Margarita Hohenrieder and Julius Berger have known it all their lives: the elucidations of Carl Czerny or Rudolf Kolisch, the latest Urtext editions that will lead them to "faithfulness to the text", the disquisitions from Romain Rolland to Eleonore Buning - they read, they discuss, it all seems helpful and necessary. At the end of the day it is the mature individual, the serious exponent, who makes the decision led by the promptings of conscience, and who simultaneously senses this "growing" of which Zagajewski speaks. Both climb a steep path, in order to approach Beethoven more closely. The summit of this path is visible, but not attainable. That is why the artists keep returning to this path, endless as it is. Beethoven lives in us, as he changes, as we change. Life aspires to art, art is a way forward, life is our way forward. Beethoven changes us through his "growth". We grow with him!

Mezzo soprano Megan Kahts, born in South Africa, was trained at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where she has been based since 2009. She sings internationally, specialising in the performance of Early and Contemporary music and has won coveted prizes in prestigious competitions. She is both a stage animal and a chamber musician at heart, having begun her musical training as a pianist and having embarked on a childhood singing career as a teenager in South Africa before honing her skills at the heart of the classical music tradition in Europe. The Carestini Ensemble Wien was formed by Megan Kahts out of musician colleagues with whom she has closely worked on various baroque opera and chamber music projects. The ensemble mainly specialises in works composed in the eighteenth century. Handel, Hasse, Gluck, Caldara and other composers composed parts and roles for the voice of the castrato Giovanni Carestini, after whose spirit the ensemble is named. All members of the ensemble are based in Vienna and specialised in Historical Performance Practice, performing on historical instruments.

World premiere recording of undiscovered gems from the estate of Norman O'Neill, an English member of the Frankfurt Group, from the end of the 19th

During his lifetime, Johann Schantz (1762-1828) was considered the most important and respected piano maker in Vienna alongside Anton Walter and Nannette Streicher. His instruments were widely appreciated by musicians and composers, including explicitly by Haydn and Beethoven. One of his early fortepianos were integrated into the collection of old musical instruments at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in 1939 from private ownership due to the fact that it could not be restored without considerable investment. There it was painstakingly restored in several phases and finally brought to it's present, playable condition in 2009. On this recording, pianist Richard Fuller, renowned for his decades-long involvement with historical instruments, presents this fortepiano with the Sonatas for Fortepiano in E major, Hob. XVI:31 (1776) and E-flat major, Hob. XVI:49 (1790) by Joseph Haydn. The collaboration with the soprano Karoline Pilcz demonstrates that this instrument has unique sound characteristics not only as a solo instrument but also as an accompanying instrument. The Arette italiane, Op. 31 (1790) and the Cantata in Honor of Marie Theresie Paradis (1784) by Leopold Kozeluch also date from the time of the instrument's creation, as is characteristic of this KHM edition.

This CD is the first of three albums of music by Giovanni Benedetto Platti, on which we plan to record all twelve cello sonatas and the harpsichord sonatas Op. 1. We are delighted to have found in Platti an interesting and little-known composer whose music is fascinating to explore. Giovanni Benedetto Platti is a classic example of one of the many underestimated composers of the 18th century. Today, his name is familiar only to specialists and his music known to but a very few, yet his work is well worth discovering. A factotum at the Wurzburg court, he wrote eminently attractive sonatas and concertos for oboe, cello, harpsichord and flute, as well as larger scale works including an interesting Requiem. The twelve cello sonatas have survived in a manuscript dated 1725 from the collection of Count von Schonborn in Wiesentheid. They all have four movements and are characterised, as so often in Platti, by a compact and stringent compositional style. Hardly any single movement takes up more than a transverse page of the score, and many of the slow movements only half a page. Born in South Tyrol, Alex Jellici studied the cello in his home town of Bolzano, then in Florence, Vienna and Zurich under Luca Fiorentini, Giovanni Gnocchi and Orfeo Mandozzi. Further studies in baroque cello and viola da gamba followed under Martin Zeller at the Zurich University of the Arts. Matias Lanz has been organist at the Winterthur Veltheim Reformed Church since 2013. He has also been active as a tango pianist for several years. In 2022, together with bandoneonist Jens Biedermann, he founded Tango Bodegon, a cuarteto tipico dedicated to the performance of traditional Argentinian tango. He has attended tango masterclasses with Roger Helou, Pablo Estigarribia, Leonardo Ferreyra and Rodolfo Mederos.

