april 8 classical release

harmonia mundi UK Classical new release

DISTRIBUTED LABELS: ACTES SUD, AGOGIQUE, ALIA VOX, AMBRONAY, APARTE, ARTE VERUM, AUDITE, BEL AIR CLASSIQUES, THE CHOIR OF KINGS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, CHRISTOPHORUS, CSO RESOUND, DELPHIAN, FRAMUSICA, GLOSSA,

harmonia mundi, HAT[NOW]ART, K617, KML, LA DOLCE VOLTA, LSO LIVE, MARIINSKY, MELISANDE FILMS, MIRARE, MODE, MUSO, NAIVE, ONYX, OPELLA NOVA, ORFEO, PAN CLASSICS, PARADIZO, PEARL, PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE, PHIL.HARMONIE, PRAGA DIGITALS, RADIO FRANCE, RAM, RCOC, RCO LIVE, SFZ MUSIC, SIGNUM CLASSICS, STRADIVARIUS, UNITED ARCHIVES, WAHOO, WALHALL ETERNITY, WERGO, WIGMORE HALL LIVE, WINTER & WINTER, YSAYE [NASCOR]

APRIL 8 2013

available 8th April, call-off 29th March

April

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICEDelphian DCD34117 Parry ‘From a City Window’Ailish Tynan, Susan Bickley, William Dazeley / Iain Burnside

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICENaive OP30539Vivaldi Concerti per fagotte, Vol 3Sergio Azzolini. L’Aura Soave Cremona

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICEReissue of the MonthAlia Vox Heritage AVSA9893F Couperin - Pièces de violesJordi Savall. Ariane Maurette. Ton Koopman

RELEASE DATE8TH APRIL 2013

Label: harmonia mundiFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: HMU807587Barcode: 093046758769Normal PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACDPackaging: slipcasedLucy Crowe [soprano]La Nuova Musica / David Bates [conductor] Interviews with Lucy Crowe on Radio Norfolk& first Classical spot on 'The Girls Are' LNM are on In Tune, Radio 3 on 8th April tocoincide with the launch of this album R3 Essential Classics airplay this week

VIVALDI: Dixit Dominus RV807, In furore iustissimae irae RV626HANDEL: Dixit Dominus HWV232Lucy CroweLa Nuova Musica

David Bates directs La Nuova Musica in a pair of contrasting settings of Psalm 109. Handel's masterful and ambitious HWV282 was penned in 1707 during a youthful visit to Italy. Vivaldi's vivid andeconomical RV807 (his third Dixit Dominus) was long mistakenly attributed to Baldassare Galuppi; it probably dates fromthe early 1730s. Rounding out the programme is Vivaldi's dazzling motet for solo voice, "In furore iustissimae irae",featuring soprano Lucy Crowe.

Session report - GramophoneFeatue and free track - GramophoneFeature - Early Music Today tbcFeature - Sinfini tbc

8/10 recording – 7/10 music"Their [La Nuova Musica] passion and understanding of the style of music which they are playing is clearly evident intheir phrasing and dynamic approach … a special mention should go to the countertenor Christopher Lowrey, who hasan exceptional voice and whose upper range is extremely impressive." Pete Trewin, Hi-Fi + - March 2013

ALSO AVAILABLE:HMU907585/86 Handel Il Pastor Fido

"La Nuova Musica, the most exciting of all young Baroque ensembles... Thanks to the inspired direction of David Bates,this was to be music-making of an undogmatic, long-pondered intelligence”Hilary Finch, The Times ADVERTISED IN MAY GRAMOPHONE & APRIL IRR

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Label: harmonia mundiFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: HMC902130Barcode: 3149020213025Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackMarlis Petersen [soprano]Anke Vondung [mezzo-soprano]Werner Güra [tenor]Konrad Jarnot [bass]Christoph Berner fortepiano]

SCHUBERT: Licht und LiebeLieder & Vocal Quartets

Der Tanz D.826, Die Unterscheidung op.95/1, D.866, Die Geselligkeit (Lebenslust) D.609, Lieder der Delphine D.857/1,Der Sänger op.post.117, D.149, Der Hochzeitsbraten D.930, Licht und Liebe D.352, Des Tages Weihe D.763, Gott imUngewitter D.985, Die Allmacht D.852, Hymne an den Unendlichen D.232, Begräbnislied D.168, Gebet D.815

Sometimes written in dialogue or in unison, sometimes close to opera, to a Singspiel scene or to choral music,Schubert's vocal duets, trios and quartets show the full variety of his creative impulses. These brief vocal ensemblescomposed for gatherings of friends, the famous ‘Schubertiads', display a skill and a taste for freedom that hold animmediate appeal for today's listener – for here one sings purely for pleasure.

ALSO AVAILABLE: HMC902050 Schumann Spanisches Liederspiel and Liebeslieder

"plangently sung here by Werner Güra, one of today’s outstanding lieder singers, who, with the diamantine soprano ofMarlis Petersen, gets the lion’s share of the solo songs and duets. The quartets are an especial delight, unjustlyneglected treats for the Schumann bicentenary." Hugh Canning, CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK, Sunday Times, 29August 2010

“this new disc now becomes the prime recommendation for these delectable, and still undervalued, Liederspiele.”Richard Wigmore, Gramophone recommends, November 2010

HMC901945 Brahms Liebeslieder-Walzer; Neue Liebeslieder

"Topped by Marlis Petersen's crystalline soprano, the beautifully balanced vocal quartet sings with charm, tendernessand a piquant sense of drama. A word, too, for the guileful, spirited accompaniments from duetting pianists Berner andRadicke." Richard Wigmore, The Daily Telegraph, 6 October 2007

"A classy, sophisticated disc" Tim Ashley, The Guardian, Sept 14, 2007


Label: harmonia mundiFile Under: Classical/ChambermusicCatalogue No: HMU907568Barcode: 093046756826Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: slipcasedNicholas Daniel [oboe]James Turnbull [oboe]Emer McDonough [flute]Joy Farrall [Clarinet]Huw Watkins [piano]

members of the Chilingirian Quartet:Levon Chilingirian [violin]Susie Mészáros [viola]Philip De Groote [cello]

Thea MUSGRAVE: Chamber works for oboe

Nicholas Daniel

Night Windows, Impromptus 1 & 2, Cantilena, Niobe, Trio, Take Two Oboes, Threnody

Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of drama have made Scottish-American composer TheaMusgrave (b.1928) one of the most respected and exciting contemporary voices. This CD features chamber works foroboe composed between 1960-2009, including her most recent works written specially for Nicholas Daniel, 'Cantilena','Night Windows', 'Take Two Oboes' and an arrangement of 'Threnody' for cor anglais.

Nicholas Daniel’s long and distinguished career began when, at the age of 18, he won the BBC Young Musician of theYear Competition and went on to win further competitions in Europe. At his debut at the BBC Proms in 1992 the SundayTimes described him as one of the greatest exponents of the oboe in the world. Today one of the UK's mostdistinguished soloists as well as a successful conductor, he has become an important ambassador for music andmusicians in many different fields. He was awarded the The Queen’s Medal for Music in 2011.

BBC Total Immersion, Barbican 15th February 2014The BBC Symphony Orchestra celebrates the 85th birthday of this remarkable composer with a rich tapestry of herengaging and expressive music.

"It was almost cosy. Both Nicholas Daniel and Dame Evelyn Glennie are prominent players of Thea Musgrave’sconcertos, and the composer has been a Proms regular for nearly half a century. Now here came another BBCcommission, Two’s Company, a double concerto for oboe and percussion that she wrote specifically for these twosoloists. The whole work, scored with delicacy and grace, swept forward with a gathering momentum, and the totalexperience was captivating." The Independent 4th Sept 2007


Label: harmonia mundiFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: HMC902142Barcode: 3149020214220Normal Price Format CDPackaging: digipackEmmanuelle Bertrand [cello]Pascal Amoyel [piano]BBC National Orchestra of Wales / PascalRophé [conductor] ADVERRTISED IN BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 1Sonata for cello and piano Op.40Emmanuelle BertrandPascal Amoyel

Here are two masterpieces for cello by Shostakovich, written 25 years apart. The insolent Sonata Op.40 of 1934,contemporary with 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District':the opera soon to plunge its composer into disgrace with Stalin,was answered in 1959 by the bitter self-questioning of an artist who seemed to have sunk into depression. This CelloConcerto ends with a wicked caricature of true joy, adding the final touch to the extreme polymorphism of a traumatisedhumourist who had long since learned not to laugh . . .

