The important thing in a trio is the interaction, said Greek pianist and composer Nikolas Anadolis. "Not only how well you are in contact with your own feelings, but also how much you're in agreement with the others musically. How the three of us can be one." This synergy of opposing impulses first makes a community of musicians into an organism that helps the sound experience, in itself abstract, produce a specific and ideally emotional effect. The small scale form of the trio has been from the beginning one of Anadolis's preferred options. Even as a composer, he follows the idea of a breathing music that is based on the harmony of it's elements. There are many moments of tonal subtlety which, in the fragility of the motifs, give the pelvic range of the percussion the opportunity to develop it's own colors. There are also challenging passages where the piano, with it's fascinatingly articulated runs and sound salvos, rises to become the dominant instrument, but without blurring it's fullness in pathos. In this live recording of his trio performed in Heidelberg, Nikolas Anadolis makes an impressive statement.

In 1893 Claude Debussy wrote to his friend "it is Tristan that prevents us from working. On can't see... I can't see what could be created beyond Tristan." The French intellectuals, especially musicians and writers, were captivated by the magic of Richard Wagner's music and were frantically looking for ideas as to how things could go on after Wagner. Without doubt, all musicians were acutely aware of the fact that the possibilities of tonality, the key element that had united European music for 400 years, were exhausted. However, in France there was more at stake: In 1870 the conflicts between Germany and France had culminated in a war that the French had lost. Subsequently, removing the German element at least from art and culture and developing genuinely French music became a question of national identity. That is why, in 1871, Gabriel Faure and Camille Saint Saens founded the Societe Nationale de Musique which was to further the new French music. The programme on the present release was born out of this tradition, and is performed here by the SWR Vokalensemble.

This release features key works by Astor Piazzolla, the king of composed tango, performed by three outstanding musicians. Shifting between fiery and melancholic, the tango nuevo is just irresistible. Born in 1971 in Münster, Germany, Friedemann Eichhorn studied violin with Prof. Valery Gradow in Mannheim, Alberto Lysy at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland and with Margaret Pardee at the Juilliard School New York. He regularly performs with orchestras such as St. Petersburg Philharmonic or the SWR-Radio-Orchestra and has concertized with Yuri Bashmet, Saschko Gawriloff, Gidon Kremer, Yehudi Menuhin and Igor Oistrakh. The German cellist Julius Berger studied at the Musikhochschule of Munich, Germany under Walter Reichardt and Fritz Kiskalt. Later, he studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria under Antonio Janigro and at the University of Cincinnati under Zara Nelsova. When he was just 28 years old he was appointed to the Musikhochschule Wuerzburg and was one of the youngest Professors in Germany. A native of Buenos Aires, José Gallardo started piano lessons at the age of five, at first at the Conservatory in Buenos Aires, later continuing his studies with Poldi Mildner in the Faculty of Music at the University of Mainz, where he completed his diploma in 1997. Since autumn 2008 he has been teaching at the Leopold Mozart Centre at the University of Augsburg.

British conductor Sir Roger Norrington lends impressive insight into three masterpieces by the great British composer Edward Elgar. The programme comprises Elgar's ever-popular "Enigma Variations", the thrilling overture "In the South,” and the refined sounds of his Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and string orchestra. Roger Norrington’s work on scores, on sound, on orchestra size, seating and playing style, has had a profound effect on the way 19th century music is now perceived and, not surprisingly, he is in great demand by symphony orchestras world-wide. He works regularly with orchestras in Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and London. He is Chief Conductor of the Radio Sinfonie Orchester in Stuttgart and of the Camerata Academica in Salzburg. He is closely associated with the London Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment which has, since January 1997, taken over the work of the London Classical Players.

