Andrey Osipovich Sychra (1773-1850) was born in Vilnius in 1773. As a nobleman, he was well-educated and played the guitar, harp, violin and piano masterfully. Sychra concentrated most of his creative energy on developing a playing technique and a repertoire for the seven-string guitar (tuned to a G major chord), which became known as the Russian guitar. No later than 1810, Sychra moved to St Petersburg, where he found fame and left a mark on history as the patriarch of the Russian guitar. In 1817-1845, when Sychra was at his most prolific, he created his masterpieces Four Exercises, Grand Fantasia on Motifs from the Opera Der Freischutz, Fantasia Dedicated to Count Lunin and Variations on the Russian Folk Song "Amidst the Flat Valley", among others. Another important contribution Sychra made to the seven-string guitar repertoire was through his transcriptions of widely popular Western European and Russian music by Mozart, Pleyel, Haydn, Beethoven and etc. These played an important role in the creation of the general concert repertoire in 19th-century Russia. Sychra's transcriptions for ensembles with guitar were very popular among amateur musicians. The second section of this programme mainly contains Sychra's transcriptions for various instrumental ensembles. Ensembles of two identical guitars, and those with violin or flute, were most popular in Italy, Austria, Germany and other European countries of the 19th century. Sychra's contribution was that he also introduced guitars tuned up by a second, minor third (terz) and fourth (quart), which then became a guitar consort commonly used by Russian performers and composers. Today, the uniquely rich Russian culture of the 19th century is an integral part of the cultural heritage of modern civilisation, in which the Russian seven-string guitar occupies it's well-deserved place. The rich and diverse legacy of A.O. Sychra, as part of this culture, largely reflects artistic trends of his time, while his personal influence on the history of the guitar in Russia was as significant and important as the artistically valuable repertoire that he created for the seven-string guitar. - Recorded MONTH YEAR in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Aynur Begutov and profiles of the musicians - Aynur Begutov plays seven-string guitars by Ivan Krasnoshekov (1855), Fedor Arhuzen (1890, 1891), Michail Eroshkin (1909) and Igor Budantsev (2021) - Andrey Osipovich Sychra (1773-1850) was an important figure in the history of classical guitar, particularly within the Russian Empire. Born in Vilnius, he began his musical journey as a harpist before turning his focus to the guitar-a relatively new and evolving instrument at the time. Sychra became one of the first virtuoso guitarists and composers to adopt and promote the seven-string Russian guitar, which distinguished itself from the more common six-string Spanish guitar by it's tuning and resonant sound. - Sychra wrote over a thousand pieces for the seven-string guitar, including preludes, etudes, variations, and arrangements of popular melodies and folk tunes. His works combined technical sophistication with lyrical expressiveness, helping to establish a serious repertoire for the instrument. As a performer, he was highly respected for his virtuosity and expressiveness, and his concerts contributed significantly to the guitar's popularity in 19th-century Russia. - As an influential teacher Sychra laid the foundation for a Russian school of guitar playing. His method books and pedagogical approach influenced a generation of guitarists, and he played a crucial role in legitimizing the guitar as an instrument suitable for concert performance and academic study. - Played by Russian guitarist Aynur Begutov, seconded by singers Julia Ziganshina and Anna Halldorsdottir, Asiya Gareeva and Valeriy Ksenofontov. - Aynur Begutov successfully recorded a 3-CD set with guitar music by Sergei Rudnev.

With the new GENUIN album featuring Atsuko Koga, Georgiy Lomakov, and Marianne Le Mentec, we soar across time and space. At the heart of this recording are works by Claude Debussy for flute, cello, and harp, which adorn the nymphs, naiads, and nature gods of ancient Greece in twentieth-century musical attire. This unusually configured ensemble constructs a temporal bridge spanning from antiquity through Impressionism to the present day - featuring works by Andre Caplet, Claude Debussy, and Toru Takemitsu and culminating in the premiere recording of Fuminori Tanada's Trio.

