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NEW RELEASES
JULY 2012
SIGNUM UK 298 SUPRAPHON DVD 7120
MUSIQUES SUISSES 6271
BIS SACD 1940
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DVD NEW RELEASES
SUPRAPHON DVD 7120 Label Code 335 Price Code J SMETANA: MA VLAST (MY COUNTRY) DISC FORMAT: DVD 9 DURATION 102:28 SOUND PCM STEREO DOLBY DIGITAL STEREO COLOR PICTURE: ALL REGIONS 16:9 LANGUAGE CZECH/ SUBTITLES ENGLISH ARTISTS: Prague Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek, conductor. The traditional My Country opening concert, as performed by young musicians – sheer audacity that paid off Recording of the opening concert of Prague Spring 2011 Bonus – a documentary about preparing the concert with the Prague Conservatoire students Prague Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek
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Performing Smetana’s My Country in its entirety is a daunting challenge even for seasoned professional orchestras. But what about an orchestra of conservatoire students? “It’s audacity, of course, yet artists only grow through challenges. And these young artists must receive a lot of them.” Jiří Bělohlávek’s words perhaps most appositely encapsulate the essence of the ambitious project by means of which the Prague Conservatoire celebrated the bicentenary of its foundation: opening the 2011 Prague Spring festival with My Country. Bělohlávek first encountered the 130-member student orchestra in Polička at a five-day gathering, at which he shaped their joint performance. The Prague Spring concert proved to be a great triumph. This CD bears witness to that which was also highlighted by the critics: the young players’ surprisingly high interpretational level and, above all, exceptional enthusiasm and energy. When listening to the recording, one can – with a certain new hope – recall that in previous centuries Prague could proudly boast of being the "conservatoire of Europe".
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SACD NEW RELEASES / HYBRID
BIS SACD 1610 Label Code 419 Price Code P MOST GRAND TO DIE George Butterworth: Bredon Hill and other songs; Six Songs from ‘A Shropshire Lad’ Ivor Gurney: In Flanders, Severn Meadows, Even such is time, By a bierside, The Twa Corbies (Border Ballad), Sleep Ralph Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel ARTISTS: James Rutherford, baritone; Eugene Asti, piano.
675754040949 The First World War marked an entire generation of composers, both in England and on the continent. Of the three composers represented here, George Butterworth was killed on the Somme in 1916, while Ralph Vaughan Williams, who damaged his hearing while commanding an artillery battery, survived, but with memories that would colour many of his post-war masterpieces. Ivor Gurney, finally, also survived, but with a seriously aggravated bipolar disorder that would lead to his spending the last 15 years of his life in a mental hospital. While Butterworth composed his two song cycles some five years before the outbreak of the war, the collection of poems that he chose his texts from – A. E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad – was striking a resonant contemporary note with its numerous poems dealing with ill-starred young men facing death. Even earlier, in 1904, Vaughan Williams had turned to poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, for his Songs of Travel, a set of nine songs in which the wanderer-narrator philosophically accepts the mixture of joys and sorrows that are offered to him along the road. Gurney – the youngest of the three composers – was also a poet, and in Severn Meadows expressed his longing for home in both text and music. Along with In Flanders, Even such is time and By a bierside – ending with the words of the album’s title – Severn Meadows was composed during Gurney’s time in the trenches, before exposure to poison gas in September 1917 caused him to be returned to England. Interpreting these highly expressive songs is James Rutherford, who has risen to fame as a Wagnerian singer, with Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger) at Bayreuth among his credentials, but who reserves a special place in his repertoire for English 20th-century song. On his first recording for BIS he appears with his regular collaborator Eugene Asti at the piano.
BIS SACD 1940 Label Code 419 Price Code P RHAPSODY IN BLUE George Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F; Rhapsody in Blue (original jazz band version, orch. Ferde Grofé); Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra (in the original 1931 orchestration by the composer); Variations on ‘I Got Rhythm’ ARTISTS: Freddy Kempf, piano; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra / Andrew Litton The arresting clarinet glissando at the start of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is probably the most famous opening in American music. It also serves as a symbol for an important current in 20th century music – that of merging popular genres and art music into something wholly new – and as such becomes even more significant through the fact that it wasn’t even in the score when the composer first started rehearsals with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, before the première in 1924: this particular feature, oozing of smoky jazz clubs, was arrived at in collaboration with the clarinettist of the orchestra. At the time, Gershwin was was a mere 25 years old, but already a celebrated jazz pianist and songsmith, with a string of hits to his name. Due to a lack of time, he entrusted the orchestration to Ferde Grofé, the regular arranger of Whiteman’s jazz band. The immediate success of the work created a demand for a version for symphony orchestra, however, 675754040642 and for a long time that was the one most usually heard in concert and on disc. On the present recording, Freddy Kempf and the conductor Andrew Litton – himself a noted soloist in Gershwin’s works for piano and orchestra – have opted for the original orchestration, allowing the musicians of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra to revel in the role of a classic American big band. Following the première of Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin was commissioned to write a ‘proper’ piano concerto. He did so the following year, this time providing his own orchestration. Also highly successful with its original audience, Concerto in F employed the rhythms, melodic structures and bluesy harmonies of popular music, but its form is resolutely classical. Also included on the disc are Gershwin’s two remaining works for piano and orchestra, the Second Rhapsody (here in his own, original orchestration) and the infectious
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Variations on ‘I Got Rhythm’. The performers on this disc have previously collaborated in a highly acclaimed recording of works by Prokofiev – a disc shortlisted for a Gramophone Award in 2010. The reviewer in International Record Review found it ‘an exciting performance, with soloist and conductor working as one’ with ‘wit as well as virtuosity in Kempf's playing’ – qualities that are in rich evidence in this new release too.
BIS SACD 1971 Label Code 419 Price Code P J.S. BACH – SECULAR CANTATAS II Johann Sebastian Bach: Sinfonia in F major, BWV 1046a/1 Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208 (Jagdkantate / Hunt Cantata)* Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a (Serenata)** ARTISTS: Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki. *Sophie Junker, soprano I (Diana); Joanne Lunn, soprano II (Pales). Makoto Sakurada, tenor (Endymion); Roderick Williams, baritone (Pan). **Damien Guillon, alto (Göttliche Vorsehung); Makoto Sakurada, tenor (Zeit) Compared with J.S. Bach’s production of church music his secular vocal works occupy a modest place in his output: today we know of the existence of some fifty secular cantatas, but only about half of these have survived in performable condition. They were occasional pieces, tailored especially to the situation that engendered them. Unlike the church cantatas they could therefore not be performed again in unaltered form, and were thus of little practical interest for Bach’s heirs. The earliest surviving secular cantata is the ‘Hunt’ Cantata, composed in 1713 in Weimar for the 675754040963 birthday of Duke Christian of Sachsen-Weißenfels. The Duke was a passionate huntsman and Bach’s work was performed during a birthday banquet held at the Prince’s hunting lodge. The libretto includes a modest dramatic plot in which four divinities from ancient mythology appear, and to which Bach’s music adds variety and colour through the use, in various movements, of two hunting horns, a trio of oboes and a pair of recorders. Bach must have valued the work highly: he adjusted it at least twice for performances in honour of other people, and also used ‘parody’ versions of various movements in sacred cantatas. Intended for the 1719 New Year’s celebrations in Köthen, Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht would also be recycled by Bach, who five years later transformed it into a cantata for Easter Sunday. Of a more philosophical cast than its companion piece, the cantata is set as a dialogue between Time (tenor) and Divine Providence (alto), who in the final movement are joined by a chorus wishing ‘glückseligen Zeiten’ (‘joyous times’) to the princely house of Anhalt-Köthen. Bach Collegium Japan and Masaaki Suzuki have previously recorded one disc of secular cantatas (BIS-CD-1411), with the Coffee Cantata and the wedding cantata O Holder Tag, Erwünschte Zeit. With this second volume, the team now picks up the thread of this series which runs parallel to the traversal of the church cantatas.