This album presents two major orchestral works by Claude Debussy – Images and La Mer – alongside the delightful Danses for harp and orchestra. The French conductor Sylvain Cambreling highlights all the charm of these colorful scores. French-born conductor Sylvain Cambreling is a musician with big ideas. A thought-provoking, colorful and dramatic artist, he has a flair for grabbing the attention of audiences, yet his originality is rooted in thorough knowledge of musicology. As the Chief Conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, and Principal Guest Conductor of Klangforum Wien, he has offered ample proof of his gifts for imaginative programme-planning and persuasive championship of contemporary music.

This release features Mahler’s First Symphony in a historically informed performance that features a large, modern orchestra and includes the Blumine movement, which was part of the original version of the symphony, the one preferred by the conductor, Sir Roger Norrington. With the inclusion of the Blumine, the listener can appreciate the return of pastoral motifs in the finale movement. Mahler’s First symphony, sometimes titled “Titan,” was written mostly in February and March of 1888, incorporating music that had been written much earlier. The first performance wasn’t well received, but after several revisions over the following years the work has become a staple in symphonic repertoire. Originally, Mahler called the work a “Symphonic Poem in two parts.” But finally he began to refer to the work as a symphony.

This release features the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR performing Antonin Dvor�k's Symphonies No. 7 and 8, led by Roger Norrington. These two mature, symphonic masterpieces, full of wonderful melodies, preceded Dvor�k's famous Ninth Symphony. They are magnificent works that have enjoyed enduring popularity with audiences. The scholarly English conductor, Roger Norrington, is a native of Oxford, England, where he came from a University family with strong musical connections. He was a talented boy soprano, studied the violin from the age of 10, and singing from 17, but his higher education was in English Literature at Cambridge University. After several years' experience as a violinist, tenor and conductor, he returned to his studies at the Royal College of Music under Sir Adrian Boult. His work on scores, sound, orchestra size, seating, and playing style has had a profound effect on the way nineteenth century music is now perceived and, not surprisingly, he is in great demand by symphony orchestras worldwide.

This release features a unique compilation of ballads, romances and other works for vocal soloists or choir with orchestra by Hector Berlioz. These lesser-known works by Berlioz are worth discovering, even more so when interpreted by the SWR Vokalensemble. The ensemble is led by Sylvian Cambreling. French-born conductor Sylvain Cambreling is a musician with big ideas. A thought-provoking, colorful and dramatic artist, he has a flair for grabbing the attention of audiences, yet his originality is rooted in thorough knowledge of musicology. As the Chief Conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, and Principal Guest Conductor of Klangforum Wien, he has offered ample proof of his gifts for imaginative programme-planning and persuasive championship of contemporary music.

This is re-release of a bestselling SWR album. It contains major but rarely played works for piano and orchestra by Ernest Bloch, in the interpretation of Jenny Lin, who is the ideal pianist for these demanding scores. The excellent sound quality makes this album of late Romantic and neo-classicist music a great listen. Jenny Lin studied with Noel Flores at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna, with Julian Martin at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and with Dominique Weber in Geneva. She currently resides in New York City where she serves on the faculty of the 92nd Street y Music School. She is one of the most respected young pianists today, admired for her adventurous programming and charismatic stage presence. She continues to receive accolades worldwide as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. The New York Times writes: "No one who has heard [her] will need to be told that Ms. Lin has a gift for melodic flow" and "remarkable technical command," the Washington post praises "Lin's confident fingers... spectacular technique... " and Gramophone magazine has hailed her as "an exceptionally sensitive pianist."

This is the fifth installment of the SWR Classic series dedicated to Hans Rosbaud. It contains Tchaikovsky's symphonies no. 4 and 5 - the only ones Rosbaud has recorded for the SWR. Especially no. 5 can be regarded as a reference recording along other famous interpretations. "He is not only a virtuoso pianist, but has more or less mastered nearly all orchestral instruments. That puts him in a position to provide the individual members of the orchestra with helpful advice, which-nowadays- hardly any conductor is able to do. As these qualities go along with striving for the ideal, a rare capacity for enthusiasm as well as with an iron will he does not hesitate to impose, Hans Rosbaud is an inestimable and somehow indispensable institution." (Bernhard Sekles, Rosbaud's former professor of composition)