After acclaimed recordings of the Third (‘Dausgaard… makes the music sound vital and even revolutionary’, Fanfare) and Sixth (‘This persuasively played work could be no better served’, MusicWeb International), Thomas Dausgaard and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra now present Anton Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, ‘Romantic’ in its second version (1878-1880), the one with which this work has become widely known. “Nothing like this has been written since Beethoven” conductor Hans Richter is said to have declared after the successful premiere of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony in Vienna in 1881. This success finally gave the 56-year-old composer the attention and recognition he sorely needed and one can affirm that it was from this day onwards that Bruckner was actually cultivated in Vienna after years of public humiliation. Despite its nickname given by the composer himself, this symphony in no way expresses existential pain. Rather, the romanticism refers to the experience of nature – from sublime forest magic to hunting scenes – emphasized by the horn, the quintessential romantic instrument, which is given a prominent role.

REVIEW:

Dausgaard emerged early on as one of the most convincing HIP conductors of standard repertoire, and he has earned the right to express his individuality in Bruckner under normal conditions, one might say. His involvement with the score is undoubted, which makes the issue of fast tempos mostly irrelevant. Being different is worthwhile only when the difference is musically meaningful. I think that Dausgaard easily passes that test, in a Bruckner Fourth that is among the most striking in years.

-- Fanfare

The Czech Bohuslav Martinů and the Finn Einojuhani Rautavaara may not seem to have much in common, but both have adopted an attitude free of musical puritanism, constantly finding new sources of inspiration which they explored without taboos. Explaining the heterogeneity of his musical language over the years, Rautavaara stated that, as a Finn, he stands ‘between East and West, between the tundra and Europe, between Lutheran and Orthodox faith’. Premiered in 1999, his Piano Concerto No. 3 has managed to join the small group of late twentieth-century concertos that are now part of the repertoire. Its subtitle, ‘Gift of Dreams’, seems to describe perfectly the character of the music in the first two movements, before a finale that exhibits a more driven, anxious manner.

Eclectic, prolific and capable of composing in all genres, Bohuslav Martinů is nevertheless a composer who is difficult to categorise and the word that seems to best suit his music is ‘cosmopolitan’. The Piano Concerto No. 3 shares many features with the Romantic concerto and recalls both Brahms and Stravinsky. Reflecting the tragic events in Prague at the time of its composition, the concerto ends in a macabre dance and appears as a defiant, almost belligerent gesture.

REVIEWS:

BIS is to be commended for producing an imaginatively programmed disc and giving the music brilliant performances and superb recorded sound. To round out the picture, Jean-Pascal Vachon’s program notes are helpful introductions to both pieces.

-- Fanfare

This enticing disc pairs the third piano concertos by two masters – works separated by a half-century in composition but that are highly expressive, vibrant, even complementary. At least that’s how they sound when played so eloquently by soloist Olli Mustonen, accompanied by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the sensitive baton of conductor Dalia Stasevska. Rautavaara’s 1999 concerto, subtitled Gift of Dreams, shimmers in an array of musical colors, and Martinů’s 1948 third, which has a foot in both Romantic and modern styles, is eclectic in the best sense.

