What moved a Russian composer with a deep-seated antipathy to England and the English to write music for the stage works of the most English of playwrights? It is difficult to say exactly what it was about Shakespeare that Tchaikovsky found so fascinating, but it would certainly be a rewarding subject for study from the viewpoint of depth psychology. Undoubtedly the subtle expressivity with which the poet endowed his figures, the portrayal of their psychologically motivated actions, and their compulsive weaving together of the dramatically intensified and often fundamentally contingent threads of the plot appealed to the rather introspective Tchaikovsky. The present release features the State Philharmonic Orchestra Minsk performing Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overtures according to Shakespeare.

The album “Neoteric” unites two musical worlds, which seem to be not very connected externally, but still have an inner connection, which this album wants to show. The idea for this compilation came from the very personal fascination of the performer Andreas Hermanski. He has a soft spot for the Nordic-Scandinavian clarinet literature as well as for the French tradition between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th century. However much may seem to separate the French and Nordic works presented on this album, the two parts of the album are linked by numerous internal references. Just as Poulenc’s sonata was written for clarinetist Benny Goodman, who was also the performer at the premiere, Rolf Martinsson worked closely with Martin Fröst in the composition of his Suite, and his newly developed playing techniques and extraordinary musical personality have a palpable and audible influence on the work. Chausson’s “Andante et Allegro” and Debussy’s “Première Rhapsodie” are, how could it be otherwise with works commissioned for a competition, written in a format typical for this: this calls for both a lyrical, singing finale and a highly virtuosic, fast finale. This structure can be found in Lindberg’s “Acequia Madre” and Martinsson’s “Suite Fantastique”. In contrast, the works of Debussy and Pärt meet in their tonally spherical language and their content that almost evaporates into the transcendent. The quasi-symmetrical internal structure of both parts, the French as well as the Nordic block, is intended to depict these analogies and inner references and make them audible.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Franz Xaver Mozart was born the sixth child of Constanze and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on September 21, 1791 in Vienna. His father died a few months later. Franz Xaver Mozart looked very much like his father, and Constanze called him Wolfgang. His works were published throughout his life under the name “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, son, fils or figlio“. Constanze recognized the musical talent of her youngest son early on. She had him trained with the most important teachers, among them Salieri and Albrechtsberger, who, interestingly enough, were also Beethoven‘s teachers. Franz Xaver studied piano playing with Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a former student of his father. The first composition published was the Quartet in G Minor, 1805, which was created two years earlier. However, his compositions did not attract as much attention as his piano playing. From 1819 to 1821 Franz Xaver undertook extensive concert tours through German-speaking Europe, Denmark, Russia and Italy. For the pianist Mozart, variations were an ideal form to demonstrate his virtuosity, and they could also be used excellently in teaching. An instrument from the Beurmann Collection in Hamburg was used for these recordings: The fortepiano by Johann Baptist Streicher (1863).

Giving new impetus to the genre of the symphony in the nineteenth century, after the achievements of Ludwig van Beethoven, was a just as ambitious as problematic undertaking. Even Robert Schumann did not find it easy to deal with hearing "the giant marching behind oneself". At the end of the 1830s Schumann formulated the dilemma: "When a German speaks about symphonies, he is speaking about Beethoven: the two names are one and indivisible for him, are his joy, his pride. Just as Italy has it's Naples, the Frenchman his Revolution, the Englishman his navy, etc., the German has his Beethoven symphonies. Now that the creations of this master have coalesced with our heart, some of the symphonic [creations] even having become popular, one might think that they must have left behind deep marks that would show in the first of the works of the same genre from the immediately following period. This is not the case. We indeed find echoes; preservation and mastery of the great form, where ideas appear one after the other, stroke upon stroke, and yet only seldom linked together by an inner spiritual bond, with a few exceptions. "It is clear here that the path back to Haydn and Mozart is not an option - and picking up the thread of the exemplary individualism of Beethoven's symphonies appears impossible. The knowledge of the problems of innovative symphonic design also characterizes Schumann's path to the large form. Early attempts remained unfinished; nevertheless, in 1829 he reported to his piano teacher and later father-in-law Friedrich Wieck: "But did you know how it agitated and egged me on, and how I could already have gotten to op. 100 in my symphonies, had I written them down, and how I actually feel so at ease in the whole orchestra."

