Andreas Speer writes of this new album: “A soft knock at the door. Who is it? Could it be? - Hopefully it is! - Hidden feelings, longings arise, a sense of who and what it could be, and then the door opens, and it's him – rather than crashing in he enters cautiously, and the reality is even sweeter and more beautiful than imagined - Please excuse me giving rein to such unrestrained romanticism, but these are pretty much the associations running through my mind as I listen to this recording. The tapping motif in the timpani and the singing lover are as one: Beethoven's Violin Concerto is chamber music. Daniel Gaede plays unaffectedly without any soloistic pretensions and on the same wavelength as the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under Wojciech Rajski. As a prelude rather than an encore, the three brothers in spirit, Daniel, Thomas and Sebastian Gaede play the Serenade op. 3.”

You know this phenomenon? You impose restrictions on yourself and watch a thing or do an operation within these limits, and as a result you extend the horizon and find a new world seeming bigger than the whole. It is like a magnifier showing new details hidden under the roughness of the surface. Welcome in the world of 555 Domenico Scarlatti piano sonatas! Most of them have only one movement with one double bar in the middle and two repetitions. In his self-created cosmos Scarlatti moves totally spontaneous, confident and unsystematical. Inside the system he breaks nearly all rules such as 4 bar scheme, style, rhythms, colors, playful like a child that does not know if there are any limits and where they are. However, you have to take the magnifier, otherwise you stay outside on the surface. This is exactly what Christoph Ullrich does. He looks for every sonata and it's character in detail and lives all the playfulness of Scarlatti with enthusiasm. The seventh release of the 17-part complete edition shows another chaotic solar system of the Scarlatti universe. Fascinating, weird, glittering and beautiful.

There is a new recording of Mozart opus KV 551 and KV 543! Some reviewers shake their heads. "Yet another one!". Fortunately, these two are so devilishly good that centuries after their creation they still knock people who have an antenna for it off their feet. Wait a minute, antennas, did they exist back then? Silly? Yeah, silly. Who would say that Mozart wasn't occasionally silly? And bold, cheeky! The way he throws down the last movement of the Jupiter symphony like a gauntlet at the feet of his contemporaries is inimitable. Unfortunately, you can't see it on this album when the bassoons and cellos laugh up their sleeves, but you can hear it all the better. What contrasts! After the bright beginning with timpani and trumpets, the second movement comes from a completely different world. "Con sordino", seductively and gently Gordan Nikolic and the girls and guys of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra caress the ears. And so it goes on and on. Same with the E flat major symphony. Yes, but aren't there already many wonderful recordings of these works? Yes there are. But as is the case with Mozart, the most famous interpreters can fail and the least known can hit the mark. Decide yourself.

As all volumes of the complete recording of Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonatas are released on CD, all the booklets also contain texts on the music. Thomas Seedorf has accompanied the series as musicologist from the beginning. In most cases, Christoph Ullrich contributes his own thoughts. Both very different. In each volume, both have a theme that is particularly appropriate to the sonatas collected. In this case, Thomas Seedorf focuses on the music-historical categorisation of Scarlatti, which is particularly interesting in comparison to his two colleagues born in the same year, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Christoph Ullrich devotes himself to the 'being a child' of artists in general, that of Domenico Scarlatti in particular and his own. Both texts are very enriching. Not much more needs to be said about the music. Anyone who has listened to one of the 13 volumes already released knows about the delightful standard of Christoph Ullrich's Scarlatti. Enjoy listening!

The desire to record all of the works for an instrument already during the lifetime of a composer points to his importance and charisma. Despite the uncertainty: will he write something else? This was also the case with TACET 129, after Erika Haase (1935 - 2013) set herself the life-long task of recording all the pieces for piano by another 'great' of contemporary Hungarian music, Gyorgy Ligeti. Now Gyorgy Kurtag, a master of the miniature almost like Anton Webern. All his works for flute, initiated and congenially played by Markus Bronnimann and friends. The very first note should, no, must contain the whole world. Many of Kurtag's pupils know this only too well, as they often didn't get past the first bars in their lessons. Because he succeeds in this concentration, this evaporation to the essentials, Kurtag only needs a few notes to create a complete little univers in which nothing is missing. The 36 tracks bear ample witness to this!

