It is difficult for us to put recording works into words. We are not authors, critics or musicologists. Actually, we want to let the works speak. For us, certain things can only be expressed through music and sound art. Our work began 35 years ago with the label JMT and has been continued and expanded for the past 25 years under the label Winter & Winter. Anniversaries invite us to venture a kind of retrospective: Looking back towards the future" (we were inspired by the motto of the X Documenta). But it's not us who direct, it's the artists. They make their selection, determine the order of the music pieces and present their own choice: "My Choice." Guy Klucevsek opens the programme, followed month by month this year by further choices from Jim Black, Uri Caine, the tango musician Andr�s Linetzky to Aar�n Zapico and his baroque orchestra Forma Antiqva." (Mariko Takahashi and Stefan Winter)

Mason's work is the result of an intensive exchange with the musicians of ENSEMBLE RECHERCHE. He leaves the Well-Tempered Sound to let floating states arise and disappear. At the tonal center is the piano, with an enraptured mood that appears like a flicker above the sounds of the ensemble. Mason works four-dimensionally with space and time. Sounds move along their paths like meteors, fade away and dive into infinity. He composes sounds, noises and spaces in the course of time. At the end of the piece, the cello is left all alone, lost in an ecstatic semi-improvisation, while the other instruments wistfully penetrate into the distance.

When Anton Diabelli, wishing to promote himself as a publisher, commissioned many of the best-known composers of his time to write a variation on a theme composed by himself in 1819 in order to publish a score with all of them, he couldn't possibly imagine that the greatest of them all, Ludwig van Beethoven, was going to write not one, but thirty-three variations, probably encouraged by his wish to keep his name apart from his minor colleagues or, who knows, by his eagerness to undertake an in-depth search of the possibilities of a theme that, initially, he scornfully mocked for it's 'Schusterfleck' ('cobbler's patch'). In the end, in his Diabelli Variations Beethoven turned the banal (that tiny waltzlet serving as the starting point) into transcendent. From hardly nothing he built a whole which overwhelms us with it's greatness. It's a work full of paradoxes, winks, double meanings, but it's also a contested work, not easily understandable, complex and experimental. Planned as a building with superimposed layers, seemingly heterogeneous and without an apparent connecting thread, it looks the perfect testing ground for a creative artist - like Uri Caine. In his hands you forget the quasi-monotonal character of the piece, and we remain drawn and surprised by it's continuous feinting.

Pablo Zapico & Daniel Zapico - archlute and theorbo -discover the so special scores of the probably last compositions written for lute in the change from baroque to classical epoch, collected under the title "Suonate di Celebri Auttori" by the painter and musician Filippo Dalla Casa (1737-1811). Through Dalla Casa's handwriting, fascinating works are saved from oblivion. During his lifetime, the era of the lute came to an end, as the spirit of the classical age demanded new instruments and sounds. The Zapicos awaken these musical treasures by Ludovico Fontanelli, Tommaso Martelli, Giuseppe Vaccari and unknown masters to a refreshing elixir of life.

Baset writes the rare note "Allegro con valentía" at the beginning of his 10th symphony. It seems to be a declaration of intent when it comes to realizing his compositions, which is far removed from the fashion of Italian imitation. A breathtaking, experimental, courageous music that drinks from the theatrical effects of a fascinating time full of chiaroscuro (light and dark). A new work on the European music scene that demands an uncompromising, imaginative interpretation. Courageous! Forma Antiqva, directed by Aarón Zapico, nourished by the best generation of Spanish musicians, deals with the important phase of Spanish Baroque music in an ideal time of growth and development.