Richard Strauss‘ father, Franz Strauss, was one of the most prominent horn virtuosos of the time, and the horn was one of the instruments for which Richard had a predilection throughout his life. With his “Serenade,” Strauss junior convinced conductor Hans von Bülow of his talent. Von Bülow took the piece into the program of his famous Meininger Hofkapelle. There is a close relationship between the first concerto in C Minor op. 8 by Franz Strauss to the horn concerto op. 11 of his son who orientated him-self at the romantic stile of his father. The horn virtuoso himself premiered his own concerto in C Minor in spring 1865 during an academy in the Odeon concert house in Munich. Born in the same year as Franz Strauss, Franck received his first music lessons and made his first public appearances as pianist before moving with his parents to Paris, where he became a pupil of Anton Reicha. In 1871 he was a co-founder of the Société Nationale de Musique, and later elected its president. Characteristic of Franck’s mature style is the so-called “cyclical form” – a formal concept that attained full significance only in the works from Franck’s last decade. This period also saw the composition of his today most well-known works, which of course attained their great popularity only after his death. The Piano Quintet is considered the beginning, the “portal work,” whose tendencies and motifs are taken up again in later works such as the D-Minor Symphony, the Violin Sonata, and the String Quartet. Premiered in its original form on 17 January 1880 in the Société Nationale de Musique, the work experienced its premiere in the expanded form of a “Symphony for Orchestra and Piano” on 8 June 2008 with Mathias Weber, who made the arrangement, performing the piano part.

Throughout his life, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart repeatedly devoted himself to the genre of the accompanied piano sonata. He wrote the earliest works at the age of eight, to perform them either with his sister on the harpsichord and himself on the violin or with his father, the famous violin teacher, and sitting at the harpsichord himself. Leopold Mozart himself assured his son in a letter that he would count him among the best violin players in Europe - the composer himself preferred to see himself as a piano virtuoso and (of course) above all as a 'compositeur' who had a lot to say. The works recorded here also move within this area of tension. If the violin still plays a clearly subordinate role in the youth sonatas to the brilliant harpsichord part, which also leads in the cantabile slow movements, this distribution of roles changes over the time in favor of the violin. In the 'middle' phase of Mannheim, the renunciation of the violin would mean a painful loss, and in the later Vienna sonatas there is finally a true partnership between the two instruments with equal rights. The joyful virtuoso part is still reserved for the piano.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as the sonatas for cello and piano by Max Reger represent lonely summit heights in their respective epochs. This justifies juxtaposing these works in an overall recording and not only encyclopedically publishing Bach or Reger lively. Recorded for this volume are the two first works of the genre by the young cellist Martin Rummel, who is now represented on Musicaphon with nine albums and who repeatedly creates "fascination with his brilliant playing" (Kronenzeitung) and "concerts of superlatives" (S�ddeutsche Zeitung). He is accompanied by Elizabeth Hopkins, who has already been rated as a "brilliant pianist" by the S�ddeutsche Zeitung.

Helmut Barbe’s affinity for quality choral music is evident. His settings of German folksongs presuppose a well-trained choir. For singing at home, it might often be the case that not enough singers are available; even so, the beauty of the settings is accessible to the listener. The songs arranged by Barbe originate from the 15th to 19th centuries. The above mentioned linear character of the older melodies and the more harmonic of the newer ones distinguish the respective choral movements to a certain degree. This is also true of the tonal foundation of the melodies. What lends Barbe’s settings their great individual appeal is the abundance of nuances that he develops within the self-appointed boundaries. Often enough it is also the tense relationship between the details and the traditional foundation that generates this fascination. The setting is relaxed also there where its simple melody suggests something rather compact. The melody wanders from voice to voice. Frequently, the individual voices sing “meaningless” syllables instead of the folksong text, so that a sort of “instrumental” accompaniment is created, which might also take on a humorous character. The refined, distinctive harmony often arises from the finesses of the voice leading. This tonal fascination, the rhythmic animation, for example in variants that suddenly negate the meter. as well as the lively interweave of the voices all serve to atmospherically consolidate the world of images evoked by the songs, whether they deal with sweet or bitter feelings, cheerful or serious occurrences. As often as these songs have been set polyphonically, in Barbe’s arrangements one always finds new aspects.

