Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924-2012) was a meticulous modernist who followed his own distinctive path. His works exude distinctive and intense nature mysticism. The five works presented here – including three world premiere recordings – span the most important period of the composer’s artistic development, from Music for percussion and viola, op. 18 (1956) to his cathartic Periphrasis, op. 156, (first version, 1977) and all feature the full array of percussion instruments found in 20th c. music, bringing Borup-Jørgensen’s exquisitely crafted sound universe to life. Standing at the center of this universe is Gert Mortensen, one of the world’s leading scholars and performers of music for percussion. Mortensen’s ensemble partners, representing some of Denmark’s greatest musicians, including the incomparable Michala Petri (recorder), Tim Frederiksen (viola), The Percurama Percussion Ensemble, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet and his regular duo partner, Prof. Qiao Jia Jia (Duo Crossfire), ably match Mr. Mortensen’s artistry.

Although Robert Schumann’s public role in the Bach revival is less well known than that of Felix Mendelssohn, Bach’s music would play an influential effect throughout his life. Schumann would in turn, arrange and perform many of Bach’s works including adding piano parts to the Solo Violin Sonatas and Cellos Suites and trumpets to the St. John Passion! In 1843 he and Clara rented a custom-made pedalflügel - a dreadnought of an instrument combining a Friedrich Wieck grand piano with a pedal keyboard that enabled Schumann’s to play Bach’s organ music at home. During one of his periodic bouts of depression, Schumann became gripped by what he called Fugenpassion and shortly thereafter his obsession with Bach would blossom in the Canons and Fugues of Opp. 56 and 58. The curious name of this album references Carl Nielsen’s advice to fellow composer Ture Rangström, namely, to get down to the roots of a piece so that it would truly flower. And so following Nielsen’s advice, acclaimed organist Jens E. Christensen, a master of styles ancient and modern, dug deep to uncover the roots of Schumann’s imagination for this truly extraordinary program, a lovingly cultivated German-Danish, Piano-Organ, Baroque-Romantic hybrid, that will no doubt become a perennial favorite for fans of Schumann’s most florid contrapuntal creations.

When I read the word “Siesta,” I picture a recumbent Mexican wearing a multicolored serape snoozing under his extravagantly brimmed sombrero. For Lars Hannibal, however, a siesta offers a break from work which doesn’t have to be spent sleeping. Instead, it’s a good time to listen to music. You certainly wouldn’t want to doze through this CD, as even in the familiar pieces the recorder’s woody rusticity shines a new light on the old tunes. Piazzolla’s Histoire du tango—a four-movement suite chronicling the evolution of tango in Argentina—expresses itself with humor, melancholy, and in the last movement, irony. Joan Albert Amargòs’s Tango català has a Spanish title, but I hear Brazil in its mood, melody, and harmony. After the guitar sets the scene, the recorder joins in, substituting for a sultry singer in a work “having the quiet sadness of many a Jazz ballad” (from Leo Black’s notes). Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonatina is the work of a classicist in love with Spain; Ravel’s Pièce en forme de habanera sways to its endlessly seductive rhythm; and Entr’acte, Ibert’s swirling mini-travelogue, recalls the old cliché that some of the best Spanish music is by French composers. Three works by Villa-Lobos close the recital: Modinha (literally, little song), a lyrical, syncopated melody; Distribução de flores, a haunting tune (especially when played by the tenor recorder), with an unmistakable South American Indian sound; and the Cantilena from the well-loved Bachianas brasileiras No. 5. The recorder and guitar probably won’t displace the voice and cellos of the original in listeners’ affections, but the melody is as beautiful as ever, even if the recorder sometimes sounds a bit shrill. Overall, a very enjoyable disc that introduced me to some unfamiliar music while providing a fresh look at some perennials.

