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Vokalensemble Novantiqua Bern & Kesselberg Ensemble – Einsiedler Vesper

Artists: Vokalensemble Novantiqua Bern & Kesselberg Ensemble

Title: Carlo Donato Cossoni – Einsiedler Vesper

Catalogue No.: SM 326

Release: 15.11.2019

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Description

Carlo Donato Cossoni (1623–1700) was born into a family of musicians in the small town of Gravedona by Lake Como on November 10, 1623. By 1650 he was organist at San Fedele in Como, where he had previously been ordained priest. He published his op. 1 of two-part and three-part motets in Venice in 1665, and 13 further works followed up to 1679, all of sacred music. He bequeathed 54 sacred works to the Benedictine abbey of Einsiedeln (Appellato della Madonna de Valdo, “Our Lady of the Hermits”), and after his death in Gravedona they were added to the abbey library. Other Cossoni manuscripts have been preserved in Milan, Como and Bologna. 

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Anna Kavalerova – Schumann Rachmaninov Kapustin

Artist: Anna Kavalerova

Title: Themes and Variations: Schumann Rachmaninov Kapustin

Catalogue No.: SM 324

Release: 08.11.2019

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Description

The outstanding pianist Anna Kavalerova’s program on this CD includes such masterpieces as the deeply philosophical Symphonic Etudes by Robert Schumann, Rachmaninov’s highly emotional and tragic Variations on a Theme by Corelli, and brilliant Variations by Kapustin, a cycle full of charm, good humour, and virtuosity. Listening to this CD we can enjoy the monumental program of three cycles of variations. Anna Kavalerova’s program of Schumann, Rachmaninov and Kapustin’s Variations was performed in her recitals around the world and was met with the warmest reception and a fantastic feedback everywhere. Highly professional and an incredibly gifted musician, Anna Kavalerova shows us her own approach to this immortal music and inspires the listeners to ask themselves new questions regarding life, emotions, and the purpose of our existence in this world.

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Wiener Symphoniker – Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 (5-CD-Box)

Artists: Wiener Symphoniker

Title: Beethoven Symphonies 1-9 (5-CD-Box)

Catalogue No.: WS018

Release: 01.11.2019

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Description

The Road to Beethoven

For the first time in their history, the Wiener Symphoniker now release a complete Beethoven symphonies cycle on CD. The Wiener Symphoniker wrote music history with the first performances of works by Bruckner, Ravel and Schoenberg. And under the baton of such illustrious music directors as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini or Georges Prêtre they acquired worldwide fame for their unique Viennese sound. Considering its rich, more than a century long history, it comes as a surprise that the orchestra has never before recorded a full cycle of the nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven which are widely considered to constitute the apex of the symphonic repertoire.  

This shortcoming is about to be remedied: In October 2019, the Wiener Symphoniker now release the full cycle on 5 CDs in a Box. The full cycle is now completed just in time for the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven in 2020.  The symphonies were recorded live during a critically acclaimed concert cycle in Spring/Summer 2017 in the Great Hall of the Musikverein Wien.

Beethoven’s nine symphonies — composed between 1800 and 1824 — are true cornerstones of the classical canon. Marking an irrefutable turning point in the history of music, they transformed audiences’ expectations of the symphony and influenced the genre’s future development through their experimental, dramatic and expressive weight. Conductors have long been drawn to the profundity of these works: a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies is viewed as one of the ultimate challenges in the repertoire.

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Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra – Gulda Prokofiev Poulenc

Artists: Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra / Sergey Simakov; Mischa Cheung & Yulia Miloslavskaya

Title: Gulda Prokofiev Poulenc

Catalogue No.: SM 325

Release: 25.10.2019

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Description

The Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2015 and has since performed in various formations: from the quintet to the forty-member chamber orchestra. The young ensemble cultivates a diverse repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the Modern, always placing great importance on making less known musical works heard. In 2017, the Giraud Ensemble Chamber Orchestra released the CD “Primus” with works by Shostakovich, Vasks and Baum. It has been under the direction of internationally active and award-winning conductor Sergey Simakov since its foundation. Mischa Cheung studied with Prof. Konstantin Scherbakov at the Zurich University of the Arts and has taken up a busy career bringing him to many concert stages and festivals throughout the world. He is a member of the Gershwin Piano Quartet, a highly praised ensemble which performs spectacular arrangements on four pianos and released its newest album “Transatlantiques” with Sony Classical in 2018. He is a popular soloist at the Symphonic Game Concerts produced by the Merregnon Studios and has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Henschel Quartett – Schubert Forellenquintett & Mendelssohn Oktett

Artists: Henschel QuartettGerold Huber, Alexandra Hengstebeck, Gregory Maytan

Title: Schubert Forellenquintett & Mendelssohn Oktett

Catalogue No.: SM 332

Release: 25.10.2019

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Description

The two works on this CD are of special significance for the Henschel Quartet, with their prolific chamber music-making over the past 25 years. The three founding members of the Henschel Quartet – Christoph Henschel, Monika Henschel and Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj – have a special artistic friendship with Gerold Huber and Alexandra Hengstebeck. Recording Franz Schubert’s Trout Quintet together for the Henschel Quartet’s anniversary is a wish that the ensemble has now fulfilled. Hardly any work has been played more often in concert by the Munich-based Henschel Quartet than that brilliant piece of chamber music composed by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy at the age of only 16: his Octet, op. 20.For the Henschels, their ‘Octet concerts’ – with legendary musicians such as members of the Amadeus Quartet and the leading string quartet of Japan, the Sawa Quartet – remain unforgettable. Since 2010, the Henschel Quartet has been working together closely with the Diogenes Quartet, also based in Munich. With their joint commitment to promoting young talent and with the help of the association “Friends of the Henschel Quartet”, the two quartets have already managed to support 500 young ensembles and have reached more than 5,000 young listeners.

