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Organ Landscapes: Luneburg

Berlin Classics

$29.99 Jun 05, 2026

At the age of 15, Johann Sebastian Bach attended the Latin school at St. Michael's Monastery in Luneburg for two years. There is also evidence of at least one trip to Hamburg during this time. The young Bach must have been impressed and inspired by the North German music scene with it's large organs and independent pedals, the diverse reed stops, the clear and "sharp" mixtures and, last but not least, his musical experiences in Hamburg's Gansemarkt Opera House. Bach's chorale partitas bear clear traces of the North German environment, for example in the operatic-ariose elaborations with French ornaments or in the very individual virtuoso arrangements of the variations, which suggest the text interpretations of individual song verses. In contrast to this is the Orgelbuchlein, composed in the somewhat later Weimar years, which forms the foundation for Bach's monothematic composition: Here, the sound of a chorale is formed using just one characteristic motif. The roots of this compositional aesthetic can be traced back to Bach's early encounter with Georg Bohm in Luneburg. The history of the large organ in St. Michael's, which can be traced back to the 15th century, is eventful: in 1708 the Schnitger pupil Matthias Dropa built a new organ and extended the existing instrument by Niehoff (1553) - the young Bach may have been able to follow the plans. After numerous alterations, the current specification corresponds to that of 1708, and a precise historical restoration is currently being planned. The tremendous richness of color and the tonal spirit of the Baroque period can be clearly heard despite the equal temperament. The Klapmeyer organ in Altenbruch (1730), on which Dropa also worked from 1697-1700, gives an authentic impression of the sound of this organ landscape in Luneburg thanks to the restoration by Jurgen Ahrend (2004). The specifics of the historical sounds become tangible when comparing the two instruments.

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Organ Landscapes: Luneburg
Berlin Classics Jun 2026
CD
$29.99

Mix & Match

Edward German: Music for Violin & Piano

Naxos

$19.99 May 12, 2015

Although orchestral music and operettas such as Tom Jones (Naxos 8.660270-71) were Edward German's main focus as composer, he wrote a dozen or so works specifically for violin and piano, mostly during his time at the RAM, London, UK, where he was recognized as a gifted violinist, and the years immediately following. Many of these salon pieces were written for his own use, including his earliest known compositions. From the beguiling charm of the Chanson d'Amour to the haunting Souvenir, these works are exquisitely crafted miniatures, several of which have remained unheard for over a century.

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Edward German: Music for Violin & Piano
Naxos May 2015
CD
$19.99

The Glass Menagerie - A ballet by John Neumeier

C Major Entertainment

Blu-Ray

$45.99 Apr 18, 2025

Discover the brilliance of the iconic John Neumeier in this captivating double feature. The Glass Menagerie, inspired by Tennessee Williams' poignant drama, showcases Neumeier's extraordinary talent for storytelling through movement. At the center of this production is renowned ballet dancer Alina Cojocaru, who inspired John Neumeier to create the piece. Together with the acclaimed Hamburg Ballet, she delivers a performance that dances on the heartstrings and lingers in the soul. Complementing this masterpiece is John Neumeier - A Life for Dance, Andreas Morell's intimate documentary that offers a glimpse into the passion and vision of one of the greatest choreographers of our time. This edition is a must-have for dance enthusiasts and lovers of profound artistic expression.

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The Glass Menagerie - A ballet by John Neumeier
C Major Entertainment Apr 2025
Blu-Ray
$45.99

Bartók: The Wooden Prince; Dance Suite / Măcelaru, WDR Symphony Orchestra

Linn Records

$20.99 Mar 10, 2023

Following their first album for Linn (Dvorák: Legends Op. 59, Czech Suite Op. 39), the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Cristian Măcelaru pursue the same folk vein with two orchestral works by Béla Bartók. Based on a rather childish tale (prince, princess, fairies, and of course a happy ending!), the music of the ballet The Wooden Prince – recorded in full here – has all the ingredients of a masterpiece: masterful scoring for large forces, use of musical themes, an effortless amalgam of folk and late-Romantic elements.

