Negative contemporary reactions that once burdened Rakhmaninov have been nullified by outstanding performers who now devote themselves to his works. The fate of Suslin (b.1942) is similar to Rakhmaninov. He saw no future in the Soviet Union of the ‘60s and ‘70s, in which many works by contemporary composers were declared undesirable or prohibited. The works presented here provide insight into a composer who deserves more attention than he gets. Both of Suslin’s compositions utilize scordatura.

Inspired and fascinated by the currently fashionable concept in Berlin to play classical music in clubs, clair-obscur had the idea of recording a CD featuring contemporary music that would work in both environments: concert hall and club. Clair-obscur, a Renaissance painting technique in which opposing light and dark tones symbolize heavenly and earthly elements, is the visual equivalent of the sounds the quartet draw from their instruments. These world premiere recordings feature arrangements of works by Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, among others for saxophone quartet.

Unlike Ravel’s minor masterpiece Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899) arranged and performed by Cremeloque Trio, Terzetto, by Casimir Lalliet (1837-92) is not well known; its airing here welcome. The Trio (1926) by Francis Poulenc abounds in allusions to 18th c. Classicism. Rachmaninoff‘s early Elegiac Trio in G minor (1892) comes as a kind of romantic and melancholic closure of this CD. Originally written for piano, violin and cello, the Cremeloque Trio again open the discussion about possibilities of re-arranging existing music for oboe-bassoon-piano formation.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Miku Nishimoto-Neubert has performed widely in Europe, Japan and North America as soloist, chamber-musician and as accompanist, concentrating on the music of Bach, German Romantic composers and the modern classics. There she finds the figurative and formal clarity that, besides the sensitive qualities of touch, characterize the playing of Miku Nishimoto-Neubert. One critic wrote about her 'capricious sophistication of the spirit' and 'meditative introspection.'

Mischa Greul feels connected to the Horn Trio by Johannes Brahms in many ways. As a little boy, he used to be quite at home in the Brahmshaus, which was Brahms’s place of residence in Ruschlikon at Lake Zurich in the summer of 1874. During his childhood, it was where his grandparents lived, and their pride in living in such a historic house was passed on to him. Before becoming a member of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, he lived in Baden-Baden where Brahms composed his Opus 40, which has become a constant part of Mischa Greul’s repertoire. Beethoven’s Opus 17 sonata for piano and horn could be interpreted as the dialogue of a married couple. Schumann‘s Adagio and Allegro Opus 70 is all about the fusion of sound. For many horn players it is considered a unique jewel of the horn repertoire. The Air for solo horn by Jorg Widmann is Greul’s latest discovery, according to the composer a “piece of nature about closeness and distance”.

Julius Berger writes of his new release: "Johann Sebastian Bach’s suites for cello solo are arguably the purest form of music, works that require no explanation or background knowledge. Johann Sebastian Bach made one of his most profound affirmations, a Gradus ad Parnassum, which in six stages sets out an intellectual and technical challenge that is and will probably remain peerless in the history of music for our instrument. My colleague and friend, Prof. Peter Langgartner from the Mozarteum University of Salzburg pointed out to me that the Prelude of the first suite contains Luther’s chorale “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her” (from Heaven above, from thence I come). I had always presumed so and was grateful for confirmation that the cello suites make allusions to chorales and religious messages. I have therefore found a musical way of opening a spiritual door to the suites and added chorales to Suites 1, 3, and 5 in the mould of sounds from John Cage’s work One 8, chorales that in my opinion are definitely consistent with messages conveyed in the suites. I find that John Cage’s music shares similarities with Bach’s. His music allows for inner reflection, providing a contemplative point of calm. Cage said the purpose of music is “to cleanse the soul and bring it peace, thus making it amenable to divine influences”. My son Immanuel intones the chorales to this special music; each chorale is followed by two Bach suites."

Classical Music

Classical Music

An important feature of the ensemble Cello Passionato is it's regular cooperation with composers. It's close ties with the composer create proximity to the work, inspire the interpretation, and generate the feeling of being able to read between the lines. All the compositions recorded on this CD are a product of this cooperation. The works by Ali-Sade and Gubaidulina are released here as world premiere recordings, whereas the works by Bonato and Kerer were written for the ensemble, premiered and subsequently recorded.

In the early 19th century, composers commissioned to write new operas received from the impresario a list of the singers in the solo ensemble so that that the parts might be written to suit them. The rise of bel canto consequently had a lot to do with the vocal potential of the female singers who were to play the title roles - the great prima donnas of the day. The mezzo-soprano Viviana Araiza Staffini was born in Munich and spent part of her childhood in the USA and Italy. She studied at the Munich College of Music and completed her studies at the International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera House.

Classical Music

It would be difficult to find someone who did not recognize the themes from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Arguably one of the most performed pieces of classical music, it seems to have found its way into every corner of the world. This release titled 8 Seasons contains Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and also Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas. Piazzolla composed his Seasons between 1965 and 1969 for an ensemble comprised of violin, electric guitar, piano, double bass, and bandoneon. Fusing jazz, classical tradition, and Afro-Hispanic music, Piazzolla’s Seasons are an interesting compliment to Vivaldi’s.

Young musician Christian Erny releases his first solo album with works of Liszt and Debussy. The album’s title is taken from the poem “Correspondances” from Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal collection. Debussy loved this collection, and set parts of it to music. Four works from Liszt are featured, all of which were admired by Debussy.