Ivry Gitlis began gave his first violin concert when he was only seven years old. When he was ten, the great violinist Bronislaw Huberman heard him play, and gave him a scholarship to study in Europe. The child moved to Paris with his mother and studied under such famous violinists as George Enescu, Jacques Thibaud, and Carl Flesch. His international career launched in 1951, when the press celebrated him at the Jacque Thibaud competition. He was awarded the "Grand Prix du Disque" for his first recording, Berg's Violin Concerto. These recordings are digitally remastered from the original recital recordings, and feature the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, and the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg.

Lyle Mays became famous as the genious counterpart of Pat Metheny aspart of his Quartet in the 70s. This concert is the only legal recording of the Lyle Mays quartet. Lyle Mays (piano); Bob Sheppard (Sax); Marc Johnson (Bass); Mark Walker (drums)

When Brooklyn-born, NYC native Kenny Werner came on stage for his concert in Stuttgart in 1992, he had just begun experimenting with the possibilities of solo piano programs. Over time he grew into the role of a high-quality craftsman who drew his strength not from the struggle for innovation, but from the elegance and finesse with which he incorporated the pianistic possibilities of the keyboard tradition into his music. In artistic self-understanding he was one step ahead of his era.

Werner’s advanced position was also evident in the repertoire that he brought with him to the studio room of the SDR (Süddeutscher Rundfunk) in Stuttgart on 10 June 1992. Most of the compositions were standards associated with the “Great American Songbook”, which he took as a starting point for letting his own creativity play on familiar melodies and forms. It didn’t interest Werner to have the material fall apart in the postmodern fashion typical of the time. On the contrary, for him it was about the perfection of an interior design of the songs, which allowed him to savor the freedom within the set frame of classical jazz patterns. The evening in Stuttgart thus becomes a link in the canon of Werner’s style.

Born in Brooklyn, NY on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Kenny Werner began playing and performing at a young age, first recording on television at the age of 11. Although he studied classical piano as a child, he enjoyed playing anything he heard on the radio. In high school and his first years of college he attended the Manhattan School of Music as a classical piano major. His natural instinct for improvisation led Kenny to the Berklee School of Music in 1970. There he sought tutelage of the renowned piano teacher Madame Chaloff. Her gracious wisdom and inspiration became a driving force in Kenny’s conception: A music conscious of its spiritual intent and essence. From Boston, Kenny traveled to Brazil with the saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil. There he met Victor’s twin brother, Brazilian pianist Joao Assis Brasil. He studied with Joao, who provided another piece of the puzzle for Kenny’s conception that would lead to Effortless Mastery, his landmark opus on how to allow the master musician from within to manifest. Kenny Werner has been a world-class pianist and composer for over forty years. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world.

This is the first orchestral release of the new SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart. Not without a reason one has decided to choose a symphony by Shostakovich. This live recording under the baton of the experienced conductor Eliahu Inbal shows the extraordinary level on which this orchestra operates after five years of existence. Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony focuses on the so-called “Petersburg Bloody Sunday”, which – according to the Julian calendar – took place on January 9, 1905. Just like the classical symphony the work has four movements that blend attacca into one another so as to create a continuous narrative flow. There’s no denying that the 11th Symphony is not a symphony in the classic sense but rather a symphonic poem or programme symphony. Shostakovich always needed an overriding subject for his compositions to express the “central idea” of his music.

While composers like Schumann and Brahms held fast to the classical concept of the symphony, it was composers of the New German School, such as Wagner and Liszt, who preferred the tone poem as a modern means of expression for orchestral music. It tries to convey non-musical topics, like legends, tales, myths, and sometimes novels, in musical terms: programme music in its best sense. Strauss’ boisterous self-confidence allowed him the conviction that a different ‘formula’ would enable him to roll out his musical imagination with inimitable style. His success in doing so has ensured the popularity of these works to the present day. The SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden and Freiburg under the baton of its former chief conductor François-Xavier Roth recorded all ten tone poems, as well as Strauss’ musical epitaph Metamorphosen, between 2012 and 2016. These recordings are now re-released as a collector’s item in an exquisite 5-album box set .

REVIEW:

With music as wonderful as this, we are all liable to develop our personal favourites that we will always remain loyal to. But it is hard to imagine a conductor and orchestra who could bring greater commitment and sheer intensity to a collection such as this. As you can see from the dates above, the CDs were issued over a period of four years or so; but the standard of playing and direction is high from the first to the last; a tremendous achievement by all involved.