-- The Flip Side

Laura van der Heijden joins the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ryan Wigglesworth for this album of British cello concertos. Frank Bridge's Oration, composed in 1929 - 30 was intended as an outcry against the inhumanity of warfare, and a tribute to the victims of the First World War. It's arch form single continuous movement exhibits the intense chromaticism typical of Bridge's output from this era. Commissioned by the Ukrainian-born cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Walton's Cello Concerto suffered a number of difficulties with regard to first performances (Piatigorsky suffered a mental breakdown; Walton missed the UK premiere because of a nasty road accident) but it has nevertheless become a staple of the repertoire. It was with this concerto that Laura van der Heijden won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, in 2012. The young British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and then the University of Cambridge and King's College London, and rapidly established herself as one of the most talented and prolific composers of her generation. Earth, Sea, Air was written for van der Heijden, who gave the work's premiere in Glasgow in 2023, a week before making this recording with the same forces.

Hailed for his “Apollonian virtuosity and sensitive tone” (Online Merker, Germany), multi-award-winning pianist-composer Zhen Chen has performed as a soloist and chamber music artist at prominent music venues in the USA, Europe, and China. These venues include Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall of Lincoln Center, Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, and China National Centre for Performing Arts.

Since its founding in 1952, the Chamber Orchestra Mannheim has been particularly committed to the rediscovery of and care for the Mannheim School, thus acting as a direct descendant of the famous Mannheim Hofkapelle during the times of Prince Elector Carl Theodor (1724–1799). Thanks to Carl Theodor's modern and enlightened thinking, Mannheim and the Palatine Electorate developed into one of the most innovative and forward-thinking regions in Germany and Europe in the realms of science and art during his reign. It was particularly in the area of music that he succeeded in setting new standards by attracting the best composers and instrumentalists of their time – among them Johann Stamitz and his sons, Anton and Carl, Franz Xaver Richter, Ignaz Holzbauer, or Christian Cannabich – to the Mannheim court, who were to pave the way for a new orchestra culture with their work.

Viennese-born Thomas Rösner is in high demand as a conductor for symphonic repertoire as well as opera since he made his debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva.

Why is the early 19th century still so vividly present in literature, philosophy, music, and art? Why do Beethoven and Schubert continue to dominate many concert programs as well as a considerable volume of contemporary music journalism? German Romanticism was never an arcane hideout for other-worldly escapists; rather, it has to this day remained one of the most popular wellsprings of activity and discussion. So how does Rahel Varnhagen fit into this? From 1790 to 1832, she hosted a famous salon in which she had discussions with and inspired eminent figures in the fields of literature, theater, philosophy, music, politics, and science. Her chains of somewhat unconventional correspondence span thousands of pages. Since Hannah Arendt’s groundbreaking book on Rahel (1933/58), her historical significance as a “pariah”, as an outsider who was constantly in the spotlight, as a woman of Jewish descent and as a (non-publishing) writer has been brought into ever-sharper focus. Pauline, the daughter of a banker by the name of César, was from a very early age admired by many on account of her beauty. She soon went her own way, bore the child of a Russian officer, and became the lover of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, who was also a composer and was later killed in battle, leading his men against the forces of Napoleon. So how can such an exchange of letters work as a stage production? Pauline writes in the way she presumably spoke, constantly switching between her Berlin dialect, a distinctive form of standard German, and a highly adventurous Prussian French with her own spelling rules. Portrayed here by a concert singer, Pauline is allowed to be extravagant, whereas Rahel, who leans more towards straight theatre, is rather more rigid in her spoken and sung idiom. The scenes allow answers to be given straightaway even though the two protagonists do not actually meet until the epilogue. Born in 1943 in Bern (Switzerland), Roland Moser studied composition with Sándor Veress and has degrees in piano and music theory from Bern. In Germany, he undertook further studies in Freiburg and Cologne. From 1969 to 1984, he taught theory and new music at the Winterthur Conservatorium. Until his retirement, he was subsequently professor of composing, orchestration, and music theory at the City of Basel Music Academy. From 1968 onwards, he gained experience with experimental music in the Ensemble Neue Horizonte Bern, most of whose members also compose.