A passionate devotee of chamber music and member of the ensemble Les Violoncelles Français, Emmanuelle Bertrandhas appeared in duo repertoire with the pianist Pascal Amoyel since 1999. Her harmonia mundi recordings as a soloist orin tandem with Amoyel have all received the most prestigious critical accolades in France and abroad, including theCannes Classical Award, Diapason d’Or of the Year, 10 de Répertoire-Classica, Choc de Classica, and ffff de Télérama.In 2014 she will give the first performance of Thierry Escaïch’s Cello Concerto.

ALSO AVAILABLE: HMX2908452/53 Le violoncelle romantique “Rich pickings! Alkan and R Strauss Sonatas are given suitably grandiose performances. Bertrand and Amoyelcomplement each other superbly.” Jan Smaczny, BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2011

HMC901986 Grieg Cello Sonata, Lyric Pieces Allegretto in E, Intermezzo “Emmanuelle Bertrand and pianist Pascal Amoyel have an exquisitely sensitive partnership…Their delicate rendition of‘Vöglein’ using pizzicato and barely-there string chords is pure enchantment.”Helen Wallace, BBC Music Magazine, December 2008

HMC901962 Saint-Saëns Cello Sonata, Suite, Le Cygne "The finely attuned duo of Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel play both works with an ideal balance of ardour,finesse of colour and elegance." Richard Wigmore, The Daily Telegraph, 11 August 2007

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Label: OrfeoFile Under: Classical/Opera &VocalCatalogue No: C865131ABarcode: 4011790865126Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalPiotr Beczala [tenor]Ewa Podles [contralto]Mariusz Kwiecien [baritone]Polish Radio Symphony OrchestraLukas Borowicz [conductor]

VERDI: Arias

Piotr BeczalaMariusz Kwiecien

Rigoletto: Ella mi fu rapita ... Parmi veder le lagrime Les Vêpres Siciliennes: C’est Guy de Montfort ... O jour de peine Il Trovatore: Soli or siamo … Condotta ell’era in ceppi, Non son tuo figlio … Mal reggendo all’aspro assalto … Inoltra il piè, Ah si ben mio I Lombardi alla prima Crociata: La mia letizia infondere Aida: Se quel guerrier io fossi! ... Celeste Aida La Traviata: Lunge da lei... De’ miei bollenti spiriti... O mio rimorso Macbeth: O figli, o figli miei!... Ah, la paterna mano Messa da Requiem: Ingemisco tamquam reus Un Ballo in Maschera: Forse la soglia attinse ... Ma se m’è forza Don Carlo: E lui! desso, l’infante! … Dio che nell’alma infondere

The internationally renowned tenor Piotr Beczala celebrates the 200th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth with acollection of highlights that include roles in which he has been acclaimed on the world’s great operatic stages. This newCD with Beczala and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Lukas Borowicz includes roles for which he is rightlyfamous, such as the Duke in 'Rigoletto' or Alfredo in 'La traviata' (at the Met, Covent Garden and at the Bavarian StateOpera), alongside rarities and arias that were ground-breaking at the time. Thus he sings Radamès’s opening aria from'Aïda', striking the balance between drama and expression that makes this romance as charming as it is difficult. In 'Iltrovatore'. Beczala does not just sing “Ah sì, ben mio” , but also his big scene with Azucena from the second part of theopera. His partner here is Ewa Podles whose dark yet brilliant contralto voice offers a fascinating contrast to Beczala’sever-radiant, well-focussed tenor. In arias from 'Macbeth' and 'Un ballo in maschera' in particular, Beczala shows why he has become synonymous with theprotagonist, Riccardo, since his spectacular debut at the Lindenoper in Berlin. He changes genre for the “Ingemisco”from Verdi’s Requiem. Variety is also guaranteed by the selection of tenor arias from rarely performed Verdi operas suchas 'Les vêpres siciliennes' and 'I Lombardi', in which Piotr Beczala once again demonstrates the lissom elegance of hisphrasing.The recording closes with the friendship duet from 'Don Carlo', which Beczala crowns with a superb top C. Here, he ispartnered by baritone Mariusz Kwiecien as Posa, whose vocal timbre adds luxury to the casting.


Label: Kings College CambridgeFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: KGS0002Barcode: 822231700227Special PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACD+CD in slipcaseElin Manahan Thomas [soprano]Christine Rice [mezzo-soprano]James Gilchrist [tenor]Christopher Purves [bass]Academy of Ancient MusicThe Choir of Kings College CambridgeStephen Cleobury

MOZART: Requiem Realisations

The Choir of Kings College CambridgeAcademy of Ancient Music

SACD: RequiemAmen (Fugue) – C. Richard F. MaunderSanctus – Robert D. Levin / Franz BeyerBenedictus – Duncan DruceCum sanctis tuis – Robert D. LevinLacrimosa – Michael Finnissy

CD: Mozart’s Requiem: An Audio DocumentaryChapter 1. Mozart in 1791 and the commissioning of the RequiemChapter 2. The Composition of the RequiemChapter 3. Reception

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge under conductor Stephen Cleobury presents a compelling second release. Hereit performs Mozart's Requiem (Süssmayr edition), followed by complete movement realisations by leading composersand musicologists including Michael Finnissy, Robert D. Levin and Duncan Druce. The recording also features a stellarline-up soloists and the Academy of Ancient Music.The second disc features a unique bonus audio documentary about Mozart’s Requiem, narrated by Elin ManahanThomas (soprano soloist), with commentary illustrated by extracts of both the Requiem and the works that inspired it.The album’s release will be accompanied by an extensive international press and marketing campaign, supported byadvertising and video for online and instore use. The Choir will be embarking on a major North American tour in April2013 coinciding with the release.The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is one of the world’s foremost choirs and unquestionably among the most widelyheard. It owes its existence to King Henry VI, who envisaged the daily singing of services in his magnificent chapel. Thisremains the Choir’s raison d’être, and is an important part of the lives of its 16 choristers, who are educated at King’sCollege School, and the 14 choral scholars and two organ scholars, who study a variety of subjects in the College. TheChoir has been a breeding ground for numerous professional singers, two of whom – James Gilchrist and ChristopherPurves – appear as soloists on this recording.


Label: Wigmore Hall LiveFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: WHLIVE0057Barcode: 5065000924591Mid PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalAlice Coote [mezzo-soprano]Julius Drake [piano]

SCHUBERT: Winterreise D911

Alice Coote

British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote is acclaimed around the world for her commanding performances in opera, concertand recital, in repertoire spanning from the Baroque to contemporary music. A regular favourite at Wigmore Hall, shereturned with Julius Drake in February 2012 to record Schubert’s 'Winterreise'. Traditionally performed by a male singer, this song cycle is celebrated internationally at the pinnacle of the GermanLieder tradition. Offering fresh insight, and a unique perspective on the poetry, Coote unravelled this story with rawvulnerability as her heartfelt portrayal of emotional turmoil and destruction proved spectacularly engaging. With pianistJulius Drake expertly setting the tone from the outset, Coote took a kaleidoscope look at love, as she wholeheartedlyplunged herself in the devastating story. At times emotionally overwhelming, her subtlety of expression unreservedlyexpressed a harrowing sense of rejection and loneliness. Truly taking the listener on a journey through the 24 poems, this landmark recording promises to be a must-have for anylover of song.

