In 2012 Metier released its first DVD, titled ‘Quartet Choreography’ which was not only a rare visual release of modern string quartets, but also a study in how great chamber musicians communicate in subtle ways, giving each other cues and leads, even more important in contemporary works with aleatory or ‘optional’ sections. The audio version of the album has been available as a digital download for a while and now has been released on a medium price CD. The Kreutzer Quartet is one of the premier quartets in Europe and every year gaining more of a reputation for the championing of contemporary composers while not ignoring the classical and Romantic repertoire. Performers on the release are Peter Sheppard Skærved, Mihailo Trandafilovsky, Morgan Goff (viola) and Neil Heyde.

This new set includes all three Stravinsky ballets recorded by the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the direction of Dennis Russel Davis. The Sinfonieorchester Basel is based in Basel, Switzerland and often accompanies ballet and opera productions at the Theater Basel. They were founded in 1876 and have been going strong to present day. They have received numerous awards including Diapason d'Or in 2004 and 2005 as well as a nomination for the ICMA Music Award in 2015.

One of the greatest musical creations of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov is undoubtedly his Scheherazade symphonic suite. The work, which is based on the famous tales of Princess Scheherazade of the Arabian Nights, has now been interpreted by the Philharmonia Zurich with its general music director Fabio Luisi at the rostrum. And one of its Zurich Opera House performances –with the ensemble “in top form”, to quote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung – has now been committed to recording. “Concertmaster Bartlomiej Niziol, who, with his solo violin, embodies the figure of Scheherazade as she tells her life story, plays his prominent part with impeccable intonation and great creative freedom; and Fabio Luisi conducts with a keenly emotional air and, with deftly-varied drive and restraint, brings the whole tale to outstanding dramatic life.”

The Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne with its Conductor Laureate Dmitri Kitaienko proudly present magical music illustrating the story of Nutcracker and Mouse King by E. T. A. Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas. A Nutcracker performance can hardly be more authentic than this – especially since the artists are presenting us here with the entire ballet, not merely the Suite (Op. 71a). The ballet is complemented by the Suite from The Fairy’s Kiss by Stravinsky – composed in 1928 and arranged a number of times. It became world famous through the choreography by George Balanchine for the old New York Metropolitan Opera in 1937, later also for the City Center of Music and Drama as well as Lincoln Center, New York.

Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony deliver exhilarating live performances of Stravinsky’s The Firebird and Vladimir Nikolaev’s The Sinewaveland: Homage to Jimi Hendrix.

Continuing Seattle Symphony Media’s acclaimed tradition of mixing the familiar with the unfamiliar, this superb disc couples a thrilling live recording of Stravinsky’s complete ballet The Firebird with Russian composer Vladimir Nikolaev’s tribute to Seattle’s own Jimi Hendrix, The Sinewaveland, described as “an image of Hendrix atop Bald Mountain, lighting his guitar on fire.

With naturalistic imaging, depth of field and dynamic range, all Seattle Symphony Media recordings have been engineered to audiophile standards and aim to capture as realistically as possible the sound of the orchestra performing on the Benaroya Hall stage. Digital content will be available on stereo, 96k 24-bit high resolution and 5.1 surround sound.

STRAVINSKY, I.: Soldier's Tale Suite / Octet / Les Noces (Tianwa Yang, Virginia Symphony Chorus, Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players, Falletta) The three works on this recording were composed at a crucial juncture in Stravinsky's musical life. The Soldier's Tale, a small-scale theatrical work for instrumental septet, narrator and two speakers completed in 1918 [Naxos 8.573537]. It is performed here in the suite premi�red in 1920. The Octet marked a new element in Stravinsky's writing, inaugurating a turn to neo-classicism, whilst Les noces (The Wedding) is a ballet cantata impelled by dramatic motor rhythms, and once again saturated in his Russian background. Scored for pitched and unpitched percussion, vocal soloists, and mixed chorus, it is a pivotal work in Stravinsky's development.