Armida was composed as a vehicle for the legendary soprano Isabella Colbran – Rossini’s lover at the time. She changed the composer’s view of what was possible with bel canto – her dynamic force inspiring Rossini’s dramatic intensity. This acclaimed Rossini in Wildbad performance features soprano Ruth Iniesta in the title role and tenor Michele Angelini as the heroic Rinaldo.

In the Bruckner Year 2024, St. Florian Abbey, with the master's burial place, the famous organ and the world-famous St. Florian Boys' Choir, will become even more of a focus for the international Bruckner fan community than it already is. A special prelude to this was the intermission film of this year's New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in which two Florian Boys' Choir led an audience of millions through all the Bruckner memorials and in which the choir performed the single release of the moth "Locus iste". Almost every concert of the St. Florian Boys' Choir, which was founded in 1071, includes a work by Anton Bruckner, as the choir is proud to have the "most famous member" in it's history. The "Locus iste" has long since become the secret anthem of the choirboys, and the other great motets such as "Ave Maria", "Os justi" and "Tota pulchra es" are also part of the regular repertoire of the Florian Boys' Choir. All of these works have now been re-recorded under the direction of Markus Stumpner and will be released on CD and digitally on March 1 for the Bruckner Year 2024 under the title "Remembrance". However, not only the master's best-known choral works will be presented, but also rarities: the recently restored Bruckner grand piano, a Bosendorfer built in 1846, which accompanied Bruckner's creative output from 1848 to 1896, will play a special role. Franz Farnberger will play Bruckner's best-known piano piece, "Erinnerung", and accompany another former choirboy, the now internationally renowned countertenor Alois Muhlbacher, in two Bruckner songs. The boys perform the "22nd Psalm" together with the pianist, while an ensemble of former choirboys perform the two male choruses "Um Mitternacht" and "Herbstlied". Franz Farnberger rearranged "Der Lehrerstand", a men's choir whose text is difficult to understand today, into a humorous alternating song by teachers and pupils. This Bruckner CD recorded in St. Florian naturally also features the famous Bruckner organ - masterfully played by the monastery organist Klaus Sonnleitner.

There is only anecdotal evidence of how the composer Hans Schaeuble discovered music. He evidently learnt the piano at an early age: he was writing out pieces of music even in his childhood. For his years in Lausanne, there are copious accounts of his attendance at concerts by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet, which led him to the conclusion that he should be a composer himself. Against the wishes of his parents, particularly his stepfather (his father having died in 1922), he prepared himself for a course of study in music. From no later than 1927 until the end of 1930, he studied piano with Karl Adolf Martienssen and composition with Hermann Grabner at the Landeskonservatorium in Leipzig. Schaeuble moved to Berlin on December 15 or 16, 1930. He was now a freelance composer and remained so until the end of his life; he never held any official position.

The Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra op. 50 of 1967 is Schaeuble’s fifth work for piano and orchestra. His first essay in the form dates from 1931, his first year in Berlin: the Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra op. 9, which remained unperformed. The Concertino for Oboe and String Orchestra op. 44 of 1959 is the first of three wind concertos that Schaeuble composed in succession between 1959 and 1962. On September 9, 1956 he wrote his first note about preliminary studies; on November 11, 1956, he signed off on his Serenade in B flat for String Orchestra op. 42. Although the piece appears to have been a commissioned work, there is no record of any performances.

Joy of discovery and perpetual reaching for new horizons are the traits that best describe the Grammy-winning State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Riga. Since its foundation in 2006, the orchestra's artistic director and chief conductor has been Normunds Šne. One can hardly imagine a more devoted champion of neglected and rarely played composers than pianist Oliver Triendl. His tireless commitment – primarily to romantic and contemporary music – is reflected in almost 150 CD recordings. The scope of his repertoire is surely unique, comprising more than 100 piano concertos and hundreds of chamber music pieces. In many cases, he was the first to present these works on stage or to commit them to disc.