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Marlis Petersen: Dimensionen – Innenwelt (Innerworld)

Artists: Marlis Petersen / Stephan Matthias Lademann

Title: Dimensionen Innenwelt

Catalogue No.: SM 316

Release: 20.09.2019

Description

With the CD “Innerworld”, the last part of her trilogy „Dimensionen“ (dimensions), Marlis Petersen takes us from the here and now into the mysterious realm of visions and dreams, into the subconscious of the soul, into the night, where thoughts, wishes and feelings arise. Night and dreamsInner movementSalvation and homecoming are the stations of the songs. In addition to some composers of the other CDs, the listener now also finds French masters, with their very own “mouvement intérieur”. Richard Strauss is finally entering the trilogy, combined with a premiere, the new arrangement of the third of his “Four Last Songs” by Gregor Hübner.

Beginning with Schubert, the composer’s arc spans well into the 20th century, and it is worth to rediscover some of them completely new. The musical journey leads us into the hidden worlds of existence, directly into the workshop of the soul.

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Andrea Kauten & Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim – Clara Schumann & Zeitgenossen

Artists: Andrea Kauten & Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim

Title: Clara Schumann & Zeitgenossen

Catalogue No.: SM 315

Release: 20.09.2019

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Description

Virtuoso brilliance and lyrical poetry ‒­ the formal structure of works for solo piano with orchestra by both Clara and Robert Schumann and Carl Reinecke captivate the listener on first hearing them. Yet the selection of works chosen by Andrea Kauten for this recording goes much further. The works by Clara and Robert Schumann may be seen as intentionally eloquent individual testimony to the biographical situation of their creators; a situation rare in itself, since the two composers made it their habit to make their spouse a dedicated gift on special personal occasions, resulting in works which feature quotations from the other’s works, variations and sometimes even lessons aimed at improvement. These works reveal to us two human beings who affirm their personal and artistic self-perception from the outset, whether in the early days of their first works, or then as young lovers, sending one another intimate messages in brief pieces, rich in content. Together with the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Timo Handschuh, a wonderful CD has been created here.

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Merel Quartet / Castalian String Quartet – Mendelssohn Octet & Quartet

Artist: Merel Quartet / Castalian String Quartet

Title:  Mendelssohn Octet & Quartet

Catalogue No.: SM 293

Release: 20.09.2019

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Description

“From the Merel Quartet‘s inception, the music of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy has played an important role in our repertoire. We find it fascinating how he achieves his own musical language in his string quartet writing, even in his earliest works in that genre. Clearly he is influenced by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, nevertheless, from the very first measures of his quartet Op 12 it is his own voice, his own unique sound which we hear. We feel extremely fortunate to have met the young English foursome with whom we recorded Mendelssohn’s octet: the Castalian String Quartet. It is very rare indeed to find such a close musical affinity between two ensembles and working with them was extremely rewarding. The idea for this recording was born during our performance of the octet at the chamber music festival “Zwischentöne“ in Engelberg in October 2017.”

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Wiener Symphoniker – Beethoven Symphonies 9

Artist: Wiener Symphoniker

Title: Beethoven Symphonies 9

Catalogue No.: WS 017

Release: 13.09.2019

Description

The four releases in the Wiener Symphoniker’s first full recorded Beethoven’s symphony cycle met with universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Now the fifth part, in the form of the Symphony No. 9, is being released. The CD is part of the Wiener Symphoniker’s Road to Beethoven, a project to prepare for the year 2020, the 250th anniversary of the composer, a towering father-figure for classical music.

With this new release, the Wiener Symphoniker are hoping to follow up on the great success of their four CDs in the cycle. Both the first CD with Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 and the second with Nos. 4 and 5 have been picked as “CD of the month” by various international music magazines.  The latest release Nos. 6 and 8 was awarded in France for Trophées Classique Radio. Based on these releases, the British Gramophone magazine nominated the orchestra for “Orchestra of the Year 2018”. In particular, the magazine praised Jordan’s approach of combining the classic Viennese sound with a more modern, leaner interpretation, original tempos and insights from historically informed performance. For Jordan, the content of the music was paramount. His goal was not to revere Beethoven as a monument but rather to present him in a more “natural, direct and personal” way.

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Höhenrieder Titel: Piano Works By Clara & Robert Schumann

Artist: Margarita Höhenrieder

Title: Piano Works By Clara & Robert Schumann

Catalogue No.: SM 312

Release: 06.09.2019

Description

“After just a few notes on this exceptionally fine Pleyel grand piano in Kellinghusen, north of Hamburg, in a collection of Eric Feller’s, I found myself plunged into a different century. This pianoforte was built in Paris in about 1855 and professionally restored using historical materials and methods. It is absolutely uniform with the instrument that Chopin possessed, and is of typically French elegance – in sound as well as in appearance.

It reflects the soul of the Romantic era. Apart from that, it offers an authentic testimony to the sound of the instruments that Fryderyk Chopin and Robert and Clara Schumann played.

Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck, gave his daughter a Streicher grand, built in Vienna. Personally, I saw this Pleyel as the ideal instrument on which to play the works of Robert and Clara Schumann as authentically as possible while also matching as precisely as possible the exacting demands they place on piano technique.

The constant aspiration in today’s music world towards ever larger and more versatile instruments and architecturally and acoustically challenging auditoria meant that I was in search of a convincingly authentic sound for compositions written in and around the 1830s, while also looking out for a suitable performance location – comparable to a mid-19th-century salon and differing from today’s concert halls.”

Margarita Höhenrieder

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