FANFARE: Robert Schulslaper

Throughout her extraordinary career, Michala Petri has embraced the entirety of the recorder’s repertoire, from the Baroque to the 21st c. Danish and Faroese Recorder Concertos is the latest installment in Michala’s ongoing “Concerto Project”, (previous releases include Chinese Recorder Concertos (6.220603), English Recorder Concertos (6.220606) and the Grammy®-nominated Movements (6.220531)), presenting new works composed especially for her, from an international roster of some of the greatest contemporary composers. The three works featured here provide just a sample of the rich and colorful diversity of Danish and Faroese contemporary music; from the late Thomas Koppel’s tender, tonally-centered Moonchild’s Dream, to Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, the dean of Danish composers, and his darkly humorous Chacun Son Son, to the vigorous and atmospheric 20-minute bird-cadenza for recorder and orchestra, Territorial Songs, by the internationally acclaimed Faroese composer Sunleif Rasmussen. A disc that NO fan of contemporary music or Michala Petri will want to be without!

Composer and arranger Michael Bojesen has selected hymns and carols from across the world to ring in the holiday season. Includes both familiar songs such as "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" and less familiar holiday songs from around the globe like the Basque plaint "Gabriel's Message", from Poland "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" and Czechoslovakia's "Zither Carol". With special guest Michala Petri, the brilliant young recorder player providing piquant accompaniment, the release is available in Super Audio format ensuring superior sound quality.

For this CD a program of some of the most popular Danish folk songs is selected, and Michael Bojesen arranged them anew for recorder and choir. Even if you do not know the Danish language you will feel the atmosphere of the Danish homeland. Recorded in DXD soundformat.

The inspiration for Hugo Distler’s gem of a Christmas narrative can be found in the German-language protestant sacred music of the early baroque era, especially the music of Heinrich Schütz. Drawing on Schütz’s example, Distler composed his Christmas story exclusively for vocalists – soloists and a 4-8-voiced ensemble – in what is, in Distler’s own words, described as an “Oratorium mit kammermusikalishem Charakter." We also hear parts of the beautiful choral Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, which appears seven times during the course of the narrative. – every time in a new harmonic colour. The story of Hugo Distler’s life is a tragic one. Born in Nuremburg in 1908, he would go on to teach at the School for Church Music in Spandau before being appointed professor of church music in Stuttgart in 1940. Distler, who was a deeply religious man, has been recognized as a forerunner of the New German Church Music, an important musical movement which developed in the 1930s. The Nazis stigmatized Distler’s compositions as “degenerate art”, and when he received his conscription papers, he took his life. Sadly, Distler’s music is seldom performed outside of Germany even to this day. Hailed by Gramophone as “a choir worth listening to for their beautiful singing, which can deliver performances of pure, natural eloquence,” the 16 voices of the award-winning vocal ensemble Concert Clemens, founded by conductor Carsten Seyer-Hansen in 1997, has established itself as one of the leading vocal ensembles in Scandinavia. Their stylistic versatility has been seen in numerous collaborations exploring the connections between jazz and classical music as well as note-perfect interpretations of standard repertoire. The evangelist, tenor Adam Riis, is one of Denmark’s leading voices. Recorded in the DXD format by the Danish “Wizard of Sound”, Preben Iwan, in the resonant sonics of Skt. Markus Kirken, Århus.

As the progenitor of a style whose influence more or less came to define the instrumental music of the High Baroque, Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713) occupies a position in music history as unenviable as it is to his great credit. Just what made Corelli’s style seem strikingly novel to his contemporaries is a tricky question. To be sure, his standardization and popularization of certain formal tropes – most notably the succession of movement types in Sonate da Camera and Sonate da Chiesa – was a significant part of what his followers considered the ‘Corellian’ manner.

But Corelli’s actual compositional style, his way of organizing musical thoughts into phrases and motives, is fundamentally derived from the expressive capabilities of his chosen instrument, the violin. Certain melodic patterns used to modulate and to effect sequences (e.g., chains of sevenths and fifths) basically derive from specificities of violin technique that amplify an instrument with origins primarily in dance music into one that in Corelli’s hands, could imitate the rise and fall of the sung and spoken human voice. This tension between idiomatically instrumental techniques and the evocation of the voice is the defining characteristic of Corelli’s style throughout all his surviving works and would establish the “Roman School” as the supreme measure of musical taste for generations.

For this exploration of the 18th century’s Corelli Craze, the dynamic star trio of Mahan Esfahani, Hille Perl and Michala Petri unite to trace the Roman’s influence, (sometimes in name only...) on the musical legacies of Bach, Händel and Telemann, and of course two works from the pen of the celebrated Italian Master, himself. Gramophone about the Petri/Perl/Esfahani Trio’s Bach recording: “While the tonal and expressive range of the recorder, viol and harpsichord may appear constrained in comparison to, say, flute, cello and piano, in the hands of foremost players such as these, even a relatively lightweight work such as the C major Sonata, BWV1033, comes over as the ideal demonstration of a particular facet of the composer’s style and the performers’ abilities.”