BIS SACD 1972 Label Code 419 Price Code P VADIM GLUZMAN – PAR.TI.TA Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita No.2 in D minor, BWV 1004; Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006; Lera Auerbach: par.ti.ta for violin solo (2007); Eugène Ysaÿe: Sonata in A minor for solo violin, Op. 27 No.2 ARTISTS: Vadim Gluzman, violin ‘A humble attempt to build a metaphysical time bridge’ is how Vadim Gluzman himself describes his latest recording project: a disc which combines two partitas by J.S. Bach with two works by Eugène Ysaÿe and Lera Auerbach, each representing a view of Bach through the prism of the 20th and 21st century respectively. Gluzman opens with the Partita No.2 in D minor with is towering final Chaconne, described as ‘one of the most wonderful, most incomprehensible pieces of music’by Brahms, one of the many composers that have engaged with that particular work in various ways. This is followed by Lera Auerbach’s par.ti.ta, composed specifically for Vadim Gluzman, who describes the work as ‘projecting Lera’s lifelong fascination with Bach… No particular work is being quoted, yet I can’t help the feeling of being drawn to a world of shades, 675754040635 echoes – are these shades of ourselves?’ If the relationship to Bach’s music is mainly hinted at in the ten brief movements of par.ti.ta, the parallels are more apparent inYsaÿe ‘s Sonata in A minor. It was composed in 1924 as the second of a set of six, each sonata dedicated to a fellow violin virtuoso. The A minor sonata was written with the French violinist Jacques Thibaud in mind, and opens with a quote from one of his daily practice pieces – the Prelude of Bach’s Partita No.3 in E major, which precedes it on this disc. But Ysaÿe’s method is far from slavish imitation – although the affinity is obvious, he incorporates elements wholly alien to Bach, including the recurring Dies Irae motif, which along with the rich chromaticism contributes to the almost Gothic atmosphere, and instrumental techniques such as sul ponticello and pizzicato. The highly versatile Vadim Gluzman has released a number of discs on BIS, ranging from solo works and chamber music by Lera Auerbach, Arvo Pärt and Alfred Schnittke, to the great violin concertos by Bruch and Tchaikovsky. Highly regarded by reviewers worldwide he is regularly compared to the great virtuosos of the early 20th century, both for the sound he makes on his ex-Leopold Auer Stradivarius violin and for a playing which is never less than wholly committed.
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CLASSICAL NEW RELEASES
ACCENT 24237 Label Code 086 Price Code F LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: CELLO SONATAS OP. 5 ARTISTS: Rainer Zipperling, cello. Boyan Vodenitcharov, piano. With the Deux Grandes Sonates pour Le Clavecin ou Piano-Forte / avec un Violoncelle obligé, it is as if Beethoven had created a new genre, in which, unlike what is initially suggested in the title of the printed edition, the cello is established for the first time as a full equal partner with the keyboard instrument. In the consistent equality of the two instruments and in their unprecedented and already near-symphonic quality, the two op.5 sonatas represent a quantum leap in the development of classical chamber music for solo strings and piano. This appears all the more astonishing as Beethoven worked here without any immediate models, and, until the so-called Kreutzer Sonata op.47 in 1802, created nothing more like it in this field. The novel complete equality 675754040840 of the two instruments may be explained to some extent by the circumstances of his concerts at the Berlin Court, where Beethoven wished not only to give the first cellist of the Prussian Court Orchestra, Jean-Louis Duport (the brother of Jean-Pierre), an opportunity for virtuoso self-promotion, but of course to show himself in the best pianistic light as well. Rainer Zipperling studied viola da gamba and violoncello at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, the world-famous institution for baroque music. Finishing his studies in 1980 he joined groups like the Orchestra of the 18th century or La Petite Bande, the Ricercar Consort and Camerata Köln. At the same time he started a career as a soloist, editor and recording engineer, mainly for his own record company FLORA, which he founded together with the famous Belgian gambist Philippe Pierlot and the violin player François Fernandez.
ACCENT 24269 9 CDS FOR THE PRICE OF 3 Label Code 086 Price Code F W.A. MOZART: THE DA PONTE OPERAS CD 1-3: Le nozze di Figaro CD 4-6: Don Giovanni CD 7-9: Così fan tutte Rec. date: 1993/1996/1999 ARTISTS: Sigiswald Kuijken, conductor. Choeur de Chambre de Namur/ Collegium Compostellanum/La Petite Bande. La Petite Bande (Belgium) was founded in 1972 by Sigiswald Kuijken at the request of the record company Harmonia Mundi (Germany) in order to record Lully's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, under the direction of Gustav Leonhardt. The orchestra takes its name and constitution from Lully's own orchestra at the court of Louis XIV. All its members are internationally renowned specialists in the early music field.
675754040864 Although originally La Petite Bande (LPB) was not meant to become a permanent orchestra, the success of the recordings was such that they began to give concerts regularly. Having initially concentrated mainly on French music, the orchestra's repertoire has expanded over the years to include music by the Italian masters and that of Bach, Handel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and others. There is a strong relationship between La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken and the Belgian label Accent that is documented in more than 30 recordings issued over the last 30 years.Accent celebrates the 40th anniversary of La Petite Bande with three releases: the cycle of Mozart's da Ponte Operas (as 9-CD-set), Haydn's The Creation (the first LPB recording issued on Accent in 1982) and a Portrait on 3 CDs, a personal selection of LPB-recordings made by Sigiswald Kuijken.
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2 CDS FOR THE PRICE OF 1 ACCENT 24270 Label Code 086 Price Code F HAYDN: THE CREATION Rec.date: 1983 ARTISTS: Sigiswald Kuijken, conductor. Collegium Vocale Gent/La Petite Bande La Petite Bande (Belgium) was founded in 1972 by Sigiswald Kuijken at the request of the record company Harmonia Mundi (Germany) in order to record Lully's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, under the direction of Gustav Leonhardt. The orchestra takes its name and constitution from Lully's own orchestra at the court of Louis XIV. All its members are internationally renowned specialists in the early music field.
675754040857 Although originally La Petite Bande (LPB) was not meant to become a permanent orchestra, the success of the recordings was such that they began to give concerts regularly. Having initially concentrated mainly on French music, the orchestra's repertoire has expanded over the years to include music by the Italian masters and that of Bach, Handel, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart and others. There is a strong relationship between La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken and the Belgian label Accent that is documented in more than 30 recordings issued over the last 30 years.Accent celebrates the 40th anniversary of La Petite Bande with three releases: the cycle of Mozart's da Ponte Operas (as 9-CD-set), Haydn's The Creation (the first LPB recording issued on Accent in 1982) and a Portrait on 3 CDs, a personal selection of LPB-recordings made by Sigiswald Kuijken.
