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HIGHLIGHTS 2019 // 1 ENGLISH WWW.OUTHERE-MUSIC.COM

THE OUTHERE MUSIC GROUP IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING INDEPENDENT PRODUCERS OF CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. IT IS HOME TO THE LEGENDARY ALPHA CLASSICS AND LINN RECORDS LABELS AND TO SEVERAL MORE SPECIALIZED LABELS SUCH AS AEON, ARCANA, FUGA LIBERA, HATHUT RECORDS, OUTNOTE, PHI, RAMÉE AND RICERCAR. BECAUSE OUTHERE HAS AN UNRELENTING PASSION FOR QUALITY AND INNOVATION, IT HAS BECOME A MUST-JOIN GROUP FOR THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS OF THE MUSICAL WORLD.

PHILIPP HEINRICH ERLEBACH COMPLETE TRIO SONATAS

L’ACHÉRON FRANÇOIS JOUBERT-CAILLET DIRECTOR

RIC 393 JANUARY 2019

In 1694 Philipp Heinrich Erlebach, kapellmeister at the court of Count Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, published a collection of trio sonatas for a typical German ensemble of the period: violin, viola da gamba, and bass continuo. Pairing the violin with the viola da gamba seems to exemplify the fusion of Italian and French musical traditions, and this same fusion is found in the forms of these compositions, with an Italianate sonata followed by a suite of French dances – a model that Johann Sebastian Bach would later recall. These sonata-suites are endowed with undeniable charm and an infectious liveliness, and François Joubert-Caillet, with his ensemble L’Achéron, give us a particularly seductive interpretation of them.

1 CD

HAYDN2032 VOL. 7: GLI IMPRESARI KAMMERORCHESTER BASEL GIOVANNI ANTONINI CONDUCTOR

ALPHA 680 ALPHA 681

The complete recording of Haydn’s symphonies continues under the direction of Giovanni Antonini . . . Three things you may not know about Haydn: 1. The son of a music-loving master wheelwright The second of twelve children, Joseph Haydn was born in 1732 to a modest family from Hainburg, Austria. His father, Mathias, like his father before him, was a master wheelwright in Rohrau an der Leitha. He also had a beautiful tenor voice, and accompanied himself on the harp in his spare time. It was from him that the young Joseph, from the age of five, got his fascination for music and singing. 2. A child with the voice of an angel… At a very early age, Haydn revealed a voice that was both sonorous and delicate. He was accepted into the Hainburg choir school at the age of six, and subsequently, having produced a particularly sumptuous trill at audition, entered the ranks of the choir of St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, where he remained until he was sixteen. During this time, he also sang at Schönbrunn Palace. 3. … but very unruly One day, on the orders of Empress Maria Theresa, he was punished for having climbed scaffolding at Schönbrunn Palace. As he approached puberty, it was suggested he should be castrated so as to conserve his soprano voice and his place in the choir. Haydn owed it to his father’s violent opposition that he did not end up as a castrato. To be continued…

1 CD 2 LPs

FEBRUARY 2019

OFFENBACH COLORATURE JODIE DEVOS SOPRANO MÜNCHNER RUNDFUNKORCHESTER LAURENT CAMPELLONE CONDUCTOR

ALPHA 437 FEBRUARY 2019

Soprano Jodie Devos, who has signed with Alpha for several recordings, here pays homage to Offenbach, whose bicentenary of his birth is celebrated in 2019. This programme shows Offenbach’s fascination with the vocal fireworks of coloratura divas. This kind of ‘lyric coloratura’ or ‘soprano leggero’ voice runs like a thread through most of the composer’s oeuvre, from his first pieces for two or three soloists to those grand frescoes of his maturity, La Vie parisienne, Robinson Crusoé, and Orphée aux Enfers. The coloratura soprano also adorns Offenbach’s less frivolous operettas (such as Fantasio), as well as his only serious opera – Les Contes d’Hoffmann – in which the role of the doll (with only one aria, but what an aria!) is among the most famous in the entire French repertoire. Concocted collaboratively with Alexandre Dratwicki and the Palazzetto Bru Zane, this recorded programme – tailor-made for Jodie Devos – presents innumerable rarities from Mesdames de la Halle, Boule-de-Neige, Un mari à la porte, Le Roi Carotte, Le Voyage dans la lune, and Vert-Vert. In the famous duet, Oiseaux dans la charmille, she is joined by up-and-coming mezzo-soprano Adèle Charvet.