“UPHEAVAL” is an exceptional project in several aspects. First, it presents four compositions for cello and piano written by female composers from the first part of the 20th century, challenging the cultural norms of the day and secondly, the title “Upheaval”, also refers to the tumultuous period around the First World War.

The works featured on this recording are Henriëtta Bosmans' Sonata for Cello and Piano (1919), Dora Pejacevic's Sonata for Cello and Piano (1913), Nadia Boulanger's Trois pièces (1914), and Lili Boulanger's Nocturne (1911), were all written over an eight-year period in France, the Netherlands, and Croatia. Henriëtte Bosmans was one of Holland's greatest pianists, and a composer of great distinction as her sweeping, early Cello Sonata proves. Countess Maria Theodora Paulina (Dora) Pejacevic is rightfully considered the matriarch of Croatian composers. Her Cello Sonata, Opus 35 embodies late romanticism, with influences of Mendelssohn, Brahms and Dvorak particularly evident. The program concludes with works from two amazing sisters: Nadia (1887–1979) and Lili Boulanger (1893–1918). Both were pioneers in their fields (Lili was the First Woman to win the coveted Prix de Rome, and Nadia, for teaching about every major post war composer) and were for many years, two of the best-known women in music in the twentieth century.

The artists, the husband-and-wife cello/piano duo of Janne Fredens (cello) and Søren Rastogi (piano) approach this program with a sense of profound commitment and mission, recognizing that there performances of such unfamiliar repertoire may well serve as a benchmark for future artists. Both are active soloists and teach at the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus. The chosen instrument for the recording is the Bechstein Gran Piano to match the beautiful tone of Janne's cello, and to give an impression of the periods piano sound.

This is a highly recommended recording for fans of unfamiliar chamber music, advocates for women composers and those who just love to hear glorious music played by great musicians with passion and commitment.

Olivier Messiaen’s two-and-a-half-hour piano cycle Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jesus is one of the most extraordinary and ground-breaking works in twentieth-century piano repertoire, joining such musical Mount Everests as Bach’s Goldberg Variations and the late Sonatas of Beethoven. That such a work was created in 1944 during the German occupation of France, and yet expresses such joy, conviction, love, and hope makes it all the more remarkable.

At more than two hours in length, the work is rarely performed in full. It takes a special kind of performer who has the physical and emotional stamina and focus to undertake such a task for it places immense technical and musical demands on the pianist.
One such musicians is Kristoffer Hyldig. KRISTOFFER HYLDIG is one of Denmark‘s leading pianists, recognized for his musicality and highly personal, sensitive approach. Known for his versatility, he is in demand as a soloist, as well as chamber musician and lied accompanist, and his concerts are often broadcasted on Danish Radio. He is a founding member of Messiaen Quartet Copenhagen, where his work comprises artistic programming as well as closely working with composers, commissioning, and premiering pieces.

Recorded in Vor Frelser’s Church, Copenhagen during one of the most severe periods of the lock down by producer, recording & balance engineer extraordinaire, Preben Iwan. The album is recorded in the immersive DXD format.

Messiaen's most famous work, Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time), was composed while a captive in a German prisoner of war at Stalag VIII A, located near the town of G�rlitz-Moys in Silesia, Germany. Messiaen met there three fellow prisoners who were also accomplished musicians: Etienne Pasquier, a world-class cellist who had already secured an international reputation as a member of the Pasquier Trio; Jean Le Boulaire, a violinist who had studied at the Paris Conservatory; and Henri Akoka, a clarinetist who was a member of the Paris-based Orchestre National de la Radio. Together, this unusual ensemble formed the basis for one of the most extraordinary works of the 20th century. Rooted in his deeply Christian faith, the Quatuor is inspired by the 10th chapter of the Book of Revelation. It was also Messiaen's first composition to include bird song, in addition to his developing use of color imagery, and his continuing exploration of many interesting and novel ways of rhythmic organization to create a feeling of timelessness. Two of the most highly esteemed classical musicians in Denmark, violinist Christina �strand and pianist Per Salo (AKA Duo �strand/Salo) are joined by two colleagues from The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Johnny Teyssier, clarinet, and Henrik Dam Thomsen, cello for a performance as pure as crystal and as immense as space.