Noël Akchoté, composer/guitarist from Paris, unites supposedly incompatible material on the album "My Choice": Zarah Leander's Nazi-era hit "Der Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt", Serge Gainsbourg's irony about Nazi refuge in South America "SS in Uruguay", Ornette Coleman's groundbreaking "Street Woman", Kylie Minoque's "Red Blooded Woman" and Paolo Conte's "Via Con Me" and one is amazed, because his choice is genius. It's wonderful, it's wonderful, it's wonderful! Everything comes together to form a new whole. "The strand always grows from it's middle, both sides - I don't believe in styles, nor genres. All proves that the original musical gesture remains the exact same since it first happened. I got hit by Jazz at earliest age because they had all to invent, another Blank Page. As many white pages as individuals, eternally. Because you can't, because it's too high, you will perpetually - Dare, fear, burn & adore. Reproduce. All arts are timing, so are lives. All arts are at present when coming near by. A frame is a length, a text a tone, a sound a height. The biggest lesson one can achieve is to really integrate the fact that by playing, writing, directing, performing, it will always be you and only doing so. Therefore only You can beat yourself at your own games."

Masako Ohta retreats into the silence of the Waldhaus Grandsberg in the Bavarian Forest to dedicate herself to Japanese masterpieces in deep concentration and solitude. The Munich-based pianist takes us on a musical journey through time and invites us to experience extraordinary compositions from four centuries from the land of the rising sun. Thanks to Japan's temporary isolation and special island position, cultural characteristics are preserved that are still present in contemporary music. Sound creations of great Japanese composers such as Kengyo Yatsuhashi from the 17th century, Kengyo Yoshizawa from the 19th century, Toru Takemitsu from the 20th century as well as Toshio Hosokawa and Fumio Yasuda from the present are telling us about springtime at the sea, the rain tree, the singing of birds and dances of distant islands.

Uri Caine and Stefan Winter met for the first time in New York 30 years ago. A musical adventure begins, there is no goal, but a path. Two outstanding jazz albums are created on JMT, then Caine breaks through the boundaries between jazz, classical and new music like no other artist on Winter & Winter. New, exciting, groundbreaking things are emerging. Caine embodies sound, composition and improvisation merge, Bach and Monk meet as in a completely new duo drama and conduct a dialogue. Caine: “When Stefan Winter asked me to choose music from the past to put on an album, I hesitated. The selection of works is as difficult as if someone asked you which of your children is your favorite child." Caine made a completely surprising choice: worth hearing, enlightening, remarkable!

In a deeply impressive and magnificent synthesis of gospel, jazz and contemporary music, Uri Caine tells the moving story of Octavius Catto, born in 1839 in South Carolina to free African-American parents. Catto's family moved to Philadelphia in 1844, where he studied, became an educator, humanities scholar, top cricket and baseball player, and civil rights activist. Together with his fellow campaigners, he achieved the abolition of slavery and discrimination in elections based on race, color, or former serfdom, as well as the creation of educational institutions for African-Americans. Catto was murdered by Frank Kelly during riots on election day in 1871. Octavius Catto: "We shall never rest at ease, but will agitate and work, by our means and by our influence, in court and out of court, asking aid of the press, calling upon Christians to vindicate their Christianity, and the members of the law to assert the principles of the profession by granting us justice and right, until these invidious and unjust usages shall have ceased."

In a deeply impressive and magnificent synthesis of gospel, jazz and contemporary music, Uri Caine tells the moving story of Octavius Catto, born in 1839 in South Carolina to free African-American parents. Catto's family moved to Philadelphia in 1844, where he studied, became an educator, humanities scholar, top cricket and baseball player, and civil rights activist. Together with his fellow campaigners, he achieved the abolition of slavery and discrimination in elections based on race, color, or former serfdom, as well as the creation of educational institutions for African-Americans. Catto was murdered by Frank Kelly during riots on election day in 1871. Octavius Catto: "We shall never rest at ease, but will agitate and work, by our means and by our influence, in court and out of court, asking aid of the press, calling upon Christians to vindicate their Christianity, and the members of the law to assert the principles of the profession by granting us justice and right, until these invidious and unjust usages shall have ceased."