1 CD

LA MORTE DELLA RAGIONE A MUSICAL JOURNEY FROM THE 15TH TO THE 17TH CENTURY, FROM DESPREZ TO GESUALDO

IL GIARDINO ARMONICO GIOVANNI ANTONINI CONDUCTOR

‘The senses reign, and Reason now is dead’ (Petrarch). Giovanni Antonini, flautist and founder of the legendary Italian ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, enjoys musical voyages, the discursiveness of music. He begins with an anonymous 16th century pavane, La Morte della Ragione (The Death of Reason), which he believes refers to In Praise of Folly, in which its author Erasmus distinguishes between two forms of madness: ‘a sweet illusion of the spirit,’ and a negative form, ‘one that the vengeful Furies conjure up from hell...’ This succession of ‘musical pictures’ leads us to the threshold of the baroque era, starting out with the Puzzle Canon by John Dunstable (1390 - ca.1453), whose manuscript is an enigma, via the ‘bizarre’ style of Alexander Agricola (1446 - ca.1506) and his obsessive, ostinato rhythm – almost an anticipation of minimalist music – to the improvisatory freedom of the Galliard Battaglia by Scheidt (1587 - 1654), a battle piece involving a great many diminutions or ‘divisions’, a common technique of improvisation in the Renaissance... This grand instrumental musical fresco of time and space is a kind of self-portrait of Giovanni Antonini and his longstanding musical colleagues. To accompany this album, a richly-illustrated booklet presents a free-ranging iconographical tour combining pictures and contemporary photos.

ALPHA 450 FEBRUARY 2019

1 CD + BOOK

HANDEL VS PORPORA BATTLE OF THE GIANTS

GIUSEPPINA BRIDELLI MEZZO-SOPRANO LE CONCERT DE L’HOSTEL DIEU FRANCK-EMMANUEL COMTE HARPSICHORD &

DIRECTION

Despite the known rivalry between the London operatic companies led by Handel and Porpora between 1734 and 1737, the real nature of the relationship between the two composers remains to be explored. Both were considered outstandingly original in their respective aesthetic stances. Both admired each other’s music. Their few whirlwind years of rivalry in the English capital produced some memorable scores: among them, Ariodante by Handel and Polifemo by Porpora, which ran simultaneously in the city’s theatres. The battle between the two operatic companies was an opportunity for the composers to encounter each other, to engage with the taste of the London audience, and to experiment with new ideas, sustained by the astonishing vocal skills of both casts, boasting singers such as Farinelli, Senesino, and Carestini. This album attempts to capture the spirit of this complex intellectual relationship, presenting important examples of each composer’s style, and outlining the extent of the mutual esteem between these two giants of musical history. On her debut solo album, gifted young mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Bridelli performs with undaunted ease the technically challenging works composed for some of the most famous voices of the 18th century.

A 461 MARCH 2019

1 CD

ERNEST CHAUSSON POÈME DE L’AMOUR ET DE LA MER, OP. 19 SYMPHONY IN B FLAT, OP. 20

VÉRONIQUE GENS ORCHESTRE NATIONAL DE LILLE ALEXANDRE BLOCH DIRECTOR

ALPHA 441 MARCH 2019

Ernest Chausson occupies a singular place in French music, at the crossroads between the romanticism of Berlioz and Franck, the language of Wagner, and the symbolism of the young Debussy. His Poème de l’amour et de la mer is a unique score for the period and definitely his greatest work: simultaneously a profane, naturistic cantata, a monologue, and a song cycle. Composed between 1882 and 1892, its final section, Le Temps des Lilas was already issued as a song with piano accompaniment in 1886. Véronique Gens records the cycle for the first time, though she has already released ‘Le Temps des Lilas’ with pianist Susan Manoff for her album Néère (ALPHA 215), of which Classiquenews wrote: ‘it mesmerises with the nuancing of its colours, the allusive precision of every sung word…’ Véronique Gens is partnered by an orchestra she already knows well, the Orchestre National de Lille, under its new chief conductor, Alexandre Bloch, whose appointment, first concerts and recordings have already caused a sensation. The Symphony in B flat major completes the programme: a summit of French symphonic writing – for some, a milestone as important as the Symphony in D of Chausson’s teacher César Franck!