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 26 & 28 January 2012

"a constantly arresting reading of a great work, which will only enhance the singer’s reputation." classicalsource


Label: Wigmore Hall LiveFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: WHLIVE0058Barcode: 5065000924607Mid PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalSimon Trpceski [piano]

Simon Trpceski: Schubert, Bach, Liszt

Simon Trpceski

SCHUBERT: 16 Deutsche Tänze, D783, Fantasie in C D760 'Wanderer'JS BACH, trans. Franz Liszt: Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BWV 543LISZT: Sonetto 104 del Petrarca, Les jeux d'eaux a la Villa d'Este, Hungarian Rhapsody No.2Spoken introduction to encores:SCHUBERT arr. Liszt: Ständchen (from Schwanengesang, D957)CHOPIN: Prelude in D minor, Op.28 No.24

Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his grace, eloquence and the ‘understated beauty of his tone’, Macedonian pianistSimon Trpceski shot to fame after winning the London International Piano Competition in 2001. A regular concerto soloistwith many of the world’s leading orchestras, he also enjoys a busy international career as a chamber musician, and hissolo recordings have received recognition as ‘Editor’s Choice’ and ‘Debut Album’ awards from Gramophone.With repertoire rich in nods towards a folk hinterland, Trpceski’s programme for this Wigmore Hall Live CD drawsstrongly on his deep immersion in national traditions of music and dance throughout his childhood. Schubert’s tuneful 16German Dances pave the way to what is arguably the composer’s most virtuosic sonata, his ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy. Almostsymphonic in scale, Trpceski’s emphatically energetic performance here unleashes an emotional outpouring.By way of a transcription of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV543, in which the rich sonorities of the organ workare handsomely explored in an arrangement for piano, the second half of the programme focuses on Liszt. Here,Trpceski demonstrates his wide palette of tone colours with subtly sculpted phrases to explore the depths of thesemasterpieces.

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 18 March 2012

"No problems of technique here, and yet the pyrotechnics never sounded un-Schubertian. Superb...The eloquence of thelines of the Petrarch Sonnet and the superbly even, tonally beautiful playing of Les Jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este weremuch more than a warm-up, reminding us of Liszt’s depths.. Trpceski gave the music plenty of space to speakbefore delivering a Second Hungarian Rhapsody that was the very antithesis of Lang Lang’s glittery way with this piece.Not for one second was Trpceski hackneyed, and not for one second was there a hint of this being an inferiorpiece, a mere pot-boiler.Encores were fairly brief and included the last of Chopin’s Op. 24 Preludes. A memorable evening." Colin Clarke, Seenandheard-international.com


Label: GlossaFile Under: Classical/Opera &VocalCatalogue No: GCD922606Barcode: 8424562226067Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackRoberta Invernizzi [soprano]I Turchini / Antonio Florio ADVERTISED IN MAY ISSUE BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

I Viaggi di FaustinaFaustina Bordoni’s journeys to NaplesRoberta InvernizziI TurchiniAntonio Florio

Nicola PORPORA Son prigioniera, Raggio amico di speranza (Poro), Sinfonia (Agrippina)Leonardo VINCI Scendi da questo soglio, Un guardo solo ancor (Il Trionfo di Camilla), Confusa, smarrita, Non ti minacciosdegno (Catone in Utica), Ecco mi parto (Parto ma con qual core)Francesco MANCINI Canta e dì caro usignolo, Sinfonia, Spera sì, mio caro bene (Traiano)Domenico SARRO Tortora che il suo bene (Partenope), Concerto per flauto e archiAntonio Maria BONONCINI Lasciami un sol momento (Rosiclea in Dania)

With 'I Viaggi di Faustina' Glossa launches a new collection focusing on famous Italian singers from the 17th and 18thcenturies, whose travels [viaggi] bear witness to the intense level of artistic activity then taking place in the major cities ofEurope. Faustina Bordoni, the brilliant diva with whom we begin this series, pursued her career mainly in Naples (the principalfocus of this CD) and Venice, but also in cities such as Bologna, Parma, Dresden and London. These were cities hosting– with great success – operas by Johann Adolph Hasse (Bordoni’s husband), Nicola Porpora, Leonardo Vinci, FrancescoMancini and Domenico Sarro; most of these composers are represented on this first selection of wonderful arias.The artist chosen to reincarnate Faustina Bordoni is considered by many to be the leading soprano in Baroque musictoday: Roberta Invernizzi. In repertoire that fits like a glove, Invernizzi displays her renowned virtuosity along with ashared musical sensitivity with Antonio Florio and I Turchini. This is Roberta Invernizzi’s second release on Glossa as the main protagonist, the first being her outstanding and veryhighly-appreciated album of Vivaldi arias. Devised by the scholar Dinko Fabris and conductor Antonio Florio, with furthermusicological advice coming from Juan José Carreras and Giulia Veneziano, this new collection also gives a centralimportance to the texts and to the iconography which put each recording in context; in this way endeavouring to createthe most complete and stimulating vision possible of the conditions surrounding these inimitable artists.


Label: GlossaFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: GCD921627Barcode: 8424562216273Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackLe Concert SpirituelHervé Niquet CONCERT: WIGMORE HALL 11TH APRIL repertoire to include Le Prince

Louis Le PRINCE: Missa Macula non est in te (1663)motets by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Jean-Baptiste LullyLe Concert SpirituelHervé Niquet

CHARPENTIER: Gaudete fideles, Gratiarum actiones, Ouverture pour le sacre d’un évêque, O pretiosum, Dominesalvum fac Regem, MagnificatLULLY: O dulcissime Domine

Hervé Niquet revisits the gloriously rich world of 17th-century French sacred music with his musicians from Le ConcertSpirituel, bringing our attention to Louis Le Prince. A barely known composer, he worked in Lisieux in Lower Normandy.Niquet intersperses the maître de chapelle’s 'Missa Macula non est in te' with a mighty handful of motets byMarc-Antoine Charpentier. Mass and motets are given in versions for female voices and instruments. Whilst some of the pieces sung here werewritten specifically for high voices, it was a regular practice in the Baroque era to perform polyphonic masses with forceslocally available and, thus, convents could well have sung Le Prince’s six-part mass – a homage to the Virgin Mary –making use of female singers. This practice is outlined by Fannie Vernaz in her accompanying booklet article and followsin the line of Hervé Niquet’s exploration of the Requiem Mass by Pierre Bouteiller (a work which he adapted for a choirconsisting only of male voices).The gorgeous sonorities of Charpentier’s motets (and a petit motet by Jean-Baptiste Lully) contribute to an Officeconstructed by Hervé Niquet around the Ordinary of the Mass by Louis Le Prince, to demonstrate with great clarity thevariety of the musical glories of Louis XIV’s grand siècle.


Label: Myrios ClassicsFile Under: ClassicalCatalogue No: MYR009Barcode: 4260183510093Normal PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACDPackaging: cristalHagen Quartett

BEETHOVEN: String Quartets Op. 18/3, 18/5 & 135

Hagen Quartett

In its 2012/13 season, the Hagen Quartett brings the complete Beethoven string quartets to the most prominent musicalcentres of the world, including New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Vienna and Salzburg. During the first half of this tour, thequartet went right away from the stage to the studio to record three of their most favourite Beethoven quartets. With Op.18/3 and Op. 135, the album ranges from the very first to the last string quartet Ludwig van Beethoven wrote.

The Hagen Quartet came into being in 1981, soon achieving success in a number of competitions and signing anexclusive recording contract with DG, which over the course of a 20-year relationship produced 45 CDs. Through its longengagement with the inexhaustibly rich quartet repertoire, the Hagen Quartet has developed and retained a distinctivecharacter, not least in its collaboration with such musicians as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, György Kurtág, Maurizio Pollini,Mitsuko Uchida, Krystian Zimerman, Heinrich Schiff and Jörg Widmann.

In 2011 the Hagen Quartet celebrated its 30th anniversary, which was also the start of a new collaboration with therecord label Myrios Classics. For the debut album Hagen Quartett 30 (MYR006), the ensemble was awarded theprestigious German ECHO Klassik award in the category Ensemble of the Year 2011.

