The pieces in the present collection give a virtually complete idea of Franck’s quality as a piano composer. We have selected from his early works only those which seemed to indicate most faithfully that somewhat neglected period in his life. We have included all the piano compositions of his later years. From the early works we have chosen the Grande Sonate op 10 (unpublished) written at the age of thirteen years, the Eglogue (1842), the Grand Caprice (1843), the Ballade (1844) and Trois petits riens (1846) (unpublished) preceding them with César Franck’s three first efforts in composition. The mature style of the master is shown in his four most important piano works, the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue (1884), Les Djinns for piano and orchestra (1884), Variations symphoniques for piano and orchestra (1885), the Prelude, Aria and Finale (1886), and also in two short pieces, Plaintes d’une poupée (1865) and Danse lente (1885), written for special occasions. Though the latter are simple in style and technique, they show none the less the unmistakable stamp of Franckian melody.

This release continues the Complete Piano Works collection of Dmitrij Dmitrievic Shostakovich, one of the most influential, praised and widely performed composers of the twentieth century: his unmistakable style has left an indelible mark on the aesthetic taste of the modern listener and on the DNA of the contemporary orchestra. Nevertheless, up to this day, his piano works have been rarely played by performers and listened to by the public, almost obscured by the exceptional nature of his extensive chamber and symphonic production. Considering his outstanding ease of writing and well-proven ability to compose music under all kinds of circumstances – even unfavorable ones – Shostakovich’s piano production for piano appears relatively small and, above all, sporadic. These pages are not less extraordinary because of that. On the contrary, many of them show a degree of ambition and depth of purpose that are not second to those of his chamber and symphonic masterpieces.

The three works of Stefano Gervasoni on this release contain, as the composer himself explains, “significant links, both explicit and subterranean” with other pieces of his, and they all explore “themes relating to the environment”. Concretely, how can such ideas be revealed in a musical context? These ecological preoccupations manifest clearly in the titles of the works (Yesterday’s Meadow, Weed/Quackgrass, Obedient Cloud). Is the composer merely writing in accordance with present- day trends, riding the wave of issues to which one can no longer remain indifferent — the mountains of waste produced by humans, the destruction of natural resources or indeed climate change and its direct consequences on ecosystems and migratory flows? While each is very different from the other, Prato prima presente (2009) for ensemble, Graminga (2009-2015) for cymbalom and ensemble and Nube obbediente (2011) for trombone, percussion and ensemble all share numerous family traits. Beyond the titles, which all refer to nature, these three works call for a rather reduced instrumentation, which nevertheless offers a vast palette of timbres; moreover, they develop a quasi-concertante approach, in which the soloists do not necessarily reveal themselves as such, whereas the instrumentalists within the ensemble are also considered as individuals. The subterranean connections reuniting these three works stemmed from the idea that a score can be considered as an “environment” populated with different “sound objects” which are superposed and juxtaposed; these objects are “tested” by the composer in new environments for which they were not originally intended.

Several reasons explain the choice of the German word "Schrift" for the title of this recording. It is at once an affectionate nod to Fanny Vicens' years of study and concertizing in Trossingen, Stutgart and Luzern, an homage to the European region where the accordion originally flourished and to the pioneers who opened the instrument to an ever-widening repertoire, and the expression of a topic that obsesses everyone who loves the accordion - what and how should one write for this instrument today? Like the word "writing", its exact translation, Schrift refers to a hand-written or pritned trace as well as its content, its connotation. Using the word Schift for this album's title calls up questions of how and what. Vicens provides seven possible responses in her performances of seven works by composers of today. This program is both a tribute to the composers who have thought about and written for the accordion, and a homage to the musicians who premiere their pieces - all the works heard here were written for and dedicated to accordionists. The album also showcases Fanny Vicens' outstanding virtuosity, placing her firmly at the zenith of contemporary music making.