ACCENT 24271 3 CDS FOR THE PRICE OF 1 Label Code 086 Price Code F A PORTRAIT CD 1 - OPERA: Excerpts from: Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice - Pergolesi: Livietta e Tracollo / La Serva Padrona Mozart: Così fan tutte / Don Giovanni / Le nozze di Figaro CD 2 - BAROQUE & CLASSICS: Haydn: The Creation - Mozart: Requiem - Lully: Armide - Rebel: La fantaisie / Les Plaisirs champêtres - Rameau: Daphnis et Aeglé - Vivaldi: Concerti RV 403 & 269 Mozart: Cassation K 63 Divertimento K 205 - Haydn: Divertimento Hob.II:20 / Harpsichord Concerto Hob. XVIII:4 CD 3 - J.S. BACH: Cantatas Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält BWV 178 / Nimm was dein ist, und gehe hin BWV 144 / Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 / Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ BWV 91 / Brandenburg Concerto No 3 BWV 1048 Rec.date: 1982-2011 ARTISTS: Sigiswald Kuijken, conductor. La Petite Bande.
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AMATI 2601 Label Code 082 Price Code F GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN: JOHANNES-PASSION (1733) ARTISTS: Michael Zabanoff - Tenor (Evangelist). Matthias Vieweg - Bariton (Jesus). Grit Wagner Sopran . Cornelia Diebschlag – Mezzosopran. Ulrike Mayer – Mezzosopran. Thomas Fröb – Tenor. Florian Götz – Bass. Kammerchor der Biederitzer Kantorei. Cammermusik Potsdam. Leitung: Michael Scholl
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BIS CD 1787 Label Code 001 Price Code P C.P.E. BACH – KEYBOARD CONCERTOS, VOLUME 18 Concerto in F major, Wq 43/1 (H 471); Concerto in D major, Wq 43/2 (H 472); Concerto in E flat major, Wq 43/3 (H 473); Concerto in C minor, Wq 43/4 (H 474)
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ARTISTS: Miklós Spányi, harpsichord. Conncerto Armonico Budapest, leader: Márta Ábrahám Three years have passed since the release of the previous volume in this series, but now Miklós Spányi continues his traversal of the keyboard concertos of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, a series which in Gramophone has been called a ‘unique monument to one of the 18th century's most underrated composers’. Once again Spányi has joined forces with the Hungarian period band Concerto Armonico, and together they offer us the first four works in a set of six, the Sei Concerti per il cembalo concertato. Composed during the early 1770s, the Sei Concerti were among the few concertos that C.P.E. Bach didn’t write specifically for himself to play. In order to secure a large number of subscribers for the scores, he advertised their publication repeatedly, marketing the works as ‘easy’. He also included parts for wind instruments (‘for reinforcement’, thus optional): two horns in all the fast movements, replaced by flutes in the slow movements. Bach’s aim was to make the works appealing to both players and listeners, and the result is a set of highly attractive pieces, with approachable melodies and dance rhythms but also displaying a new freedom with regard to conventional concerto form. Particularly striking is the fourth concerto, the four movements of which are run together seamlessly, while continuity is further reinforced by the reappearance of thematic material throughout the entire concerto. For these works, Miklós Spányi has chosen to perform the solo part on a harpsichord, a copy of an instrument from 1745 by the Antwerp builder Joannes Daniel Dulcken. Inspired by the English harpsichords that were imported in great number to Northern Germany during Bach’s time, Spányi has had his instrument fitted with a so-called ‘swell device’, enabling the performer to achieve dynamic shadings and crescendo-diminuendo effects consistent with the various instructions in Bach’s scores.
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BIS CD 1803 Label Code 001 Price Code P LISZT & MESSIAEN – PIANO MUSIC Franz Liszt: Sancta Dorothea, S. 187; St. François d’Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux, S. 175/1; Consolations, S. 172; Unstern! Sinistre, disastro, S. 208; St. François de Paule marchant sur les flots, S. 175/2 Olivier Messiaen: 6 Petites esquisses d’oiseaux (1985); Cantéyodjayâ (1949) ARTISTS: Fredrik Ullén, piano
675754040956 At first glance, the two composers represented on this disc may seem an unlikely couple: Franz Liszt the archetypal virtuoso-composer who crisscrossed 19th century Europe mesmerizing his audiences, and Olivier Messiaen who at the age of 22 was appointed organist at the Sainte-Trinité Church in Paris, remaining there for the rest of his life. In this imaginatively constructed programme, the Swedish pianist (and neuroscientist) Fredrik Ullén juxtaposes music by the two, showing that there are closer parallels between them than might be expected. For a start, a significant role in both composers’ work was played by religious convictions, and three of the Liszt pieces included here are related to saints of the Catholic Church: the composer’s own patron saint St Francis of Paola, St Dorothea and St Francis of Assisi, whose sermon to the birds is the subject of the first of the Two Legends. But both men also ventured into unexplored musical territory, with Messiaen exploring bird song (which he chose to regard as an expression of ‘religious joy’) and Hindu rhythms, for instance in Cantéyodjayâ. Meanwhile Liszt in his later years would develop an austere musical style full of dissonance, wholetone scales, diminished and augmented chords – as striking as it is advanced, and looking ahead far into the twentieth century. One of the prime examples of this late style is Unstern! Sinistre, disastro. On several discs for BIS, Fredrik Ullén has demonstrated not only a stupendous virtuosity, but also a striking originality in his choice of repertoire, including Ligeti’s Études and George Flynn’s unique, almost two-hour long triptych Trinity, described as ‘an utterly convincing performance of this incredible work’ on the website MusicWeb International.
BONGIOVANNI 2452/53 2 CD SET Label Code 002 Price Code C JULES MASSENET: LA VIERGE Recorded Live in Caravaggio 9-25-2010 ARTISTS: Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, Chiara Pieretti, Massimiliano Fichera, Camillo Facchino. Orchestra Sinfonica Ab Harmoniae, Coro J.S. Bach di Milano, Daniele Agiman, conductor.
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BONGIOVANNI 2454 Label Code 002 Price Code C GIACOMO PUCCINI: LE VILLI Recorded Live at the Ghent Opera Theater on Nov. 20, 2009 ARTISTS: Norma Fantini, Giuseppe Giacomini, Victor Torres. The Vlaamse Opera Orchestra and Choir of Antwerp, Muhai Tang, conductor.
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BONGIOVANNI HOC 056/57 2 CD SET Label Code 483 Price Code M/P AMILCARE PONCHIELLI: LI GIOCONDA Recorded live in Buenos Aires, 1960 ARTISTS: Lucille Udovich, Flaviano Labò, Aldo Protti, Mignon Dunn, Norman Scott, Carlo Felice Cillario
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BONGIOVANNI HOC 058/59 2 CD SET Label Code 483 Price Code M/P GIACOMO PUCCINI: MANON LESCAUT Recorded live in Napoli, 1960 ARTISTS: Floriana Cavalli, Carlo Bergonzi, Giuseppe Valdengo, Gabriele Santini
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BONGIOVANNI HOC 060/61 Label Code 483 Price Code M/P GIUSEPPE VERDI: I VESPRI SICILIANI Recorded live in Trieste, 1959
2 CD SET
ARTISTS: Aldo Protti, Pier Miranda Ferraro, Margherita Roberti, Plinio Clabassi, Antonino Votto
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CENTAUR 3074 Label Code 079 Price Code C MUSIC FOR THE BENTIVOGLIO Unico and highlights from Codex Q 18 Recorded February 2009, Church of S. Lorenzo, Farneto, Italy ARTISTS: Speculum Ensemble, Roberto Di Cecco, countertenor. Huub van der Linden, tenor. Cristian Gentilini, tenor. Nicola Bonazzi, tenor. Giacomco Serra, bass.
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CENTAUR 3190 Label Code 079 Price Code C DINOS CONSTANTINIDES: MUSIC FOR VIOLIN ALONE Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 Four Interludes for violin alone Celestial Musings for violin alone Sonata for Solo Violin No. 2 Family Triptych for violin alone Lazy Jack and his Fiddles Sonata for Solo Violin No. 3 ARTISTS: Georgios Demertzis, violin.
