Richard Strauss and the Viennese Trumpet is the latest in Jonathan Freeman-Attwood's imaginative series of musical reinventions for trumpet and piano. Works by Fux, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Bruckner, Webern and Zemlinsky complement the core work: a newly imagined Strauss trumpet sonata. Building on his highly successful transcriptions of sonatas by Faur�, Grieg, Mendelssohn and Schumann, Freeman-Attwood pushes the boundaries further delivering a fully-realized trumpet sonata which Strauss did not write. This innovative approach embraces various levels of transcription, transformation, realignment and composition to create a significant new contribution to the trumpet repertoire, full of the gloriously idiomatic writing for which Strauss is renowned. The material is variously drawn from the first movement of Strauss's Violin Sonata, Op. 18, a combination of both light and very significant arrangements of miscellaneous music, newly composed music, and development or transitions based on existing material within the Sonata. Pianist Chiyan Wong, who was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque by the Franz Liszt Society, accompanies Freeman-Attwood.

Danish composer Leif Kayser could have been 100 years here in 2019 and we are releasing for the first time on modern technology two rare LP issues, one with the Hindemith-inspired Horn Concerto and the Trio which has strong resemblance to the French school. Most important is a series of piano music performed by the virtuoso composer himself. This album is done using the original master tapes and is probably the most significant example of the art of Leif Kayser, a composer strongly in the line of Nielsen. Leif Kayser was an organist and composer. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen with Poul Schierbeck and Hilding Rosenberg and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He later returned to the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen as a teacher. He had extensive concert activities as an organ and piano soloist. His works include orchestral music (four symphonies etc.), compositions and transcriptions for concert band, film music, piano, organ, and chamber works; choral music (five masses etc.) and songs, including children's songs.

Winterreise is one of the greatest, most compelling and intense of all vocal song cycles. For the first of his explorations into the world of art song, Matthew Gee has turned to Schubert’s work in this unique arrangement for trombone and piano. English titles are used for the poems to emphasize the fact that text is no longer the primary expressive vehicle here. Instead, it is entrusted to the trombone, an instrument whose vocal qualities and ability to employ glissando, vibrato, portamento and microtonal inflections- allied to the use of various mutes- offers an astonishing array of tonal possibilities.

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REVIEW:

The idea of playing the vocal part of Schubert’s Winterreise on the modern slide trombone may seem far-fetched on paper, yet the multi-talented Matthew Gee’s cultivated mastery compensates for the lack of a text. He adjusts his timbre to each song’s specific emotional quality while following Schubert’s phrasings and dynamics closely. Gee also shifts registers for variety’s sake, although sometimes his use of mutes can stick out like a sore thumb (in Die Wetterfahne, for example).

The more lyrical, introspective songs provide ideal showcases for Gee’s smooth sonority and prodigious breath control; check out his honey-filled legato control in Der Lindenbaum, or those seamless and suave interval leaps in Rast. Pianist Christopher Glynn matches his partner’s singing tone with seamlessly dovetailed support. The sonics are rather diffuse and muffled at times, but the high level of music making always comes through. What could have been a gimmick or curio turns out to be a plausible and intelligently considered artistic endeavor.

– ClassicsToday (Jed Distler)

Camillo Schumann, a pupil of Carl Reinecke in Leipzig, enjoyed an admired career as an organist, pianist and prolific composer. He pursued a traditional path that reflected his own training, interests and beliefs- barely acknowledging the tumultuous contemporary musical world of Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Instead, his works for horn and piano enshrine the finest qualities of German Romantic music. Sur la montagne by Laurent Menager, a leading Luxembourgian composer, is a richly evocative depiction of a mountain landscape.

Classical meets Christmas in this latest offering from the Burning River Brass. Beautifully arranged Christmas favorites from this tremendous group of brass and percussion! Since 1996, Burning River Brass has been dazzling audiences from Alaska to Taiwan with "power and virtuosity," "harmonious blend," and "consistently stirring performances." Composed of twelve of the finest brass and percussion players in the country, Burning River Brass is an ensemble on fire! The original inspiration behind Burning River Brass was to give great players who were also good friends a chance to play together on a consistent basis. Soon after the first rehearsal in May 1996, BRB began to grow rapidly. The ensemble made its debut in September of 1996 in Tremont, Ohio under the auspices of Arts Renaissance Tremont and by 1998 was touring nationally.

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REVIEW:

The centerpiece is Burning River Nutcracker, swinging arrangements of six selections from the ballet. I admit to curmudgeonly skepticism when it comes to this sort of thing, but these readings won me over with lively, skillful, and tasteful playing.