-- MusicWeb International

This superpowered set of Richard Strauss’s ‘Complete Tone Poems’ with the SWR Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg under François-Xavier Roth (recorded 2012-15) makes its mark right from the lunging first bars of Ein Heldenleben and carries through a series of performances that for drama, energy, and commitment, has few if any equals, certainly not in the post-Fritz Reiner era.

Just listen to the timps in Also sprach Zarathustra—the way they hurtle towards us at Sunrise—and Till Eulenspiegel, or Roth’s skill at holding Aus Italien together, his affectionate yet energetic handling of Symphonia domestica, the epic aural vistas of his Alpine Symphony and an account of Metamorphosen that because of Roth’s sense of urgency sounds swifter than it actually is.

The recordings are spacious, full-bodied and pretty aggressive (the brass especially) but do the music and its performers proud. This now surely has to be the top-rating digital set of Strauss’s tone poems. Tod und Verklärung, Don Juan, Macbeth, and Don Quixote, all superbly played, complete the deal.

-- Gramophone

Michael Praetorius saw his most important mission as a composer in the promoting and spreading of the German-language chorale. His collection Musae Sioniae consists of altogether nine volumes and is virtually a complete edition of the Lutheran chorales in every setting imaginable. The Christmas hymns in Musae Sioniae, today just as popular as in that time, were of particular importance for Praetorius. He took greatest care in handling them and presented them often in many different settings. Most of the Christmas hymns selected for this album are also to be heard in different settings, from ornate bicinia and tricinia (in which only two or three of the same voices are used) to magnificent polychorals with two or three choirs, the choral texture so masterful that even the most complicated counterpoint is clearly audible.

The Austrian conductor Hans Rosbaud (1895–1962) is known for his interpretations of Mozart, Mahler and Bruckner and the Second Viennese School, but his readings of Sibelius are less familiar. Rosbaud made acclaimed Sibelius recordings for Deutsche Grammophon between 1948 and 1962 including Finlandia, Karelia and Tapiola. With this collection, SWR Classic presents studio recordings from 1955 and 1961 of Symphonies Nos. 2, 4, and 5 and Three Songs for Bass and Orchestra featuring Kim Borg. Rosbaud’s lean and forensic approach to conducting is well suited to the Finnish master’s music as these recordings from the SWR archives attest.

REVIEW:

Happily, this two-disc set is all good, and hardly conventional. It’s useful to remember that when these versions of symphonies 2, 4 and 5 were recorded (1955-61), Sibelius interpretation hadn’t become as standardized as it is now. In Germany, especially, the composer’s symphonies were hardly known, so Rosbaud was very much exploring virgin territory.

Consider this performances of the Second Symphony, with its very measured opening movement and extremely quick finale. It’s certainly different from what we expect to encounter today, but Rosbaud’s control of pacing and careful attention to accent and phrasing is such that it all sounds perfectly natural and convincing. The Fifth Symphony, too, moves effortlessly, with a surprisingly acceleration at the very end.

The Fourth Symphony, however, is simply stunning. Rosbaud’s handling of texture reveals layers of color in the first movement, string parts especially, that you’ve never heard before, while the tragic finale is unflaggingly gripping. Rosbaud is not a literalist. He ignores Sibelius’ indication to take the closing bars in tempo, and mezzo forte, opting instead for a darker, sadder, softer conclusion that replaces cold indifference with a measure of human despair. As I said, it’s hardly conventional, but perfectly valid and masterfully done.

As a bonus, the three orchestral songs sound splendid as performed here by Kim Borg. These are all studio recordings, captured in good, broadcast quality mono. If you collect Sibelius, you will need to hear these performances, no question about it.

-- ClassicsToday.com (David Hurwitz)

This further installment of SWR's comprehensive series of Fritz Wunderlich's recordings contains a unique compilation of operetta arias. One of Fritz Wunderlich’s most fascinating qualities was his incredible range of musical skills. He was probably Germany’s greatest tenor who could perform virtually anything in the repertoire for high male voice – from Schlager music to oratorio arias; from Mozart to music of the 20th century; from the greatest tenor hits of all times to unknown gems. His musicality and his seriousness as an artist turned everything he sang into something extraordinary. The SWR, the broadcasting institution in South West Germany, has countless and unique historical music recordings in its archives, the first of which date from the late 1940s. Step by step, we carefully select recordings from this huge fund to be released. The sound engineer Gabriele Starke and the engineer Boris Kellenbenz take care of all technical matters in connection with the old tapes on their way from the archives to the studio and to the finished master copy for the release. In the SWR studios they carefully edit the original tapes and use a variety of technical means to create a master. The result is stunning quality.

