Tchaikovsky: The Great Symphonies

Dietmar Berger was born in Cologne. He studied cello at the music colleges in Aachen with Klaus Heitz, in Dusseldorf with Claus Reichardt and in Leipzig where he was a student of Roland Baldini and the gamba player Siegfried Pank. After having finished his studies, he was a member of the orchestra of the Landesbuhnen Sachsen in Dresden from 1993-2000. He now lives in Cologne and plays cello as well as viola da gamba in renowned ensembles such as the Delos Trio Koln (with Gudrun Hobold, violin and Hubert Kappel, guitar) both in Germany and abroad; he appears as a soloist on numerous television productions and recordings. His compositions and arrangements have been published by Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag, Leipzig and by Verlag Dohr, Cologne. On this release, he takes the listener on a journey to Medieval Europe as he performs music for the Medieval and Renaissance fiddle. Works by Vincenzo Galilei, John Dowland, Thoinot Arbeau, and others are included.

5 PIANO SONATAS

Verdi: Un ballo in maschera

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

FLYING DUTCHMAN

Despite the fact that this historical execution does not follow the recent philologic parameters, it offers an example of unmatched classicism for its cleanliness, strength of the performers and equilibrium in the recording. The works are performed by Henryk Szeryng. Henryk Szeryng was a Polish-Mexican violinist. Born into a wealthy Jewish family in Warsaw, Poland, he studied piano and harmony with his mother before turning to the violin at age 7. He made his solo debut in 1933 playing the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. “One of the music's great aristocrats, violinist Henryk Szeryng was a perfectionist in all things. A man of phenomenal intellect, he combined exemplary musical taste with a super-refined technique and ravishing purity of intonation.” (Julian Haylock – THE STRAD July 2009)

PIANO CONCERTOS

HANSEL & GRETEL

PIANO SONATA FANTASIA

PIANO CONCERTO 4 BALLADES

DEATH OF THE MAIDEN

SCHWARZKOPF: BACH, MAHLER

Classical Music

This release features nearly all of the compositions by Paul Hindemith, performed by the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Philharmonia Orchestra with the composer conducting. The recordings presented here were made between 1955-1956. Since Hindemith could play nearly all the orchestral instruments, had perfect pitch and had the richest possible experience as an orchestral musician, he was an ideal conductor. With his European tours after the Second World War, Hindemith increasingly developed his conducting activities; these took up all his time after 1953 after he had given up his work at Yale University. He had indeed conducted in public for the first time in 1915 and repeatedly guest conducted exclusively his own music in the United States, but after 1947 he also included music of other composers - at first Bach, Haydn and Mozart - on his programmes.

Classical Music

ORCHESTRAL WORKS

Rosanna Carteri: A Discographic Career

This performance of Rigoletto features possibly the most famous tenor of all time, Luciano Pavarotti. This three act opera by Giuseppe Verdi was premiered in Venice on March 11, 1851. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave, and is based on Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse. Alongside Pavarotti is a world-class cast, including Kostas Paskalis in the title role, Renata Scotta as Gilda andRosa Laghezza as Maddalena.

Puccini: Manon Lescaut (Recorded 1952-1956)

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Piano Concerto No. 3, 8 Bagatelles

David Oistrakh Trio is an unofficial name for the trio organized in 1940 by David Oistrach with his long-time accompanist Lev Oborin (piano) and Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (cello). The ensemble of Moscow Conservatory professors had been performing until Knushevitsky passed away in 1963. Some critics cited the group as one of the greatest piano trios in the history and compared them with a legendary Alfred Cortot - Jacques Thibaud - Pablo Casals 1920-30s ensemble. The group recorded numerous Trios and Triple Concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, and Shostakovich for Columbia, Melodiya, Angel Records, Preiser Records and other labels. David Oistrakh Trio also collaborated with Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent. On this release, Urania Records presents recordings of Russian chamber masterpieces, made between the years 1950 and 1958.

The two discs in this new release contain authentic rare recordings, including two world premiere performances. Featuring works by Debussy, Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Honegger, and Barber, this is truly a diverse programme of live performances. All of the recordings were recorded live between the years 1942 and 1961. These recordings of the Poulenc works were made under the guidance of the composer.