affects such as in the Largo and Cantabile of the First Sonata or the Andante of the Fourth Sonata, both in the key of G minor, which on the transverse flute is, with it's veiled timbre, delicately affectionate. In the context of what is one of the main characteristics of flute (and violin) writing by Italian composers, Sarti employs an articulation dominated by legato, clearly diversifying himself, as did the French composers, from the predominantly articulated style that prevailed with German composers. The remarkably flautistic writing, for a composer who did not play the instrument nor wrote much instrumental music in general, suggests he may have been in contact with a flute virtuoso who either advised or inspired him. A credible hypothesis is that a collaboration with the orchestra of the Grand Duchy of Florence led him to work closely with it's principal flautist, the virtuoso Niccolo D�thel. Other information: - Recorded December 2023 in Florence - Booklet in English contains liner notes by the harpsichordist, Giacomo Benedetti, along with profiles of all three players - Liner notes and biographical information in Italian available at brilliantclassics. Com - Giuseppe Sarti (1729-1802), an Italian composer primarily known for his operatic works, also contributed significantly to instrumental music. His flute sonatas exemplify the elegance and refinement of late Baroque and early Classical styles. - Sarti's flute sonatas are characterized by their lyrical melodies, which reflect the influence of vocal music, a hallmark of his operatic background. The sonatas typically follow the three-movement structure -fast-slow-fast- that was common in the 18th century. The first movements are often lively, with energetic, flowing lines for the flute, while the middle movements tend to be more expressive, allowing the instrument to display it's capacity for emotional nuance. The final movements bring a spirited conclusion, often featuring dance-like rhythms. - These sonatas were likely written for amateur musicians, given the rising popularity of the flute in domestic music-making circles of the time. As a result, they strike a balance between technical accessibility and artistic depth. - Played by Giovanni Miszczyszyn (Traversiere flute, made by Luca Ripanti in Turin/ Italy 2023, after Carlo Alberto Felice Palanca around 1760), Valeria Brunelli and Giacomo Benedetti. Giovanni Miszczyszyn studied with Peter Lucas Graf, and followed Master Classes with Aurele Nicolet and Jean-Pierre Rampal. At the same time he specialized in Baroque flute in seminars and classes with Barthold Kuijken and Pierre Sechet.

Saucy songs of sex, love and life in the Spanish Golden Age, revived and performed with relish by a native early-music ensemble. Of the 10 composers featured on this entertaining new album, only two have any claim to fame: Juan del Encina (1468-1529) and Gaspar Sanz (1640-1710). The others will be discoveries for even the most assiduous collectors of early music: the likes of Luis de Briceno, Diego Pisador, Juan Bon and Juan Aranes. This rarity value, appealing in itself, is perhaps less germane to the character of the album than the bawdy and boisterous character of the whole. Many of the melodies may have originated as settings of sacred texts, but they became attached to decidedly profane verses: one song to the tune of another, as it were. The booklet essay exposes the many double-entendres latent within both texts and settings. Several are couched in explicitly anti-clerical vein, mocking the clergy for their hypocrisy and priapism. Other texts rejoice in the pleasures of hedonism, for both men and women, inviting the listener to enjoy by proxy the prospect of threesomes and happy endings. In the nature of such songs, the music swaps sophistication for good, simple fun, based on strong Spanish rhythms, rooted in chaconne and folia ground basses. Several of them were originally sung as verses and chorus, with everyone present joining in. There are also seguidillas of a more erotic and sensual nature, but the texts still appeal to the listener with a dirty mind. These reconstructions accordingly seek to recapture the rough and tumble of a late-night session at a grimy bar in 17th-century Burgos. Not, perhaps, an album for those who like their music on the straight and narrow. Led by Jose Duce Chenoll, Amystis has a track record of success in unearthing both sacred and profane musical treasures from Golden-Age Spain. 'Chenoll has an endearing way of letting his singers express the music with a natural flow free of effects.' (Fanfare on works by Joan Bautista Comes, 95231). - This highly interesting and original concept album presents vocal works from 16th century Spain dealing with eroticism in all it's forms. - In this music we find the vivid expression of the amorous, sexual, private and at the same time playful life of a society which gave expression to it's impulses and passions, thus describing a vivid sound tapestry of Spain's Golden Age of Juan del Encina, Garcilaso, Cervantes, Lope de Vega and Gongora. - Presented are works by many, nowadays forgotten, composers. The excellent, comprehensive and scientific liner notes explain the text of each song, illustrating the often double meaning of certain words and phrases. - The title of the CD takes up the title of a poem by an anonymous Spanish poet ("Through the mountains of Conares - Sung by the Amystis solo vocalists and played by a rich instrumental group including viola da gamba, recorders, vihuela and percussion, everything under the direction of Jose Duce Chenoll.

This recital offers a fine mix of Bach's organ works, at larger and smaller scales, on the renowned historical instrument made by Alsatian organ builder Johann Andreas Silbermann of Strasbourg, a master of French baroque organ construction. It follows in a distinguished line of recordings of Bach made in the extraordinary acoustic of the Arlesheim Cathedral, by such luminaries as Walter Kraft, Karl Richter and Lionel Rogg. Situated just outside the city of Basel, the village of Arlesheim grew up around it's Cathedral, which was the church of the displaced cathedral chapter of the Diocese of Basel from 1679 to 1792. The first three years of this tenure saw the Bishop build not only the cathedral, but also a complete town centre with houses for the advisors and the administration of the See, using architect Franz Demess. A total refurbishment and enlargement of the Cathedral was begun in 1759, culminating in the installation of the Silbermann organ two years later. The organ builder was included in the renovation's planning from the start, such that modifications to the Cathedral's architecture were made with a view to enhancing the nave's musical acoustics. The instrument was restored by Metzler in 1959-62 and then again in 2005 by Gaston Kern. It is an example of the fusion of French and German organ building styles. Other information: - Recorded July 2012 in Arlesheim (Switzerland) - Booklet in English contains liner notes by the organist, a description of the organ with stop list, and a profile of the artist - This 2-CD set presents organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach, played on the Silbermann organ in the Dom of Arlesheim. - This organ in the Dom of Arlesheim is a masterpiece of Baroque organ building, built by Johann Andreas Silbermann in 1761. Located in the Arlesheim Cathedral (Dom) near Basel, Switzerland, it is one of the finest examples of Silbermann's work and one of the most historically significant organs in Europe. The organ is known for it's rich tonal qualities, combining both French and German influences, typical of Silbermann's style. It's elaborate case, decorated with gold leaf and intricate carvings, complements the interior of the Dom, enhancing the spiritual atmosphere during services and concerts. Despite restorations over the centuries, the organ retains much of it's original pipework and mechanical structure, ensuring an authentic sound. - The program includes favorite organ works, including the famous Toccata & Fugue BWV565, 3 Concerto transcriptions by Vivaldi, the Trio Sonata BWV 530 and several Choralvorspiele. - Played by Italian master organist Ivan Ronda, internationally acclaimed by guest appearances in such venues as Westminster Abbey and King's College Cambridge.