Paul Hindemith's Der Schwanendreher (literally 'the swan turner') is a viola concerto based on medieval German folk songs. While the 'swan turner' was literally someone who turned the spit of a roasting swan, metaphorically it referred to an itinerant minstrel whose street organ or hurdy-gurdy was cranked via a swan's-neck handle. He composed the work between September and October 1935, and it was premiered at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with the composer (a virtuoso violist who did much to elevate the instrument's status) serving as soloist. In it, Hindemith creates a musical 'structure' that enhances the solo viola by contrasting it with a uniquely scored tutti ensemble of winds with four cellos and three double basses. After the slow introduction to the first movement comes a section in classic sonata form with orchestration evoking the world and art of minstrelsy. The second movement opens with a sad dialogue between the viola and harp, inspired by an ancient song on lost love; this is followed by a contrasting fugato in which the sadness of the cuckoo (an omen of doom) is alleviated by the musical writing. The third movement features seven variations on the titular 'Schwanendreher' song, whose jovial, light character is skilfully rendered with iridescent rhythmic articulation. A prolific and versatile composer, Hindemith was initially drawn to expressionism and atonal harmony before embracing a neo-Baroque style along his journey towards abstract objectivism. By the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, Hindemith had become one of the leading exponents of Gebrauchsmusik ('Utility Music'), a musical approach designed to respond to societal needs as opposed to individual abstract aesthetic feelings. It saw the creation of much music aimed at amateurs, though with no compromise on quality. It was in this context that Hindemith composed the set of Schulwerk fur Instrumental-Zusammenspiel (Educational Music for Instrumental Ensembles) between March and April 1927. Designed for a youth orchestra, the music is by no means uninteresting or technically simple. It's fourth section is made up of the Funf Stucke (Five Pieces) scored for a five-part string orchestra with an additional solo violin introduced in the fifth piece. While the writing remains within certain technical bounds, the score is brimming with expressive variety, rhythmic dynamism, harmonic freedom and timbral sensitivity, all of which can be recognized as hallmarks of this period in Hindemith's compositional career. They showcase the composer's contrapuntal expertise, a quality particularly pronounced in the third piece, Lebhaft, with it's direct connection to Johann Sebastian Bach. In these 'teaching works' Hindemith's meticulous attention to detail reveals a distinctly German penchant for musical craftsmanship meeting the expectations of even 'professional' musicians. - Recorded March 2023, Sala Bianca, Foggia, Italy - Bilingual booklet in English and Italian contains liner notes by Alberto Mammarella - Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) was one of the most important and influential composers of 20th century Germany. His eclectic style incorporates diverse influences such as expressionism, neo-classicism and even jazz. His music is energetic, rhythmically vibrant, witty and joyous, but also able to express deeper and tragic feelings. - Der Schwanendreher is a viola concerto composed by Paul Hindemith in 1935. The title translates to "The Swan Turner, " referring to a medieval kitchen servant who turned roasting spits. The piece is based on old German folk songs, giving it a unique blend of the modern and traditional. Hindemith, himself a violist, premiered it with the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, conducted by Willem Mengelberg. The work is admired for it's inventive orchestration, lyrical themes, and balance between historical charm and contemporary technique. - Performed by Luca Ranieri and the orchestra Ico Suoni Del Sud, conducted by Mario Moresco. Luca Ranieri successfully recorded the Suites for viola solo by Hindemith for Brilliant Classics.

Released on the occasion of the Swedish Radio Choir's centenary, this recording brings together works that testify to the richness and the vitality of the internationally acclaimed Swedish choral tradition. The programme features twelve extremely varied works, demonstrating the openness, versatility and flexibility of the Swedish Radio Choir and it's multi-award-winning conductor, Kaspars Putnins. It also pays tribute to the pioneering work of the choir's long-standing choirmaster Eric Ericson, whose work has influenced and inspired composers from many generations. The older works, by Ivar Wideen, Lars Johan Werle, Lars Edlund and Ingvar Lidholm, draw on ancient, secular and religious traditions, from Gregorian chant and madrigals, and combine clear melodic lines, glissandos, chants, whispers and traditional harmonies to create a language that is both modern and accessible. More modern works by Anders Hillborg, Britta Bystrom and Johannes Pollak and explore the human voice and it's possibilities in every conceivable way. Staffan Storm, Ulrika Emanuelsson and Anna-Karin Klockar pay tribute to the great Swedish Romantic Hugo Alfven in pieces composed for the 150th anniversary of his birth. Finally, Arne Lundmark and Jan Sandstrom adapt existing folk and religious pieces and 'expand' the musical content, offering a vision that is both personal and respectful of the original work. The Swedish Radio Choir and Kaspars Putnins invite you to celebrate a century of Swedish musical history.

