Sofja Gülbadamova IDYLLE

IDYLLE

Philharmonischer Chor München / Philharmonie Festiva / Gerd Schaller BRUCKNER Mass 3 - Psalm 146 - Organ Works

MASS 3 - PSALM 146 - ORGAN WORKS

Ada Aria Rückschloß FRANCK - BACH - BEETHOVEN - PROKOFIEV - RÜCKSCHLOSS

FRANCK - BACH - BEETHOVEN - PROKOFIEV - RÜCKSCHLOSS

Luiza Borac COSTANTIN SILVESTRI Complete Piano Works

PIANO WORKS

Simone Eckert / Hamburger Ratsmusik HAYDN & FRIENDS

HAYDN & FRIENDS

Benjamin Appl /Berliner Barock Solisten / Reinhard Goebel CANTATAS OF THE BACH FAMILY

CANTATAS OF THE BACH FAMILY

Heidelberger Sinfoniker / Timo Jouko Herrmann SALIERI Strictly Private

STRICTLY PRIVATE

Klara Min SCHUMANN Arabesque - Kreisleriana - Carnaval

ARABESQUE - KREISLERIANA - CARNAVAL

Duo Imtakt SONG OF THE FORESTS

                                                         SONG OF THE FORESTS

Florian Feilmair BEETHOVEN Variations op. 35, WoO 80, WoO 77 and Sonata op. 111

                              VARIATIONS op. 35, WoO 80, WoO 77 AND SONATA op. 111

Sofja Gülbadamova HUNGARIAN MELODY

                                                           HUNGARIAN MELODY

Martina Filjak LIGHT & DARKNESS

                                                              LIGHT & DARKNESS

Julia Hagen / Annika Treutler JOHANNES BRAHMS

Johannes Brahms Sonatas for cello and piano op. 38 and op. 99 Six Lieder op. 86 (arranged for cello and piano). One of the underlying principles of Johannes Brahms’s works is the way the composer creatively engages with a range of musical traditions, from the old German folk song through the madrigal to Viennese Classicism and the Romanticism of the likes of Schumann and Mendelssohn.

The young cellist Julia Hagen is known as one of the most promising instrumentalists of her generation. Most recently she has made her debut with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra as well as with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra at the famous Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Annika Treutler grew up in Detmold and is now based in Berlin. She studied with Prof. Matthias Kirschnereit at the Rostock College of Music and Drama and Prof. Bernd Goetzke at the Hanover College of Music, Drama and Media. The young artist won third prize at the Montreal International Piano Competition in 2014 national.

Azahar Ensemble TURINA x TURINA

Program based on the project "Turina x Turina", where Azahar Ensemble pretends to contribute to the enrichment of the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning arrangements of the most remarkable works by Joaquín Turina. The composer, born in Seville, was very influenced by the french impressionism of Debussy and Ravel, but always maintained his andalusian roots present in his musical language. Turina is one of the most internationally renowned spanish composers. For these arrangements, Azahar Ensemble has had the invaluable collaboration of composer José Luís Turina, who is himself grandson of Joaquín Turina.

Eloïse Bella Kohn CLAUDE DEBUSSY Préludes

Eloïse Bella Kohn is a regular guest of France’s most prominent concert venues and festivals, such as Salle Gaveau, La Roque d’Anthéron, Radio France à Montpellier, Lille Piano Festival, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse and the Festival International d’Art lyrique in Aix-en-Provence.

Being awarded Young Talent by the renown cultural magazine Diapason in 2016 and “Yamaha Artist” since 2018, the young French pianist shows an extraordinary depth of musicality and is leading a promising career. She makes regular appearances as studio guest of France Musique and other major cultural radio channels such as RTS Suisse.

Eloïse Bella Kohn devotes herself to major piano works such as the Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach and the late piano sonatas by L. van Beethoven. Her wide repertory includes the complete works for piano and winds by F. Poulenc. In November 2018 her first album featuring Debussy’s 24 Préludes will be released by the german label Hänssler Classic.