For most of the 20th century, the two giants of Hungarian music were Bartok and Kodaly. Following his explosion on the international scene in the mid-60s, Gyorgi Ligeti, a student of Kodaly, was added to that list. Kodaly was one of the most significant early figures in the field of ethnomusicology. He also composed prolifically for choirs. All of the Kodaly works on this program were influenced by folk music and chart the composer’s development from the world of late romanticism to the mini-cantata Matrai kepek (Matra pictures), including a shimmering performance of Esti Dal (Evening Song), his most beloved choral work. Most of music that Ligeti composed for a cappella choir was written in the mid-50s while still in Budapest. Alongside numerous folk song arrangements, like Mátraszentimrei Dalok, were pieces like Éjszaka – Reggel (Night – Morning) which were already pushing the sonic boundaries with clusters and onomatopoeic sounds. Ligeti’s mature style can be heard in the shimmering and justifiably famous Lux Aeterna while the late Drei Phantasien (on texts by Friedrich Holderlin) described by Ligeti himself as “emotional, “onomatopoetic,” overwrought, 16-voiced pieces (not micropolyphonic!)” is an example of his late Post-Modernist style. For this very special and demanding repertoire, both teacher and student are in good hands with the Danish National Vocal Ensemble and conductor Marcus Creed. Audiophiles will also be richly rewarded with the vivid imaging and “as real as it gets” sonic presence thanks to producer Michael Emery and technician Mikkel Nymand. A Dolby Atmos release is being planned.

The "Tondichtung", or tone poem, was a popular European genre from the mid-19th to early 20th century. German composer Richard Strauss excelled in this form, producing ten works. A tone poem is a single-movement orchestral piece meant to evoke moods, stories, or scenes without following a strict narrative. Strauss's Don Juan, Op. 20 (1888), was inspired by Nikolaus Lenau's poetic take on the Don Juan legend, portraying him as a man seeking the perfect woman and ultimately succumbing to despair. Strauss's orchestral work mirrors this, opening with energetic themes of Don Juan's adventures, featuring lyrical passages for his loves, and concluding with dark chords symbolizing his demise. In 1898, Strauss composed Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), a six-section tone poem inspired by Beethoven's Eroica, reflecting his own life and career. Themes depict the hero, his adversaries, companion, battles, peace, and eventual retirement. Critics debated Strauss's self-portrait as arrogant or humorous, but the work remains a testament to artistic struggle and triumph. Austrian conductor Hans Graf, Chief Conductor and Quantedge Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) since 2020, is known for his curiosity, creative programming, and commanding presence. An acclaimed guest conductor worldwide, he has won multiple awards including the �sterreichischer Musiktheaterpreis and recorded works by Mozart, Stravinsky, and Berg. Founded in 1979, the SSO is Singapore's flagship orchestra, performing year-round and achieving global recognition, including rankings by Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine. Under Graf, the orchestra has released over 50 recordings and revived rare works by composers like Kozlowski, Klenau and Ogerman. The SSO forms part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also encompasses choruses, youth orchestras, and major music festivals.

When one first imagines the sound of a magisterial bass voice and a pipe organ, one cannot help but imagine some sort of glorious Vox Dei pronouncing eternal truths from the numinous beyond, but in this extraordinary recital from Danish-Spanish organist and composer and acclaimed Danish bass-baritone Jakob Bloch Jespersen, Eros and Agape are twined and intertwined. Three incredibly different song cycles from three outstanding Danish composers explore this unique sound world; the late Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen is represented in what may well be his musical Last Will and Testament, a set of transcriptions from his opera Sun Rises, Sun Sets, based on the Biblical Song of Solomon. Bent Lorentzen, one of the key figures and pioneers of early Danish electronic music, explores the themes of love, sensual, and divine in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a Nordic Messiaen in his song cycle Erotic Hymns. Our recital concludes with Nicolai Worsaae's emotionally (and sonically) devastating theatre piece for bass voice and organ, A Shipwreck, which explores the themes of life, death, and resurrection, pushing the magnificent organ at Our Saviour's Church (Vor Frelsers Kirke), Copenhagen, to it's expressive limits, all captured vividly by one of Denmark's most celebrated recording engineers, Preben Iwan. A MUST HEAR for vocal and organ aficionados!

Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa (c.1561-1613) was a Renaissance composer known for both his groundbreaking music and the infamous murder of his wife and her lover. While historical records about his personality are limited and contradictory, his music-especially his 104 madrigals-is notable for it's bold harmonic experimentation, centuries ahead of it's time. Composer Peter Navarro-Alonso, long fascinated by Gesualdo, created the hour-long piece In flagrante delicto in collaboration with violinist Christina �strand and conductor Paul Hillier. The composition explores the darkness of Gesualdo's psyche through musical quotations and has been performed and recorded by Ensemble Stralo and Theatre of Voices. Peter Navarro-Alonso is a composer focused on drama, sound, and the human mind, known for exploring timbre and the concept of hope. He has written vocal, chamber, orchestral, and electroacoustic works, and received Denmark's top music honor in 2023. Paul Hillier is a renowned singer, conductor, composer, and writer, known for founding the Hilliard Ensemble and Theatre of Voices. With nearly 200 acclaimed recordings, multiple awards, and honors from both the British and Danish monarchs, he has led major chamber choirs across Europe and is especially noted for his collaborations with composers Arvo P�rt and Steve Reich. Ensemble Stralo, founded in 2016 by four Danish soloists and chamber musicians, combines strings, winds, and keyboard to create a unique and flexible sound. They perform music from the Renaissance to contemporary works, offering distinctive and engaging concert experiences. Recorded November 16-18, 2024, in Garnisonskirken, Copenhagen, by producer Preben Iwan in HD audio format (96 kHz / 32-bit). Available in Dolby Atmos format.

Rudersdal Chamber Players is one of the Nordic region's leading ensembles for contemporary music, and this recording represents a special tribute to their friendship with the composers, which dates back to 2019. London-based Elena Firsova and Dmitri Smirnov are internationally acclaimed composers. Their catalogue is extensive and includes commissions and performances by, among others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, RSNO - Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Gidon Kremer / Kremerata Baltica, Ensemble InterContemporain (Paris), Ensemble Modern (Germany), Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, The Hall� Orchestra, and BBC Proms. Elena Firsova and Dmitri Smirnov formed an extraordinary composing couple who spent almost half a century of creative life together as wife and husband. They met and fell in love while studying at the Moscow Conservatoire, and from the start, they shared a passion for the arts and the world around them. As young composers, Smirnov and Firsova's music was heard in "unofficial" concerts outside the USSR, away from the judgmental ears of the Union of Soviet Composers. Despite this, they still ran afoul of officialdom and were denounced as members of The Seven, a group of non-conforming composers that included Denisov, Firsova, Smirnov, and Gubaidulina, at the 6th Congress of the Union of Soviet Composers. Ironically, this rebuke only served to generate more foreign interest in the composing husband-and-wife team. When Smirnov died in 2020, at the start of the COVID pandemic, he left behind not only a prolific musical legacy (200 opus numbers), but also poetry, artworks in various media, and several books, including Song from Underground, one of the most important chronicles of later Soviet music. For Elena Firsova, her first critical influence as an artist was her father, an internationally distinguished thinker in the field of atomic theory. As if to balance her father's scientific perspective, Firsova found inspiration in the great Russian poet Osip Mandelstam and has composed numerous works based on his texts.