Classical Music

Sebastian Cruz possesses one of the most distinctive voices in the flamenco world today. He started out earning a living as a slaughterman, but has always had a deep-rooted connection to music and to the natural world of his native Andalusia. His life was changed when, a few years ago, he came across the film "Tous les matins du monde", starring Gerard Depardieu as Marin Marais, with it's soundtrack of works by Marin Marais and Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe performed by Jordi Savall. From that moment onwards, the music of these pioneering Baroque composers, which had touched him with such unique intensity, filled his mind as he spent time in the Huelva countryside with his beloved greyhounds and horses. On this album, Cruz explores a century and more of flamenco history, venturing into a new soundworld and creating musical poems that express his innermost being. Open to an array of influences, he pushes the strict boundaries of flamenco tradition with incomparable vocal passion and emotional depth. Sebastian Cruz sees flamenco with his heart and, together with kindred spirit Ra�l Cantizano, his friend and musical director, forges breathtaking music that speaks to both body and soul. (Translation: Susannah Howe) Sebastian Cruz, born in 1977 in Beas, lives in Niebla, both villages are located near Huelva, close to the Gulf of Cadiz. He is deeply attached to his homeland, loves the country life, likes to spend time with his horse, takes care of his donkey and breeds greyhounds. Since his early youth he has sung flamenco at fiestas, pe�as and festivals. His love for flamenco led him to the Fundaci�n Cristina Heeren in 2002, where he studied with Jose de la Tomasa, Calixto Sanchez, Paco Taranto and Esperanza Fernandez, among others, until 2006. Since the completion of his studies, he has dedicated his life exclusively to flamenco. In addition to being a solo cantor, he also worked as a cantor with Jose Antonio Rodr�guez's group, accompanied Jose Luis Postigo and Manolo Franco in concerts, was guest cantor of the Ballet Nacional de Espa�a from 2006 to 2019, and was part of the cast of the Ballet Flamenco de Andaluc�a from 2017 to 2022. In 2007, he gave his first solo concert at the Sala Clamores in Madrid and since then he has collaborated with many high profile artists in various productions. Among others, with Juan Manuel Ca�izares, Juan Jose Amador, Chano Dom�nguez, Alejandro Granados, Antonio Canales, Merche Esmeralda, Pepa Montes, Lola Greco, Choni, Ra�l Cantizano and Fernando Romero. His first album was released in 2012 by Karonte Records under the title "Temple de junco". He participated in the recording of the audio film "El Triangulo del Flamenco" by Winter & Winter, an acoustic travelogue through Andalusia, and in 2017 he recorded the album "Fandangos de Huelva" as a tribute to his homeland. In 2023, Sebastian Cruz, together with his musical director Ra�l Cantizano and outstanding flamenco musicians such as guitarists Rafael Riqueni and Alfredo Lagos, records the album "Zarabanda" for Winter & Winter. The feature film "Tous les matins du monde" was the inspiration for this project. Inspired by the baroque music of Marin Marais and other musicians of the time, he created new cantes that became a unique body of work. Producer Stefan Winter has come to know Sebastian Cruz as a cosmopolitan person: "Today we are in a time in which we are exposed to the most diverse influences, which we must process artistically. This is what Sebastian Cruz's album "Zarabanda" symbolizes. My best friend, the painter Thom Argauer, once said that for him there are three important musical currents: Jazz by Coltrane, Baroque music by Bach and Flamenco by Camar�n de la Isla. Sebastian Cruz has now used these three basic colors and forms like Picasso, mixing new tones... Sebastan loves not only flamenco, but music without borders, is open, listens without bias, gets inspired, has never lost his curiosity since childhood. I think Sebastian Cruz, without knowing it, has been waiting for the discovery of breathtaking baroque music. However, the album "Zarabanda" is not a melange of baroque and flamenco, but the realization of the music that has long lain dormant in his innermost being and has now finally been kissed awake by the film "Tous les matins du monde". Sebastian's openness and willingness to listen to his inner self made this album possible. Sometimes it just takes a spark to light the fire." The Spanish lyrics, written by Lope de Vega [1562-1635], Ram�n Andres, after Edgar Allan Poe [1809-1849] and by Sebastian Cruz, as well as traditional lyrics are also published in English and German translation together with the CD/LP. All these texts were selected and compiled by Sebastian Cruz. The compositions are by Sebastian Cruz in collaboration with performing musicians. Sebastian Cruz was inspired by works of baroque music. He combines these sound worlds in a very natural way with his very own music. To name just a few examples, compositions and melodies by Marin Marais are behind "Te quiero con el alma", by Monsieur de Sainte Colombe behind "De mis soledades vengo", by Georg Friedrich Handel behind "Arroyos sonoros" and also behind "Pa�s del sue�o" as well as by Jean Baptiste Lully behind "Siendo cenizas". Before the actual recording of the album, which took place in Seville, there was only a working title. The album title "Zarabanda" was created only during the production. The sarabande is a courtly, mostly instrumental dance form of baroque music since the middle of the 17th century. This dance inspired several composers to write expressive compositions and later became a standard movement of the Baroque suite... but the once frivolous dance became popular in non-courtly circles in the Spanish colonies much earlier, before it made it's way back across the Atlantic to Spain. Although the dance was banned in Spain in 1583 for it's obscenity, it has been frequently cited in the literature of the time [e.g. in works by Lope de Vega, who penned some of the lyrics selected for this album]. With incomparable depth and voice, Sebastian Cruz breaks with the strict flamenco tradition and, together with his congenial partner Ra�l Cantizano, transcends musical boundaries that have been firmly drawn for over a hundred years. He is assisted by the exceptional guitarists Rafael Riqueni and Alfredo Lagos, as well as bassist Marco Serrato, who, like Ra�l Cantizano, enriches this work with very special timbres.