Ekaterina Litvintseva/ Klassische Philharmonie Bonn / Heribert Beissel BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor Op. 15

Rising pianist Ekaterina Litvintseva writes of this release in which she performs Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor Op. 15: “From a technical and musical perspective, it is one of the hardest concertos ever written! What clearly distinguishes it from other concertos is its symbiosis of orchestra and pianist. What I mean is that the orchestra and pianist are very closely interlinked so as to give the concerto a thoroughly symphonic complexion. It is known that Brahms originally conceived the work as a symphony. It stands to reason, therefore, that this work should sound symphonic. The task set before the pianist when tackling this work is a very tall order, namely the challenge of playing a 50-minute concerto and, throughout every minute, immersing oneself in the music without losing sight of the overall picture. A useful analogy might be to imagine a mountainous landscape and, whilst enjoying the harmony and unity of the mountains, also to observe their slightest elevations and hollows. I believe that nature abounds in this work, as if I were to breathe in the fresh mountain air, feel its vigor and visualize scenic colors. I have put so much time and energy into this concerto. By giving so many concerts, I was able to thoroughly immerse myself in the music and experiment with it 13 times. So I think I’m justified in saying that it has become my concerto.“

Ensemble Schmuck FROM CLASSICAL TO TANGO

Since its founding in 2009, Ensemble Schmuck has been praised by audiences and the press for its charismatic performances. The ensemble appears in around 50 concerts across Germany every year, presenting attractive programmes in a way that is both original and skillful. The intriguing range of genres, from Classical and Romantic works through gripping tango arrangements to staged concert formats with drama, appeals to listeners of all generations, thanks in no small part to the adaptability of the trio’s formation, with three members able to switch effortlessly between violin and viola. Ensemble Schmuck is centered around clarinetist Sayaka Schmuck, who has gathered together a number of outstanding young artists in pursuit of the great passion they all share: chamber music. In the process, each musician contributes experiences, energy and ideas from his or her own musical practice, thus giving manifold impetus to the ensemble’s work in rehearsals and concerts and instilling color and flexibility into its performances.

Dresdner Oktett FRANZ SCHUBERT Oktett F-Dur 803

To forge chamber music from orchestral scores and make music of the highest order with like-minded colleagues — this was the ambition of eight section leaders of the Dresden Staatskapelle when they founded the Dresden Octet to give a chamber concert during the orchestra’s tour of Hong Kong in 2015. The idea of creating such an ensemble had been on the cards for some time — hardly surprising given that the Staatskapelle is bound to chamber music by a long and significant tradition embodied by the Tonkunstler-Verein zu Dresden (Composers’ Society of Dresden), which was founded in 1854 and has been run independently to this day. “For us, music-making in the octet is an ideal form of chamber music,” acknowledges the ensemble’s double-bassist and founding member Andreas Wylezol. For this release the ensemble has chosen Franz Schubert’s Octet in F major D 803.

Dan Ettinger / Stuttgarter Philharmoniker MOZART Symphonies 25 & 40 - Sonata for Two Pianos

Dan Ettinger is one of the leading international conductors of his generation. Since the start of the 2015/2016 season he has been Principal Conductor of the Stuttgart Philharmonic and General Music Director of the City of Stuttgart. His contract was prematurely extended in July 2016 to run till the summer of 2023. Ettinger regularly conducts at the world’s great opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Washington National Opera, London’s Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Opera National de Paris, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Opernhaus Zurich, the Salzburg Festival and the State Opera Houses of Vienna and Munich. Ever since he began his conducting career, Ettinger has been scoring great successes on the concert platform as well. From 2002 to 2003 he was First Guest Conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. His appearances with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Symphony now form the core elements of his concert activities. On this release, he leads the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker in performing the timeless works of W.A. Mozart.

Berlin Chamber Duo SONATAS BY ROBERT SCHUMANN & CÉSAR FRANCK

The Berlin Chamber Duo writes of their new release: “This album with its Romantic-era programme has been recorded in dedication of our love of the viola and the music of Robert Schumann. The first ever recording on the viola of the Sonata in A minor op. 105 for violin and piano by Robert Schumann is truly a landmark for the viola repertoire and the listening public… The sonata is played on the viola using the same score as for the original violin part. This fact in turn means that the violist is faced with a special technical challenge, which is probably the reason why the sonata has never yet been recorded on the viola… The ideal complement to this sonata is a selection of Lieder by Robert Schumann, songs which can be beautifully interpreted on the viola…” The Berlin Chamber Duo is violist Mate Szucs, who is the principal solo violist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and pianist Michele Yuki Gurdal, who has been performing throughout Europe since she was nine years old.