Who would have thought at the beginning of the great Scarlatti adventure 15 years ago that there would be no CD at the end? The four of us, who sail the two-voiced oceans of the world in the Scarlatti boat, certainly not: Captain Christoph Ullrich at the steering wheel (keyboard), Gerd Finkenstein in the engine room (grand piano), me as radio operator (recording), and Thomas Seedorf (scientific support and texts) in the crow's nest. All old white men with weathered faces. Well, the CD is still alive. But the project needs another two years... We're going to see it through! Who knows, maybe it will be the last serious big complete edition ever produced for this medium? Then, among many other things, it will also be a tribute to the days when you could still hold what you loved in your hands. Our current position: Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 piano sonatas. This is volume 12 of 17. Volumes 14 and 15 are already available, a total of 12 double and 2 triple CDs so far. Volumes 13 (already recorded, not yet released), 16 (30 sonatas), and 17 (12 sonatas) are still missing. This means that 513 of the 555 sonatas have been recorded and 477 released. There are still 42 left to go to the home port. We are getting closer to our goal! There are so many interesting, admirable, and thought-provoking aspects to this opus! It would fill books. But we'll save that for the end. Turn these 30 new sonatas into an Advent calendar! Or a January calendar. Every day is unique; every day deserves a different sonata by Domenico Scarlatti!

Sometimes time flies by. For example, when something stimulating happens all the time, as here with the new volume No. 8 of the complete recording of all 555 sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. And not because of the two organ sonatas, which are actually played here on an organ, nor because of the acoustics at the new recording venue Marienmünster. Once again, Christoph Ullrich is exclusively responsible for these stimuli, and he knows how to shape these gems, which seem to have been written for him, with such never-ending imagination, exuberant ideas, nuances that always seem spontaneous but are nevertheless carefully woven, that two hours go by like two shooting stars.

What is spontaneous creativity? I imagine a kind of spring, no, rather a waterfall. Something gushes forth, seemingly eternally, effortlessly and never running dry, from the pen of Domenico Scarlatti, from the fingers of Christoph Ullrich. An unimaginative person like me thinks: That's it now. He can't think of another sonata that doesn't repeat something long since invented. But yes, there's another one! New again, different again, freshly born again.

What do 555 sonatas mean? It means: an infinite number of sonatas, let anyone count them. This is exactly how Christoph Ullrich proceeds in the 12th of 17 episodes. Not only is every new Scarlatti sonata unique, but every version that Ullrich plays is also new. He cannot play such a unique piece the same way twice. He keeps telling me during the recordings: turn the tape back on, I'll try something else. Both like children at play, endlessly creative. Every version is bursting with ideas, every bar, every take. Every day, every second. All double unique! Domenico's Ullrich? Christoph's Scarlatti!

The fourth and final recording of Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett's "Mare Balticum" project with and about music from the Baltic region, the first of which has already received the coveted ICMA, is perhaps the most beautiful. One-part melodies sung by four women in their own rhythm and yet in complete unison transport us to the bygone world of the Middle Ages. Solo songs bring us even closer to that time. For instance, when - this is just one example - Lorenza Donadini as Mary laments the death of Jesus, we hear the grief of a living mother over the death of her own child. What a pity that this excursion into the past lasts only 79 minutes!

Ever since 1995 at the latest, after the Auryn Quartet and Peter Orth released their highly acclaimed recording of Gabriel Faure's piano quintets for CPO, Primarius Matthias Lingenfelder and Peter had dreamed of recording Faure's works for violin and piano. Many years passed. In 2022, the Auryn Quartet retired from concert life. Before that, I wanted one last recording with them for TACET, no matter what, as a farewell. That didn't materialise. But Matthias still had the desire and energy. And so did Peter! So what could be more obvious than finally realising their long-cherished wish? The result is a serene, mature, virtuoso, sensitive and loving performance of this unconventionally beautiful repertoire.

At the beginning of 2021, a gap was found in the renovations at the church, where the previous volumes of the complete recording of all 555 of Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonatas, with the exception of number 6, were recorded. The present 7th publication with the sonatas K. 236 to K. 265 was thus surprisingly made in the familiar surroundings again. Is it perhaps the finest set to date? We ask ourselves and you, dear listener. Help us! The pianist Christoph Ullrich is always on the lookout for a lively and unconventional engagement with the audience. This leads to interesting and contrasting solo and chamber music programs, but also to the development of new program forms. The thematically very dense musical-literary programs with the BonaNox ensemble, the music theater-related concepts for children's concerts as part of laterna musica and his concert idea "Alchemy of Sound" stand for this.