Masako Ohta chooses a haiku by Matsuo Basho as the motto for her musical garden: For a while moonlit night over flowers. Ohta opens with "In a landscape" by John Cage and leads over to "Clair de lune" by Claude Debussy with the Intermezzo, N� 2, A major by Johannes Brahms. Pattern B "Yabe" from Patterns of Plants by Japanese composer Mamoru Fujieda is just as much a part of her journey into the infinite nature of sounds as Fumio Yasuda's "Rain Forrest" and "Souvenir from Japan, Sakura for Piano" by Toshio Hosokawa. Masako Ohta combines classical music from Schubert, Mozart, Chopin and Zimmermann with contemporary Japanese sounds to create a poetic work of fine and sensitive timbres. With "My Music Garten", Masako Ohta releases her third piano solo album on Winter & Winter. For the recordings, Ohta retreated to a solitary forest house in the Bavarian Forest, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to be inspired by silence and nature. This album is the result of her intensive study of poetry, sound and music from her native Japan and her adopted home in the West. Masako Ohta lives in Munich and performs all over the world, often in collaboration with actors, dancers, poets and visual artists.

Sarah Saviet and Joseph Houston formed their duo in 2019 through a mutual devotion to an intimate, powerful, and transcendental sound language created by the violin and piano. In this album, the Saviet/Houston Duo trace a path through a shifting landscape of melodic contour, with duos by Michael Finnissy, Enno Poppe/Rebecca Saunders, Lawrence Dunn, Iannis Xenakis, and their own collaborative composition. Each work reflects in different ways the intricate contradictions and the powerful complexity of contemporary life.

For almost his entire life, Bela Bartok's music was unnoticed by the general public, this extraordinary composer created a unique cosmos of Hungarian/Southeast European folk and art music. Like Schonberg and Stravinsky, he is one of the protagonists of 20th century music. A few years after his death, his music became a bestseller and this success is once again reaching unimagined heights in our time. Accordionist Teodoro Anzellotti presents an individual selection of Bartok's masterpieces.

Chromatics is a word derived from the Greek noun meaning color. During the Renaissance, new music was composed in the Western world, opening up a palette of (timbral) colors for the first time. Before the Renaissance, music (in Gregorian chant) existed only to convey the word, not to make an appearance itself; this changed completely after the 15th century. Music, like painting, exploded into new forms and colors, and the era of the modern age was ushered in. Strange harmonies, mysterious voices - tones of passion and desire, of terror and fear, of the confusion of the sublime or of divine apparition... This is the world of musical colors that opened up in the age of the Chromatic Renaissance, giving rise to a music that is daring, adventurous and timelessly modern.