– American Record Guide

The Sun Life Stanshawe Band—originally called The Stanshawe (Bristol) Band— was formed in 1968 and progressed to become one of the finest bands in the U.K. Foursome For Brass — Quartette playing is a popular feature of the Brass Band movement and many combinations of instruments are used. The combination presented here—two cornets, tenor horn and euphonium—is the classic one and is the brass band equivalent of the string quartet. Our 'Foursome for Brass' is composed of players of great experience and it is interesting to note that three of the instrumentalists—Derek Garside, Haydn Harris and Lyndon Baglin—were members of the C.W.S. (Manchester) Band quartette party which won the title of Champion Quartette of Great Britain 1961 under the conductorship of Alex Mortimer. Best Of Brass — Formed in 1982, the Group comprises nine brass instrumentalists and one percussionist drawn from South Wales and the West of England. The group’s aim is to take brass playing to audiences which would perhaps not normally listen to a brass band and at the same time offer the traditional brass band audience something to supplement brass bands. Fine Arts Brass of England has an international reputation as one of the world's leading brass ensembles. Since its formation in 1980 the group was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its musical artistry and entertainment. The original release of this album coincided with the Group's 10th anniversary. During that time it had given over 1000 concerts in Britain, toured in over 35 countries spanning four continents and broadcast over 100 times for the BBC alone.

Johannes X. Schachtner, after studying composition (with Prof. Jan M�ller-Wieland, Rudi Spring and Prof. Hans-J�rgen von Bose) and orchestral conducting (with Prof. Bruno Weil) in Munich and benefiting from scholarships spent in Bamberg (Villa Concordia) and Paris, now works as a freelance conductor and composer. His extensive compositional works are performed by internationally renowned soloists such as Julia Fischer, Matthias H�fs, Jan-Philipp Schulze, Salome Kammer and the conductor Ulf Schirmer. He has also been commissioned to compose many works, by the Munich Biennale, for the Leopold Mozart competition and the Kronberg Academy Festival, among others. Johannes X. Schachtner has been acknowledged many times in competitions for his work regularly featured in portrait concerts and documented on many recordings. In 2013 he received a number of awards, including the Music Bursary of the city of Munich and in 2014 the Bavarian Music Bursary. This release features his "Music for Brass and Keys."

Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn with Percussion is percussionist Robert McCormick's tenth album with PARMA Recordings. On their latest album, the Robert McCormick Percussion Group performs five compositions from four distinct composers, each of whom contributes striking works that range from personal to global inspiration. The album opens with Loam, a concerto for tuba and percussion ensemble composed by Tyler Kline. Much of the concerto is texture-based in order to convey the idea of loam, or soil, with some parts of the music reflecting the sound of the earth being tilled. The general arc of the concerto is cyclical, a metaphor for being born from the earth and returning to the earth after death. Chihchun Chi-sun Lee's Double Concerto for Tuba, Zheng and Percussion Orchestra is a unique amalgam featuring zheng, tuba, and percussion. The first movement creates a unifying sense of color, timbre, and gesture. Movement II mainly focuses on the tuba and zheng, while Movement III displays the sound of the tuba, zheng, and percussion in perfect balance. Written by Michael Standard, Stamina for percussion quartet and horn soloist is comprised of three parts: "Fracture," "Rehabilitation," and "Capacity." "Fracture" sees a breaking apart in every element of the music. "Rehabilitation" strings together the previously fractured pitch material in a new way using glissandos. The final stage, "Capacity," uses this new pitch organization to fill the spaces with notes. Following this piece, composer Matthew Kennedy and his In Pursuit of Ghosts explores the journey from one chapter of life to the next through the structure of the three-part concerto. Soli for Tuba, Zheng, Horn with Percussion closes with Zusammenflusses (Confluences), another work by Lee, that captures the differences and similarities of the zheng with the vibraphone and cymbal. Zusammenflusses aptly concludes this new addition to the McCormick Percussion Group's oeuvre, and the album as a whole inspires listeners to explore new and unexpected combinations of sounds to create innovative music.

The first volume in this groundbreaking series explores the 20th and 21st centuries' most celebrated works for trumpet and piano; pieces which have allowed the modern performer to discover a kaleidoscopic palette of emotions and characters. From George Enescu's Legende to Christopher Williams' XX Mountains of Abstract Thought, the result is an exhilarating journey that surprises and enthralls the listener with tender lyricism, powerful sonorities and stunning virtuosity. Award-winning trumpet player Huw Morgan is joined by pianist Patricia Ulrich for this release.

The Organ of the St. Lawrence Church in Wroclów (1715-1717) comes from a workshop of one of the greatest Silesian constructors, Adam Horatio Casparini. The contemporary disposition, slightly modified in the 19th century, does not differ much from the Casparini concept. The instrument still meets the requirements of very orthodox Baroque literature, including the works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Hence it is perfect for the role that Professors Igor Cecocho and Piotr Rojek, associated with the Wroclaw Academy of Music, have assigned to it. The musicians undertook a task to examine and synthesize differentia specifica of the creative individuality of Johann Sebastian Bach, seen from the perspective of instrumentalists aware of the baggage of experience and the multifaceted inspiration of the cantor of Leipzig. They reached for works from the most famous Bach collections and performed their creative reinterpretation using transcriptions of these pieces and the possibilities of the trumpet and the unique instrument from Wroclów.