"We are very happy to present this collection of completely unknown yet outstanding pieces to the public. We hope that the charm of the Latin Song of Songs text together with the absolutely unique and elaborate musical settings we chose for this program will surprise and captivate you with its eternal beauty." - Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett, founder and director of Ensemble Peregrina

REVIEW:

This album contains a collection of completely unknown and yet outstanding pieces inspired by the Latin text of the Song of Songs and originating from various regions, England, Silesia, France, and Bavaria.

Agnieszka Budzinska-Bennett once again demonstrates a thorough understanding of this repertoire. The inspired narrative performance is impeccable, and the singing is very expressive throughout, powerfully luminous and richly colored. The voices are perfectly blended with flawless intonation.

Thanks to Tacet’s Real Surround Sound, the sound is once again of the very best quality.

The booklet contains notes and translations of the lyrics in German and English.

-- Pizzicato

In 2020 the Scarlatti boat was sailing the high seas when suddenly it hit the rocks. And so for the 30 sonatas of part 6, the crew fled like rats from a sinking ship onto dry land and into the back of beyond - where it's too boring even for Corona. Between a stack of grand pianos stored vertically, upright pianos, and in unimaginably dry acoustics, Christoff Ullrich, playing Gerd Finkenstein's familiar and beautiful grand piano, shifted time and space into a bygone world. A world that is perhaps not so distant from our own time as we might think. There were serious diseases everywhere then. Just like nowadays, that didn't stop people from caring about equally important things, such as cheering up a melancholy King! Among other things, this is what Scarlatti was employed for. Dear reader! You are the king who, in the face of the world's crises, threatens to sink into depression. Listen to this double album (for the price of one), full of an endless variety of cheerful, but also often of reflective pieces, and allow it to take your mind off things!

There are always musical child prodigies. Faster, more powerful, more perfect than previously imaginable. But there are also "senior prodigies". They reveal not only structure and time earned wisdom but also an inner sense of greatness. At the same time they talk about themselves and their lives, where they come from or where they are going, on the basis of pieces that they have often carried around with them since youth. About their dreams, which are also those of youth. "What would you most like to play?" I asked 74-year-old Miklós Perényi when we were thinking together about the program for this recording. The result was an unusual recital, volume 2 of the TACET series "Summary".

It's been a long time coming for this second part of Johann Sebastian Bach's partitas played by Evgeni Koroliov. The Steinway D grand piano from the first volume is now permanently installed in a beautiful church in Wernigerode. The recordings of Partitas 3 and 5 were made there. Other issues also delayed progress, including the relocation of TACET's premises. And finally, we're all not getting any younger. Who could say otherwise? This takes it's toll in the form of slower work. Only a few things are timeless, and that includes the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The way in which Evgeni Koroliov immerses himself in this 'eternal' music, elevating it to a timeless presence, as if it were created in this very moment, changes my perception of time. I absorb it's flow. I agree with it's passing

Continuity. The piece "October" from Tchaikovsky's "Seasons" op. 37 comes from an older recording by Evgeni Koroliov from 1992 (TACET 25). That was the time of the Yugoslav Wars and the collapse of the Soviet Union. I remember that Evgeni Koroliov, who was born in Moscow, spoke during a break in his gentle manner about how this music was for him a reminder of irretrievable times before the Russian revolution. 33 years later, Koroliov speaks as he did then, he has remained true to himself and his playing, the times are just as confused and uncertain. Even the sound is similar. Accordingly, the new recordings on this "Russian" CD are permeated by a similar longing for a better world, which never existed as beautifully as in this music. I am happy and grateful to have been able to accompany this quiet and expressive artist, who enriches the music world so lastingly, on TACET for such a long time. This is already his 26th recording on TACET and the second CD this year, the second of three!

Cut or Uncut?

Anton Bruckner would have been 200 years old in 2024. Instead of using flowery but ultimately helpless advertising slogans to promote the 100th release for the Bruckner Year, we are trying to encourage people to think about production processes in classical music with a special release. What is a recording actually about?

Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony twice in full length, each time on one CD. A live recording (uncut) and a studio production (cut) under identical conditions. Compare them! And don't allow your judgement to be swayed by different recording circumstances!