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CENTAUR 3191 Label Code 079 Price Code C FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN: PIANO TRIOS, VOLUME 2 Piano Trio in F Major, Hob. XV: 40 Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Hob. XV: 38 Piano Trio in D Minor, Hob. XV: 23 Piano Trio in A Major, Hob. XV: 9 Piano Trio in E Major, Hob. XV: 28 ARTISTS: Mendelssohn Piano Trio: Peter Sirotin, violin. Fiona Thompson, cello. Ya-Ting Chang, piano.
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CENTAUR 3200 Label Code 079 Price Code C SUNNY KNABLE: AMERICAN VARIATIONS American Variations Bartok in Brooklyn Harlem Cycle Grimm’s Hood Trio ARTISTS: Sunny Knable, pianist, composer. Richard Cionco, piano.
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CENTAUR 3212/4 3 CD SET Label Code 079 Price Code C BEETHOVEN: THE LATE QUARTETS Disc 1 Alegretto in B Minor Qartet in E-Flat Major, op. 127 Quartet in A minor, op. 132 Disc 2 Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 130 Disc 3 Quartet in C-sharp Minor, op. 131 Quartet in F major, op. 135 ARTISTS: The Lydian String Quartet: Daniel Stepner and Judith Eissenberg, violins. Mary Ruth Ray,viola. Joshua Gordon, cello.
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CENTAUR 3217 Label Code 079 Price Code C MUSIC FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO BY LIDUINO PITOMBEIRA Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, op. 9 Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2, op. 17 Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3, op. 36 Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 4, op. 98 Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 5, op. 137 ARTISTS: The Alexander-Soars Duo: James Alexander, violin. Luciana Soares, piano.
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CENTAUR 3218 Label Code 079 Price Code C CHILD’S PLAY Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen Arvo Part: Fur Alina Helmut Lachemann: Ein Kinderspiel Claude Debussy: Children’s Corner ARTISTS: Daniel Schlosberg, piano.
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HERITAGE 237 Label Code 485 Price Code A ELGAR – PIANO MUSIC ARTISTS: Maria Garzon, piano. A welcome return to the catalogue of Maria Garzón’s recording of Elgar’s piano music, including Elgar’s own arrangement of his Enigma Variations. She was the first pianist to record the work, originally released on the ASV label.
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IDI 6645 Label Code 316 Price Code A NATHAN MILSTEIN RARITIES VOL. 2 Beethoven: Sonata no.5 in F major for violin & piano op. “Spring”. Sonata no.9 in A major for violin & piano op 47 “ Kreutzer”. Sonata no.8 in G major for violin & piano op. 30 no.3. Studio recordings 1957-1958 ARTISTS: Nathan Milstein, violin. Nathan Milstein was one of the most acclaimed and loved violinists of all time but he had a quantitatively very lower discography compared with his outstanding merits as interpreter.
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For this reason every music lover will be enthusiastic for the release of this cd, which collects a range of exceptional studio recordings of Nathan Milstein performing Beethoven realized for EMI in the late fifties of the last century. In the first tempo of the sonata no. 5 “La Primavera “the listener can find the smartness and the sorbriety of the fraseggio that made Milstein famous. There are all these characteristics also in two following works , and in the Sonata no.9 “A Kreutzer” these particularities are very intense and complete. IDI 6646 Label Code 316 Price Code A LAZAR BERMAN RARITIES J.S. Bach Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826 Frederick Chopin Nocturne in F minor op. 55 no. 1 Johannes Brahms Sonata no. 3 in F minor ARTISTS: Lazar Berman, piano. The great russian pianist Lazar Berman became famous in the west only from the seventies of the last century, but he was often considered, simply, a virtuoso specialized liszt ‘s repertoire. His amazing technique made him able to play every kind of pianistic repertoire with a quality of sound and a variety of instrumental colors completely unique, that made him successfully deal with all the of the great pianistic repertoire with very original results. This CD collects three live recordings of works rarely performed in concert by the Maestro as for example Brahms great Sonata op.5, A work so difficult and complex that embarrassed the most famous pianists. Berman in plays this work with an extraordinary expressive depth.
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IDI 6647/8 2 CD SET Label Code 316 Price Code A MARIA CALLAS SINGS CASTA DIVA Live and Studio Recordings 1949-1958 ARTISTS: Maria Callas, soprano. Maria Callas, during her short and extraordinary career, Maria Callas played several times the role of Norma in Bellini’s homonimous opera; making of this role her favourite. This double CD collects some of the best performances of the famous “Casta Diva”: from the first we actually know, the 1949 one till the the performace she made in Paris in 1958. It is possible to see, like in a movie, the great artist ride, culminating in 1955 in the two extraodinary live performances in Rome and Milan, that probably are the apogee of Maria Callas’ art.
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MUSIQUES SUISSES 6271 Label Code144 Price Code D HANS HUBER: QUINTETT UND SEXTETT FUR BLASER UND KLAVIER ARTISTS: Kaspar Zehnder, flute. Christian Hommel, oboe. Stephan Siegenthaler, clarinet. Olivier Darbellay, horn. Matthias Buhlmann, bassoon. Konstanin Lifschitz, piano.
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NEW PAN 10268 Label Code 250 Price Code F CARLO ZUCCARI: VIOLIN SONATAS Sonata II in A major - Sonata III in E major - Sonata IV in G major - Sonata VIII in B fl at major Sonata X in A minor A - Adagio VII in E minor - Adagio X in D minor - Adagio XI in C minor ARTISTS: Plamena Niktassova, violin. Maya Amrein, cello. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, harpsichord. The Italian violinist and composer Carlo Zuccari (1704-1792) worked from 1741 in Milan, where he was the leader of Giovanni Battista Sammartini‘s famous orchestra. In the 1760s he was in London as member of the Italian opera orchestra and published there his True Method of Playing an Adagio); in 1765 he returned to Milan. The Sonate a Violino, e Basso ò Cembalo, his most important and significant work, were published in Milan in 1747. Zuccari prefers here the three movement slow-fastfast setting, elaborate melodic lines and bass parts that maintained a supporting role rather than involvement with the musical themes. Despite their baroque structure, the first signs of the gallant style can be noted, both in the treatment of the bass, which is rich in harmony with pedals, delays and anticipations, and in the writing for the violin, which is bristling with diminishments and embellishments. Plamena Nikitassova, born in 1975 in Varna (Bulgaria), studied the baroque violin with Chiara Banchini at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. She performs with ensemble such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel, Ensemble 415, Freitagsakademie, and Le Parlement de Musique under Martin Gester, Chiara Banchini, Rudolf Lutz, Konrad Junghänel and Jordi Savall. From 2013 she will be concert-master of the Baroque Orchestra of the J.S. Bach-Foundation in St. Gallen.
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NEW PAN 10269 2 CD SET Label Code 250 Price Code F ROMANUS WEICHLEIN: ENCAENIA MUSICES (1696) ARTISTS: Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor, conductor. Romanus Weichlein (1652-1706) received his first musical training at the abbey of Lambach and entered the Benedictine Order in 1671. He went to Salzburg to study at the University where he became a doctor of philosophy in 1673. Here he also got acquainted with Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. He returned to Lambach, and later became chaplain and musical director of the Benedictine convent of Nonnberg in Salzburg. His oeuvre isn‘t very large, and it is quite possible that some of it has been lost. What has been left is this collection of sonatas as well as a number of masses. Encaenia Musices contains 12 sonatas for two violins, two violas and bc, with two additional trumpets in the Sonatas I, V and XII. There are reminiscences of music by other Austrian composers, like Biber and Schmelzer. Even so Weichlein‘s sonatas have their very individual traces as well.