Sir Arthur Bliss contributed two staples of the brass band repertoire - Kenilworth and The Belmont Variations, whose enduring success inspired arrangers to turn to his other compositions, for example Eric Ball and Four Dances from the ballet Checkmate or Phillip Littlemore's suite from the film score for Things to Come. Three new arrangements have been made especially for this album: Robert Childs' suite from the ballet Adam Zero, and Michael Halstenson's arrangements of Music from the Royal Palaces and Welcome the Queen. Collectively this program reflects the essence of Bliss's compositional style: the inherent drama of his scores for film, ballet, and television and his flair for the ceremonial, especially in the context of his position as Master of the Queen's Music.

Black Dyke Band, tracing it's continuous history back to 1855, is the most recorded band in the world, having produced a discography of more than 350 recordings to date. It is also the most successful contesting band in the world, having won the European Championships thirteen times, the British Open thirty times and the National Championships of Great Britain twenty-four times. In 2023, they appointed conductor John Wilson as their Honorary President.

REVIEW:

The ensemble balance is superb, the internal voicing clear and detailed, the execution punchy, delicate, breezily confident and heartfelt by turn. This is a wonderful album in every way, highly recommended.

— Gramophone

The program is well put together and demonstrates the essence of Bliss’s style.

— British Music Society Journal

Following the successful album "Nicht Wiedersehen!", the internationally acclaimed bassist Gunther Groissbock and one of the most distinguished pianists in his field, Malcolm Martineau, are now dedicating their new program to the subject of love; under the title "Mannerliebe und Leben" (A Man's Love and Life), they explore love from a man's point of view - based on Schumann's well-known cycle "Frauenliebe und -leben" (A Woman's Love and Life). Beginning with what is probably the first known song cycle in music history, "An die ferne Geliebte" by Ludwig van Beethoven, the well-rehearsed duo then present Schumann's "Dichterliebe". Three songs by Anton Bruckner ("I'm April", "Herbstkummer" and "Mein Herz und deine Stimme") are preceded by further selected songs by Johannes Brahms, including "Wie bist du, meine Konigin", "Unbewegte laue Luft", "Die Mainacht" and "Nicht mehr zu dir zu gehen".

Brilliant Classics have celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Reger’s birth last year by expanding their Reger Collection of a decade ago from 11 to 18 CDs. Added to the original set, which presented Reger’s best known works – the glorious orchestral Böcklin Suite, the Mozart, Beethoven and Hiller Variations, the mighty piano and violin concertos, the beautiful clarinet quintet (not in the least inferior to Brahms’ masterpiece), the complete Chorale Fantasias for organ (Reger, an organist himself, wrote extensively and superbly for his instrument) and a fine selection of choral music – is a new set of chamber music including the Piano Trio, Flute-Violin-Viola Serenades, Clarinet–Piano Sonatas and other works, and Reger’s compositions for solo viola and for solo cello. The transparency of the chamber music genre particularly highlights the composer’s absolute mastery of counterpoint. Also new is an expanded keyboard section, with more works for the organ – so associated with Reger – including the Sonatas and Fantasy–Fugues, and a new solo piano CD recorded in 2023 by Eden Walker featuring Dreams by the Fireside and the Bach Variations and Fugue.