CONCERTS:19.04.13 London, Wigmore Hall20.04.13 London, Wigmore Hall28.05.13 London, Wigmore Hall29.05.13 London, Wigmore Hall

"The Hagen Quartet holds you spellbound from first bar to last."Erik Levi, BBC Music Magazine


Label: ApartéFile Under: Classical/ChambermusicCatalogue No: AP051Barcode: 3149028031324Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackChiaroscuro Quartet:Alina Ibragimova [violin]Pablo Hernán Benedí [violin]Emilie Hörnlund [viola]Claire Thirion [cello]

BEETHOVEN: String quartet No. 11, Op. 95 'Quartetto Serioso'MOZART: Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546, String quartet No. 16, K428Chiaroscuro QuartetAlina Ibragimova

In September 2011 the Chiaroscuro Quartet released its debut CD of music by Mozart and Schubert to critical acclaim.The disc was awarded a ‘Choc de l’Année’ by the French music magazine Classica and was highly praised by Téléramaand the Strad magazine. It was chosen as 'Chamber Choice' in the December 2011 issue of BBC Music Magazinewhich described the playing as “period-instrument playing of consummate virtuosity”.Future engagements for the Quartet include a return to Aix-en-Provence followed by a series of concerts throughoutSweden. They will return to the UK for a series of concerts broadcast on BBC Radio 3, their Edinburgh Festival debutand appearances at venues across London. Formed in 2005, the Chiaroscuro Quartet performs music of the Classical era on period instruments informed by ahistorical approach. Recent UK concert highlights include appearances at Wigmore Hall in London, York Early MusicCentre, The Sage Gateshead (recorded for BBC Radio 3) and a residency in Aldeburgh.

ALSO AVAILABLE:AP022 Mozart Quartet No 19 K465, Schubert No 13 D804

“there’s no doubting that it’s the excitement of [Alina Ibragimova’s] music-making that stamps its personality on theseperformances…this is an impressive debut recording, and the light and shade of the playing fully justifies the name thegroup has chosen for itself.”Misha Donat, Chamber Choice, BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2011

“One of the most impressive chamber recording debuts of recent years.” Julian Haylock, theStrad Recommends, The Strad, January 2012


Label: ApartéFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: AP054Barcode: 3149028031621Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackTeodora Gheorghiu SopranoJonathan Aner Piano

Art Nouveau: Songs by Strauss, Zemlinsky, Ravel, Respighi

Teodora Gheorghiu

Richard STRAUSS: Mädchenblumen op. 22, Drei Lieder der Ophelia op. 67 Nr. 1-3Alexander ZEMLINSKY: Walzer-Gesänge nach toskanischen Volksliedern von Ferdinand Gregorovius op.6Maurice RAVEL: Cinq mélodies populaires grecques, Ballade de la reine morte d'aimer, Rêves, Manteau de fleurs,Tripatos (Danse chantée)Ottorino RESPIGHI: Deità silvane

Teodora Gheorghiu's second album for Aparte is 'Art Nouveau': the core is Richard Strauss' Op. 22 and 67, framed by aselection of songs from different cultural groups, linguistically and aesthetically.Gheorghiu's homage to 18th-century soprano Anna de Amicis included mostly premiere recordings of arias by Mozart,Gluck, Borghi, Cafaro and Myslivecek and was named Disc of the Month by International Record Review, by Operamagazine, and was BBC Radio Three’s Disc of the Week.Teodora appears at Glyndebourne this summer, singing the role of Zerbinetta, Strauss again, in a new production of'Ariadne auf Naxos' with Soile Isokoski. Live broadcast to cinemas and online on 4 June 2013.

ALSO AVAILABLE:AP021 Arias for Anna de Amicis

OPERA DISC OF THE MONTH

“In this engaging and enlightening disc, the Romanian soprano Teodora Gheorghiu convincingly recreates ariasassociated with de Amicis”George Loomis, DISC OF THE MONTH, Opera, May 2012 TELEGRAPH FEATURE, NEW FACES [Rupert Christiansen] tbc


Label: NAÏVEFile Under: Classical/Opera &VocalCatalogue No: AM209Barcode: 8221860020942 for 1.5Format: 2 CDPackaging: digipackNathalie Manfrino [Lodoïska, soprano]Hjördis Thébault [Lysinska, soprano]Sébastien Guèze [Florerski, tenor]Philippe Do [Titzikan, tenor]Armando Noguera [Varbel, baritone]Pierre-Yves Pruvot [Dourlinski, baritone]Alain Buet [Altama, baritone]Choeur Les Eléments/Joël SuhubietteLe Cercle de L’Harmonie/Jérémie Rhorer[direction]

CHERUBINI: LodoïskaOpera in three acts to a libretto by Claude-François Fillette-LoreauxLe Cercle de L’HarmonieJérémie Rhorer

'Lodoïska' was first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris on 18 July 1791. The opera was received enthusiasticallyand ran for 200 performances. It was so popular that it was revived again at the Feydeau in 1819 and was performedfrequently in the Germanic countries in the early 19th century, including a production in Vienna in 1805, while Cherubiniwas there. This recording on original instruments, under Jeremie Rhorer, points to the debt, musically and politically, Beethovenowed to Cherubini in his later 'rescue' opera 'Fidelio'. Rhorer is conducting 'Le Nozze di Figaro' at Glyndebourne thus summer.

"Nathalie Manfrino is Lodoiska ...Light and touching, credibility absolute. She radiates!" Opera Magazine


Label: NAÏVEFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: V5332Barcode: 822186053324Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackOrchestre de l'Opera National de Paris / Philippe Jordan [conductor]

STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du PrintempsDEBUSSY: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un fauneRAVEL: BoleroOrchestre de l'Opera National de ParisPhilippe Jordan

Naive continues its partnership with the Orchestra of the Paris Opera and its leader Philippe Jordan [currentlycounducting the Ring Cycle in Paris].Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris and appointed Musical Director the Vienna Symphony Orchestra from theseason 2014-15, Philippe Jordan, at age 38, is already recognised as one of the most talented and exciting conductors ofhis generation.Here are three monuments that together furthered the history of music and the arts, including that of the Paris Opera, inthe 20th century.

"their love affair with Philippe Jordan makes the pit of the Paris Opera the toast of the capital." Figaro

ALSO AVAILABLE: V5233 STRAUSS Eine AlpensinfonieOrchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris/Philippe Jordan


Label: MirareFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: MIR171Barcode: 3760127221715Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackLidija Bizjak, Sanja Bizjak [piano]

STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre Du Printemps, Petroushka

Lidija BizjakSanja Bizjak

In just a few years, 'Petroushka' and 'The Rite of Spring' - premiered by the Ballets Russes in 1911 and 1913, drasticallychanged the musical world and opened the path to the 20th century and modern music.Highlights of Lidija and Sanja Bizjak’s career include their debut at the BBC Proms performing with the Britten Sinfonia atthe Royal Albert Hall in London, and also their appearances in La Roque d’Anthéron and Folle Journée in Nantes,amongst other prestigious concerts.

“Lidija and Sanja Bizjak’s brilliant sound, precise fingerwork, and excellent listening skills shone through.” Anna Picard,The Independent

'A String of Rites' opens at Sadlers Wells on 11th April with both the 'Rite and 'Petroushka' being performed in stagingsby Michael Keegan-Dolan, accompanied by Lidija and Sanja Bizjak on pianos. The sisters also appear at the FrenchInstitute's It's All About Piano festival on March 22nd.


Label: Alia VoxFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: AVSA9897Barcode: 76199863989764 for 1 Format: 4 hybrid SACDsPackaging: box setLa Capella Reial de Catalunya, Jordi Savall

Jordi Savall is performing 'The Celtic Viol' in Glasgow on 1st & 2nd May.