Composed in 1923 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the merging of the towns of Buda and Pest – alongside commissions by Ernö Dohnányi and Zoltán Kodály – the century-old Dance Suite is a six-movement work that has become one of Bartók’s best known compositions. Born in Timișoara, a short distance from Hungary, Măcelaru can boast an unparalleled understanding of Bartók, as evident here.

REVIEW:

For overall quality Măcelaru rivals Mälkki, and comparing the two readings episode by episode, one is as likely as the other to convey a little more mood and color. But neither really has the freshness of discovery and excitement heard in Boulez’s first account on Sony, and neither of the two orchestras, the WDR Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic, approaches Boulez’s spectacular results with the New York Philharmonic.

Măcelaru is up against it again in the Dance Suite, which has had outstanding recordings from Fricsay, Boulez, Solti, and Iván Fischer, among others. Less raw than Solti, Măcelaru shows himself a master of the score in a reading that crackles with aliveness and presence. He gets animated playing from the Cologne musicians, and you quickly forget that they are not on a par with eminent ensembles in this music.

I was captivated from start to finish, and more importantly, I got a bead on Măcelaru beyond my only other exposure to him, in the Shostakovich piano concertos. There’s no reason not to give this release the same enthusiastic praise that has become the norm for Măcelaru. The recorded sound is full, vivid, and lifelike.

-- Fanfare

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Bartók: The Wooden Prince; Dance Suite / Măcelaru, WDR Symphony Orchestra
Linn Records Mar 2023
CD
$20.99

Shostakovich & Pupils, Vol. 1 / Damiano

Piano Classics

$21.99 Jan 19, 2024

The first volume in an adventurous new series juxtaposing the piano music of Shostakovich with his most talented pupils. All three of the younger composers here demonstrate the individuality of their own voice.

Least known of them now is German Galynin (1922-1966). In 1951, the year in which he paradoxically obtained the Stalin Prize for his Epic Poem on Russian Themes, Galynin began suffering from schizophrenia that he was admitted to an asylum, and continued to received psychiatric care for the rest of his short life. He wrote this five-movement Suite in 1945, while still a student at the Conservatoire, and it alternates somewhat prophetically between moods of mania and melancholy.

Shostakovich himself cited Alemdar Karamanov (1934-2007) as one of the most original composers of his time. Ukrainian born but of Turkish parentage, he studied in Moscow before returning to Crimea, converting to Christianity and thus consigning himself to obscurity at the time, and his later music shares an experimental, visionary quality with contemporary pioneers such as Schnittke, Denisov, and Gubaidulina. The Variations for piano (1962) belong to the last phase of his Moscow period.

The career of Boris Tchaikovsky (1925-1996) proceeded along smoother lines. The single-movement Sonatina from 1946 is again a student work, albeit a highly talented and disciplined one, with the kind of thorough-going understanding of Classical form which Shostakovich evidently instilled in and expected from his students.

Fernanda Damiano juxtaposes these pianistic rarities with several pieces which demonstrate the breadth of style and confidence of artistic personality that made Shostakovich stand out from his contemporaries. Alongside the fleet-fingered brilliance of the Three Fantastic Dances and the Polka from his ballet The Golden Age, she plays a trio of Preludes and Fugues (Nos. 1, 7 & 24) from the collection he wrote for Tatiana Nikolaeva, another pupil, in 1950-51.

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Shostakovich & Pupils, Vol. 1 / Damiano
Piano Classics Jan 2024
CD
$21.99

LAUTENLIEDER DES 17.JAHRHUNDER
Berlin Classics Jan 2005
CD
$21.99

Eroberung Des Nutzlosen
Winter & Winter Jan 2013
CD
$16.99

Nielsen & Lindberg: Clarinet Concertos / Manz, German Radio Philharmonic

Berlin Classics

$20.99 Jan 01, 2021

Sebastian Manz writes: “It seems only logical at first glance to unite two Scandinavian composers, Carl Nielsen and Magnus Lindberg, on one [album], and it must be said that we are talking about two works that have permanently influenced and changed me as a musician. I played the Clarinet Concerto op. 57 by Carl Nielsen in 2008 for the finale of the ARD International Music Competition and won first prize. It was a huge challenge back then for me to have to play it by heart, as the rules required. Nerves, sleepless nights and superstitions about being able to learn something better by heart by having the score under one’s pillow at night all led on stage (with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra behind me) to one of my most intensive experiences ever. This piece of music is challenging both technically and musically, to the extent that after each performance I have the feeling of being not just a better clarinetist, but a more mature human being; it makes me realize that qualitatively high-value art requires time, not just to mature within ourselves, but to be recognized as such at all.”