John Stanley was born in London on 17 January 1712. A precocious musician, by the age of nine he was playing the organ (probably as an occasional deputy) at All Hallows, Bread Street. When the titular organist there - the composer and harpsichordist William Babell, a former pupil of Handel - died on 23 September 1723, an eleven year-old Stanley was appointed in his place. At the age of 14 he was chosen as organist at St. Andrew's, Holborn and at the age of 17 became the youngest person ever to obtain the BMus degree from Oxford University. In 1734 he was appointed organist to the Society of the Inner Temple, a position he held until his death. As a musician whose primary responsibilities were liturgical, John Stanley was required to accompany the service music every Sunday, and also to improvise voluntaries at various points in the service. A voluntary was a piece improvised extemporaneously and, prior to the 19th century, in the Church of England there were two principal forms of voluntary. These were a First Voluntary - generally an introduction and a movement or two for solo stops such as the trumpet or cornet - placed between the psalms and the first lesson at Morning and Evening Prayer, and a Second Voluntary - generally an introduction and fugue - at the end of the service. John Stanley's primary responsibility in his sixty-three years as organist at these various churches, was to improvise a voluntary before the first lesson (comprising an introduction and an additional movement or two for the solo stops) and an introduction and fugue at the end of the service. Stanley's improvisations were reportedly so fine that on Sundays none other than Handel himself, who attended St. George's, Hanover Square, would sometimes leave church early and rush over to the Temple Church to hear Stanley's final voluntary. Most voluntaries were never written down as compositions, and very few voluntaries for organ were published in England before Stanley's Op.5 of 1748. But written-out voluntaries did serve two main purposes: first, they were often used for recital purposes, as for example when organists like Stanley played at the dedication of a new instrument; second, they were widely used as exercises for apprentices or organ students, or for church organists new to their roles. Some of the manuscript collections produced for this purpose have survived. One important collection of this kind is the so-called Southgate Manuscript, a collection of 64 voluntaries in the library of the Royal College of Organists in London. This seems to have been compiled around the year 1750 in order to instruct choristers of the Chapel Royal who were learning the organ. This manuscript contains several of the early organ works of John Stanley. - Recorded June 2024 in Rocca Massima, Italy - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Romeo Ciuffa, organ specification with stop list and a profile of the organist - John Stanley (1712-1786) was a prominent English composer, organist, and violinist of the 18th century. Blinded in an accident at the age of two, Stanley displayed prodigious musical talent from an early age. He studied under Maurice Greene and, by age 17, was appointed organist at All Hallows, Bread Street. He later held prestigious posts at the Temple Church and the Chapel Royal, where he succeeded William Boyce as Master of the King's Band of Musicians. - Among Stanley's most celebrated works are his three volumes of Organ Voluntaries, Op.5 through Op.7, published between 1748 and 1754. These voluntaries reflect both the elegance of the late Baroque style and a growing Classical influence. They were designed for performance during Anglican church services, typically as preludes, interludes, or postludes. The voluntaries are structured in multiple short movements and frequently feature contrasting textures, such as lyrical slow introductions followed by lively fugues or trumpet tunes. Stanley made imaginative use of the organ's stop combinations, often specifying solos for trumpet, cornet, or flute stops, adding variety and color. - Played by Pietro Delle Chiaie at the Inzoli-Bonizzi organ of the St Michael Archangel Church, Rocca Massima, Italy. He made a successful recording of the complete organ music by Carl Czerny for Brilliant Classics.