The "Eleven Choral Preludes for Organ" op. 122 were completed by Johannes Brahms between May and June 1896. It was not until later, in 1902, that op. 122 was published posthumously. At the same time, Brahms' op. 122 did not escape the attention of the Italian composer and pianist Ferruccio Busoni, who decided to transcribe six of the eleven choral preludes for piano. Over the course of his life, he transcribed numerous works by various composers for piano, including those by Bach that were intended for organ, harpsichord or violin. It is little known that Max Reger, in addition to his importance as a composer, was also one of the most important arrangers of the works of great colleagues. He arranged works by almost all the great masters, from Mozart to Richard Strauss. Reger always admired the compact form and the almost ascetic compositional discipline of Johannes Brahms. His admiration for the great North German is confirmed by the elaborate transcriptions of the "Five Slow Movements" from his four symphonies. Reger does not write them in a typically pianistic style, but rather he summarizes the entire melodic and harmonic richness in a kind of symphonic script. These transcriptions are the work of a brilliant musical mind who was able to grasp the music as a whole and, based on a complete understanding of the compositions, to present them in a new guise. The arrangements are extremely demanding for the pianist. It is not only a matter of master- ing the sometimes considerable and often far-reaching mass of notes, but also of allowing the themes woven into them to emerge, as is the case in the orchestra through the characteristics of the individual instruments. Brahms' well-known preference for the so-called "conflict rhythms" makes the task even more difficult. The rarities, so rich and demanding in sound and structure, are appearing on recording for the first time and should inspire many friends of the works of these two composers to take a closer look at them.

The Schuppanzigh Quartet is one of the successful ensembles that has engaged with historical performance practice internationally for years. The power derived from the musical writings of past eras gives the ensemble a distinctive and distinctive sound language. The successful blend of newly discovered works and the masterful interpretation of Viennese classics and early Romantics are part of the ensemble's fundamental focus.

The arrangement of Albeniz's piano works for solo guitar, multiple guitars, and even guitar plus a melody instrument has a long tradition, beginning with Francisco Tarrega and Miguel Llobet as well as many other legendary guitarists. The arrangements and versions recorded here are not actually original arrangements but are compiled from a multitude of existing templates and suggestions from recordings.

Enchanting, witty, charmingly entertaining music penned by one of the most prominent arrangers of Viennese Biedermeier, seen on the same level as Mozart, Haydn and Romberg by his contemporaries.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the guitar experienced a true heyday in several European cities. Numerous guitar virtuosos sparked a wave of enthusiasm for the guitar. The guitar, long overlooked and, unlike the lute, without a tradition in art music, entered concert life and became a fashionable instrument. However, the majority of these concerts were not public in the modern sense; rather, they took place in the private salons of the nobility and the wealthy middle class. Those with social ambitions hosted musical soirees. The private spaces for these soirees were not the size of a concert hall, and a piano was not always available. Songs with guitar accompaniment and works for smaller chamber music ensembles with guitar, which were published in large numbers at the beginning of the 19th century, therefore enjoyed great popularity.

Fascinating music by a composer who was popular during his lifetime and is unknown today, here presented in very colorful interpretation.

Six sonatas for oboe and basso continuo combined on one CD require an exciting, varied sound experience in the accompaniment. In order to fulfill this claim I took a close look at the character of the individual works in order to work it out particularly through the instrumentation. Sonata I and III are accompanied by a chest organ, whereby the pieces themselves create great contrasts: Sonata I is a very soft, restrained work with a lot of chromaticism, Sonata III on the other hand shines with many fanfare-like figurations. Sonata IV leaves a lot of room for improvisation on a harpsichord, Sonata V is very equal in treble and bass and requires a string bass combined with the keyboard instrument. The decision was made to use a very contoured and transparent-sounding instrument: the violoncello da spalla.

The Sonata VI remembers of a very festively radiant piece for trumpet. Clearly an organ is perfect for the accompaniment. To support the percussive character of the bass line we‘ve added a baroque guitar here. Probably the most unusual line-up on this CD can be heard in Sonata II. It needs radiance in the first half and a special, sparkling color for the dance movements. Here the bass is performed by an regal, a very special color in combination with the oboe.

After their very successful album with duos by Franz Alexander Possinger (Musicaphon M56996), Katja Gruttner and Christian Goosses now turn their attention to another master of the Viennese scene, Franz Anton Hoffmeister. He is one of the most productive of Viennese composers; the diversity of his oeuvre reads like a kaleidoscope of musical genres known at the time. He wrote sacred works as well as the German-language magic operas that were so popular at the time. In addition, there is talk of no fewer than 70 symphonies (44 of which are confirmed), 15 string quartets and an incredible 34 string quintets - more than the output of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven combined!

Chopin is said to have played in time (the metronome was always on the instrument), his left hand relentlessly keeping the tempo. Students also reported that he never played a piece in the same way, and that each performance produced a different result. And yet the composer's rubato playing was by no means as free as it is today. There are no reports of Chopin's playing of Bach in particular, but his admiration for the composer is certain. We therefore put the legend that he himself—according to his own statement—played only Bach for fourteen days before a concert into perspective and simply imagine that he worked intensively on "Bach" before his already rare performances. We can assume that the preludes and fugues of the "Well-Tempered Clavier," some of which are also heard in this project, were the focus of his interest.