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Nielsen & Lindberg: Clarinet Concertos / Manz, German Radio Philharmonic
Berlin Classics Jan 2021
CD
$20.99

Manfred

Kontrapunkt

$22.99 Sep 15, 1994

Kontrapunkt is proud to announce the release of Robert Schumann’s incidental music “Manfred” in the complete form. This is probably the only complete “Manfred” (digital) recording available on CD presently. The text used here is in German, revised by Dr. Dietrich Steinbeck for this recording. BSO’s Chief conductor Michael Schønwandt is Danish and just turned 40. Despite of his youth, Schønwandt has conducted most major orchestras in the world. He was the first Scandinavian conductor to conduct at the Wagner Festival in Bayreuth in 1987. Earlier releases by Berliner Sinfonie Orchester with Michael Schønwandt: Ravel “Daphnis Et Chloé” (KPT 32152) and Berlioz “Requiem” (KPT 32143/4).

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Manfred
Kontrapunkt Sep 1994
CD
$22.99

Reger: 8 Geistliche Gesänge, Op. 138 - Geistliche Gesänge, O

Carus

$16.99 Jul 30, 2013

The first two of Three Motets of op. 110, all dedicated to the Thomanerchor, present a demanding challenge to choral singers. On the other hand, in the Acht Geistliche Geseñnge op. 138, Reger shows his mastery of the straightforward setting - a masterly "new simplicity" - in which the composer spanned the bridge to his earlier choral works.

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Reger: 8 Geistliche Gesänge, Op. 138 - Geistliche Gesänge, O
Carus Jul 2013
CD
$16.99

Tranquilles Coeurs

Alpha

$20.99 Apr 10, 2026

In 2018, four friends studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London decided to form an ensemble they called Théodora. Mariamielle Lamagat (soprano), Louise Ayrton (baroque violin), Lucie Chabard (harpsichord) and Alice Trocellier (viola da gamba) explore French Baroque music and it's ramifications. For their first recording, part of Alpha Classics' "Baroque Stories" series, they decided to trace the French style in Germanic lands in the 18th century, where the dance forms, dotted rhythms, modulations and harmonies in vogue at the court of Louis XIV inspired composers to create numerous transcriptions, works and new instrumental practices. Johann Fischer and Johann Philipp Krieger make no secret of their admiration for Campra and Lully, whose music enjoyed considerable success across the Rhine. This programme features their magnificent "Duo de la paix et de la félicité" (Duet of Peace and Happiness), in a version preserved in Berlin, performed here with mezzo-soprano Adèle Charvet. Bach is, of course, included: he admired the French organ school, particularly Jacques Boyvin, whose superb Récit tendre, from the Second Livre d'Orgue (1700), Théodora has transcribed for violin, viola and basso continuo.

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Tranquilles Coeurs
Alpha Apr 2026
CD
$20.99

Mix & Match

Alfvén: Symphonic Works, Vol. 3 / Borowicz, German Symphony Orchestra Berlin

CPO

$18.99 Aug 26, 2022

“Here loving service is done to a composer who is perhaps Sweden’s most important symphonist and certainly its most popular one.” This is what FonoForum wrote of Vol. 2 of our edition of symphonic works by Hugo Alfvén, who numbers among the most productive and most versatile Swedish cultural personalities. Alfvén’s Symphony No. 2 brought him a success that he termed his definitive artistic breakthrough. A second performance was held during the same year, and it was not long before it was also being presented in foreign countries. This work became his most popular symphony and the first of his compositions to appear in print (1900). At the time national Romantic tones had long dominated music by Swedish composers, while Alfvén adopted a taste that was more Continental – a fact that reviewers registered with astonishment. His Swedish Rhapsody No. 3, a composition featuring impressive work with motifs from Swedish folk music, rounds off this album.