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“These sonatas by Weichlein are really excellent music, and there is every reason to play them alongside the music of renowned masters of Austrian late 17th-century music. Ars Antiqua Austria has done us a favour by recording this collection.” -Musica dei donum
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NEW PAN 10270 Label Code 250 Price Code F JEAN-LOUIS TULOU AND HIS PUPILS: LA FLUTE ROMANTIQUE A PARIS Jules Demerssemann: Petite fantaisie poétique - Boléro - Deuxième Sonate Op.23 - Hommage à Tulou Jean Donjon: Le chant du vent - Elégie - Etude Jean Louis Tulou: Duo Concertant - Le café du roi - Cavatine de la Zelmira ARTISTS: Sarah van Cornewal, flute. Tomoko Mukoyama, flute. Thomas Leininger, Fortepiano. Three composers can be heard on this recording: Jean-Louis Tulou (1786-1865) and two of his students, Jules Demerssemann (1833-1866) und Jean Donjon (1821-1912). Tulou and Demerssemann have left behind countless concertos and virtuosic solo pieces. In addition, it should be highlighted that between 1832 and 1860, every obligatory test piece for the yearly exam at the Paris 675754040833 Conservatoire was composed by Tulou. When selecting the music for this recording, however, these test pieces did not really come into consideration. Instead, we chose two types of piece: those composed for the music connoisseur, such as the Petite fantaisie poétique or the Boléro by Demerssemann; and those based on virtuosic opera arias, rewritten in "simple" versions for flute and piano for performance in the Parisian salons, like Tulou's La Cavatine de Zelmira (in effect, a piano concerto with flute accompaniment) or Le café du roi. Demerssemann's L'hommage à Tulou ends in wild variations that contrast with the beautiful, unpretentious melodic lines, which fit Godfroy's flute well. Tulou's Duo Conertant op. 72 for two flutes mixes light music with serious passages that betray the influence of Beethoven. In the score of Demerssemann's Deuxième Sonate op. 23, the tempi, character and nuances are indicated with great precision, thus providing fascinating evidence for interpretation and playing style at that time, even if simultaneously restricting modernday artistic expression. Lastly, we have included some Etudes de salon et solos ou caprices pour la flûte seule by Jean Donjon, an advocate of the new Boehm flute and therefore a representative of the transition into the new era. In addition to the musical concerns which governed the selection of the repertoire, it was also important to me to interpret these works on a historical instrument, thus enabling me to explore the diverse sounds and complete tessitura of the instrument. Historical fingering charts preserved in contemporary flute tutors were also instructive.
PARNASSUS 96053 Label Code 289 Price Code B RICHTER IN WARSAW: THE SCRIABIN RECITAL ARTISTS: Sviatoslav Richter, piano. In 1972, Sviatoslav Richter chose to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Scriabin by performing an all-Scriabin program in three locations. These concerts, while not quite 606345004217 unique, were very uncommon events in Richter’s career. He did not often give concerts devoted to a single composer. Although he played Scriabin’s music throughout his career, concerts devoted entirely to that composer were very scarce; he performed them in public only in 1945, 1957, and in 1972. The music of Scriabin was ideal for Richter’s qualities as a pianist. In this recording, we hear Richter’s singing and varied tone, his extraordinary technical facility, and his extremely wide range of dynamics and expression. The recital, offered complete, is fortunately preserved in fine, clear mono sound. This recording has been previously issued but has never had good accessibility to international audiences. Its original Italian edition was not widely distributed; a reissue was suppressed quickly after publication. It has not been available in any form for well over a decade. Parnassus is pleased to continue its devotion to Richter’s art by making this splendid disc available again.
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RAUM KLANG 3105 Label Code 313 Price Code D PISENDEL: VIOLIN CONCERTOS FROM DRESDEN Works from Pisendel, Handel, Telemann, Fasch, Heinichen. ARTISTS: International Baroque Players, Johannes Pramsohler, direction In the eighteenth century, August the Strong established a musical center at the court of Dresden that attracted musicians from throughout the world, and which boasted an orchestra that was as technically accomplished as it was musically outstanding: the Dresden Court Chapel. It was in this environment that concertmaster and violin virtuoso Johann Georg Pisendel composed his virtuoso Violin Concert, as did also his famous contemporaries Handel, Telemann, Fasch, and Heinichen. Having survived the turmoil of a number of wars, these concertos, preserved in Dresden’s famous "Schrank II", have received refreshingly vivid and multifaceted first recordings by Johannes Pramsohler and the International Baroque Players, and show themselves to be impressive treasures of the Baroque era in Dresden!
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REGIS 1390 Label Code 207 Price Code M/P SCHUBERT, BEETHOVEN Schubert: Piano Sonata No.16 Beethoven: Bagatelles ARTISTTS: Sviatoslav Richter, piano. Wonderful performances of Schubert and Beethoven by one of the most highly regarded pianists of the 20th century. The Schubert minatures were recorded at the legendary Sofia concert of 1958 and the sonata and bagatelles are studio recordings. Available at super budget price. “This performance of the Op. 42 A minor sonata can give no disappointment to anyone, however high their expectations of Richter are fixed: for it is surpassingly beautiful, unfailingly poetic, and filled with warmth and human feeling. Perfect execution, with wonderfully graded tone, even runs and flawless control is allied to superfine musical intelligence and affection for Schubert's music.’’ Gramophone
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REGIS 1391 Label Code 207 Price Code M/P TCHAIKOVSKY, SCHUMANN Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 Op.23 Schumann: Piano Concerto Op. 54 ARTISTS: Van Cliburn, piano. Van Cliburn's extraordinary rise to fame in the late fifties was in no small part due to his performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto featured on this disc. This Regis release is a valuable document of the birth of a pianistic legend. The Schumann coupling shows a more introspective side to his musicianship. Available at super budget price. “Van Cliburn's recorded performance of the concerto is a very good one. He certainly brings enormous power to the many sections of the music which respond readily to it, yet is happily content to keep the power in reserve elsewhere." Gramophone of Tchaikovsky
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SIGNUM UK 292 Label Code 303 Price Code D CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR: THE COMPLETE ORGAN SYMPHONIS, VOL. 1 ARTISTS: Joseph Nolan, organ. The Cavaille-Coll organ of La Madeline, Paris. Volume 1 in a new collection of Charles-Marie Widor’s Organ Symphonies, performed by Joseph Nolan on the magnificent Cavaillé-Coll organ of L'église de la Madeleine, Paris. Bridging the generations from Mendelssohn to Messiaen, Empire to Republic, Widor was born to the organ. His Lyonnaise kinsfolk were organ-builders, he showed early talent for the instrument, and for decades was the embodiment of its might and splendour across the Gallic domain - his ‘Organ Symphonies’ were genre-defining in their influence. Joseph Nolan is an internationally renowned organist, acclaimed as ‘brilliant and such an astute musician’ (Gramophone UK). He was appointed to Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, St James’s Palace in 2004, and has since been invited to perform and record in some of the world’s premiere venues 635212029220 including the refurbished Organ of Buckingham Palace Ballroom (SIGCD114) and the Organ of Saint-Sulpice in Paris (SIGCD167). The Cavaillé-Coll Organ of La Madeleine, Paris is a similarly renowned instrument, with former chieforganists including Camille Saint-Säens and Gabriel Fauré. “These performances are full of spontaneity yet for all Nolan’s brilliance he allows the requirements of the composer always to take priority. The sympathy and expression that Nolan gives to this music and the assurance of his results will undoubtedly give this recital a special place amongst organ collectors” -MusciWeb International
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SIGNUM UK 298 Label Code 303 Price Code D WILL TODD: THE CALL OF WISDOM The Lord is My Shepherd 2.Stay With Me, Lord 3.The Call of Wisdom 4.Man Unkind 5.My Lord Has Come 6.That We May Love Again 7.Vidi Speciosam 8.Among Angels: Part 1: Fear Not 9.Among Angels: Part 2: Find only Joy 10.Among Angels: Part 3: Seek out Light 11.You Have Seen the House Built 12.I Sing Because... ARTISTS: Tenebrae, English Chamber Orchestra, Nigel Short, conductor Will Todd is one of the UKs most popular and performed modern choral composers. His output includes works for choir, stage works, and orchestral works, and his music has been featured on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4 and Classic FM, and performed all over the UK, Europe and the USA. On this disc, Nigel Short conducts superlative performances of his works by his BBC Music Magazine Award-winning choir Tenebrae and the English Chamber Orchestra. This compilation of his works includes the premiere recording of a new comission 'The Call of Wisdom', which on June 5th 2012 will be presented on the occasion of a Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
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STERLING 1096 Label Code 110 Price Code D AUGUST KLUGHARDT – FRIEDRICH GERNSHEIM August Klughardt (1847-1902): Lenore, Symphonische Dichtung, op. 27 Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916): Zu einem Drama. Tondichtung fur grosses Orchester, op. 82 ARTISTS: Anhaltische Philharmonie, Manfred Mayrhofer, conductor ( Kughardt ). SWR Radiofunkorchester, Kaiserslauten, Klaus Arp, conductor ( Gernsheim ) When August Klughardt began his career, he too gravitated toward the New German school and, as should be considered natural for a young composer at the time, he sought approbation, endorsement and assistance necessary for furthering his career. Klughardt visited Liszt in 1871 and was given warm encouragement. By the 1880s it was fairly evident that Klughardt had drifted away from any appreciable stylistic indebtedness to the waning aesthetics and musical practices of the New German school.