1 CD

GABRIEL DUPONT SYMPHONIC MUSIC (COMPLETE WORKS)

ORCHESTRE PHILHARMONIQUE ROYAL DE LIÈGE PATRICK DAVIN CONDUCTOR WORLD PREMIERE © Archives du CRR de Caen

Greatly admired by his contemporaries, Gabriel Dupont (18781914) studied with Massenet, then became a disciple of Vierne and Widor; he is one of those composers whose too-brief career prevented them from taking their merited place in the history of music. Despite suffering a chronic bout of tuberculosis in 1901, Dupont managed to enter for the Prix de Rome, obtaining a ‘first second prize’ (ahead of Maurice Ravel). This composer has been partly rediscovered over the past few years – mainly his piano works, songs, and some rare chamber works – yet his symphonic music remains almost entirely unknown. The compositions on this album are the very first recorded collection of his complete orchestral repertoire, and they mark the course of Dupont’s brief creative years, from the three-part symphonic sketch Jour d’été (Summer Day, 1900), to the poignant Chant de la destinée (Song of Destiny, 1908), and including the orchestrated piano pieces Les Heures dolantes (Plaintive Hours). Dupont’s language is a passionate synthesis of late 19th-century French traditions with his quest for a new identity, a new path: one that weaves around the tracks of his contemporaries, sometimes crossing the border into German musical territory…

FUG 751 MARCH 2019

1 CD

ˇ LEOŠ JANÁCEK & GYÖRGY LIGETI QUARTETS

BELCEA QUARTET

ALPHA 454 APRIL 2019

Formed in 1994 at the Royal College of Music in London, the Belcea Quartet already has an impressive discography, including the complete Beethoven string quartets (ALPHA 262). For this new recording, the ensemble has chosen three quartets by two iconic composers of the 20th century: Leoš Janáček and György Ligeti. Fifteen years after their first recording for Zig-Zag, and after some changes in personnel, they have decided to record again the two string quartets by Janáček. The First Quartet was inspired by Leon Tolstoy’s famous novella, The Kreutzer Sonata: the fourmovement work follows the narrative, including its culminating murder. The Second Quartet is subtitled Intimate Letters, in homage to Kamila Stösslova, with whom the composer had an important relationship expressed through letters, one that influenced both his life and his music. Finally, the First Quartet by Ligeti, subtitled Métamorphoses nocturnes because of its particular form. The composer described the work as a sort of theme and variations, but not with a specific theme that is then subsequently varied: rather, it is a single musical thought appearing under constantly new guises – for this reason the word ‘metamophoses’ is more appropriate than ‘variations’.

1 CD

RICHARD STRAUSS EIN HELDENLEBEN, ROSENKAVALIER SUITE

ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA THOMAS SØNDERGÅRD CONDUCTOR

CKD 510 APRIL 2019

This recording will be the first in a new series with Thomas Søndergård and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as Søndergård takes up his extended role as Music Director with the RSNO from the start of the 2018:19 season. The programme features music by Richard Strauss and will be released in Spring 2019 to coincide with a US tour. The tone poem tells the epic story of an imaginary hero and offers a stirring introduction to the world of the German Romantics. Following a concert performance of Ein Heldenleben in March 2018 The Scotsman stated:“From the swaggering confidence of Strauss’s bounding heroic theme to the gleefully grotesque carpings of his critics, Søndergård delivered a bold, utterly committed account – this is clearly music that matters to him.” The recording also includes the concert suite from Der Rosenkavalier in which Strauss’s colourful and evocative orchestration recalls many favourite moments from his most popular opera.