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Alfvén: Symphonic Works, Vol. 3 / Borowicz, German Symphony Orchestra Berlin
CPO Aug 2022
CD
$18.99

WEBER: DER FREISCHUTZ

HARMONIA MUNDI

$32.49 Apr 29, 2022

Delving into black magic and folk culture, Weber created with Der Freischutz a new aesthetic that was to nourish the imaginative world of a whole generation of composers. Rene Jacobs has gone back to the sources of the initial project and here offers us a completely new reading of the very first German Romantic opera. The prologue initially conceived by the librettist is restored to it's original place, giving due symbolic and structural weight to the character of the Hermit. This is a fascinating rediscovery.

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WEBER: DER FREISCHUTZ
HARMONIA MUNDI Apr 2022
CD
$32.49

Great Singers Live: Elisabeth Grümmer

BR Klassik

$19.99 May 28, 2013

Elisabeth Schilz Grummer was a German soprano. She has been described as "a singer blessed with elegant musicality, warm-hearted sincerity, and a voice of exceptional beauty" (Gregory Berg, Journal of Singing). BR Klassik presents this historical recording from the years 1956, 1960 and 1962.

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Great Singers Live: Elisabeth Grümmer
BR Klassik May 2013
CD
$19.99

Heimweh: Schubert Lieder

PENTATONE

SACD

$21.99 Feb 01, 2019

On her Pentatone debut album, young German star soprano Anna Lucia Richter explores the heart-wrenching, timeless and universal feeling of Heimweh (homesickness) through a collection of extraordinary Schubert songs. Richter approaches the notion of Heimweh from several perspectives: from that of queens, young girls and shepherds to that of soldiers, dwarfs and gravediggers. The repertoire consists of the original, German-language version of Ave Maria, three Mignon songs (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, Heiss micht nicht reden and So lasst mich scheinen), the sinister Der Zwerg, the expansive flower ballad Viola and many others. Richter is accompanied by pianist Gerold Huber, with whom she has formed a congenial Lieder tandem in the last years. They are joined by clarinetist Matthias Schorn on the final song of the program, the quasi concert aria Der Hirt auf dem Felsen.

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Heimweh: Schubert Lieder
PENTATONE Feb 2019
SACD
$21.99

A Musical Journey - Battle Music: Germany / England

Naxos AudioVisual

DVD

$6.99 ~~$13.99~~ Save 50% Nov 15, 2011

The tour visits the Tin Soldier Museum at Kulmbach, the National Army Museum, the Wellington Memorial, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, and the Bavarian Army Museum at Ingolstadt, with it's relics of the Thirty Years War and of conflicts with the Ottoma Empire. The tour brings Beethoven's musical celebration of Wellington's victorious campaign in Spain, Liszt's Battle of the Huns and a Georgian war march by Ippolitov-Ivanov. The tour ends with two military works by Rimsky-Korsakov, King Dodon on the Battlefield, from his last opera, The Golden Cockerel, and the Massacre at Kerzhenets from The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh.

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A Musical Journey - Battle Music: Germany / England
Naxos AudioVisual Nov 2011
DVD
~~$13.99~~ $6.99

Rebay: Complete Works For Clarinet & Guitar / Magistrelli, Laura

Brilliant Classics

$13.99 May 31, 2011

Here's a genuine rarity: Ferdinand Rebay (1878-1953) has been hitherto unknown outside a small circle of guitar connoiseurs, but that should change thanks to this attractive set of sonatas and dances, all receiving their first recordings at the hands of two talented young Italian musicians. Rebay was Viennese born and bred. In 1901 he entered the piano class of Joseph Hofmann at the Vienna Conservatory and studied composition with the eminent pedagogue Robert Fuchs, who counted Mahler, Wolf, Sibelius and von Zemlinsky among his students.