Interview with Glasgow Herald

La Capella Reial de Catalunya: 25 Years

La Capella Reial de CatalunyaJordi Savall

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Capella Reial de Catalunya, the choir he founded in 1988, Jordi Savall hasgathered 4 rexamples of their work, rich in Catalan heritage, luxuriously presented in a box and all published originally onthe Astrée label:

- El Cançoner Del Duc De Calabria (1526-1554)

- Bartomeu Carceres (16th century): Villancicos & Ensaladas

- Mateo Flecha (1481-1553): Ensaladas

- Joan Cererols (1618-1680): Missa Pro Defunctis / Missa De Batalla

Remastered and richly documented, 4 sacds for the price of 1, 160pp booklet


Label: MirareFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: MIR204Barcode: 3760127222040Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackMaria Keohane [soprano]Carlos Mena [alto]Hans-Jorg Mammel [tenor]Stephan MacLeod [bass]Maude Gratton [organ]Ricercar ConsortPhilippe Pierlot [direction]

Matthias WECKMANN: Conjuratio

Ricercar ConsortPhilippe Pierlot

Concerto I: Weine nicht, Es hat überwundenConcerto II: Zion spricht: Der Herr hat mich verlassenPraembulum Primi toni a 5Concerto III: Herr wenn ich nur dich habeConcerto IV: Wie liegt die Stadt so wüsteNun freut euch, lieben Chisten g'meinKommet heer zu mir alle die ihr Mühselig und beladen seÿdtWenn der Herr die Gefangenen zu ZionMagnificat Secundi Toni

Weckmann's musical training took place in Dresden under the direction of Heinrich Schütz, then in Hamburg where heworked with Praetorius. Weckmann travelled to Denmark in 1637 with Schütz, where his Lüneberg manuscript has beenlurking, wrongly attributed to Christoph Bernhard. Weckmann became organist in Dresden at the Electoral Court ofSaxony from 1638 to 1642, and returned to Denmark until 1647 (during the Thirty Years' War).During a new (and his last) stay in Dresden from 1649 to 1655, he met Johann Jakob Froberger during a musicalcompetition which had been organised by the Elector. They remained friends and in correspondence with each other. In1655, after a competition, he was named titular organist at Saint James church (Jakobkirche) in Hamburg, and spent hisremaining life there. He founded a renowned orchestral ensemble, the so-called Collegium Musicum in Hamburg in 1660.This was the most productive period of his life: his compositions of this time include this collection of 1663, which sets visionary settings of biblical texts evoking images of desolation and destruction, but also struggle and hope. It wasinspired by the terrible plague which killed his first wife and many of his colleagues in Hamburg that year, includingHeinrich Scheidemann.Matthias Weckmann died in Hamburg c1674 and was buried in a family grave in the Jacobkirche, beneath the organ.

ALSO AVAILABLE: MIR102 Bach Magnificat C D Review Disc of the Week Gramophone Editor’s ChoiceGramophone Critics’ Choice

“The best ever Magnificat recording? In my view it certainly is.”Andrew O’Connor, IRR Outstanding, International Record Review, January 2010


Label: MirareFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: MIR195Barcode: 3760127221951Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackIddo Bar-Shaï [piano]

François COUPERIN: Les Ombres Errantes

Iddo Bar-Shaï

Les Ombres Errantes, Soeur Monique, Le Tic-Toc-Choc, La Muse-Plantine, Le Rossignol-en-Amour, Double duRossignol, Les Petits Ages: La Muse Naissante, L'Enfantine, Les Tambourins, Le Misterieuse, La petite Pince-Sans-rire,La Logivière, Le Dodo, La Commére, Les Langeurs Tendres, Les Vergers fleüris, Les Rozeaux, L'Engageante, L'Ame-enpeine, Les Moissonneurs, La Bandoline, Les Fauvétes Plaintives, Le Turbulent, La Couperin, Les BaricadesMistérieuses

Grave, agile, majestic, picturesque, the keyboard output of François Couperin, with its array of indispensable ornamentsand piquant details, enables us to follow all the impulses of the soul of 'the most poetic of our harpsichord composers', asDebussy called him. Performed here on the piano, which its own special colour, these harpsichord pieces, in their variousmoods, retain al their inimitable charm.


Label: MirareFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: MIR167Barcode: 3760127221678Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackVox ClamantisJaan-Eik Tulve [conductor]Jean-Claude Pennetier [piano]

Franz LISZT: Via Crucis Pater noster, Christus factus est, Weinen Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen S179, Hymne grégorienne Vexilla regisVox ClamantisJean-Claude Pennetier

'Via Crucis' is probably one of Franz Liszt's boldest and most original works. Its musical inspiration, which ranges fromGregorian chant to Lutheran chorales, is here expressed in extremely modern harmonies that are at times Wagnerian. The programme is completed with Liszt piano pieces on a religious theme, played by Jean-Claude Pennetier: 'Weinen,Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen' and 'Pater Noster', written after the death of Liszt's daughter Blandine, and plainchant from the liturgy of Holy Week, one of the major sources of inspiration for 'Via Crucis'.Founded in 1996 the Estonian ensemble Vox Clamantis is conducted by Jaan-Eik Tulve.


Label: ELOQUENSFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: EL1340Barcode: 3760107400406Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackLivia Sohn [violin]Orchestra del Teatro Marrucino di Chieti/Luigi Piovano [conductor]

Livia Sohn [violin]Jan Rokyta [cimbalom]Banff Centre Chamber Orchestra/Henk Guittart[conductor]

BRITTEN: Violin concerto Op. 15Jonathan BERGER: Jiyeh for violin, cimbalom, percussion & string orchestraLivia SohnLuigi Piovano

Benjamin Britten, whose centenary we celebrate this year, channeled his rejection of war and hatred of fascism in hisViolin Concerto, The work, a landmark of the repertoire, is unbridled in its lyricism and constitutes a poignantcommentary on the devastating violence of his time. Nearly 70 years after the Holocaust, with same concerns as Britten, composer Jonathan Berger has also turned to aviolin concerto. 'Jiyeh', a town on the Lebanese coast, 27 km south of Beirut and 10km north of Sidon, is built on theancient city of Porphyreon, where a whale was purported to have returned Jonah to the shore. It is also the site of amajor oil spill in 2006 caused by rocket fire on the third day of the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. JonathanBerger became obsessed by patterns on satellite pictures of the spill which in turn inspired his violin concerto writtenfor, and premiered by, Livia Sohn in 2007.

“Livia Sohn possesses a remarkably lithe and transparent tone of exceptional purity. [Her] virtually blemishless accountsare nothing short of remarkable. Even when under the most fearsome technical pressure at high velocity, every noterings true with pinpoint accuracy.” The Strad Magazine

ALSO AVAILABLE:EL1129 Schubert Piano Trio in E flat major, Notturno / Trio Latitude“Judging by this superb disc, the trio is a happy meeting of European and American players…a highly enjoyable disc.”David Milsom, The Strad, February 2012


Label: La Dolce VoltaFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: LDV11Barcode: 3770001901305Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackPascal Amoyel [piano]

ALKAN: Piano works

Pascal Amoyel

Nocturne Op. 22, Barcarolle Op.65/6, Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer Op. 31/8, Grande Sonate Op. 33, Esquisses Op. 63

One of the great forgotten figures in the history of music, a man admired by Liszt, nicknamed "the Berlioz of the piano" byHans von Bülow, is undoubtedly Charles-Valentin Alkan, the best-kept secret of French Romanticism, a solitary andimpassioned soul.He was an exceptionally gifted virtuoso pianist; a demanding and inventive composer; a tormented artist who produced akaleidoscopic and passionate body of work. Alkan is fascinating because of the mystery that still shrouds his life and hiswork when, after a spectacular early career, he withdrew from society, taking refuge in his inner world.