Erik Satie's influence, once barely acknowledged, has now permeated nearly every corner of modern music. Best known for the sensual simplicity of his tender Gymnopedies, such seeming naivety masked a colorful, and frequently, complex life and artistic vision. The experimental composer John Cage famously called Satie "indispensable," citing him as a profound inspiration for his own groundbreaking work. Satie's eccentricities were part of his charm, and this whimsy often seeped into his work. In Embryons desseches (Dried Embryos), for instance, he included absurd instructions in the score, phrases like "on the tip of your tongue" or "open your head," as well as giving his works absurd titles like Effronterie and Prelude canin, gleefully written to deflate the precious seriousness of classical music traditions. In contrast, there are works like Pieces froides (1897) that anticipate the rhythmic minimalism of Philip Glass and his visionary 5 Nocturnes (1919), the final series of his cyclically organized piano pieces composed using a highly complex system rigorously guiding the interplay of melody (right hand) and harmonic accompaniment (left hand). Even today, there are many surprises to be discovered in Satie's oeuvre. This specially curated program is brilliantly realized by Christina Bjorkoe, one of Denmark's leading musicians. Much in demand as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with symphony orchestras, ClassicsToday praised Bjorkoe for her dynamism and passion. Her extensive discography includes critically acclaimed recordings of works spanning the piano repertoire from Beethoven to Borup-Jorgensen.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 36-year collaboration with the legendary guitarist Andres Segovia resulted in 35 works featuring the guitar, including three concertos, several large cycles and numerous shorter pieces. Castelnuovo-Tedesco first met Segovia at a festival in Venice in 1932 and composed a new work for the legendary guitarist almost every year afterwards. Among the towering masterpieces in guitar literature is Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Platero y Yo (Platero and I), a cycle of consisting of 28 settings, arranged into four groups of seven-movement suites with a total playing time of 1 hour and 49 minutes. Originally conceived as an accompaniment for a recitation of selections from the Nobel Prize-winning Catalan poet Juan Ramon Jimenez's collection of poetic sketches of the same name, the composer gave his permission for the work to be performed without spoken text, which is how it is performed here. You can read Jimenez's texts in English translation while listening to the music and enjoying the wonderful illustrations for each movement by the award-winning artist Halfdan Pisket, especially commissioned for this recording. In preparation for bringing this masterwork to life, internationally acclaimed, multi prize-winning Danish guitarist Niklas Johansen not only studies the Spanish language to appreciate Jimenez'sprose-poems in their native language, but travelled to Spain, not far from Jimenez's hometown of Moguer. The close relationship with the language and culture has lent Johansen's interpretations a personal resonance. This album was recorded in Fredensborg Palace Chapel by the Danish masters of sound, Preben Iwan and Mette Due who beautifully captured the exceptional acoustics. We wish to express our sincere thanks to His Majesty King Frederik X, who personally granted us permission to record in Fredensborg Palace Chapel.

Schubert called Winterreise a cycle of "truly terrible songs," not only for it's immersive and dark subject matter but also for the compositional process itself. It is the Mount Everest of Song cycles, a form that Schubert himself perfected. Written on poems by Wilhelm Muller (1794-1827), the songs describe a timeless tale of heartbreak: boy meets girl, girl rejects boy, boy is overcome by existential feelings and sets out on a solitary winter's journey that may result in his demise. But Schubert's genius would not allow him to be content with vapid superficialities: when Schubert set these poems to music, he was confronting his own probable fate, one of agonizing pain and isolation. An unforgettable journey through one of the most powerful musical depictions of desolation Winterreise was originally composed for the tenor voice, but it has been frequently transposed to accommodate the whole gamut of vocal tessituras. Danish bass-baritone and musical scholar Jakob Bloch Jespersen has mastered a range of repertoire from Schutz to Schierbecks and well into the 21st century. His burnished resonance and restrained sensitivity well serve this existential Schubertiade. His partner, fortepianist Sharon Prushansky brings her expertise in music of the Classical and early Romantic eras, utilizing the full panoply of pianistic Affekt available to her on Robert Brown's 2015 instrument after an original by Jakob Bertsche (ca. 1810-1815). Particularly noteworthy to this instrument are it's six pedals, which serve the purpose of changing the quality and colour of the sound, including the infamous "bassoon stop!" A third, silent partner also contributes to this extraordinary production: the haunting, sepia-toned landscapes by the great Danish photographer, Tove Kurtzweil. Together, Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Sharon Prushansky take you on an unforgettable journey through one of the most powerful musical depictions of desolation this side of Mahler!