This exciting album features world premiere recordings of nine chamber and solo works, profiling the distinctive and diverse voices of five celebrated British composers. The album explores the rich theme of the English landscape and it's cultural history through innovative and evocative music. "Distant Voices, New Worlds" is inspired by the interplay of contemporary and historical perspectives on landscape. At it's heart are four specially commissioned songs from 2022 for soprano and ensemble, forming the South Downs Songbook. This project meditates upon and celebrates the human experience of the South Downs, the chalk hills stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne. The project included extensive educational initiatives and the creation of a resource pack on composing, available through the Orchestra of Sound and Light, the Brighton-based ensemble known for blending traditional and contemporary instruments and incorporating visual art and moving images. The commissioned composers-Shirley J Thompson, Rowland Sutherland, Evelyn Ficarra, and Ed Hughes-each bring a unique perspective to the project. Their works are inspired by walking the South Downs and are set to texts that offer varied views on landscape and history: Shirley Thompson set Phillis Wheatley's "An Hymn to the Evening" (1753-1784), reflecting Wheatley's experiences in England. Rowland Sutherland chose a poem by Charlotte Turner Smith (1749-1806). Ed Hughes adapted words by Marion Robinson (1937), an early contributor to the Mass Observation Archive, influenced by William Blake's visions of the South Downs skies. Evelyn Ficarra set a poem by contemporary Brighton-based poet Valerie Whittington. Complementing these works are five additional compositions recorded by the New Music Players, creating a kaleidoscope of new British music and historical voices. Highlights include: An instrumental elaboration on Thomas Tallis's motet "In ieiunio et fletu" by Ed Hughes. Shirley J Thompson's tribute to Nelson Mandela, "Mighty Mandela," performed by solo flautist Rowland Sutherland. Evelyn Ficarra's solo piano meditation on a haiku, "The Arbitrariness of Language." A trio by Rowland Sutherland for cello, flute, and piano, blending jazz influences and a remix of Tallis's "Lamentations." Matthew Sheeran's "Languet Anima," inspired by fourteenth-century Ars Subtilior music. This project, developed with support from ACE and the South Downs National Park Authority, also received contributions from the Hinrichsen Foundation and Vaughan Williams Trust. It highlights the intersection of contemporary music, landscape, culture, and memory, emphasizing the significance of diverse artistic expression in fostering public awareness and well-being.

Four-time BAFTA winning composer Christopher Gunning, has composed twelve symphonies as well as concertos for the piano, violin, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and guitar. Here the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Kenneth Woods, perform his eighth and ninth symphonies, recorded in Hoddinott Hall in March 2024. "Each scored for a moderatelysized orchestra (the 8th has only one trumpet and no lower brass, while the 9th adds a second trumpet, a harp, and a small percussion section) and both [grapple], in Gunning's highly individual way, with the legacy of classical symphonic form" - Richard Bratby. [9th Symphony] "I believe this piece has a strong emotional flavour but if you try and untangle the story you're going to end up with your own story - and to me, that is absolutely perfect." - Christopher Gunning. "Gunning's [...] symphonies, numerous concertos and sundry orchestral pieces are as meticulously wrought as they are powerfully conceived." - Gramophone

Michael Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time was composed between 1939 and 1942 as a direct response to the events leading up to (and including) the notorious Kristallnacht, in November 1938, in National Socialist Germany. Tippet first intended to write an opera, but quickly determined that this would inevitably be too literal, and that the (rather neglected) oratorio form lent greater scope for reflective and meditative interjections to the narrative.

Hoping to persuade his friend and mentor T.S. Elliot to write the libretto, he sent the poet such an intricately detailed plan that Elliot responded by suggesting that Tippett, having thought so carefully about it, prepare the text himself – which he duly did. (He then went on to write his own libretti for all his future large vocal works). Set for choir, orchestra, and four soloists, the work adopts a structure that owes a debt to Handel’s Messiah, which Tippett had studied intensively in the 1930s. In addition, Tippett wanted to incorporate choral interludes much as Bach had done in his passions. Rejecting Lutheran chorals and Jewish hymns, he finally settled on African-American spirituals of which he placed five within the work.

Sir Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, with an exceptional quartet of soloists. The album was recorded in Surround Sound in Croydon’s Fairfield Halls following live performances in London’s Royal Festival Hall.

REVIEW:

Bass Ashley Riches shines particularly as the narrator, bringing a terrific clarity and command to the role. The BBC Symphony Orchestra give a fine performance, but the real star of the show is the BBC Symphony Chorus.