Four years later, when leaving the Conservatory with a distinction in composition, Rebay's catalogue already numbered around 100 works, including a piano concerto dedicated to Prof. Hofmann. He continued to compose prolifically, mainly in the area of vocal music, pro-ducing around 100 choral works, 400 Lieder and two operas. After the Anschluss in 1938, Rebay lost his teaching positions as well as his pension and was reintegrated only in 1945, a few months before his definite retirement. Rebay's interest in writing for the guitar was triggered by his niece, the guitarist Gerta Hammerschmid (1906-1985) and by her teacher, his friend and colleague at the Musikakademie, Jakob Ortner (1879-1959), who probably introduced him to the technical possibilities of the instrument. He died, almost forgotten, in Vienna in 1953.

Among Rebay's most ambitious and important guitar works are the duos for guitar and a string or wind instrument. Substantial works, with a duration between 15 and 25 minutes, these duos have no match in the guitar repertoire; the Sonatas on this disc are among their number, and complemented by stylish arrangements made by Rebay of several of Beethoven's German Dances. The scarce original repertoire for clarinet and guitar, limited during the 19th century essentially to Heinrich Neumann's six serenades is almost trebled by Rebay's substantial contribution.

OTHER INFORMATION:
- World Premiere Recordings
- Detailed booklet notes on Rebay's life and work
- www.luigimagistrelli.com

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Rebay: Complete Works For Clarinet & Guitar / Magistrelli, Laura
Brilliant Classics May 2011
CD
$13.99

Schubert + Schumann

BIS

SACD

$21.99 Apr 10, 2026

The ongoing Schubert + series, produced by pianist Can Çakmur, has revealed an exceptional Schubertian. Now in it's sixth instalment, the series juxtaposes Schubert's works with those of composers he inspired. This latest program shines a spotlight on Robert Schumann. Schumann held Schubert in the highest esteem and was one of the first to recognise him as one of the most visionary composers to have ever lived, and this alone would have justified this coupling. However, Çakmur delves deeper, using the program as a springboard for a philosophical discussion about naturalism within German Romanticism. The program features Schubert's brilliant Sonata in D major, D. 850, composed in 1825 in the spa town of Bad Gastein. It's composition amidst the Alpine scenery likely sparked his imagination, echoing the themes of millers, hunters, forests, and mountains prevalent in his songs. Robert Schumann's Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) continues this thread of inspiration. In these nine miniatures, Schumann returns to the happy and simple lyricism reminiscent of early works like Kinderszenen. The program concludes with Schumann's Three Phantasiestücke, Op. 111, included, according to Çakmur, for the uncanny similarity between it's second piece and the slow movement of Schubert's Sonata. This program promises a compelling journey into the heart of German Romanticism, guided by Can Çakmur through the works of two of it's most pivotal figures.

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Schubert + Schumann
BIS Apr 2026
SACD
$21.99

Mix & Match

Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Sung In German) [DVD]

Naxos AudioVisual

DVD

$13.99 ~~$27.99~~ Save 50% Aug 14, 2020

Donizetti’s Don Pasquale represents the high point of the Italian buffa tradition, a sparkling comedy using characters from commedia dell’arte in ways that are entertaining, witty and playful. It was the work selected by the Vienna State Opera for its 1977 tour through Austria. Starring famous singers like the bass Oskar Czerwenka, the great lyric tenor Luigi Alva and, on the cusp of international fame, Edita Gruberova (soon to become the ‘queen of bel canto’) – this filmed performance, in colour and sung in German, showcases an outstanding ensemble at the height of its powers.

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Donizetti: Don Pasquale (Sung In German) [DVD]
Naxos AudioVisual Aug 2020
DVD
~~$27.99~~ $13.99