"I wanted to showcase all the composer's facets, in a multifaceted way. The 'Grande Sonate Les quatre âges', is acolossal, gigantic work, a sort of romantic ideal of the sonata, which undoubtedly influenced Liszt's. As a counterpart tothis great work, I selected shorter pieces, like the 'Esquisses', which show a composer who could capture a moment intime. And then I also selected a number of pieces that are both visionary and 'anchored' in their era. The 'Barcarolle' isreminiscent of Mendelssohn and prefigures Satie, as with 'les Soupirs' for Scriabin and even Debussy. While the'Nocturne' is similar to Chopin's opus 32, 'Les Cloches' and the 'Prélude La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer'illustrate Alkan's fascination with realism, everyday life, the strange and the extraordinary." Pascal Amoyel


Label: Praga DigitalsFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: DSD350077Barcode: 3149028026122Normal PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACDPackaging: cristalEmil Gilels [piano]Societe des concerts du Conservatoire deParis/André ClutyensIsaac Stern [violin]Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene OrmandyMsistlav Rostropovitch [cello]Philharmonia Orchestra/Sir Malcolm Sargent Arthur Grumiaux [violin]Concerts Lamoureux/Jean Fournet

SAINT-SAENS: Concertos

Emil GilelsIsaac SternMsistlav RostropovitchArthur Grumiaux

Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 22 [Gilels, Théatre des Champs Elysées, 11/3/1954]Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso Op. 28 [Stern, Brodwood Hotel, Philadelphia 13/3/1957]Cello Concerto No. 1 Op. 33 [Rostropovitch, Abbey Rd., 6/3/1956]Violin Concerto No. 3 Op. 61 [Grumiaux, Paris, 23/6/1956

The exceptional longevity of Camille Saint-Saens, a child prodigy respected by Liszt, witness to the Stravinskianand Debussy-ist revolutions, left us more than 300 manuscripts. German and Russian musicologists saluted his professionalism, his pianistic writing reminding us of Beethoven, anorchestral art inspired by Liszt and Berlioz who considered him the most impressive musical mechanic ever encountered.Four legendary artists in classic recordings prove his timelessness.

Remastered, DSD bi-channel and edited from stereo and mono original sources by Karel Soukenlk, StudioDomovina,Prague


Label: Praga DigitalsFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: DSD350073Barcode: 3149028025729Normal PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACDPackaging: cristalChorus of the Royal Opera House, CoventGardenLondon Symphony OrchestraPierre Monteux

RAVEL: Orchestral Works

London Symphony OrchestraPierre Monteux

Rapsodie Espagnole, Pavane pour une infante défunte [London Dec 11-13 1961]Daphnis & Chloé [April 27-28 1959]

Pierre Monteux conducts the LSO in classic recordings from 1959 and 1961, remastered and edited from stereoanalogue tapes. In 1911 he was invited by Diaghilev to conduct his Ballet Russes and he led the premieres of 'Daphnisand Chloé', Debussy's 'Jeux', 'Petrushka' and the 'Rite of Spring', the last of which caused a notorious riot.He became the musical director of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1961, at the age of 86, and had one of the longestmusical careers exceeded perhaps only by Stokowski and Casals.


Label: Praga DigitalsFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: DSD350072Barcode: 3149028025620Normal PriceFormat: 1 hybrid SACDPackaging: cristalNadine Sautereau [soprano]Michel Caron [tenor]Etienne Baudo [horn]Chœurs de la Radiodiffusion FrançaiseOrchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra deParisManuel Rosenthal [conductor]

DEBUSSY: La MerSalut Printemps, Nocturnes, Marche Écossaise, Invocation & JeuxManuel Rosenthal

Dukas considered that with Debussy "ideas generate form". His 'Nocturnes' tap into impressions and light effects, [...]fading into white-tinged grey, and only then movement, jaunty rhythms, sudden bursts of light and glittering dustcombining to form a total rhythm (Debussy’s directions). Rosenthal and the Paris Opera orchestra still provide the most faithful rendering of this profusion of rhythm and timbre.


Label: Actes Sud MusicalesFile Under: Classical/OrchestralCatalogue No: ASM10Barcode: 3149028023220Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackLes Siècles [on period instruments]François-Xavier Roth

DEBUSSY: La MerPremière Suite d'OrchestreLes SièclesFrançois-Xavier Roth

A first recording for Debussy's first orchestral Suite: little is known about the period surrounding its composition and theorchestral score was lost until 2008. It was missing the third movement, although it exists in a reduced version for pianofour hands. Philippe Manoury has now completed the orchestration, at the request of the Cité de la musique in Paris.

Founded in 2003 by the conductor François-Xavier Roth, Les Siècles is a period-instrument orchestra with a hugecollection of instruments from all eras at its disposal, and a repertoire to match. Roth and his players have alreadyrecorded Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Chabrier, Stravinsky and Dubois with some spectacular results and reviews. Roth hasalso meticulously recreated the style of playing as taught at the Paris Conservatoire.

ALSO AVAILABLE:ASM09 Théodore Dubois: Piano Concerto no 2, Ouverture de Frithiof, Dixtuor "Soloist Vanessa Wagner plays an 1874 Érard - the lighter, clearer sound perfectly foiled by Les Siècles; the concerto’smanic, chattering close sounding so, so French. Delicious."Graham Rickson, TheArtsDesk – 25 August 2012


Label: Pan ClassicsFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: PC10285Barcode: 7619990102859Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackMarina de Liso [mezzosoprano]Stile Galante:Claudia Combs [violin I]Eva Saladin [violin II]Gabriele Palomba [theorbo]Agnieszka Oszanca [cello]Andrea Friggi [harpsichord]Stefano Aresi [direction]

PORPORA: Pastoral Cantatas

Marina de Liso Stile Galante

Freme il mar, e col sussurroNinfe e pastor che al bel Sebeto in rivaCello Sonata in F MajorQuesta dunque è la selvaEcco che il primo alborePartimenti del Sig. Nicola PorporaD’Amor la bella pace

Probably no other composer and vocal pedagogue had a stronger influence on opera seria than the Neapolitan NicolaPorpora. Countless renowned singers emerged from his school; the best-known example is the castrato Farinelli.Porpora was not only a significant opera composer, however, but also created numerous chamber cantatas - dramaticscenes scored for small ensembles that are almost always set in an Arcadian atmosphere and were intended forperformance in the private sphere.Porpora wrote over 130 works in this appealing genre; on this recording can be heard five cantatas for a deep femalevoice, interpreted by the mezzo soprano Marina De Liso, one of the most sought-after singers on the baroque scene.With a wealth of colours and emotions, and a wide range between lyrical expression and dramatic virtuosity, she bringsthese miniatures about the love troubles of shepherds and shepherdesses to life. The instrumental parts are performedby Stile Galante under the direction of Stefano Aresi. This ensemble, founded in 2010, specialises in the gallantrepertoire of the late Italian baroque which the young musicians from all over Europe interpret with brilliance and vitality.


Label: Pan ClassicsFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: PC10283Barcode: 7619990102835Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackAlessandro Ciccolini (violin)Gaetano Nasillo (violoncello)Karl-Ernst Schröder (theorbo)Luca Scandali (harpsichord, organ)

Aldebrando SUBISSATI: Violin sonatas (1675)

Alessandro Ciccolini Gaetano Nasillo

Not very much is known about the violinist Aldebrando Subissati. He was born in Fossombrone, a city near Urbino, andwas probably trained as a violinist in Rome. He was active at the royal court of John II Casimir in Warsaw from 1645 until1654, was also employed by Leopold I of Austria and belonged to the retinue of Empress Christina of Sweden. Althoughhe surely composed numerous works, only the violin sonatas recorded here have survived.Two years before his death, Subissati compiled this collection of 19 sonatas for the nobleman Alessandro Barcellini. Thisvolume provides a very diversified overview of what a sonata was understood to be during this period. Contrastingsections follow one another, whereby the violin always plays the leading role, of course. The continuo confines itself toproviding the soloist with an adequate harmonic foundation above which the most daring melodic figurationsadventurously take place. In the course of this, Subissati used a manner of composition typical of the violin on which theingenious Corelli was to put his stamp slightly thereafter. These sonatas are interpreted by Alessandro Ciccolini, one of Italy’s leading baroque violinists. The continuo group alsofeatures outstanding musicians – Gaetano Nasillo, Karl-Ernst Schröder and Luca Scandali.


Label: K617File Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: K617242Barcode: 3383510002427Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackDagmar Sasková [soprano]Erwin Aros [countertenor]Jean-François Novelli [tenor]Arnaud Richard [baritone]Les Pages, les Chantres & les Symphonistes duCentre de musique baroque de VersaillesOlivier Schneebeli [conductor]

M-A CHARPENTIER: Judith sive Bethulia liberata H391Caedes Sanctorum Innocentium H411Olivier Schneebeli

The Grand Siècle in France was a period exceptionally favourable to the renewal of the forms of sacred music and theirsources of inspiration. Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) is undoubtedly the master of this process. His 'Histoiressacrées', stimulated by his years of training in Rome, represent a vast ‘sacred theatre’, deploying unprecedented vocaland instrumental invention to portray the major episodes of the Old and New Testaments with special emphasis on theirdramatic and psychological mainsprings. From Judith freeing the people of Israel from the yoke of Holofernes, to the Massacre of the Innocents with its depictionof the countless cruel deeds of Herod, here is an admirable synthesis of Italian chiaroscuro and the radiant grace of theFrench Baroque.