This recording presents a selection of some of the most well-loved works for the horn. Titled The Romantic Horn, the works highlight the lyrical gems of the European repertoire for the instrument, with works by Beethoven, Schumann. Richard Watkins is one of the most sought-after horn players of his generation. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra for twelve years, and is currently a member of The Nash Ensemble and is a founding member of London Winds. His extensive discography includes recordings of concertos by Mozart, Malcolm Arnold, Reinhold Gli�re, Ethel Smyth and Colin Matthews, as well as Mozart's Sinfonia concertante and chamber music for horn by Schumann, Schubert and Poulenc. The pianist Julius Drake lives in London and specializes in chamber music, working with many of the world's leading artists, both in recital and in the recording studio. He appears regularly at all the major music centres, including the Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Munich, Schubertiade, and Salzburg music festivals; Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, New York; Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; Philarmonie, Berlin; Ch�telet and Mus�e de Louvre, Paris; La Scala, Milan; Liceu, Barcelona; Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Vienna; and Wigmore Hall and the BBC Proms in London.

At the tender age of nine, Felix Klieser dreamed of being able to play Mozart's horn concertos. Today, 18 years later, that dream has finally come true and Felix Klieser now performs on the world's foremost concert stages, playing the very works which are part of any horn player's core repertoire. Yet he took his time before recording all four of Mozart's horn concertos: only after releasing three successful albums and winning an ECHO Klassik award and the Leonard Bernstein Award did he go to Salzburg, in September 2018, to record them with the famous Camerata Salzburg ensemble. Now, the results of that labor are presented on this stunning release.

Hugely prolific as well as widely acclaimed, Kalevi Aho has composed 30 concertos to date. Many of them are available in recordings from BIS, and the present release features two works from the past decade. The Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra was commissioned for Jörgen van Rijen, who also performs it here. The concerto is actually Aho’s second concertante piece for the trombone – his Symphony No. 9 (1994) included a substantial and very virtuosic solo part for the instrument. In that work, and even more so in the concerto, the composer’s aim has been to extend the expressive and virtuosic possibilities of the trombone. Composed around the same time, the Trumpet Concerto is scored for the wind section of a medium-sized symphony orchestra, plus two saxophones, baritone horn and percussion. It was given its premiere by the same musicians that perform it here, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins supporting its principal trumpet Alain De Rudder in what is often a surprisingly jazzy work.

If there is one ‘chansonnier’ who has no difficulty in travelling through time it is certainly the French artist Georges Brassens, with on the one hand his extraordinary repertory of more than 200 songs and, on the other hand, his highly particular, original, simple and gravelly art of song. Brassens is above all a voice: an original voice, the voice of a storyteller, of a poet who lyrically relates stories that astonish. There is also the guitar that seems to be a mere accompaniment and yet the harmonies it offers are both effective and subtle, perfectly placed to bring out the power of the words. Yet Brassens is first and foremost this great ‘chansonnier’, in the purest tradition of his elders, going back several centuries: bards and minstrels, singers of texts and poems, admirers of Villon, Ronsard, Hugo, Nerval, Béranger, Vadé and Rousseau, who understood that the French language was so beautiful when it was sung. These text songs, ballades and complaints, chants and romances come from those practices of the troubadours, where the poet declaimed in music his literary diversions, and Monsieur Brassens is the transmitter of this vast, inexhaustible, indomitable encyclopedia that was the French ‘chanson’ for over a thousand years. With this ‘singing tour’ of the musical world of Georges Brassens, Arnaud Marzorati and La Clique des Lunaisiens, specialists in the historic patrimony of the French song, create an original and recent chapter of what was the favorite repertory of the French between 1960 and 1980. To be true, Brassens is the guiding thread of this programme, yet Arnaud Marzorati covers almost five centuries of songs to offer a programme that is original and colorful. The choice of unusual instruments to accompany the voice – tin whistle, bassoon, viola da gamba and archlute – recreate a musical atmosphere that is totally acoustic and baroque in order to increase the astonishment and wonderment arising from this extraordinary vocal repertory.

Warning: this recording is not intended for musicological purists. But if you love spontaneous music making in the most select of company, this is definitely the right recording for you. Radek Babor�k, for example, does not hesitate to arrange a discarded movement from a symphony to add as the missing movements of an unfinished horn concerto. Of course, to tell the truth, didn't Mozart himself do the exact same thing countless times? In this way, the preserved fragments are turned into two "new horn concertos." The Sinfonia concertante for four wind instruments and orchestra, K 297b is a work surrounded by many mysteries, and it fits beautifully in this context of discovery. Here, it is recorded in Babor�k's arrangement for Mozart's original instrumentation. Playing the solo parts are virtuosos from Europe's best orchestras. For the 12 horn duets - the only completely extant composition on this album played in it's original instrumentation - Babor�k's partner is another of today's legendary horn players, Radovan Vlatkovic. Radek Babor�k and his friends are inviting you on an excursion to the world of their elder colleague Wolfgang Amadeus - with his inexhaustible supply of jokes, ideas, and colors.