1 CD

CLAIRE MARTIN BELIEVIN’ IT

MARTIN SJÖSTEDT PIANO AND ARRANGEMENTS NIKLAS FERNQVIST DOUBLE BASS DANIEL FREDRIKSSON DRUMS

Claire Martin and her all-Swedish trio have played to sell-out audiences in Sweden, London and Madrid, providing an exciting first chance for fans to preview material for Martin’s twentieth album which will be released by Linn in 2019. Martin’s fascination with Sweden’s vibrant jazz scene began a decade ago, and via a shared love of songs she has cultivated a unique chemistry with the trio over the past two years. Uppsala-born pianist/arranger Martin Sjöstedt leads the trio comprising bassist Niklas Fernqvist and drummer Daniel Fredriksson. Sjöstedt, one of Sweden’s most gifted and talked about jazz musicians, has created imaginative new arrangements of contemporary material exclusively for Martin. Encompassing five decades from the ‘70s to the present day, tracks include ‘Broken Wings’ by Mr. Mister and ‘I’m Not in Love’ by 10cc as well as favourites by Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Ivan Lins and Pat Metheny. Martin remembers legendary singer Lena Horne with her own arrangement of ‘Come Runnin’’ and pays tribute to Norway’s Karin Krog with ‘Cherry Tree Song’. Martin’s long-term commitment to championing the work of songwriters was recognized by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) with a Gold Badge Award in October 2018. She has also won the Vocal category at the 2018 British Jazz Award.

AKD 563 APRIL 2019

1 CD

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH CONCERTOS FOR PIANOS

ANNA VINNITSKAYA, EVGENI KOROLIOV LJUPKA HADZI GEORGIEVA PIANOS KAMMERAKADEMIE POTSDAM

ALPHA 446 APRIL 2019

Over the past five years, pianist Anna Vinnitskaya has made three Alpha recordings dedicated to Shostakovich, Brahms et Rachmaninov. Evgeni Koroliov is a great master of the piano, a great Bach specialist, whose recordings of Bach are an acclaimed benchmark. His piano duo with his wife, Ljupka Hadzi-Georgieva, has made its mark over the past few years in all the major international concert venues. Also a highly reputed teacher, Koroliov was Anna Vinnitskaya’s professor at Hamburg. ‘Though I no longer study with him, I still meet and talk with him several times a week,’ she confides. ‘That helps me further in my development, not just as a pianist but as a human being…Now that I am myself a professor at the same university, I try to carry it on, to pass his experience on to others.’ These three Slavonic pianists, who for some time have been aiming to record the Bach concertos as a team, decided to invite a German ensemble that is itself highly expert in Bach interpretation, the Potsdam Chamber Orchestra; they recorded this double album in a legendary venue where some of the greatest artists have recorded: the Jesus-ChristusKirche in Berlin.

2 CDS

BARLAAM & JOSAPHAT BUDDHA AS A CHRISTIAN SAINT

DIALOGOS KATARINA LIVLJANIC´ DIRECTOR

Surprisingly enough, one of the most popular saints in the Christian calendar of the Middle Ages was none other than – Buddha! After ten years of research in libraries worldwide, Katarina Livljanić and the ensemble Dialogos, fearless as always in their zest for exploration, bring yet another surprise from lesser-known medieval lands. This is the amazing tale of Saints Barlaam and Josaphat, a Christianized version of Buddha’s life that traversed at least four different religions, and is found in almost every medieval language. These powerful songs for voice and instruments sing of the legend of the King’s son, Prince Josaphat, who leaves his tumultuous world of luxury to search for inner peace. The songs follow the path of his adventures, from one medieval language to another: from Greek and Latin to Old Croatian, Italian, and Church Slavonic. This project is a unique new experience: a multimedia e-book, in French and English, included with this album, tells the story of Barlaam and Josaphat, leading the reader/listener though one of the most intriguing labyrinths of the medieval world. With a wealth of original video, audio and iconographic material, it gives an insight into the artistic creative process that transformed a medieval legend into a musical event.