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The music of Friedrich Gernsheim has often been defined by his relations to Johannes Brahms. They were not close friends, but between the two composers there existed a warm mutual respect. Gernsheim's lively appreciation if Brahms's music left inevidently traces on his own compositions, which after his death caused Gernsheim to be unjustly written off as some kind of dry, unimaginative Brahms imitator.
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STERLING 1677 Label Code 110 Price Code D RARE REPERTOIRE FOR CLARINET AND PIANO Daniel Gregory Manson (1873-1953): Sonata Op. 14 Sir Donald Francis Tovey (1875-1948): Sonata op.16 Albert Moeschinger (1897-1985): Sonatina op.65 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Sonata in g minor BWV 1030b ARTISTS: Stephan Siegenthaler, clarinet - Konstantin Lifschitz, piano. The relatively small amount of classical and romantic music available for clarinet and piano as compared with the repertoire of, for instance, violin and piano, motivates clarinet players to continously search for more literature. There are two ways to go about this: to search for original clarinet pieces amongst the work of undiscovered, lesser known or forgotten composers or to adapt work written for other instruments. The composers that are presented in this CD are most certainly within the category of relativly unknown composers, especially internationally.
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STERLING MODERN 3001 Label Code 110 Price Code D B. TOMMY ANDERSSSON (b. 1964): THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS The Garden of Delights Warriors ARTISTS: Orchestra of Norrlands Operan, B. Tommy Andersson, conductor. The cover image, Garden of Delights by Hieronumus Bosch, located at the Prado museum has inspired B Tommy Andersson when composing this piece. No so much recreating the painting in music but to capture some of trhe stir and motion, contrasted with the passion and serenity, witch is to be found in this magnificent triptych. Warriors is inspired by the legendary elite force of the Theban army called “The sacred band of Thebes”. A highly victorius unit that was finally defeated and killed but did not yield yet sourrounded in the battle of Chaeronea in 338 B.C.
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SUPRAPHON MD 4097 2 CD SET Label Code 333 Price Code M/P CHOPIN NOCTURNES: IVAN MORAVEC Fryderyk Chopin – Nocturnes Opp. 9, 15, 27, 32, 37, 48, 55, 62 and 72 Legendary 1965 recording (New York, Vienna) ARTISTS: Ivan Moravec – piano (Steinway, Bösendorfer) One of the first recordings that earned Ivan Moravec acclaim and secured him a position among the finest pianists of the 20th century was the album of the complete Chopin Nocturnes made in 1965 in New York (Steinway) and at Vienna’s Konzerthaus (Bösendorfer) for the Connoisseur Society label. Many critics have branded this recording a benchmark and consider it the ultimate account of the Nocturnes; in the words of Henry Fogel (Fanfare): “This is playing that draws the listener deeply into the music—you are not drawn into Moravec’s achievement, but Chopin’s.” Ivan Moravec presents the Nocturnes in an admirable scale of colours and dynamics (down to astonishingly tender, barely touched tones), with the music flowing so naturally that it seems as though there are no bars or individual notes. Supraphon is re-releasing this legendary recording with a sensitively remastered sound, which brings out to the full the wealth of tone colours of Moravec’s piano.
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SUPRAPHON MD 4098 2 CD SET Label Code 333 Price Code M/P SONGS AND DANCES OF BOHEMIAN BAROQUE Dance of death – Where are we going so fast – Oh my God, oh my love At our Bárta's Five Baroque Dances (Kristian Hirschmentzel, 1638-1703) Three dances from Haná (cca 1700) Songs and Dances from the Ondřej Hůlka´s Collection from Zlatá Koruna The Oldest Collections of Czech Folk Songs and Dances ARTISTS: Musica Bohemica, Jaroslav Krcek, conductor. Recorded at the Dobříš chateau, May 22–24, 1989 (CD2 / 7–34), at the Motorlet Studio, Prague, September 26–29, 1989 (CD1 / 13–30), at the Martínek Studio, Prague, May (CD1 / 1–12, 31–34, CD2 / 1–6).
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Twenty years ago, Josef Krček and the ensemble Musica Bohemica made three landmark recordings that conveyed to the listener genuine treasures from the oldest collections of Czech folk songs and dances. More than at any other time, in the 17th and 18th centuries folk songs mingled with the music heard in churches and aristocrats’ courts; after all, it was played by the very same musicians, teachers and folk bands. These songs and dances have been preserved owing to the official collection carried out in 1818 in the governorates of the Austrian Empire, as well as sources compiled by collectors in various corners of Bohemia – either folk musicians (e.g. the fiddler Ondřej Hůlka in the Zlatá Koruna area), or churches (e.g. 17th-century dances noted down by the chronicler of the Cistercian Order at Velehrad, Kristian Hirschmentzel). A versatile musician and composer, Jaroslav Krček has arranged the songs with his singular signature and a sense for the uniqueness of every one of them. Musica Bohemica’s recordings, which over the years have lost none of their beauty and inimitability, are now released with a sensitively remastered sound.