Label: ChristophorusFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: CHR77368Barcode: 4010072773685Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackEnsemble LeonesMarc Lewon

Colours in the Dark Instrumental Music of Alexander AgricolaEnsemble LeonesMarc Lewon

Alexander AGRICOLA: In minen Zin à 3, De tous biens plaine II, III, IV, V à 3, De tous biens plaine III à 3, Tandernaken à3, Si conge prens à 3, Je ne puis plus à 3, Cecus non judicat de coloribus à 3, Pater meus agricola est à 3, Tout a par moy II à 3, Tout a par moy I à 4, Helas, madame que feraige, Le serviteur à 4, Fortuna desperata à 6GHIZEGHEM: De tous biens plaine à 3, ROELKIN: De tous biens plaine à 2 Roelkin ANON: Tandernaken (Monodie), Si congié prens (Monodie), AGRICOLA/BRUMEL: Fors seullement à 4 AGRICOLA & GHISELIN Duo à 2, FRYE: Tout a par moy à 3, DUFAY: Le serviteur à 3 Fabrice FITCH: Agricola VIII / Obrecht canon III: De tous biens plaine / Tinguely-Brunnen, Agricola IX: Je nay dueil

Agricola was already considered one of the 'old masters' soon after his death in 1506. His works were approached withveneration and, already in the early 16th century, regarded as examples of good and demanding counterpoint. As amember of the first generation of genuinely instrumental composers, he wrote not only the masses, motets and chansonsthat were customary during this period, but also a large number of works without text that were obviously created forinstruments by virtue of their construction. As a result, his musical rhetoric went considerably farther than his otherwisecongenial colleagues Josquin Desprez and Heinrich Isaac, and he composed instru¬mental works that were far ahead ofhis time.

It has been most fortunate to gain the cooperation of the English Agricola expert Fabrice Fitch as a partner for EnsLeones. Alongside his musicological activities, Fitch has also made quite a name for himself as a composer working withthemes and motifs of Alexander Agricola in his 'Agricologies'. For the present programme, Fitch has composed two more'Agricologies' specially for Ens Leones, tailor-made to suit the ensemble combination. With this, Agricola's compositionalarm extends into our own time.

"I would like to dedicate this recording to my teacher and friend Crawford Young, whose enthusiasm for Agricola’s worksinspired my own studies of this composer. I want to thank him for communicating his knowledge and for participating inthe present recording."Marc Lewon


Label: StradivariusFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: STR33931Barcode: 8011570339317Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackJoanna Klisowska [soprano]Peter Kooij [bass]Pietro Prosser [archlute & baroque lute]Cristiano Contadin [viola da gamba]Lorenzo Feder [harpsichord & organ]

PURCELL: Close thine Eyes

Joanna Klisowska Peter Kooij

Henry PURCELL: Beginn the song - “The Resurrection”, Tell me some pitying angel, “The Blessed Virgin'sExpostulation”, Suite in G Major (Prelude-Almand-Corant-Saraband), Close thine eyes (Upon a Quiet Conscience), Two in one upon a ground (da “Diocletian”, atto III), Lord, what is a man (A Divine Hymn), Music for a while, Ground, Sweeter than Roses, An Evening Hymn (Song upon a ground)John BANISTER: Ground (dal ms. PL-Pu Ms.7033 Mr.Bannisters Ground)Antony POOLE: Air with division su basso di folliaGodfrey FINGER: Sonata no. 4 in Re minore

The myth of Purcell, the 'Orpheus Britannicus', the most important musician born in England before Britten in the 20thcentury, is strengthened also by its likening to the biography of Mozart: they died a century apart at less than 36 years ofage and produced in such a short time a staggering number of compositions: 626 works for the Austrian, 871 for theEnglishman.The pieces chosen for this CD illustrate precisely an intimate repertory, with no division between sacred and profane, inthe same ideal arrangement together with instrumental pieces of Purcell’s contemporaries, precisely the way in which itmight happen in London in a private performance of the time. These composers are John Banister (pioneer of music forthe violin at the court of Charles II, died in 1679), Gottfried or Godfrey Finger (Moravian violinist and composer who liveduntil 1730) and Antony Poole (almost unknown Jesuit and musician formed in Spanish Flanders and who lived until1692), the last two active at the court of James II (1685-88) and thus colleagues of the 25-year-old Henry. Purcell himselfis well represented with some of his instrumental compositions including the famous set of variations 'Two in one upon aground', a chaconne taken from the third act of 'The Prophetess', or 'The History of Dioclesian' (1690), which in thisrecording uses an unpublished lute part taken from a manuscript now in Poznan in Poland.


Label: StradivariusFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: STR33934Barcode: 8011570339348Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackFrancesco D’orazio [violin & viola]Giampaolo Nuti [piano]

Nino ROTA: A Sentimental DevilComplete works for violin/viola and pianoFrancesco D’Orazio Giampaolo Nuti

Improvviso in C Major (A sentimental devil), for violin and piano (1969)Sonata in G Major, for violin and piano (1937)Intermezzo in B minor, for viola and piano(1945)Improvviso in D minor (from the soundtrack of Amanti senza amore) for violin and piano (1947)Sonata in C Major, for viola and piano (1945)Legend of the Glass Mountain, for violin and piano (1948)Sonata in G Major, for viola and piano (1934)

Nino Rota is best known for his music for film, but he spent a large part of his life composing 'classical' music. The workscollected in this album deserve a special attention for their blend between tradition and the avant-garde; at the same timeRota's style is always recognisable, and highlights include two pieces from his celebrated film scores.The release is enhanced by numerous documents and images in the booklet, courtesy of Silvia Rota Balchaert.


Label: StradivariusFile Under: Classical/ChambermusicCatalogue No: STR33942Barcode: 8011570339423Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalAnna Radziejewska [soprano]Ensemble AlgoritmoMarco Angius [conductor]

SCIARRINO: Il cantiere del poema Tre duetti con l’eco, L’altro giardinoAnna RadziejewskaEnsemble Algoritmo

In Sciarrino's most recent productions the voice comes to fill a pre-eminent and diversified position. This is so in 'Cantieredel poema' [2011] on texts by Sciarrino himself, 'Petrarch' [a brief verse form the seventh sonnet of the Canzoniere] and'Foscolo' [a fragment extracted and recomposed from the incomplete poem 'Le Grazie']. The ensemble occasionallyrecalls that of the 'Trois poems de Mallarmé' by Ravel with the addition of a double bass and the extension towards thebass of flutes and clarinets. 'L'altro giardino' develops a work from shortly before, 'Il giardino di Sara' [2009]. Althoughthe vocal line survives intact the ensemble has broadened and an introduction has been added.