— BBC Music Magazine

Based on a story by Gogol, Modest Mussorgsky's unfinished Sorochintsi Fair is a comic opera in which amorous encounters intermingle with a devil's curse. Potentially a compelling and original drama, Salammbo was Mussorgsky's first attempt at an opera. Both works are world premiere recordings of chamber versions arranged by Fabrice Bollon, using only original material as their basis.

Metier is proud to present The Tyndall Effect, a compelling collection of works by acclaimed composer Grainne Mulvey. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable legacy of John Tyndall-physicist, explorer, poet, and cultural icon-Mulvey's compositions bridge the gap between music and science, paying homage to Tyndall's groundbreaking contributions in climate science, molecular spectroscopy, and bacteriology. John Tyndall, a native of Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, Ireland, was celebrated for his fascinating lectures at the Royal Institution and his pioneering scientific work, which paved the way for modern nanoscience and quantum reality. Known as the "poet of science," Tyndall's vivid descriptions of natural phenomena have now been transformed into an evocative musical experience by Mulvey. The Tyndall Effect features six pieces, each reflecting aspects of Tyndall's extensive work and achievements. Diffractions for Orchestra (2014) opens the collection, inspired by Tyndall's lectures on sound and light. The piece evolves from a cacophony of "white noise" into distinct harmonic, rhythmic, and timbral elements, mirroring the process of diffraction. Interference Patterns (2014), a piano piece commissioned for the Dublin International Piano Competition, captures the essence of Tyndall's research into diffraction, unfolding as variations on a ground theme that shifts through different registers and harmonic spectra. LUCA (2017), created for the Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble, reflects on the Last Universal Common Ancestor, echoing Tyndall's support of Darwin's theory of evolution. The piece transitions from chaotic clusters to thematic gestures, symbolizing the interconnectedness of all life. Calorescence (2013) honours Tyndall's term for the emission of visible light from matter absorbing infrared energy. This piano piece transforms amorphous material into melodic and harmonic content, exploring the process of musical generation. Sun of Orient Crimson with Excess of Light (2020) takes inspiration from Tyndall's poetic reflections on nature. Combining live piano with sampled and treated sounds, the piece evokes the majesty of the landscape described in Tyndall's poem *A Morning on Alp Lusgen*. The collection culminates with Cello Concerto - Excursions and Ascents, drawing on Tyndall's mountaineering adventures. The concerto, commissioned by the RTe National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, depicts the ascent of a solitary explorer through dialogues between the soloist and the orchestra, reflective sections, and a final portrayal of glacial landscapes. Grainne Mulvey, a distinguished composer and academic, has garnered international acclaim for her innovative works. With a career spanning over two decades, she has made significant contributions to contemporary music, earning numerous awards and commissions. The Tyndall Effect stands as a testament to her ability to weave scientific concepts into the fabric of abstract music, creating a profound connection between the realms of art and science.

Goedicke, Rachmaninoff, Schonberger & Weinberg: Resonance

This 7-SACD collection includes recordings made by Brazilian-born conductor John Neschling of the orchestral works of Ottorino Respighi, alongside Puccini the best-known Italian composer of the first half of the twentieth century. Widely praised by the press, including BBC Music Magazine, which described them as ‘the finest-ever survey of the composer’s orchestral output undertaken by a single conductor’, these recordings reveal Respighi’s extraordinary range.

His transcriptions of works from the baroque period bear witness to his great musical refinement and are an example of the way in which people dared to adapt to current tastes at the beginning of the 20th century. His original compositions, whether symphonic poems, ballets or symphonic works, often call for a large orchestra, sometimes with the addition of numerous percussion instruments, piano, organ and even, in Pines of Rome, a phonograph, present a synthesis of the musical traditions of his native Italy and contemporary romantic, impressionist and neo-classical trends while remaining resolutely closed to modernist developments and atonality. Respighi’s lavish sound palette and the spirit that fills his scores were to find an echo in Hollywood film music, and John Williams considers him to be one of his most important influences.