Minkus: La Bayadere / Sorokin, Mikhailovsky Ballet

BelAir Classiques

DVD

$29.99 Nov 20, 2020

Also available on Blu-ray

The purity of classical dance meets the opulent exoticism of the Maharajas’ India in this 150-year-old ballet, glorified by Nacho Duato for the Mikhailovsky Ballet. Of Ancient India, composer Ludwig Minkus made in his La Bayadère the shiny background of the tragic love story between a priestess and a warrior, unable to get together in this world or in the next. For this new production with the Mikhailovsky Ballet, of which he is the artistic director, Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato created a new version extremely respectful of Marius Petipa’s original, preserving the traditional synopsis and the great coups de théâtre of the libretto, and keeping the original choreography for the most famous scenes. But at the same time, he liberates the ballet from the weight of its own anachronism, removes the episodes of pointless pantomime, and relocates it in a extravagant, lavish and colorful set. Before working on La Bayadère, Duato had already tackled some of the great classics of the Russian classical ballet school: his original versions of Sleeping Beauty (BAC131 BAC431) and The Nutcracker, both commissioned by the Mikhailovsky, have since then toured in the whole world and were met with tremendous success – from Milan and Berlin to Novossibirsk. For this new project, he surrounds himself with the excellent Principals Angelina Vorontsova and Victor Lebedev, but also with Andrea Laššáková, outstanding in the role of Gamzatti.

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Minkus: La Bayadere / Sorokin, Mikhailovsky Ballet
BelAir Classiques Nov 2020
DVD
$29.99

Meyerbeer: Les Huguenots (Sung in German)

Walhall Eternity Series

$10.99 Sep 11, 2015

Despite its enormous success during the 19th c., Giacomo Meyerbeer’s grand opera Les Huguenots is rarely staged today, and arguably not with much more frequency at the time of this 1955 studio broadcast from the Vienna opera in a German-sung production. The conductor Robert Heger leads a cast of whom only Walter Berry and the great Wagnerian Gottlob Frick still have any real resonance today, with Maud Cunitz sneaking in just under the wire of recognition. The cast is a fine one however, with the German lyric tenor Karl Terkal a worthy re-discovery, and Valerie Bak a rare presence on record.

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Meyerbeer: Les Huguenots (Sung in German)
Walhall Eternity Series Sep 2015
CD
$10.99

German & French Recorder Concertos

OUR Recordings

SACD

$9.49 ~~$18.99~~ Save 50% May 13, 2016

This new release is the fourth installment in the contemporary “Concertos” project. After a long retirement from the concert stage, the recorder has once again found its place in today’s repertoire, as can be seen with thesethree concertos. Composers featured on this album include Markus Zahnhausen (b. 1965), Fabrice Bollon (b. 1965), and Gunter Kochan (1930-2009). This is the world premiere recording of all three works. Michala Petri has endeavored to extend the recorder’s presence as a modern instrument capable of performing contemporary works. Petri is joined for this project by the Odense Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Christoph Poppen.

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German & French Recorder Concertos
OUR Recordings May 2016
SACD
~~$18.99~~ $9.49

A Musical Journey - Germany: A Musical Visit to the Benedict

Naxos AudioVisual

DVD

$6.99 ~~$13.99~~ Save 50% Jul 31, 2012

The Places - the monastery at Ottobeuren was founded in 764 and included buildings from the succeeding centuries, subsequently destroyed by fire. The present buildings date from the beginning of the 18th century, with the church rebuilt under the architect Johann Michael Fischer. It remains a remarkable monument to it's period, and the ornate Abbey Church, with it's frescoes and elaborate rococo decoration is bewildering in it's splendor. The Music - Music accompanying the visit to Ottobeuren consists of choruses from Handel's oratorio Messiah, written in 1741. Of all English oratorios Handel's Messiah has always been the most overwhelmingly popular. It is the least theatrical of all his oratorios and the most purely sacred in it's choice of subject, the Messiah, a compendious version of the coming of Christ, His death and resurrection. The text, by Charles Jennens, drew extensively on the Authorized Version of the Bible, and an additional attraction has always been the large number of choruses included, a larger number than in any other of Handel's oratorios.