“I believe the key idea of this, if I may define it as so, "cycle of prayers" is the effusion of spiritual warmth in the individual, the sharing of pity, love and joy in the heart of men; all sincerely instilled by the composer Domenico Danza. It is an immense pleasure to listen to such rich, intense and prolonged music; a sweet emotion right from the heart of Nature itself. The sound of the choir strikes you for the richness in its styles, the colored nuances, its lively spirits and a sophisticated flowing mix of impressionistic, enchanted and fascinating sounds. As the famous russian musicologist and composer B. Asafiev used to say: "the composer's talent is Talent, the mind is the Mind, the techniques of his profession is the Technique and, naturally, these have to be beautiful otherwise everything falls apart." Danza's cycle of prayers cannot be considered mere liturgy, it's rather music in its philosophical essence where thought becomes music and music itself is thought. From the first to the last prayer a deep soul and delicate lyrics persist, the music unfolds on a transparent and lyrical sound, and, even in the presence of a consistant amount of material, viscosity and weight are not perceived. An extensive and widespread work which to me truly attracts for its lyrics and sincerity.” (S.N. Legkov)

Within the context of the wide and multifaceted creative activity of Gian Francesco Malipiero (Venice, 1882 – Treviso, 1973), piano production represents a marginal branch, or at least one that was developed less systematically. However, there are about thirty titles – spread over more than sixty years – in which the most typical forms of Malipiero’s language find perfect expression: from the melancholy restlessness of the first works to the clear expressive intensity of the last ones.

Giacinto Scelsi was much more than a composer. He was a poet, a writer, and an intellectual. Perhaps one of the greatest of the twentieth century. He is best remembered for writing music based only around one pitch, which he altered through microtonal oscillations, harmonic allusions, and changes in timbre and dynamics. Here the Longobardi-Rabbia-Roccato trio receives his message and masterfully carries it forward, in an extremely 'original' way and at the same time deeply inspired by him. In fact, several tracks on this release, among them the first one, In Nomine - are exemplary from that point of view.

Vincenzo Capirola is only slightly less of a mystery figure. It has been revealed that he was from Brescia, born into a wealthy mercantile family in 1474 and that he lived a long a life until he was in his mid-seventies. He is last recorded alive in 1548 when he was seventy-four. His parents died while Vincenzo was still young: his father when he was two, and his mother later in his youth. Documentary evidence confirms his presence in Brescia in 1489, 1498, and 1548. He was in Venice in 1517, there has been unconfirmed speculation that he may have travelled extensively in Europe and that he may even have been the same renowned Brescian lutenist who was at the English court of Henry VIII in 1515. The music of this lute book reveals Capirola as a consummate lutenist who had already attained a high level of stylistic maturity. This can be seen in all the musical genres in his book, especially in his intabulations of vocal polyphony that transform their models into attractive idiomatic solo lute music, and in his ricercars that assimilate inherited styles into engaging and coherent rhetorical narrative.

“Nowadays, three hundred years after the autograph of Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato, these solos are still a benchmark for the entire literature, not only for violin, but also for any other instrument used as a solo to shape a thought, gathering all its possibilities of sound, all its technical resources. A model and term of comparison for each composer, a trial and inspiration for any interpreter who will face Bach’s cosmos and have to discern and choose amongst the possible stylistic options emerged in three centuries, ranging from the management of vibrato to the type of instrument and bow to create a personal interpretation and shape it in the fleeting moment.” (Roberta Pedrotti)

Despite Music being a feminine noun in most of the languages, the world of music is predominantly dominated by men. If you were to ask a random passer-by to name a composer, no doubt that he or she could name a male one without too much trouble. I’m afraid, though, that only few would name a female composer. And yet the relationship between women and music has always produced very interesting outcomes regarding both the performance as well as the composition. As early as the Renaissance there have been women who, despite the social and cultural context of their time, contributed to music with compositions that have nothing to envy to those of the most famous male composers. However, these pieces are very rarely considered as part of the repertoire and remain for the most part unknown. This project is dedicated to the organ music by female composers in the twentieth and twenty-first century, period in which the ‘women’s voice’ finally reached the masses thanks to the growth of the female presence in the composition field. An extraordinary repertoire for which I chose the great “Mascioni” organ of the “Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra” in Rome, a benchmark for sacred music from which we start telling for the first time this “all pink” page of history.