SUPRAPHON MD 4100 2 CD SET Label Code 333 Price Code M/P ARAM KHACHATURIAN: COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR, PIANIST Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, Piano Concerto, Gayane – ballet suite, Masquerade – suite, Funeral Ode in Memory of V. I. Lenin. ARTISTS: Khachaturian plays the piano (and sings) on: Sabre Dance, Garun Yerevan, Zdravitsa. L. Kogan – violin, S. N. Knushevitsky – cello, A. Jemelík – piano. USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor: A. Khachaturian; USSR State Symphony Orchestra, conductor: A. V. Gauk; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor: A. Klíma Soviet composer, conductor and spontaneous musician – the three faces of Aram Khachaturian "I am firmly convinced that truly great music must in all its roots be linked with folk foundations, with 099925410025 the eternally youthful, inexhaustible sources of artistic folk creativeness.” With these words Khachaturian expresses more than a mere willingness (as a Soviet artist) to adhere to the communist party line and comply with the declared aesthetic requirements of the time. All his great works reveal his being inspired by folk music, Armenian and Georgian in particular, which shaped his thinking as a composer. Gayane, Masquerade and the Violin Concerto (here featuring a bravura performance by Leonid Kogan) need no introduction. Noteworthy too is the sterling delivery of the young pianist Antonín Jemelík in the recording of the Piano Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In a series of previously unreleased, newly remastered recordings from the 1950s, Khachaturian appears in the role of conductor, while several unique recordings capture him singing his own songs in Armenian by the piano.
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SUPRAPHON MD 4118 2 CD SET Label Code 333 Price Code M/P ZUZANA RUZICKOVA: HARPSICHORD MUSIC FROM ENGLAND, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL Keyboard music of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries from Spain and Portugal (Cabezon, Carvalho, Seixas, Soler) and England (Byrd, Bull, Croft, Morley, Dowland, Farnaby, Munday, Peerson, Richardson, Purcell) ARTISTS: Zuzana Ruzickova, harpsichord. Recorded in Prague at the Domovina studio, April 1966 (CD1) and at the Rudolfinum, October 1983 (CD2) To celebrate the 85th birthday of the “First Lady of the Harpsichord”, Supraphon is once more returning to Zuzana Růžičková’s extensive discography. Hot on the heels of the previous release (SU 4117-2), dedicated to Bach, Scarlatti and 20th-century works, this CD is focused on the very 099925411824 beginnings of the history of the harpsichord and the music intended for this instrument. The period spanning the 16th-18th centuries delimitates (disregarding modern music) the entire epoch of the harpsichord’s pre-eminence. Juxtaposing the harpsichord repertoire from the Iberian Peninsula with that hailing from the British Isles gives rise to interesting comparisons. Spain and England had bitter long-term political tensions, yet when it comes to the beginnings of music for keyboards we can find strong similarities between the two countries, including the influence of the powerful organ and lute traditions. Zuzana Růžičková’s supreme musicality makes these recordings more than a document; her accounts allow this precious music to dazzle in fine shades of colour and light. These sublime recordings are being released on CD for the very first time.
SUPRAPHON BG 4093 4 CD SET Label Code 334 Price Code BG PROKOFIEV SYMPHONIES Symphony No. 1 in D major, Classical, Op. 25 Symphony No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40 Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 44 Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 47/112 Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100 Scythian suite, Op. 20 Symphony No. 6 in E flat major, Op. 111 Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 131 ARTISTS: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Zdenek Kosler, conductor.
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SUPRAPHON FL 4095 2 CD SET Label Code 332 Price Code C JOSEPH SUK, BENJAMIN BRITTEN Joeph Suk: Asrael. Symphony for Large Orchestra in C minor, Op. 27 Benjamin Britten: Sinfonia da requiem "In memory of my parents" ARTISTS: BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek Recorded at a concert within Prague Spring 2008 A unique and symbolic encounter: the most distinguished Czech conductor of the present time and a fabulous British orchestra communicate the profound messages in the works of great national composers. Jiří Bělohlávek has mediated Czech music to orchestras and audiences worldwide, yet in 2006 – as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra – he became above all a Londoner. The recording at the 2008 Prague Spring festival of Suk’s Asrael and Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem will for ever serve as evidence of the extraordinary understanding between Bělohlávek and the orchestra. The common denominator of the two works is the figure of the Angel of Death. A sad and immensely powerful inspiration for Suk was the passing away of his beloved wife Otilie and his dear teacher Antonín Dvořák. Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem, dedicated to the memory of his parents, is one of the composer’s early masterpieces. The recording marks a symbolic leave-taking on the part of Bělohlávek, who after six intense years as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra is returning “home” to the Czech Philharmonic.
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TALANTON 90007 Label Code 477 Price Code D LES HAULZ ET LES BAS - AD MODUM TUBAE ARTISTS: Ian Harrison: shawm, bagpipes. David Yacus & Christian Braun: buisine. Michael Metzler: riq, davul, triangle, bells, tympani. Andrea Piccioni: tambourine, tammorra, cymbals. Recorded live at Montalbâne 26.6.2009 In Medieval Europe the nobility, the church, cities, and people of high social standing sought to establish an image of stability, power, magnificence, and splendour. Music was indispensible to this image, and the “loud” instruments inherited from the Saracen ceremonial band proved to be an ideal means of projecting this image. Capable of furnishing music for functions of state, church, and court it was also to become the preferred ensemble for dance music.
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LES HAULZ ET LES BAS have done a lot of research about long trumpets that are still in use in traditional music in various countries around the world. With this program, they bring back to life the ceremonial elegance and festive frenzy of this extraordinarily popular ensemble. Gesine Bänfer: shawm, bombard, bagpipes
WIDESCREEN 143 2 CD SET Label Code 475 Price Code Y SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5 Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” Piano Concerto No. 1 ARTISTS: Andre Previn, piano. New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor.
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WIDESCREEN 147 2 CD SET Label Code 475 Price Code Y MAHLER, DVORAK Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde, Symphony No. 4 Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” ARTISTS: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, conductor.
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(Relisting) WIDESCREEN 176 2 CD SET Label Code 475 Price Code Y VERDI: OTELLO ARTISTS: Ramon Vinay, Herva Nelli, Giuseppe Valdengo. Nbc Symphnony Orchestra & Chorus, Arturo Toscanini, Conductor. This edition is the only official edition conduced by Toscanini, that has always been released by RCA Victor. Actually, it exists only in a box released by Naxos, but it is only partially the same version. Naxos edition is in fact the direct radio broadcast on NBC of 1947, with speakers, messages and public. Our is the only recording authorized by Toscanini with corrections and editing by Richard Mohr (RCA producer). We have made a real restoration, starting from the RCA edition of 1990. We expanded the sound dynamic and we have focused voices: the result is truly amazing. Furthermore, in the second CD we added the complete edition of the Te Deum conducted by Toscanini. It is, as everyone knows, one of the most important versions of Verdi's late masterpiece and an essential step in the history of the disk of the twentieth century!
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(Relisting) WIDESCREEN 177 2 CD SET Label Code 475 Price Code Y WAGNER: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Recorded in 1960 ARTISTS: George London, Leonie Rysanek, Girio Tozzi, Karl Liebl. Covent Garden Orchestra & Chorus, Antal Dorati, conductor.
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WIDESCREEN 184 3 CD SET Label Code 475 Price Code Y CARLO BERGZONI: A DISCOGRAPHIC CAREER Selections from Macbeth, Luisa Miller, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del Destino, Aida, Manon Lescaut, La Boheme, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, Andrea Chenier, Adraiana Lecouvreur ARTISTS: Luigi Alva, Rolando Panerai, Mirella Freni, Fiorenza Cossotto. NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini, conductor.
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JAZZ & ROCK NEW RELEASES
SIGNUM UK 288 Label Code 303 Price Code D A TRIBUTE TO BENNY GOODMAN ARTISTS: The Julian Bliss Septet Recreating the exciting sound of swing from the 30’s and 40’s, Julian Bliss’s dynamic virtuosity leads his sextet through some of the great tunes of the swing era, staying true to the authentic feel but naturally with a modern twist.