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A Musical Journey - Germany: A Musical Visit to the Benedict
Naxos AudioVisual Jul 2012
DVD
~~$13.99~~ $6.99

Dreyer: 6 Sonatas for Oboe & Continuo

Brilliant Classics

$9.99 ~~$12.99~~ Save 25% Oct 11, 2024

Bernardini meets Dreyer: a distinguished period-instrument oboist explores the music of a little-known Florentine forebear. Domenico Dreyer was born in Florence in 1701 to an Italian mother and German father, at a time when Italy was experiencing a golden age for the oboe, led by technical innovations in the design of the instrument. The family was musical, but why he picked up the oboe is unknown, as is most of his early life. At any rate, these sonatas are preserved in manuscript form under his name - his only surviving music - and may have been published in 1727. What we do know is that Dreyer travelled with his brother, a singer and impresario, across Europe and as far as St Petersburg. In the early 1730s Dreyer was playing in Venice, where he most likely met Vivaldi, and a musical link between the two men is illustrated by these six appealing sonatas. At any rate, Bernadini is drawn to these sonatas, as he explains in a booklet introduction, 'because they combine ornamented and very expressive slow movements with fast movements of great virtuosity, using the possibilities of the two-key oboe to the extreme.' Bernadini draws out various thematic correspondences between particular movements of the sonatas and various parts of Vivaldi's output, while observing a more general Vivaldian flavour to the writing. We might know more but for Dreyer's sudden and unexplained death at the age of 34, 'due to an unfortunate event,' according to the best historical record available. The sonatas may be enjoyed on their own terms, however, as stylish examples of Italian Baroque chamber writing at it's zenith. They are performed here by Bernadini on a copy of a 1730 instrument by Giovanni Maria Anciuti (1674-1744), the most important Italian wind instrument maker of the time. Not only is this the closest available instrument to Dreyer's sonatas in terms of place and date, but it is also one of the few 18th-century oboes to feature the low C sharp, which Dreyer notates at the end of the Fourth Sonata. He is joined by a quartet of fellow Italian period- instrument specialists, who supply a richly varied continuo section. - Domenico Maria Dreyer (ca. 1680 - ca. 1740) was the son of the German tenor Johann Conrad Dreyer, born and raised in Florence. His life was closely linked to that of his younger brother Giovanni Filippo Dreyer, a castrato, impresario and opera composer. The brothers worked for a long time at the courts of Moscow and St. Petersburg and later in Italy. - Six oboe sonatas and two recorder sonatas have survived from his oeuvre. The oboe sonatas are of great musical beauty and stylistically belong to the Venetian High Baroque period of his contemporary Antonio Vivaldi. It is assumed that they were composed around 1725. - Each sonata typically follows a four-movement structure, alternating between slow, lyrical passages and lively, dance-like sections. This format allows for a rich exploration of the oboe's tonal capabilities, from it's warm, mellow low registers to it's bright, penetrating highs. Dreyer's sonatas often feature elaborate ornamentation and intricate melodic lines, demanding both technical proficiency and expressive nuance from the performer. - Played by the famous Italian oboist Alfredo Bernardini (founder of the Zefiro Ensemble) and a continuo group consisting of cello, archlute and harpsichord/organ.

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Dreyer: 6 Sonatas for Oboe & Continuo
Brilliant Classics Oct 2024
CD
~~$12.99~~ $9.99

Strauss II-Korngold: Eine Nacht In Venedig / Burkert, Oper Graz

CPO

$18.99 May 03, 2019

Erich Wolfgang Korngold greatly revised the comic operetta A Night in Venice by Johann Strauss (Jr.) on the basis of the libretto version by Ernst Marischka. The original Straussian version initially rapidly made its way around the world, with performances in the lands of the Danube monarchy as well as in Hamburg, Munich, and London and even in New York. Nevertheless, until the end of World War I it experienced only about five hundred performances, which means that it was clearly overshadowed by Die Fledermaus. Again and again the attempt was made to reinterpret the text with interventions revising its content. Erich Wolfgang Korngold took an additional step in 1923, when he not only adapted the text but also changed the original instrumentation and integrated inserts into the work from other operettas by Strauss, for example, from Simplicius (1880). For several reasons Korngold’s revised version was a success when it was performed at the Theater an der Wien on 25 October 1923: the stage set was lavish and magnificent, the new orchestration displayed tonal sophistication, and the great Richard Tauber was heard in the role of the Duke in quest of erotic adventures. A few years later Korngold’s version made its way to the stage of the Vienna State Opera.

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Strauss II-Korngold: Eine Nacht In Venedig / Burkert, Oper Graz
CPO May 2019
CD
$18.99