World premiere recordings

ALSO AVAILABLE:STR33645 Sciarrino Luci mie traditrici“There's sex, violence and some of the most remarkable operatic writing of our time in Salvatore Sciarrino 'sclaustrophobic theatre-piece Luce mie Traditrici. Built around the life of the madrigalist Gesualdo, it is a 75-minute score of wonderful intricacy and intense lyricism, identifying Sciarrino as one of the greats inEuropean music today.” Andrew Clements, Guardian Records of the Year

“There's sex, violence and some of the most remarkable operatic writing of our time in Salvatore Sciarrino 'sclaustrophobic theatre-piece Luce mie Traditrici. Built around the life of the madrigalist Gesualdo, it is a 75-minute score of wonderful intricacy and intense lyricism, identifying Sciarrino as one of the greats inEuropean music today.” Andrew Clements, Guardian Records of the Year

STR57006 Lohengrin"Sciarrino's music, full of wisps and threads of sound, are constantly bewitching." Andrew Clements, Guardian

STR33647 Fiato“The group have been working with Sciarrino for years, and know just how to invest this wafer-thin music with tensionand meaning. And the recorded sound is fabulous, capturing all the fine grain of the sound and wrapping it in asuggestive, warm ambience.”Ivan Hewett, The Times, 26 March 2005, 4/5


Label: WergoFile Under: ClassicalCatalogue No: WER6773-2Barcode: 4010228677324Normal PriceFormat: 1 CD Günther Anders [translation of the epitaph]Richard Münch [speaker Studio für elektronische Musik imWestdeutschen Rundfunk Köln Leopold vonKnobelsdorff [sound realisation]

Herbert EIMERT: Epitaph für Aikichi Kuboyama, Sechs Studien

Studio für elektronische Musik im Westdeutschen Rundfunk Köln

In view of recent events, especially in Japan, Herbert Eimert's piece 'Epitaph für Aikichi Kuboyama' has taken on a sadtopicality. When in 1954 the first hydrogen bomb, the so-called Bikini bomb, was tested in the South Pacific, theJapanese fishing boat Fikuryumara was approximately 130 km from the epicentre. All fishermen on board requiredmonths of medical treatment; the fisherman Aikichi Kuboyama died of radiation poisoning after five months and becamethe first long-distance fatality of the nuclear age. The poetic epitaph for Kuboyama, or more precisely the sound materialdrawn from the inscription spoken in German, forms the basis of the present tape composition:“Of all the sound spectra known to us, that of the spoken word is not only the richest and most complex, but also the onemost similar to electronically produced sounds.” (Eimert) By using electronic equipment such as loudspeakers, tape recorders, amplifiers, and filters the stream of spoken words isalways present under the surface as though the inscription on the gravestone constantly flows past the listener’s ears inever-shifting transformations of sound.Eimert’s 'Sechs Studien' [Six Studies], composed immediately after 'Epitaph', was created from the same sourcematerial. In contrast to 'Epitaph' 'Sechs Studien' uses only abstract musical sounds: that is, sounds in whose spectrumthe spoken word can no longer be recognised.

The recordings were originally published on LP in 1966 (WERGO, WER 60014).


Label: Royal Academy of MusicFile Under: Classical/ChambermusicCatalogue No: RAM045Barcode: 609728283803MID PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: digipackAcademy Manson EnsembleFranck Ollu [conductor]

Zappa

Academy Manson Ensemble

01 Frank Zappa arr. Ali N. Askin Peaches en Regalia 02 Frank Zappa arr. Jon Nelson (Meridian Arts Ensemble) for Brass Quintet – Big Swifty03 Frank Zappa Dupree’s Paradise 04 Frank Zappa trans. Chris Lyons Twenty Small Cigars 05 Frank Zappa trans. Robert Peate The Legend of the Golden Arches 06 Frank Zappa trans. Charlie Piper St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast 07 Frank Zappa trans. Joseph Davies Little Umbrellas08 Frank Zappa trans. Philip Cashian The Black Page No.2 09 Frank Zappa (Ian Underwood arr. from Frank Zappa Songbook Vol.1) trans. Philip Cashian Music for Low-Budget Orchestra 10 Frank Zappa (Munchkin Music arr.) trans. Philip Cashian Alien Orifice 11 Frank Zappa (from Frank Zappa Songbook) trans. Philip Cashian Little House I Used to Live In 12,13 Frank Zappa The Perfect Stranger. 14 Frank Zappa arr. Ali N. Askin G-Spot Tornado

Academy Manson Ensemble, conducted by Franck Ollu, perform music by Frank Zappa in arrangements by Academystudent composers and the Academy’s Head of Composition, Philip Cashian.

"The Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble deliver a glossy, seamless performance... There was never anythingwrong with the brilliantly idiomatic playing" Gramophone, November 2012


Label: Signum ClassicsFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: SIGCD329Barcode: 6352120329232 FOR 1.5Format: 2 CDPackaging: cristalDavid Goode [Organ of Symphony Hall,Birmingham]

Max REGER: The Major Organ WorksVariations and Fugue on an Original Theme, Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E minorShorter Preludes and FuguesDavid Goode

The two major organ works on these discs (his longest for organ) show Max Reger at the height of his powers; not onlydo they sustain a structural coherence over an impressive span, but they show an almost inexhaustible proliferation ofinvention.As well as the large-scale 'Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme' and the 'Introduction Passacaglia and Fugue in Eminor', this 2CD set includes a collection of shorter preludes and fugues: the 'Five Easy Preludes and Fugues' and twotranscriptions of preludes and fugues by JS Bach from the 'Well-Tempered Clavier'.

Performed on the Symphony Organ in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, David Goode adds to his impressive recordedcatalogue of works in this new collection.

ALSO AVAILABLE: SIGCD261 Bach - Organ of Freiberg Cathedral

"Goode ensures that everything fits so nicely into place that, far from merely being an excuse to hear Bach on a greathistoric organ, we hear Bach played with perception and real musical intelligence. A thoroughly enjoyable disc from everyaspect." Gramophone


Label: Radio France TempéramentsFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: TEM316041/42Barcode: 31490280241282 FOR 1.5Format: 2 CDPackaging: long boxAndré Isoir, Olivier Baumont

Jean-François DANDRIEU: Pieces d'Orgue & Clavecin

André IsoirOlivier Baumont

Jean-François Dandrieu was one of the most brilliant artistic figures of France's Regency period. In addition to hisposition as organist at the Chapelle royale, Dandrieu was a professor and a composer, producing, among other works,six Livres de Clavecin. Performed by organist André Isoir and harpsichordist Olivier Baumont, this anthology of works for keyboard ranges fromoffertories to noëls and from overtures to musettes, in addition to the inclusion of a large selection of expressivecharacter pieces. These works exemplify the stylistic evolution that occurred between the baroque and the galant.


Label: Radio France TempéramentsFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: TEM316040Barcode: 3149028024029Normal PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: long boxFrédéric Desenclos [organ J.F. Lépine 1852,Cathedral St Sacerdos, Sarlat]

Louis MARCHAND: Pieces for organ

Frédéric Desenclos

A rich anthology of the organ music of Louis Marchand, Le Grand, who settled in Paris at the end of Lully's life and diedone year before the first performance of Rameau's 'Hippolyte et Aricie'. The First Book, three Suites and the Grand Dialogue reveal the dimensions of this opus where humour courts withseriousness, innovation with mastery of form, and studied compositional procedures with sheer pleasure of timbre.


Label: Christophorus entréeFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: CHE0180-2Barcode: 4010072018021BUDGET PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristal Tilman Hoppstock [guitar]

Great preludes for guitar

Allan WILLCOCKS: 12 Miniature Preludes for GuitarTARREGA: 12 PreludiosPONCE: 12 PréludesVILLA-LOBOS: Cinq Preludes ALSO AVAILABLE:Baroque Suites for Guitar (CHR77357) "This latest release by German guitarist Tilman Hoppstock confirms that, like fellow guitarist David Russell, he is a master of translating Baroque harpsichord music for the modern classical guitar while preserving the innate qualities of the former within a wholly guitaristic idiom … a superb release." International Record Review – September 2012


Label: Christophorus entréeFile Under: Classical/ChoralCatalogue No: CHE0182-2Barcode: 4010072018229BUDGET PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalEns für frühe musik Augsburg

Mysterium mariaeMarian Songs of the Late Middle AgesEns für frühe musik Augsburg


Label: Christophorus entréeFile Under: Classical/InstrumentalCatalogue No: CHE0183-2Barcode: 4010072018328BUDGET PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalJoachim Schäfer [trumpet]Gesine Forberger [soprano]Stefan Cassar [piano]Oliver Stechbart [organ]Camerata Intrumentale BerlinBratislava Chamber SoloistsTrompetenensemble Joachim Schäfer

Pomp & CircumstanceTrumpet FestivalJoachim Schäfer


Label: Christophorus entréeFile Under: Classical/SecularVocal musicCatalogue No: CHE0184-2Barcode: 4010072018427BUDGET PriceFormat: 1 CDPackaging: cristalI Ciarlatani

Ich rühm dich HeidelbergRenasissance Music at the Court in HeidelbergI Ciarlatani

april 8 classical release

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signum classics