A new and complete survey of the attractive body of cello sonatas which, in his day, helped to make Antonio Caldara a Viennese rival to the fame of Antonio Vivaldi in Venice. Born in Venice as the son of a violinist, Caldara grew up as a chorister at the Basilica di San Marco, and won important posts in Mantua, Rome and Barcelona, as a maestro di capella to royal courts. But it was his move to Vienna during the 1710s which secured his name and his fortune. Becoming Vice-Kapellmeister to the Imperial Court in 1716, Caldara introduced the late Venetian style to Central Europe, and it's influence remained a determining factor in both church music and opera as well as instrumental music until long after his death in 1736. Through sacred works such as the oratorio Maddalena al piedi di Cristo, Caldara has won a following on record in the modern era. However, his surviving output of instrumental music has remained largely unexplored. Publishing his Op.1 Trio Sonatas in 1688, Caldara refers to himself as a 'musico di violoncello', and there can be no doubt from this collection that he knew his way around the instrument. They were composed between 22 April and 26 July 1735: Caldara's sheer facility has perhaps told against him, with a total output of over three thousand separate works. But he knew his craft, and melody seems to have come readily to him. A few Lezioni (Nos. 43, 23 & 1) from Caldara's published instruction method for learning the cello are included as preludes to Sonatas Nos. 8, 10 and 12. Most of the sonatas belong to the four-movement 'sonata da chiesa' form, but Caldara also used the three-movement archetype which became increasingly standard. There is no shortage of opportunities for virtuosic display, as well as for lyricism. These recordings are made by musicians immersed in the Italian late-Baroque world. In it's expanded form, L'Arte dell' Arco has made much praised recordings of Haydn and Vivaldi for Brilliant Classics, including a comprehensive box of Vivaldi's Concertos Opp. 1-12. These Italian musicians speak and sing Caldara's music with unforced fluency. - Antonio Caldara (1670-1736), an Italian Baroque composer, was born in Venice, where he was a chorister in the famous San Marco, with Legrenzi as his teacher. He soon spread his wings across Europe and held several important posts in Mantua, the Spanish court in Barcelona, Rome and eventually the post of Kapellmeister at the Imperial Court in Vienna. Caldara left a substantial oeuvre, consisting of instrumental music in the tradition of Corelli, sacred music and operas. - Caldara's sonatas for cello and basso continuo exemplify the transition from the late Baroque style toward the emerging galant aesthetic. These works are clearly written by a master of the instrument, as Caldara evidently was. The sonatas typically follow a four-movement structure, alternating slow and fast tempos, in the tradition of the sonata da chiesa. They blend lyrical, cantabile lines with virtuosic passages, showing the cello's agility and warm tone. - Played by one of Italy's foremost "Early Music" cellists, Francesco Galligioni, playing with fellow members of the ensemble L'Arte dell'Arco. He successfully recorded the complete cello concertos by Vivaldi, works by Dall'Abaco, sonatas by Lanzetti and others.

The primal force of the spoken word collides with evocative music that pierces the heart: the irrepressible power of Moor Mother's' apocalyptic album is visceral. This spellbinding symphonic version created for the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn and the string quintet Wooden Elephant by Ian Anderson, the impassioned opus by the radical American poet becomes a grandiose Gesamtkunstwerk that touches the soul.

Pianist and composer Marina Baranova released her album Hypersuites on Berlin Classics in August 2016. "My Hypersuites are acoustic remixes of baroque masters," says the artist. For her project, she selected compositions by four Baroque composers - Couperin, J. S. Bach, Rameau and Handel - and combined individual pieces by these composers to create four suites of her own. The result of this exploration is a new Gesamtkunstwerk, a modern "mixed tape": Hypersuites. Baroque music of the 21st century. For Hypersuites, recorded on a modern Steinway grand piano in the Berlin Teldex studio, Marina Baranova has invited a special guest: Composer and pianist Hauschka created a remix of Rameau's La Poule. The result is a piece that mirrors baroque and electronic music. What if this idea is taken a step further? Marina Baranova is a classical concert pianist who has her musical roots not only in classical music but also in jazz. However, her interests go much further. The idea for Hypersuites came to her during a DJ session. She thought that scratches are basically the modern form of baroque musical embellishments. So nothing could be more obvious than to give the Hypersuites another musical color: Electronic arrangements of Baranova's version for solo instrument. How do DJs, contemporary composers and musicians interpret baroque music? How modern is baroque music, and how can it be transferred into the present day? Not just remixes, but an independent piece of music should be created, with an individual signature without any specifications or restrictions. Who takes part? Hauschka created a 6-minute version of Rameau's La Poule for Hypersuites Reloaded. The musician is known for his "prepared piano" and film scores, but new projects are also leading him more towards classical music with orchestras and chamber ensembles. The composers, producers and musicians John Kameel Farah, Damian Marhulets, Humboldt, Kostia Rapoport, Jannis Block, Anton Berman and Raz Ohara can also be heard with their own remixes. Marina has also created her own remix, which is not just a remix, but offers yet another unique approach to Bach's Siciliano.