This new recording of Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka” by the Sinfornieorchester Basel is the third and final installment in conductor Dennis Russell Davies’ Stravinsky trilogy. In this project, the orchestra has recorded Stravinsky’s three major ballets in a version for orchestra and piano duet. Stravinsky originally planned this composition as a Piano Concerto. After the idea of a ballet from Sergei Diaghilev, Stravinsky rewrote the music about Petrushka, the Russian carnival figure. The piece was first performed at the Theatre du Chatalet in June of 1911. Critics hailed the work as a genius combination of music, dance, and painting. In addition to the orchestral score, Stravinsky wrote a piano version, which has gained increasing popularity. Dennis Russell Davies has been chief conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel since 2009. In addition to the Stravinsky trilogy he has led the ensemble in numerous other recordings. He also performs on the piano version on this release, alongside partner Maki Namekawa.

Stravinsky’s much-loved work Petrushka receives a beautiful performance in this live recording by the Seattle Symphony. Alongside this titan of a work is the little-known children’s ballet by Debussy, La boite a joujoux (The Toy Box). Conductor Ludovic Morlot does a fantastic job of interpreting these works by two of the twentieth century’s finest conductors.

One of the leading mezzo-sopranos of the Czech Republic, Eva Garajova has an impressively wide-ranging repertoire to her name, not only excelling in operas, but also lieder and chamber works. This new release from Garajova focuses on the work of twentieth century composers, including Eben, Part, Stravinsky, and Respighi. Also included on this release are world premiere recordings of compositions by Czech composer Sylvie Bodorova.

The Mighty Handful, also known as The Five, were a group of prominent nineteenth century Russian composers who strived to produce a specifically ‘Russian’ style. The group consisted of Mily Balakirev, Cesar Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin. The Russian Guitar Quartet has chosen works by The Mighty Handful for this new release, reviving the lost tradition of seven-string Russian guitar quartet. These accomplished performers, all with solo careers of their own, perform these arrangements with purpose and passion, leading the listener on a journey through nineteenth century St. Petersburg.

This incredible box set presents the best of Russian opera. Included in the set are Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Pique Dame, Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh, and Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Recorded in renowned opera houses such as Teatro Regio, Torino, and De Nederlandse Opera, these performances are not to be missed.

The album by the Sinfonieorchester Basel features the 2nd of Igor Stravinsky's great ballets. After Le Sacre du printemps, the orchestra recorded L'Oiseau de feu. All of the three ballets will be presented in the version for orchestra as well as in the version for piano four hands. Unlike for Sacre and P�trouchka, for L'Oiseau de feu there is no piano arrangement for four hands by Stravinsky himself. Dennis Russell Davies, Principal Conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel and pianist has therefore arranged a version for piano four hands - exclusively for this production. The new arrangement is based on the original piano arrangement for two hands by Stravinsky, which is kept in the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel. Dennis Russell Davies has recorded the arrangement together with his wife Maki Namekawa. The piano version opens up new perspectives on the orchestra version of L'Oiseau de feu and underlines the compositional value of Stravinsky's creation.

This album, featuring violinist Tianwa Yang and the Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Players, contains one of Igor Stravinsky’s small-scale theatrical works, The Soldier’s Tale (1918). Stravinsky wrote this work in collaboration with author Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz, and artist Rene-Victor Auberjonois. The work is based in a Russian folk tale by Alexander Afanasyev, and is scored for two speakers, a narrator, and a septet, as well as a non-speaking dance role. Pamela Berlin directs this production, and Joann Falletta is the conductor of the instrumentalists.

Hearing a composer conduct their own work offers the potential for fascinating interpretive insights and comparisons, all the more so when the composer in question is one of the most-influential names in 20th century music. Presented in this 3 CD boxed set are some of the composer’s most important works, including the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in C, Dumbarton Oaks, Violin Concerto in D, and more. The collection also features a number of world renowned soloists, including Charles Rosen, Isaac Stern, Benny Goodman, and Philippe Entremont.

V3: KAKHIDZE LEGACY