Description

In the early nineteenth century, composers commissioned to write new operas received from the impresario a list of the singers in the solo ensemble so that that the parts might be written to suit them. The rise of bel canto consequently had a lot to do with the vocal potential of the female singers who were to play the title roles – the great prima donnas of the day. The opere serieRossini wrote in Naples represent milestones in the development of bel canto. They were all written for Isabella Colbran, and they owed their great success in no small degree to her exceptional voice and expressive singing. Colbran was a mezzo-soprano with an exceptional high register.

The mezzo-soprano Viviana Araiza Staffini was born in Munich and spent part of her childhood in the USA and Italy. She studied at the Munich College of Music and completed her studies at the International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera House.

A key role in her career was Bizet’s Carmen, with which she, with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, made her Japanese debut to great acclaim in 1990. Mozart is also prominent in her repertoire, and Riccardo Muti called her to La Scala in Milan in the role of Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito. She has also gained acclaim on the concert stage and often performs at venues like the Cologne Philharmonie, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Dresden Philharmonie.

Description

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), the creator of the epic War Requiem, is rightly regarded as the most important English composer of the 20th century. His works for a cappella choir show an overwhelming variety of styles, texts, and compositional techniques. And for these, choirs are extremely grateful. Benjamin Britten, who was known not only as a composer but also as an experienced practitioner, was able to precisely gauge the possibilities of each respective performer; he knew exactly which details in the score were necessary to achieve the desired effect.  Excellent choral music is to be found in settings ranging from children’s and school choirs to oratorio choirs and professional ensembles. The choices made for this recording – major works from different creative phases throughout Britten’s life – reflect this diversity. The inclusion of works by William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, and Ralph Vaughan Williams also affords an opportunity to trace a line of tradition in English choral music.

The Collegium Vocale was founded in 2005 by Ulrike Grosch. Originally made up of participants of a workshop led by Ton Koopman, the choir consists primarily of students and alumni of Swiss conservatories and music schools. The choir and its director share an enthusiasm for the discovery of the new, combined with high vocal expertise and a particular passion for working on language, diction and sound.

Description

Who knows not the milkman Tevye and his wonderful song about the richness of although possible, but extremely unlikely in the near future. After Shmuel Rodenskys hit, the Yiddish song disappeared from the music scene quickly and comprehensively. There however it returns now probably, what Sharon Brauner’s album “Jewels” may carry a significant complicity.
The Berlin lady, 43 years old comes from a family who five decades certain with the German movie business of the last as actress in moving images of diverse genres quite its share, but now she is clearly on the music. On this album we find a whole new musical presentation of wonderful well known evergreens sang in the Yiddish language.

There is a classic like “Bay mir bistu sheyn (Tome, you are beautiful)” moved to the beach of Copacabana, there you here sounding waltzes in electro sound and tangos like a hot Flirt in the morning at the Club, with the ‘Tumbalalaika’ she then goes eastward, but not in the typical folcloric dress and the ballads of the album sound more like pop than what is otherwise combined with Yiddish music in.
Sharon Brauner brings us back a culture, without any nostalgic transfiguration into a sound that is far away from hard retro culture and instead, well – it comes pretty sexy around the corner.

Description

Do you like Strauss Lieder? You will love it, after listen to this wonderful CD! It is almost unbelievable how colourful, these pieces are going to be, when Christiane Oelze goes on it to sing. Oelze has done the right thing, to select this repertoire for her currant CD, it seems, that these songs are made for her wonderful sounding voice and their vital artistic personality. Richard Strauss was a colossal melodic, a brilliant Orchestrator, and a great Narrator. On this CD you will get to know all the creative periods. You listen to well-known songs such as “Allerseelen”, and later Brentano songs such as „Säus’le liebe Myrthe” and Strauss’ last great work at all, the „Vier letzte Lieder“, for high voice and Orchestra here in a piano version arranged by the pianist Eric Schneider.

Their partner on the conductor’s rostrum to witness by the rank of the soprano Christiane Oelze: Herbert Blomstedt, Riccardo Chailly, Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Christoph von Dohnányi, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Michael Gielen, Carlo Maria Giulini, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christopher Hogwood, Marek Janowski, Fabio Luisi, Sir Neville Marriner, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano and Sir Simon Rattle. Hardly a renowned Orchestra with Christiane Oelze had not already performed.

In addition to her work in Opera and concert, Christiane Oelze has dedicated herself building a challenging and varied song repertoire; accompanied by many well-known pianists and their longtime song partner Eric Schneider.

Many of their recordings of the songs received high praise in the press, including songs by Anton Webern, settings of Goethe, and last but not least ‘forbidden songs’ the exiled composer Ullmann, Korngold and Weill.

Description

Love Songs is a dialogue about love and its reflections, created by four very close friends, the pianists Diana Ketler and Konstantin Lifschitz, violinist Andrej Bielow and violist Razvan Popovici.
In this programme of some of their favourite Romantic duets the musicians journey through the subliminal passion, bucolic nostalgia and gentle irony of Brahms’ Liebeslieder-Walzer,as well as the intimacy and warmth of his songs Wir Wandelten and Wie Melodien zieht es mir. Then they continue with the exuberant admiration for the universe in Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, the ecstatic desire of Suk’s Love Song, and, finally, the spiritual adoration of nature in Dvorak’s Silent Woods and In the Spinning Room.
Diana and Konstantin became friends in their student years at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Since then they musical paths crossed many times due to their inner connection, friendship and shared aesthetic interests.
Diana was described by György Ligeti as “a pianist with an unusual musical intelligence”, while the Onaku No Tomo, Tokyo, wrote about her “profoundly lyrical sound and perfectly refined technique”. Her passion for chamber music has led her to found the Ensemble Raro, which the New York Concert Review called “one of the best, most versatile young groups before the public”. She also started the Chiemgauer Musikfrühling Chamber Music Festival in Bavaria, where she is the artistic director. Diana is a Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Konstantin is one of the most celebrated performers of his generation. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung calls him “a phenomenon”. He has an exceptionally vast solo and chamber music repertoire. His many Bach recordings, starting with the legendary Golberg Variations, which the New York Times has called “the most powerful pianistic interpretation since Glen Gould”, continue to fascinate both critics and listeners. Konstantin is a Professor of Piano at the Music Academy in Lucerne.