Antonio Vivaldi's musical production for bassoon comprises no less than thirty-nine solo concertos. Within the musical landscape of it's time, this impressive musical legacy stands out like the silhouette of a mountain shrouded in mystery. If we consider that in Italy there is almost no evidence of the bassoon being used in the solo form after the 1680s, Vivaldi's contribution acquires a significance that is both extraordinary and enigmatic. When and for which events were his concertos composed and performed? And also, for which performers was such a vast, original and technically demanding production intended? It is not easy to find an answer to such questions. The composer's renewed interest in this instrument must have then derived from an encounter with a first-rate virtuoso, someone whose talent helped to stimulate the creation of an original repertoire, characterised by an extremely high technical and qualitative standard. These were definitely performers who were able to work in close contact with the composer over a sufficiently long period of time. Indeed, Vivaldi's writing was influenced and modelled on their technical skills, as testified by the eight concertos included in this recording.

Twenty years after their acclaimed trilogy, Eric Rasmussen and his long-standing quartet return with School of Tristano 4-a revelatory deep dive into the compositions and aesthetics of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh, paired with striking originals. Drawing from decades of study, stage experience, and personal connection, Rasmussen's quartet reinvents this rich, often-underrepresented repertoire with stunning clarity, warmth, and spontaneity. While the album brims with telepathic interplay and ensemble finesse, Rasmussen's alto saxophone sings with a personal voice, never imitative, always rooted in the language of deep jazz tradition but reaching forward. Guitarist Nate Radley, bassist Dave Ambrosio, and drummer Mark Ferber bring unmatched sensitivity, groove, and lyrical depth. School of Tristano 4 offers both serious jazz heads and adventurous listeners a fresh insight into classic modernist repertoire-an album that resonates with the spirit of Tristano while speaking entirely in the quartet's own voice.

Ole Borud - Sleepwalking Again

This CD is the result of the 12th International Competition "Franz Schubert and Modern Music" (FS & MM), which took place in February 2025 and was organised by the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. The Trio Bronte won 1st prize in the piano trio category with the repertoire on the recording. The Trio was founded in Berlin in 2022 and consists of German-Italian violinist Chiara Sannicandro, Bulgarian pianist Lili Bogdanova, and American cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins. After playing together for only a few months, the Trio Bronte won 1st prize at the 2023 Ilmari Hannikainen International Piano Chamber Music Competition in Finland. The trio grew up surrounded by the passionate and turbulent novels of the Bronte sisters and named themselves after them, inspired by their passion for storytelling, their intelligence and their sociability.

Concerto Copenhagen's musicians present six new "Brandenburg Concertos" - based on Bach's organ trio sonatas?. J.S. Bach's six organ trio sonatas represent some of his most imaginative and attractive music - by transforming the format through an orchestration inspired by the original Brandenburg Concertos, Concerto Copenhagen is offering a unique new orchestral repertoire. Oboist Antoine Torunczyk has created these six new Brandenburg Concertos with special focus on varying instrumental mixes and sizes - including flute, recorder, oboe d'amore, oboe da caccia, viola d'amore, natural horn, violoncello da spalla, bassoon.

Why Francesco Geminiani is not mentioned these days alongside other great masters of the era of Baroque music is a bit of a mystery. Together with Corelli and Handel her was one of the composers who made a great career for himself in eighteenth-century Great Britain. Concerto Koln has not forgotten him, on the contrary: the ensemble pays homage to him as one of the true greats. And now the musicians have chosen their favourite pieces from his entire oeuvre and called it Geminiani's Quintessence. Concerto Koln has chosen works from all categories of his work for this project, with bassoonist Lorenzo Alpert taking a leading role in selecting those rare works "which we think are the loveliest and most accomplished of his compositions." The fact that Geminiani left a host of teaching manuals about playing technique and interpretation was decisive for the ensemble's interpretation of the works. "These rich sources of information made it possible for us to employ some surprising and unusual stylistic elements in our readings of his Concerti Grossi," explains Alpert. "They are what led to his special and very personal 'Quinta Essentia'" which will be available on CD and double vinyl.

Bachkantaten - broken eyes