This is the third release of Duo d'Accord for SWR Classic, a most successful piano duo, which has committed itself to original repertoire selections and impeccable ensemble playing. The album contains fascinating and little known works by Alexandre Tansmann. Lucia Huang and Sebastian Euler became acquainted while studying at the Munich Academy of Music under Karl-Hermann Mrongovius and Begona Uriarte. At the end of 1999 they established Duo d'Accord. During the following two years they won the second prize in the ARD competition in Germany and first prize in the Murray Dranoff competition in the USA, these competitions being the most renowned in the world for piano duos. Thus began a career which has seen Duo d'Accord celebrated as a piano alliance of extraordinary quality. Their programmes have become their trademark: an unusual combination of masterpieces, rarities, own arrangements and new music. Not only their exciting concerts but also their recordings rest on the delight they take in all this musical wealth.

The present release contains Hector Berlioz's complete concert overtures, including the one written for his early opera Les francs-juges, superbly performed by the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg directed by the French conductor Sylvain Cambreling. French composer Hector Berlioz wrote a number of overtures, many of which remain concert staples. They include not only overtures intended to introduce operas, but also independent concert overtures. The album opens with one of the most popular overtures, Waverly, Op. 1. Composed in 1828, it was inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly novels. Also included are Le Carnaval romain, Op. 9, a standalone overture intended for concert performance made up of material from the opera Benvenuto Cellini, Le Corsaire, Op. 21, and others. This album is part of a new re-release series (Century Classics) consisting of SWR music bestsellers. The series is competitively priced, optically highly attractive and contains acclaimed SWR recordings mostly of the SWR orchestras and their chief conductors.

Paul Hindemith was an all-round musician. He had a near-professional command of most orchestral instruments, which naturally served as an excellent prerequisite for both composing and conducting. His prominence as a composer meant that the best and most famous orchestras were happy to have him as a conductor, which is why he regularly took to the podium with outstanding ensembles. In the studio, he always conducted his own works, recording them for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, CBS and Decca. His work as a conductor in the concert hall and his occasional radio studio performances were much more varied, as with the present recording. When we hear Hindemith conducting Bruckner in 1958, we should bear in mind that a grand master is at work, unsurpassed in contrapuntal expertise and musical invention, the product of a vibrant tradition extending from Schütz and Bach to Mozart and Beethoven, and on to Brahms and Reger. Bruckner was a high point on this route from the Baroque to his own contemporary output.

This release contains a great cross-section of American music: from ragtime pioneer Scott Jopin to Richard Rodgers, the legendary composer of musicals, together with works by Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. The musicians of the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern play with zest and flamboyance, led by celebrated conductors Klaus Arp, Saul Schechtmann, Ernst Wedam, and Caspar Richter. The Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern was founded in 1951 by Emmerich Smola for the Southwest Radio. In 2007 the ensemble merged with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrucken, and the combined group is still performing and recording to this day. This album is part of a new re-release series (Century Classics) consisting of SWR music bestsellers. The series is competitively priced, optically highly attractive and contains acclaimed SWR recordings mostly of the SWR orchestras and their chief conductors.

This album contains both sets of Antonin Dvor�k's Slavonic Dances in an idiomatic and thrilling interpretation of the SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern conducted by Jiri St�rek. Dvorak's Slavonic Dances are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets. They were originally composed for piano four hands, and were inspired by Johannes Brahms's Hungarian Dances. They were orchestrated at the bequest of Dvorak's publisher soon after their composition. The miniatures are lively and full of character and nationalism, and were well received in their day. Even now, they are considered among the composer's most memorable works. This album is part of a new re-release series (Century Classics) consisting of SWR music bestsellers. The series is competitively priced, optically highly attractive and contains acclaimed SWR recordings mostly of the SWR orchestras and their chief conductors.