Kirill Kondrashin was one of the most prominent Russian conductors in the generation following Mravinsky. He was born in Moscow in 1914 into a family of musicians, studied at the Moscow conservatory under Boris Khaikin, went to Leningrad in 1936 to be the conductor of the Maly Theater and to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1943. At the same time, he was conducting various Russian concert orchestras. In 1956 he left the Bolshoi Theater to devote himself entirely to the concert podium. He became the preferred partner of such great soloists as Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrach, Sviatoslav Richter, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Tully Potter called him “probably the best concert accompanist of the twentieth century.” After Kondrashin’s work had increasingly shifted out of the country, he emigrated to the Netherlands in 1978 and became permanent conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra along with Bernard Haitink. From his home in Amsterdam, he kept up with his duties as guest conductor, including many at various West German radio stations. His concerts left a deep impression in Munich, and Kondrashin succeeded Rafael Kubelik as new Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1982. Before he was able to take over his new position, however, Kondrashin died of a heart attach shortly after a concert in Amsterdam in March 1981.

This seventh installment of the Michael Gielen EDITION contains the most first releases so far. The magnificent set presents works from the late romantic and early modern periods, including opera scenes. It also contains the oldest recording of the whole edition: Goffredo Petrassi’s Concerto per orchestra No. 1 (January 1961, Baden-Baden) and nearly the whole programme of the concert from June 1975 dedicated entirely to American music. Austrian conductor Michael Gielen was a champion of contemporary music both in the opera and concert repertoires. He conducted many premieres during his career. He has held appointments at the Royal Swedish Opera, the Netherlands Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, which he has remained closely associated with since the end of his appointment in 1999.

This third volume of our Michael Gielen Edition is devoted to music by Johannes Brahms, with all the recordigns taken from the archives of the Southwest German Radio. These recordings were made between April 1989 and January 2005. Michael Gielen enjoyed a felicitous involvement with Brahms' chamber music, particularly the late piano works where, in Schoenberg's words, the "progressive Brahms" is most evident. Maybe that's why Brahms' first piano quartet, orchestrated by Arnold Shcoenberg, sounds so ravishingly sharp under Gielen's direction. The solemnity of Schicksaslied calls for sincere commitment on the part of the conductor. Working as one, the Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg and Michael Gielen achieve an interpretation of this work that is both balanced and comforting.

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REVIEW:

Gielen proposes we listen to Brahms for the sake of his musical arguments rather than for the lustrous sounds that he's capable of conjuring, an approach that seems eminently sensible, and a valid alternative to various fleshier interpretive options.

– Gramophone

The Ballets Russes was a series of ballet events held in Paris between 1909 and 1929, founded by the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev. The series Diaghilev - Les ballets russes, which has been supported for man years now by SWR, has committed itself to presenting all of the works composed for and by this series.

This concert, which has lay forgotten for almost fifty years, is now available on CD. This concert, recorded June 22, 1964, established Albert Mangelsdorff as Germany’s international jazz star. Along with his quintet, he performs works such as Set ‘em Up, Far Out Far East, Okaka, and more.

Seventeen musicians- one sound. And a very convincing sound, at that. The SWR Big Band has so far been nominated four times for a Grammy. Also it received in 2015 a Jazz Award in Gold from the German music industry. They also enjoyed a great honor in 2011, when they were the first German band ever suggested for the "Premio da Musica Brasileira," Brazil's most important music award. In the face of so much fame, it seems almost modest to say that the SWR Big Band is one of the best big bands in the world. Jazz, fusion or world music, the repertoire is large. As is the list of recent guests and collaborators. On this release, the ensemble presents a live recording of a compilation of big band standards, recorded at the famous Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

Concerts with Maria Schneider are something special. They are stylistically not only out of the ordinary, they also manage to bring large orchestras to perform artistically at high voltage, with an energy and at a creative level which is otherwise known only in much smaller ensembles. It is not the music alone that drives the participants, but rather the serene seriousness of a band leader who demands a maximum of intensity from her compositions and passes this premise on to their interpretation. It is impossible to conceive of compositions for jazz orchestras more stringently. The instrumentalists know this too, and therefore feel called upon not only to reproduce the charts accurately but to work out all the contained hints, implications, and visions of sound down to the deepest levels. This original recording was made in May 2000 when Schneider appeared alongside the SWR Big Band. And for the SWR Big Band, those days in May 2000 are some of the highlights of their orchestral history.