From Renaissance Spain to 21st century Denmark, On a Ground is a musical journey across time and traditions, centered around one of music's most universal elements: the ground bass. Celebrated recorder virtuosa Michala Petri and renowned Japanese baroque harpist Marie Nishiyama unite to explore the expressive power of this timeless form. Recorded, after a concerttour i Japan, including Suntory Hall, and just before the global lockdown at Chichibu Muse Park in Japan, the album presents intimate and evocative interpretations of works by Diego Ortiz, Alessandro Marcello, J.S. Bach, Erik Satie, and contemporary Danish composer Lars Hannibal, among others. The duo's collaboration reveals the meditative beauty and subtle intricacies of their ancient instruments. From the iconic Greensleeves and baroque gems to lyrical modern compositions, On a Ground is a graceful, immersive listening experience rooted in shared artistry and a deep respect for musical heritage. Recorded December 2019, Chichibu Muse Park, Japan in the DXD format by Hironori Kosaka (OMF).

Regarded today as the embodiment of classical music at it's most lyrical and poetic, composers have entrusted the cello with some of the loveliest melodies every penned. Yet, when it came to writing cello concertos, for most composers it was a "one and done" proposition. One of the major musi-cal monuments in the cello literature is the Schumann Concerto, composed as Schumann himself said because "there are so few works for this lovely instrument." In contrast, Soviet composer Dmitry Kabalevsky is one of the exceptions to the "one and done" rule. For a long time dismissed in the west as a mediocre apparatchik, a more evenhand-ed appraisal of Kabalevsky's work reveals a consummate craftsman with a natural gift for folk-inspired melodies and vivid orchestrations. The Cello Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.77, owes an obvious debt to his colleague and one-time neighbor Dmitri Shostakovich and is fully deserving of be-ing more frequently played and programmed. This album marks the recording debut of the young Norwegian cellist, Theodor Lyngstad. Following studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Morten Zeuthen, Lars Anders Tomter and David Geber at the Manhat-tan School of Music in New York, Theodor has been extremely active as a chamber musician as well as earning more than a few regional and national awards along the way, most signi?cantly, the Leonie Sonning Talent Prize. In 2019, Lyngstad was appointed solo cellist in the Copenhagen Phil., the youngest musicians to attain that honor. Lyngstad is accompanied by the rising conductorial star Eva Ollikainen and the innovative Copenhagen Phil. Producer is the award-winning Daniel Davidsen.

The Danish composer Axel Borup-Jorgensen (1924-2012) was one of the 20th century's great "silent individualists." Although largely self-taught, he was the first Danish composer who attended the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music. Without a doubt, the avant-garde of the sixties exerted a strong influence on Borup-Jorgensen's sound world, but he never embraced any specific "ism," following instead his own intuition and his extraordinary sense of organizing sound. Borup-Jorgensen's handwritten scores are of almost calligraphic quality and beauty and reveal him to be a meticulous craftsman and magician of tone color, traits on full display on this very special tribute in honor of the composer's centenary. The vast majority of his work is devoted to chamber music. Here he enjoyed the freedom and inspiration to work closely with the artists and explore new sonic possibilities of their instruments. This album is the final entry in a decade long documentation of the life and work of Axel Borup-Jorgensen's music, a project that has seen multiple critical triumphs, innovative concert installations and even an award-winning video. The animated short film for his masterpiece MARIN won OPUS Klassik AWARD as best DVD/Blu-ray as well as the Danish Radio P2 Prize for Best ALBUM. For those curious to explore the composer's unique style, this is an ideal entry point, featuring works from throughout Borup-Jorgensen's creative journey, in equally diverse and colorful arrays, including his only woodwind quintet and a work employing junk yard percussion, performed by the leading Danish chamber orchestra the acclaimed Esbjerg Ensemble. Joining the Ensemble for this recording, the 8th album in OUR Recordings series with music by Axel Borup-Jorgensen, is the award-winning pianist Kristoffer Hyldig, and special guests, all captured in crystalline clarity in the DXD audio format by producer Mette Due.