Sebastián Cruz possesses one of the most distinctive voices in the flamenco world today. He started out earning a living as a slaughterman, but has always had a deep-rooted connection to music and to the natural world of his native Andalusia. His life was changed when, a few years ago, he came across the film"Tous les matins du monde", starring Gérard Depardieu as Marin Marais, with its soundtrack of works by Marin Marais and Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe performed by Jordi Savall. From that moment onwards, the music of these pioneering Baroque composers, which had touched him with such unique intensity, filled his mind as he spent time in the Huelva countryside with his beloved greyhounds and horses.

On this album, Cruz explores a century and more of flamenco history, venturing into a new soundworld and creating musical poems that express his innermost being. Open to an array of influences, he pushes the strict boundaries of flamenco tradition with incomparable vocal passion and emotional depth. Sebastián Cruz sees flamenco with his heart and, together with kindred spirit Raúl Cantizano, his friend and musical director, forges breathtaking music that speaks to both body and soul. (Translation: Susannah Howe)

Before the actual recording of the album, which took place in Seville, there was only a working title. The album title"Zarabanda" was created only during the production. The sarabande is a courtly, mostly instrumental dance form of baroque music since the middle of the 17th century. This dance inspired several composers to write expressive compositions and later became a standard movement of the Baroque suite ... but the once frivolous dance became popular in non-courtly circles in the Spanish colonies much earlier, before it made its way back across the Atlantic to Spain. Although the dance was banned in Spain in 1583 for its obscenity, it has been frequently cited in the literature of the time [e.g. in works by Lope de Vega, who penned some of the lyrics selected for this album].

With incomparable depth and voice, Sebastián Cruz breaks with the strict flamenco tradition and, together with his congenial partner Raúl Cantizano, transcends musical boundaries that have been firmly drawn for over a hundred years. He is assisted by the exceptional guitarists Rafael Riqueni and Alfredo Lagos, as well as bassist Marco Serrato, who, like Raúl Cantizano, enriches this work with very special timbres.

Time of year and day, light; warmth, coolness; wind, rain; breath of air, babbling of the stream; People and other beings going about their lives: a strangely unpredictable mix of expected and unexpected events that contribute to the precise conditions of the moment in which we find ourselves. The here and now convey a special feeling and a unique sound identity. Mason enables us to connect with times, places, people, and situations that go far beyond the here and now. Mason is one of the most idiosyncratic composers and sound artists of our time; his works convey contemplative sounds that open our innermost being. Awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Composer Prize, the Mendelssohn Scholarship, and the British Composer Award. He received his doctorate from King's College London under George Benjamin.

Hans Abrahamsen is one of the most important contemporary composers. Numerous productions have already been published by Winter & Winter and have attracted great attention from the public and the press. "Let me tell you" is one of the greatest worldwide successes in contemporary music. With the WDR production "Left, alone" Winter & Winter continues its canon with Hans Abrahamsen. Ten Sinfonias, Left, alone and Two Pieces in Slow Time can be heard on this album. Ten Sinfonias, recorded under the direction of Peter Rundel, Left, alone under Mariano Chiacchiarini with Tamara Stefanovich on piano and Two Pieces in Slow Time with soloists from the WDR Symphony Orchestra, form an exciting and multi-layered album with important key works by Hans Abrahamsen. A production with the WDR Symphony Orchestra.

The Brussels Philharmonic commissions a work from the American musician Uri Caine. Caine receives a "carte blanche". The result is the composition Agent Orange for orchestra and the improvisation artists Dave Liebman on saxophone, John Hébert on double bass, DJ Olive on turntables and Uri Caine on piano – jazz meets symphonic.

