Classical Music

On this new release, Duo Palatino present a collection of their favorite pieces that they have performed over their long career. Many of the pieces recorded here derive their compelling verve and vivid appeal from the vibrant energy of various kinds of European and South American dance, styles that embody popular tastes and have, in adapted form, been integrated into the musical idiom of many composers throughout history. For instance, the Sarabande (Marais) and Badinerie (J.S. Bach) of the Baroque are juxtaposed with the Janissaries of Mozart's Rondo alla turca. There is a waltz from the palmy days of 19th century French salon music (Godard) and, last but not least, there are fascinating dances from Andalusia (Granados) and tango and habanera rhythms (Ravel, Pujol) that bring echoes of the New World back across the ocean to the conquistadors' original homeland.

Classical Music

Classical Music

When he became music director in Cologne after the war at the age of thirty-three, Günter Wand insisted from the start on the inclusion of contemporary music in order to restore musical life amid the material and intellectual ruins. Among others, he championed composers as diverse as Walter Braunfels and Tadeusz Baird. This recording is typical of a program – with the added bonus of renowned horn soloist Dennis Brain and oboist Lothar Faber.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Frederic Chopin’s Piano Trio op. 8 is one of his fully fledged masterpieces, even though the composer completed it at the young age of 19. Chopin wrote it between 1828-1829, during his studies at The Royal University of Warsaw under the aegis of his instructor for composition, Joseph Elsner. As the musicologist Maciej Galub remarked, Chopin felt he had to face three challenges as debuting composer: Appropriating the great form, then contending with the “brilliant” style of the piano compositions by his contemporaries Hummel, Weber or Ries, and finally establishing a national Polish musical idiom, for instance by using folk dances. In his piano trio, Chopin overcame these three challenges masterfully. The Piano Trio in B-flat major by Joseph Elsner, which is included on this release, was published in Vienna under the title “Grande Sonate pour le Clavecin ou Forte-piano avec Accompagnement d’un Violon et Violoncelle oblige.” Formally it corresponds to the model with three movements for the piano trios from Haydn and Mozart. The first movement is an energetic sonata allegro. This is followed by a melodic imaginative larghetto. The finale consists of a bright rondo, whose theme has folk-like features.

Classical Music

The viola does not play a leading role in the stereotyped notions of Hungarian music. Nor is the viola found in the "Gypsy music" still diligently practiced for tourists, in which violin and double bass are the leading instruments. The picture is not very different in classical music. Acting as a slight but necessary corrective, this disc of Hungarian viola music from composers including Liszt, Ferenc Farkas and Antal Dorati features Máté Szűcs, current first Principal Violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker who appears in concert throughout Europe as a soloist and chamber-music player.

Classical Music

Classical Music

In a classically operatic set of comedic circumstances, we find a love triangle gone askew: Gilfen and Luise are having marriage trouble; Gilfen wishes to escape. Family friend Trott has fallen in love with Luise and hopes to profit from Gilfen's absence. In his eagerness to hasten Gilfen's departure, Trott takes over the travel arrangements - and so begins a comedy of errors. Recorded live in 1964 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of d'Albert's birth, this brief but delicious operetta is fit listening for any opera fan.