The latest release from the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Danish National Vocal Ensemble marks an extraordinary milestone in the choir's history with the appointment of their new Chief Conductor, Martina Batic, and it was clear from the very beginning there was a special connection between her and the choir's singers! For her OUR Recordings debut, maestra Batic has chosen the works of two composers, both of whom may well come as revelations to music lovers. Opening the album is a selection of works from one of the musical heroes of her homeland, the Slovenian composer Uros Krek. Highly regarded in his homeland, Krek's stylistically accessible, well-crafted music is seldom heard internationally, making this musical encounter particularly valuable. A fluid pan-tonality informed the Three Autumn Songs while the other selections freely draw upon folk-influences and orthodox polyphony. As a calling card to her new Danish friends, Maestra Batic makes an extraordinary artistic statement presenting the choral music of Else Marie Pade! Rightly celebrated as one of the pioneers of electronic music, Pade also composed an extraordinary catalogue of works for acoustic instruments and voice. As beautifully score the pair of stunning works from the 1950s are, nothing could prepare us for the World Premiere Recording of Pade's extraordinary Maria (1980) scored for coloratura soprano, bass baritone, speaking choir and 7 trombones, and electronic sounds. Written as spiritual self-solace to comfort her from her trauma during the war, Maria is a modernist musical Rosary, and a masterwork of contemporary religious music. Truly, Martina Batic and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble has taken us on an amazing journey you will not want to miss! On the video from the recording, ? you will hear the Danish National Vocal Ensemble's artistic director Michael Emery, conductor Martina Batic and soprano Anna Miilmann talk about the music. Technician Mikkel Nymand talk about the new way of recording a Choir, special for Dolby Atmos.

When Danish composer Carl Nielsen finished his Third Symphony, he spoke of the first movement as "a gust of energy and life-affirmation blown out into the wide world" and called the finale of his Third Symphony "a hymn to work and the healthy activity of everyday life" - truly a sense of optimism all-too-rare for us denizens of the 21st century! So, why a four-hand arrangement of an orchestral score you ask? In the days before mechanical recordings, four hand arrangements were both a delightful social activity and an invaluable means of making large-scale works available to gifted amateurs who might not otherwise have opportunity to hear them in concert as well as promote them to conductors and concert programmers. As pianist Rikke Sandberg and Nielsen scholar Niels Bo Foltmann describe in the booklet notes, the discovery of the manuscript of Nielsen's OWN arrangement "Sinfonia Espansiva" was itself a tale of luck and diligent librarianship. Also included on this all WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING album are 2 works from Nielsen's Opera Saul & David, arranged by Nielsen for piano duet, and an oddity recently discovered in the archives of the Tivoli Amusement Park, the original four-handed sketch for the Hojby Rifle Club March composed by Nielsens' father, and arranged by Carl Nielsen/Kristoffer Hyldig. We hope that you will enjoy this first recording of Carl Nielsen's own four-handed piano music arrangement of his orchestral works, brought brilliantly to life through the musicianship and scholarship of Rikke Sandberg and Kristoffer Hyldig. Recorded by Preben Iwan in the DXD audio format (Digital eXtreme Definition, 352.8 kHz/32bit) and, available in the Dolby Atmos format on streaming platforms.

Aarhus – or Aros as the town was called in Viking times, is one of the oldest cities in Denmark and was first settled around the 8th century. Its name means “the mouth of the river”, referring to the town’s location by the mouth of Aarhus Å (Aarhus River). Owing to its central location, Aarhus enjoyed generations of peace and prosperity and is popularly known as Smilets By (City of Smiles). It is the Danish city with the youngest demographics and home to Scandinavia’s largest university, Aarhus University.

From this vibrant environment emerge the young guitarists Simon Wildau and Mikkel Egelund, who, in honor of their hometown, call themselves the Aros Guitar Duo. The Duo has garnered several 1st Prizes in international competitions for Guitar Duos, including Liectensteiner Guitarrentage Ligita, Omiš Guitar Fest (Croatia), and Fiuggi International Guitar Festival (Italy).

The Aros Guitar Duo presents six works composed especially for them in the years 2018-2021. Each composer was given the singular task of incorporating the theme of Morten Børup’s 500-year-old ode "In vernalis temporis", a melody that has been played by the town carillon since 1948 and has become the official melody of Aarhus. This CD, and the entire project, is a loving tribute to the city of Aarhus. It features a grand suite in six movements by six very different composers, all of whom have a connection to the city of Aarhus. Despite differences in ages and circumstances, composers Asger Agerskov Buur, Martin Lohse, Peter Bruun, Rasmus Zwicki, John Frandsen, and Wayne Siegel have jointly created a shimmering sonic portrait of Denmark’s second-largest city and the diversity of the contemporary music scene in Denmark.