This comparison would not have been possible without András Keller and Concerto Budapest. András Keller follows an unbroken European tradition that stretches way back into the last century, perhaps even as far back as Anton Bruckner himself. And the monumental arches and climaxes in Anton Bruckner's music are perfect for every listener to ask themselves: What do I want from a recording? What moves me more, live or produced, cut or uncut?

This is not the ninth 5th, but still the fifth 9th symphony by András Keller with Concerto Budapest on TACET! After Bruckner, Dvořák, Shostakovich and Schubert (it now counts as the 8th), now Mahler. An impressive testament to the range of this unusual orchestra and its unique conductor. Certainly there are countless other recordings, also very good, of these last finished symphonies of great composers. However, I find that Keller's interpretations, with his unconditional will to express in detail, can compete with any, even the best known. Recordings of that repertoire in TACET Real SS are completely new. They bring to light previously hidden beauties and place the listener in the middle of the music. This also allows you to hear these works in a completely new way.

What musicianship! What an intense poetic aura in their playing!... this andante is a veritable dream, the height of pure poetry, and this disc is an enchanting ceremony... (Repertoire) Just when you get complacent and think you've heard it all before, a new group comes to town and blows you away. The Auryn Quartet did it Sunday... (The Washington Post) the young Stuttgart label TACET set a new standard with it's very first chamber music release. This CD has benchmark value.(HiFiVision)

... a merry chase: Hen Hunts Queen! - If you are captivated by this gimmick, you need not regret your weakness: because what the Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Wojciech Rajski, on a TACET recording, has to offer, is sparkling, finely-tuned Haydn. (NWZ)

At a concert in 1862 a small 10-year-old boy listened to a modest-looking guitar. It was "La Leona", an experiment by guitar-builder Antonio Torres. He never forgot that sound. Six years later he acquired his first own "Torres". Much later, in 1894, by which time Francisco Tarrega had long since become the world's most famous guitarist, he finally held his dream in his hands. This legendary instrument is recorded here for the first time on disc. And there is more: Wulfin Lieske plays the best instruments by the world's most famous guitar manufacturers for comparison...

More and more music lovers are discovering Antonio Rosetti, Mozart's contemporary from Wallerstein in Bavaria. After a number of horn concertos and a few delightful symphonies, these are the two first piano concertos to be released; one of them - also a rarity - was composed by Rosetti together with his pupil Nanette von Schaden. A Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra with delight in playing, a soloist (Nerine Barrett) who hits Rosetti's timbre most perfectly, and a conductor who clearly cares about this music are the features of this recording. A must for every music collection. (customer review) " the sound of the TACET recording is of demonstration quality... The notes, by Sterling E. Murray, president of the International Rosetti society, are very thorough. The performances are first-class. As expected, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra is well polished. Johannes Moesus is a young German conductor of considerable quality. He is also president of the International Rosetti society. I have not previously encountered pianist Nerine Barrett. A Jamaican, she has studied and performed widely according the notes. Certainly her performances here indicate we should be hearing more from her (...) Anyone interested in Rosetti is well advised to obtain both recordings." (Fanfare)

Opinions can vary so much about the sound of a grand piano! Does it sound cold, or hollow, or full, or spiky, or dull, dry, tinny, glassy, silvery, or without any heart? It's high time to name the pianist who developed this attractive project together with his producer Andreas Spreer and performed it so brilliantly that one wants to go back to it time and again: it was Gerrit Zitterbart. (WDR 3)

Tacet is one of the handful of companies that seem quite competent at delivering superb ambience and acoustical cues from just a couple of well-placed microphones. Very highly recommended - this disc is such a delight to listen to that it's more than generous 75-minute playing time passes all too quickly! (Audiophile Audition) Your J. S. Bach Partitas CD is safely esconced in my Top Ten: I keep my collection down to a maximum of ten CDs, in other words, each time a better one comes along I throw out one that isn't as good. (customer's letter)

Compare and judge for yourself. Now it all comes out... Judge the quality of hi-fi equipment for yourself - without any measuring devices: just using your own ears - and this CD! Includes 7-Point Program for Buying Hi-fi Equipment. This CD includes: seven-point test for judging hi-fi equipment; short leads versus long leads, CD versus, valve versus transistor, is SBM worth it?, the "oo-oh-ah-eh-ee" method; and lots more!