Caine: "The work consists of small chapters with different themes that express feelings like anger, frustration, but also peace. The work contains allusions to American music history. I take up the question of what holds the United States together. Someone living in NYC has a different background than someone from Oklahoma or Texas. We look at and judge each other in completely different ways. For me, the music is the only connecting element. I'm convinced of that, both as a musician and as a person."

The French pianist Jean-Pierre Collot presents a highly interesting and, at first glance, unusual juxtaposition of the music of Lachenmann (born 1935) with that of Ludwig van Beethoven. Here, Franz Liszt's piano transcription of Beethoven's Symphony no. 6 "Pastoral" is in dialogue with Serynade and Marche fatale by Lachenmann. In this WDR production, Collot comes across as a contemporary painter and creates fascinating timbres and shades of these highly virtuosic masterpieces. This album was created in collaboration with Lachenmann, whose tonal and highly melodic "fatal march" arrived as a shock after his decades of experimentation with extremes of musical possibility. Serynade, the title of his great piano work, is intentionally misspelled, with a y; the shift references the first letter of its dedicatee's name: Yukiko Sugawara, a pianist and Lachenmann's wife.

The immediacy and power of La Gaia Scienza and Paolo Beschi takes your breath away. The sound of these outstanding musicians on original instruments is amazing and appealing, the phrasing and the interaction are exemplary, every note and every bar has been rethought. Chamber music full of contrasts and emotions. Adventurous souls should not hesitate, key works by Brahms, Haydn, Schubert and Schumann have never been heard like this before and as a special encore, highlights from Bach's Cello Solo Suites can be heard. Paolo Beschi (co-founder and cellist of "Il Giardino Armonico") conducts the ensemble "La Gaia Scienza" with pianist Federica Valli and violinist Stefano Barneschi. This group gives the world groundbreaking reinterpretations of romantic and baroque works. Pizzicato writes: "played vitally and pulsating, with feeling but without pathos."

Hank Roberts presents: On his debut album "Black Pastels" he put together the most innovative musicians of the N.Y. Jazz scene: Tim Berne, Ray Anderson, Robin Eubanks, Dave Taylor, Bill Frisell, Mark Dresser and Joey Baron. He wrote jazz history with the group "Miniature" and the song "Jersey Devil", and the Knitting Factory became a meeting point for the avant-garde scene. With Mark Feldman and Mark Dresser he formed the chamber music string trio Arcado and with Django Bates he played "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and opened up never-before-heard worlds of sound.

As an organist, harpsichordist, fortepianist, and conductor, Lorenzo Ghielmi has been inspiring for decades with interpretations of music from the Renaissance to the Romantic era in historical performance practice. He is considered one of the world's most renowned specialists and interpreters of historical keyboard instruments such as Gottfried Silbermann's first fortepiano, a sound revolution that found J.S. Bach's "full approval" and sparked his enthusiasm. In 1983 Lorenzo Ghielmi was one of the founders of the legendary Italian baroque orchestra "Il Giardino Armonico;" as its organist/harpsichordist he traveled the world. He now focuses mainly on his work as a soloist and chamber musician. On My Choice Ghielmi presents outstanding masterpieces by composers from Bruhns and Fontana to Bach and his sons, from R. Schumann and Brahms to Hans Kotter and Arvo Pärt.

Back in the 90s, producer Stefan Winter got to know and appreciate drummer Jim Black as a JMT sideman of Tim Berne and Uri Caine. 20 years ago, the young drummer fulfills his dream of releasing his first leader album on the label that is also home to the recordings of Tim Berne, Uri Caine and Paul Motion. For the anniversary of WINTER & WINTER, Jim Black compiles his personal selection of the recordings of his group AlasNoAxis: Music for open ears, for explorers of the unusual and unconventional. The musicians of AlasNoAxis combine jazz elements, new wave and grunge to create their very own sound. Stefan Hentz writes: “...atmospheric songs in which the saxophone sings while bass, drums and Hilmar Jensson's peculiarly motionless guitar shred the familiar and pile up new energies with the fragility of dissolved harmonies, the power of their power chords or even with true feedback orgies.”