Past praise of the previously released recordings included in this set:

Respighi: The Birds; Ancient Airs & Dances

These performances are uncommonly airy. Much of this music is suffused with an autumnal melancholy, and Neschling and his orchestra capture that very well.

-- Fanfare

Respighi: Metamorphoseon, etc.

All of the performances here are expert, but conductor John Neschling deserves particular credit for keeping things movement purposefully forward in the first two long, and mostly slowish, movements of the Belkis suite. The same work’s vulgar (let’s not kid ourselves) concluding Danza orgiastica also sounds more musical than usual–less like a back-alley gang bang–but with no loss of energy. The Liège orchestra plays with great bravura, and BIS’s SACD sonics, typically, are just terrific. In short, a very worthy entry in this ongoing series.

-- ClassicsToday.com

Respighi: Roman Trilogy / Neschling, Sao Paulo Symphony

The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra is a superb ensemble by any standards, and displays their virtuosity in the three Respighi symphonic poems.

-- SA-CD.net

The Folly - Tragedy of Erasmus of Rotterdam is the latest release on Naxos from the renowned conductor and composer Fabrice Bollon. The opera focuses on Erasmus of Rotterdam, the influential Renaissance reformer, cosmopolitan humanist and intellectual who, in old age, reflects on the events of his life. World premiere recording.

Metier Records proudly presents "Resonating Earth," the latest album by acclaimed pianist Carolyn Enger. Resulting from a multimedia project, developed in collaboration with producer and video artist Elliott Forrest, visual artist Myles Aronowitz, and photographer/activist J. Henry Fair, the work addresses the urgent climate crisis through the transformative power of music and art. Resonating Earth emerged from Enger's profound connection to nature and her dedication to environmental activism. Living in a wooden house outside Manhattan, Enger draws inspiration from the natural vibrations of her seven-foot Steinway piano, her personal yoga and meditation practices, and her profound love for the planet. This album, born from those inspirations, offers a sonic environment conducive to contemplation and openness, featuring a diverse collection of compositions that span multiple generations and schools of thought. The album opens and closes with works by Meredith Monk, whose pieces "Quarry Waltz" and "Ellis Island" frame the program with themes of totalitarianism and the promise of freedom. Interwoven throughout are compositions by Marcos Balter, Nico Muhly, Wolfgang Rihm, Missy Mazzoli, John Cage, John Luther Adams, Philip Glass, Iman Habibi, Caroline Shaw, and Sean Hickey-each bringing unique perspectives and emotional depth to the project. Key highlights include: Marcos Balter's Bagatelle: A piece filled with simple, spare gestures fading into chasms of silence, creating a resonant environment for reflection. Nico Muhly's Lilt: Broadcasting assurance through steady rising fourths and hymn-like melody. John Luther Adams's Nunataks: Inspired by the solitary peaks of glaciers, evoking human isolation and vulnerability in the face of climate change. Iman Habibi's in the brittle quietude: Reflecting on the pandemic's impact and hoping for a more equitable and conscientious future. Resonating Earth not only showcases Enger's lyrical and dynamic playing but also her deep commitment to using art as a means to inspire and provoke thought about our relationship with the planet. Enger's previous recordings have garnered critical acclaim, with The New York Times and Gramophone praising her ability to elevate musical miniatures to profound levels. Enger's extensive performance history includes prestigious venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the National Gallery in Oslo. Her multimedia collaborations extend to exhibits at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and the Jewish Museum Berlin. Resonating Earth is more than an album; it is a call to action, a reminder of the interconnectedness of art, humanity, and the environment. About Carolyn Enger Pianist Carolyn Enger has gained critical acclaim for her deeply felt interpretations and dynamic performances. Her Naxos recording of Ned Rorem's miniatures was named one of The New York Times' "Best in Classical Recordings," and she continues to captivate audiences worldwide with her passion, skill, and genuine warmth. A Steinway Artist, Enger is dedicated to bringing music to diverse audiences in accessible civic spaces.