A 458 MAY 2019

1 CD + E-BOOK

DOULCE MÉMOIRE DENIS RAISIN DADRE DIRECTOR

ALPHA 456 MAY 2019

2019 will see the 500th commemoration of the death of one of the greatest geniuses humanity has produced: Leonardo da Vinci, scientist, inventor, painter – and musician. Doulce Mémoire, having devoted themselves to Renaissance music for the past 30 years, have decided to pay homage to Leonardo. Their founder-director, Denis Raisin Dadre, an eminent specialist in the music of the period and a great lover of pictorial art, has devised an original programme: ‘Rather than just make music from the time of Leonardo, I’ve taken my cue from the paintings themselves. I’ve worked on what could be the hidden music of these pictures, what musical pieces might be suggested by them….’ He chose around fifteen paintings, many of which are now in the Louvre: The Baptism of Christ, The Virgin of the Rocks, Portrait of Isabella d’Este, Portrait of an Unknown Woman (La belle ferronnière), Saint Anne, St John the Baptist… and of course La Gioconda. He then matched them with works by Jacob Obrecht (1457-1505), Josquin Desprez (1450-1521), laude for the Annunciation. There are also some frotolle, and songs to texts by Petrarch accompanied by the lira da braccio, an instrument Leonardo played himself. This recording comes with a handsome booklet, including reproductions of the pictures by Leonardo, some in detail, giving an intimate insight into them; there is also a text by Denis Raisin Dadre explaining his selection.

1 CD + BOOK

HEINRICH BACH JOHANN CHRISTOPH BACH JOHANN MICHAEL BACH JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH KANTATEN

VOX LUMINIS LIONEL MEUNIER DIRECTOR

RIC 401 MAY 2019

Having recorded the complete motets composed by the ancestors of Johann Sebastian Bach (RIC 347), Vox Luminis now tackles their complete spiritual concerts and sacred cantatas, in which the instruments – particularly the strings – play a highly important role. In the cantata for the Feast of St Michael the Archangel by Johann Christoph Bach, trumpets and drums are enlisted to evoke the battle of the archangels in heaven. To round off this programme, Vox Luminis presents the cantata Christ lag in Todesbanden by Johann Sebastian Bach, in its original version dating from his Arnstadt period, containing copious elements linking it to the music of his forebears.

1 CD

SI J’AI AIMÉ SANDRINE PIAU SOPRANO LE CONCERT DE LA LOGE JULIEN CHAUVIN DIRECTOR

Sandrine Piau’s first recital for the Alpha Label, with Susan Manoff (Chimère – Alpha 397), proved an enormous hit (Diapason d’Or of the year, Choc of the year, and Gramophone Editor’s Choice). Her new project is a recital with orchestra celebrating French song of the period when it moved from the private salon to the concert hall. Planned in partnership with the Palazzetto Bru Zane, this programme evokes anticipation, desire, pleasure, memory, in short all the vagaries of love experienced by a romantic heroine… To verses of the poets Hugo, Lamartine, Gautier, and Verlaine, Sandrine Piau has selected song settings by Saint-Saëns (‘L’attente’, ‘Papillons’), Massenet (‘Extase’, ‘Aimons-nous’), and Vierne, as well as by the rarely-heard Dubois, Guilmant, and Bordes… Julien Chauvin and his period instrument ensemble combine these songs with orchestral pieces (the ‘Pavane de la belle au bois dormant’ from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and Debussy’s ‘Danse profane’ for harp and orchestra). The album also presents excerpts from Nuits d’Été by Berlioz, and ends with the famous classic ‘Plaisir d’amour’ by Martini.

ALPHA 445 MAY 2019

1 CD

AARON COPLAND & CARLOS CHÁVEZ PAN-AMERICAN REFLECTIONS

THE ORCHESTRA OF THE AMERICAS CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO DIRECTOR

CKD 604 MAY 2019

Charismatic Mexican conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads The Orchestra of the Americas in a programme of works by Copland and Chávez. Passionate, flamboyant and brilliantly incisive, The Orchestra of the Americas is one of the world’s most remarkable youth ensembles. Bringing together the most accomplished young musicians aged 18 to 30 from throughout North and South America in a single, powerful orchestra, it has toured the world to enormous acclaim. Its debut recording for Linn features Copland’s euphoric Third Symphony and Mexican composer Carlos Chávez’s rousing Sinfonía india. Full of hope, heroism and joyful optimism Copland’s Third Symphony is considered the ‘Great American Symphony’ and was described by Leonard Bernstein as “an American monument, like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial”. It is perhaps most famous for its finale in which Copland incorporates his Fanfare for the Common Man, an exhilarating conclusion that leaves listeners uplifted. The scintillating native rhythms of Chávez’s Sinfonía india completes the programme.

1 CD

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