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Julian Bliss says “I decided in the summer of 2010 that I wanted to start my own Jazz group. I enlisted the help of Neal Thornton (Piano) to help make this dream a reality. We spent months listening to every version of each tune we could find, and putting together our own versions while still being mindful of the light and fun feel Goodman captured all those years ago. We then had the task of putting the rest of the band together. We were specifically looking for musicians that had a great interest in the Swing era, and I must say we couldn’t have picked a better set of players” "Julian Bliss threatens to steal the show on clarinet," Norman Lebrecht Recent review of Julian's performance with Grammy-award winning soprano Hila Plitmann on 'The Ancient Question' (SIGCD276), released December 2011.
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SUPRAPHON FL 6064 Label Code 332 Price Code C VIKLICKY/FRISELL/DRISCOLL/JOHNSON: WINDOW & DOOR Window: The Funky Way They’ve Left The Window Open Again Siesta Jumbo Jet Boston Song For Jan Hammer Once Again Sun Maytime Door: East 70th Street C’est-ce que ça peut bien être Fall Take A Streetcar No. 20 Those Are The Things 43 Joy Street
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ARTISTS: Emil Viklicky, Oberheim, ARP Omni synthesizers, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet, piano, compositions & arrangements. Bill Frisell, guitar. Kermit Driscoll, bass. Vinton Johnson, drums. Jan Beranek, violin. In June 1979 Czech keyboardist Emil Viklicky invited three excellent American musicians, whom he met during his studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. The quartet recorded a remarkable session of vivid and funky electric jazz, full of vibrant ideas and instrumental virtuosity. The tunes were originally released on the album Window (1980) and on the A-side of the LP Door (1985). “This long overdue reissue finally brings back to life the sessions recorded by the Czech pianist / composer Emil Viklicky with three American musicians: guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Kermit Driscoll and drummer Vinton Johnson. Czech violinist Jan Beranek guests on one track. Viklicky got to know these musicians during his stint at the Berklee Collage of music in Boston and invited them over for the June 1979 session, which was quite an extraordinary event on the Czechoslovak scene during the Socialist times. Of the fourteen tracks recorded during these sessions, eight were released as the LP "Window" a year later, five as the A-side of the LP "Door" in 1985 and the last remained unreleased until 1997. Twelve of the tracks were composed by Viklicky and one each by Driscoll and Frisell. The music is a Jazz-Rock-Funk Fusion voyage, with Viklicky playing electric keyboards. The rapport between these musicians is truly extraordinary and the resulting music still keeps the listener twitching involuntarily in his shoes. Viklicky´s compositions are brilliant as always, and the Funky rhythms don´t conceal his unusual melodic approach. Frisell fans will find this early recording also very interesting, as he was still in the stage of developing his unique playing technique. This music remains as relevant, as it was at the time of the recording and in retrospect it was remarkably advanced and quite ahead of its time. Of the countless Fusion recordings made in the 1970s and since, this music is one of the few examples of unique identity, which did not blend into the background. It should be quite a revelation for a new generation of listeners exposed to it for the first time, over three decades after it was recorded, as well as those Fusion lovers who think they have already heard it all. I enjoy it now as much as I did the first time around, hoping more people will discover it themselves. A must for every Fusion connoisseur!” – Adam Baruch
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SUPRAPHON FL 6089 Label Code 332 Price Code C EMIL VIKLICKY: IN HOLOMOC TOWN In Holomóc Town: Spring Of Jazz Water School Outing Roofs Lullaby For Thea Taking The Night Train Public Fountains The Hawk Dance In The Lower Market Square Epilogue Suite pour piano n°2: Music For Wind And Rain Sweet Basil Edwardian Door Dreaming Cheetah
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ARTISTS: Emil Viklicky, piano & compositions. Jan Beránek, violin. Lubos Andrst, guitar. Frantisek Uhlir, bass. Milan Vitoch, drums. Emil Viklicky, joined by four renowned Czech musicians, recorded his first solo LP entitled In Holomoc Town in August 1977. Together they achieved a natural fusion of modern jazz and the heritage of Moravian folk music. Today these recordings rank among the most important in history of Czech jazz. In addition this CD offers five other similarly conceived compositions, recorded in June 1984. “This wonderful reissue collects all the recordings by the Czechoslovak ensemble Energit. It is a brilliant document of the music scene, which thrived in Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain, in all the so-called "Socialist" countries, and was every bit as interesting, groundbreaking and visionary as anything else happening at the same time in Western Europe or the USA. In spite of political pressures, artistic censorship and economic hardships, with very limited access to recordings from the West, decent equipment or proper recording facilities, these young and ambitious musicians were exploding with ideas and boldly exploring new territories. The resulting music created at the time remains completely relevant today and should be rediscovered by young audiences, as it lost absolutely nothing of its power and intellectual quality. Energit was formed by the brilliant guitarist Lubos Andrst, after he left the legendary Jazz Q ensemble, joining forces with two excellent young musicians from another legendary ensemble SHQ: keyboardist Emil Viklicky and saxophonist Rudolf Tichacek. The lineup was completed by bassist Jan Vytrhlik and drummer Karel Jencik. Andrst wrote most of the all-original material performed by the ensemble, which although Blues influenced, was at the time centered on the Jazz-Rock idiom, similar in sound to the early Mahavishnu Orchestra. For the second album Viklicky was replaced by Milan Svoboda, who also wrote the brass arrangement used on that album, and Jenčik was replaced by Jaromir Helesic. The bonus material includes an ultra-rare EP, a track released previously on a compilation album and some archival live recordings. In retrospect this is some of the best Eastern European Jazz-Rock, which should not be missed by any connoisseur of the genre. A must!” – Adam Baruch
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NEW RELEASES ORDER FORM – JULY 2012
DVD NEW RELEASES SUPRAPHON DVD 7120_________________
SACD NEW RELEASES
BIS SACD 1610_________________ 1940_________________ 1971_________________ 1972_________________
JAZZ & ROCK NEW RELEASES
CLASSICAL NEW RELEASES ACCENT 24237_________________ 24269_________________ 24270_________________ 24271_________________ AMATI 2601_________________
CENTAUR 3074_________________ 3190_________________ 3191_________________ 3200_________________ 3212/4_______________ 3217_________________ 3218_________________
RAUM KLANG 3105_________________ REGIS 1390_________________ 1391_________________ SIGNUM UK 292_________________ 298_________________
SIGNUM UK 288_________________
SUPRAPHON FL 6064_________________ 6089_________________
HERITAGE 237_________________ BIS 1787_________________ 1803_________________
BONGIOVANNI 2452/53________________ 2454___________________
IDI 6645_________________ 6646_________________ 6647/8_______________ MUSIQUES SUISSES 6271__________________ NEW PAN 10268_________________ 10269_________________ 10270_________________
BONGIOVANNI HOC 056/57_________________ 058/59_________________ 060/61 _________________
STERLING 1096_________________ 1677_________________ 3001_________________ SUPRAPHON MD 4097_________________ 4098_________________ 4100_________________ 4118_________________ SUPRAPHON BG 4093_________________ SUPRAPHON FL 4095_________________
PARNASSUS 96053_________________
TALANTON 90007_________________ WIDESCREEN 143_________________ 147_________________ 176_________________ 177_________________ 184_________________
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SIGNUM UK 288
SUPRAPHON FL 6064
SUPRAPHON FL 6089
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