From remote Australian properties to performing on international stages, soprano Petah Chapman and violinist Khalida De Ridder joined forces in 2017 with Danish classical guitarist Simon Thielke to form the ambitious virtuosic ensemble, Trio Cavallaro. The Trios name Cavallaro comes from Petah’s Italian family heritage and was chosen to reflect the trios’ enthusiasm and appreciation for the Italian style. Individually they have been mentored by some of the world’s finest authorities on music in France, England and Italy. Together they curate performances based on their own arrangements of challenging, dynamic repertoire such as Händel’s opera ‘Giulio Cesare’, Weber’s ‘Der Freischu?tz’, songs by Strauss and Schubert. Also on the program are selected solo and duo repertoire including by Australian composer Richard Charlton. Trio Cavallaro’s celebrated regional tours of Australia continue to engage new audiences with classical music and in 2019 they per-formed their European debut in Copenhagen, Denmark. This recording demonstrates their versa-tile programming and dedication to musical style and context. In interpretation, it is a raw and honest reflection of how they strive for continued growth as artists.

The present recording compiles nine works for and with flutes of various sorts, six solos, one solo with optional live electronics and two duos (violin and harpsichord, respectively), and they showcase aspects of the composer’s thinking from 2006-15. Similarities and disparities are at play within these nine scores, but the overall tendency towards slowness and dynamics finely distinguished among the quieter ends of the spectrum prevails in each piece, as does a tempo that seldom if ever fluctuates. This basic, and by nature somewhat simplistic recapitulation works only as a means of placing the heritage to which Daniele Venturi clearly aligns himself, the flute as a timeless yet modern instrument, indeed a timelessly modern one, more a source of careful and thorough exploration than a harbinger of pastoral melody.

This album includes a carefully curated selection of Renaissance and early Baroque gems. Lightly skirting the fluid boundaries between high art music and folk music in early modern Europe, much of the vocal music presented here demonstrates the grace and charm with which even the most erudite and famed composers applied their craft to popular song and dance. The instrumental music further reiterates the centrality of dance music in the 16th and 17th centuries, whether explicitly or as a rhythmic and formal underpinning. Above all, while skillfully composed by master musicians, the music is infused by musical cultures existing beyond the Church and court. At first glance unrelated, but a more discerning gaze will uncover the fine thread of cultural exchange between high art music and popular musical traditions running throughout the album.

One of the reference musical figures of the second half of the twentieth century, Tòru Takemitsu (1930 -1996) was certainly the most universally recognized composer that Japan has ever had. He has dedicated important works to the guitar, treated both as a soloist or in chamber and orchestral ensembles. Graduated with honors in 2012 at the Conservatorium "Santa Cecilia" in his hometown - Rome - with Arturo Tallini, in under the guidance of Carlo Marchione he has took the master's degree in "classical guitar performance" with full marks and honours at the Conservatorium of Maastricht, the Netherlands. He then completed his studies with many renowned international artists, such as Giuliano Balestra, Adriano del Sai, Paolo Pegoraro, Judicael Perroy, Zoran Duke. Furthermore, he was accepted various times in the prestigious Accademia Chigiana (Siena, Italy), where he attended the course of Oscar Ghiglia and has received honorable mentions and scholarships. He recently certified with full marks in the MA II Level Course in Interpretation of Contemporary Music at Conservatorium "Santa Cecilia" and in Guitar Performance at Conservatorium "A Boito" in Parma.

When listening to this album bringing together pieces composed between 2013 and 2019, one can only be dumbstruck by its great stylistic homogeneity. Of course the fact that these works are all intended for an instrumental ensemble - 6 is seeming the favorite number of Diana Soh when it comes of the number of musicians who will appear on stage - provides a timbral unity. And of course the fact that all these pieces are played by the Divertimento Ensemble reinforces this acoustic identity. However, it is not only the sound surface that is homogenous, but also the musical writing itself. Even if the scores include sufficiently developed notation conventions for the performers, we quickly notice that the music is far from just being a debauchery of spectacular extended techniques. The composer certainly takes care to develop and elaborate a fairly rich palette: we note on the one hand that this palette is rather constant from one work to the other, and on the other hand that it is used above all to determine a lexicon of, what is ultimately a rather limited number of sound objects, which will then be combined in multiple fashion. The strong presence of noisy sounds far from exclude the attention paid to pitches and the harmonic consistency of the music. However, each of these works here in this collection confirms Diana Soh’s predilection for a rhythmic language, as it is attached to the musical gesture and its theatrical potential. The corollary of this strong rhythm is a tendency to neutralize the dimension of melodic discourse.