From the very beginning, St. Petersburg - the gloriously petrified vision of Tsar Peter the Great, was a city of art and music. The highest...

From the very beginning, St. Petersburg - the gloriously petrified vision of Tsar Peter the Great, was a city of art and music. The highest paid employee in the Tsarist palace was a violinist from Nuremberg: Anton Ferdinand Titz. He dedicated his life to chamber music. With his colorful, brilliant quartets in the tradition of the 'Wiener Klassik' he himself founded a Russian tradition around 1800. Decades later Alexander Glazunov made big sensation as a young composing dare devil. During his magnificent 1st symphony he also wrote the 5 Novellettes, Op. 15. The witty, energetic set of masterpieces is full of technical refinements and glamorous esprit, but also filled with deep emotional devotion. Within them one breathes the spirit and the joy of discovery of the Petersburg salons. Russian chambermusic triumphed in Tchaikovsky's successfull quartet debut and finally caught up with the musical capitals of Europe. Its overwhelming orchestral sonority meets Russian melos and passionate virtuos vitality. With its latest album, the casalQuartett presents known and newly discovered gems from the musical treasure chest of Old Russia.