A closer look at Chopin’s works, especially those of a smaller dimension, repeatedly catches the eye of modules that we think we already know from Bach. Individual bars of the Préludes op. 28 (1836-1839) and Études (op. 10 no. 4) (1833/1837) could be retransformed into a nucleus in Bach’s character with just a few “hand movements.” Chopin’s veneration of Bach preserved these highly condensed musical tools of the Baroque composer well into the Romantic century. He still used them in his late works, such as his last Nocturne in E major, which in a sense takes stock of “Bach.”

This recording, which feels entirely experimental, aims to create a unique musical experience through the direct connection of tonal, for example key, variations. The sound of some structurally related works clearly shows how much Chopin was influenced by Bach's work, whose formal stability with its geometric structures often prevented him from sowing too much "tinsel, trinkets, and pearls," something Robert Schumann once had the courage to accuse his rival of. The aim of this project tempted us to play "Chopin like Bach" here and there and to achieve the greatest possible transparency with extremely economical use of the pedal. Above all, to breathe Chopin's breath into Bach's melodic beauties with a "romantic" touch. The approximately 40-year-old Steinway B grand piano was chosen because of its slim bass section.

The six duos for violin and viola on this recording were composed between July and October 1783. A biographical sketch by Michael Haydn, published in 1808, two years after his death, recounts this in detail. "Michael Haydn was ordered by superiors to write duets for violin and alto. However, he was unable to deliver them by the appointed time because he was struck by a severe illness, which subsequently rendered him incapable of any work for longer than anyone expected; for the great man was incapable of giving a quid pro quo. He was threatened with the withdrawal of his salary if he delayed, because the master was presumably too little informed about Haydn's circumstances, or perhaps even deceived by false reports. Mozart, who visited him daily, learned of this, sat down, and wrote for his afflicted friend with such unceasing restlessness that the duets were completed in a few days and submitted under Michael Haydn's name. We often delighted ourselves later on with this excellently executed work of love, which our master also preserved in the original as a sanctuary, always honoring Mozart's immortal memory. Holy genius of friendship!"

Pleyel was primarily a composer of instrumental works and cultivated most of the major genres of his time. As Haydn's star pupil he naturally composed symphonies and string quartets and indeed his first published set of quartets won the admiration of no less a figure than Mozart. All of the works on this recording demonstrate a similar level of compositional mastery and a freshness and vitality comparable to the works of his early career. In some respects these duos represent Pleyel's farewell to the eighteenth century.

This CD features works whose first editions or manuscripts are preserved in libraries north of the Alps, particularly in present-day Germany. Of particular interest is that these are primarily works for wind instruments, especially oboes, but also trumpets. Another important aspect is the transcription and arrangement of Albinoni's works and themes from the pen of two famous German composers, Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Gottfried Walther. Albinoni was already very famous during his lifetime and admired by princes and fellow musicians, even north of the Alps!

Due to an overload of the right hand and the resulting epicondylitis (golfer's elbow), Nicola Stock was initially no longer able to play the guitar normally. Inspired by Lars Wuller's "Left Hand Guitar Challenge" and due to the fact that guitar works for the left hand alone had hardly existed up to that point - unlike in the piano world, where numerous pieces by well-known composers such as Scriabin or Ravel already exist - the idea arose together with Professor Gerhard Reichenbach to commission new pieces from various composers and thus create a repertoire for the left hand alone that combines innovative ideas and old and new playing techniques. Nicola Yasmin Stock (*1998) is a multiple prizewinner in international guitar competitions. As a soloist, she regularly performs at festivals in Asia, Europe and South America and gives master classes. She studied classical guitar with Professor Gerhard Reichenbach at the University of Music and Dance Cologne/Wuppertal and has also taken part in numerous master classes with renowned artists such as Margarita Escarpa, Pavel Steidl, Judicael Perroy and many others. In addition to her current studies in musicology at the Robert Schumann University in Dusseldorf, Nicola Yasmin Stock is the artistic director of the Rotenburg Guitar Week and an instrumental teacher at the Bergische Music School. She is involved in a variety of chamber music formations and orchestras, including as conductor of the Dortmund Guitar and Mandolin Orchestra. Because of her special commitment to the largely unknown guitar repertoire of female composers, she was awarded a scholarship for female guitarists by the Equal Opportunities Commission at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. She is also involved in cross-disciplinary projects, such as the interdisciplinary annual project of the College of Music and Art in Montepulciano/IT.

With this highly virtuosic program, Volker Hemken demonstrates a wide spectrum of tonal possibilities for the bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet, as well as a great stylistic diversity in the works, almost all of which are composed for the soloist.