Even during his life, Adrian Willaert’s Musica Nova
collection was shrouded in mystery. The works in
the collection were only accessible to a small circle
of musicians, theoreticians and patrons. Not until
1559 did Alfonso II of Ferrara make it possible for
the collection to be printed, although parts of it had
already been composed more than 15 years previously.
Willaert’s works are a unique combination of stylistic
elements from his Flemish homeland and Italian
music, particularly Venetian, not surprising in view
of the fact that he was the maestro di cappella of St.
Mark’s cathedral from 1527 until his death in 1562.
On this CD, the vocal sextet Singer Pur concentrates
on the secular part of the Musica Nova, which comprises
madrigals composed on texts by Petrarca.
Singer Pur – the vocal ensemble distinguished with
two Echo Classic awards – covers an exceptionally
wide range of styles. Along with music from the
Renaissance through to the 20th century, its repertoire
also encompasses avant-garde music and jazz....more
The Walachowski piano duo plays arrangements
and original works for piano duo on their second
CD for OehmsClassics. The former include Sergey
Rachmaninov’s arrangement of Peter Tchaikovsky’s
ballet music “Sleeping Beauty”. However, Tchaikovsky
was by no means satisfied with the first version of the
transcription by the just 18-year-old Rachmaninov,
with the result that he asked Alexander Siloti to
complete it and also made amendments to it himself.
In contrast, Brahms’ Hungarian Dances are indeed
original works which the composer did not arrange
for orchestra and for solo piano until later. The CD
includes a rarity: the six Contredanses by Stanislav
Moniuszko, the founder of the Polish National Opera.
Moniuszko was born in 1819 in Ubiel, Belarus, and
died in Warsaw in 1872. more
The young Delian Quartet continually surprises its
audiences with unusual concepts and programme
ideas. These days, one of their trademarks is the
involvement of guest musicians who expand the pure
quartet repertoire with attractive variations and repertoire
discoveries. On this Haydn CD, the quartet presents
the famous “Sunrise” quartet from the “Erdödy”
quartets op. 76 along with the rarely played B minor
quartet from op. 33.
The concerto for violin, piano and strings is a real
rarity, which will probably be an exciting discovery for
many classical music lovers, especially as the solo parts
are played by Andreas Frölich and the great violin
individualist Gilles Apap. The appeal of the intimate
chamber instrumentation also comes to light in the
recording of the concerto for piano and strings Hob.
XVIII: 4, in which the original chorical scoring is
reduced to the four quartet parts. more
The RSO Vienna’s Beethoven cycle under Bertrand de
Billy is continually developing. These carefully illuminated
recordings do not rely on external sensational
effects but on fidelity to the score, careful disposition
of the formal sections and highly precise musical
cooperation, i.e. chamber music culture in a great
symphony orchestra. And as is so often the case, the
music has the most direct effect when it is allowed to
speak for itself and not forced into channels of subjective
or even eccentric “interpretation”.
The fact that a characteristic Beethoven sound is
nonetheless possible under Billy’s direction is proven
by the two preceding CD recordings of the 3rd, 5th
and 6th symphonies. more
My music is my self-portrait,” said Francis Poulenc of his
works. The composer’s personality was as brilliant as
his music, which always contains something surprising,
a change of level, a contrast between the “great”
and the banal and between tradition and the avantgarde.
Hansjörg Albrecht presents three concertos
for keyboard instruments on his new CD of organ
music; he himself takes the solo part in the concerto
for organ, strings and timpani. In the harpsichord
concerto and the concerto for two pianos and orchestra,
he takes on the role of the orchestra, whose part
he plays on the organ. With this, he harks back to
performance practices typical of the early 20th century,
particularly in France and the USA, where “salon
organs” were often used in private salons for small
concerts, and avant-garde composers presented their
new works to an audience of connoisseurs.
The value of this recording is also enhanced by the
two soloists in the double piano concerto, the piano
duo consisting of Yaara Tal and Andreas Groethuysen,
who have been counted among the world’s leading
piano duos for many years. more
The flute was still undergoing constant development in
Mozart’s day. Neither the sound nor the intonation
of the instrument were equal to the challenges of
demanding solo concertos. Not until he came into
contact with Johann Baptist Wendling and his flute
compositions did Mozart reach a new understanding
of the flute’s possibilities and its inherent potential.
In this recording, the soloist Bernahrd Krabatch
plays a wooden transverse flute which however has
a modern key mechanism. With this, he produces a
darker, mellower sound without compromising on
intonation and precision. He is accompanied by the
Salzburg Mozarteum orchestra under Ivor Bolton, an
ensemble which is regarded as a model for uniting
both worlds – those of historical performance practice
and modern orchestral tradition. more
While Mendelssohn’s “big” symphonies are an essential
part of the symphonic repertoire, his symphonies for
strings, the “youthful symphonies”, are only rarely
performed. Unbelievable what masterly music the
concert-goer is missing! The fact that these works
come from the pen of a 12 to 14 year old is historical
certainty, but as a listener one can hardly believe it.
The Festival Strings Lucerne now present a 3-CD
box with all 12 symphonies and the first movement
of the unfinished 13th symphony. Conductor Achim
Fiedler has studied the autographs in detail and corrected
individual textual errors in the printed editions
as well as textual inconsistencies in the available editions. more
The Silver Garburg Piano Duo / Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie / Hogwood, Christopher
While concertos for two pianos and orchestra are more
of a niche genre in musical life, they are weighted
quite differently in the personal concert schedule of
the Silver-Garburg piano duo. Felix Mendelssohn
Bartholdy’s concertos for two pianos appear more
than 20 times on the tour plan for 2009 alone.
Played in tandem, the two concertos for two pianos
show two sides of Mendelssohn’s musical language.
The E major concert is bright, transparent, “classical”,
while the A flat major concerto embodies the magnificence,
weight and drama of the romantic era. The
accompanying ensemble contributes significantly to
the outstanding quality of the recording: a precisely
attuned chamber orchestra – the Bavarian Chamber
Philharmonic – is directed by Christopher Hogwood,
who with his experience of historical performance
practice gives even Mendelssohn exceptional pithiness
in terms of articulation and phrasing. more
These days, Michael Korstick’s celebrated Beethoven
cycle needs practically no introduction. This recording
of Beethoven’s complete piano works is exemplary
for its interpretational approach of tackling the musical
text uncompromisingly, a faithfulness to the score
which helps express Beethoven’s instructions in all
situations.
Many reviews of the CDs which have already been
released for this series and numerous awards from the
specialist media confirm that this artistic approach
leads to rousing, extremely dynamic interpretations.
“I am only barely content with my previous work, from
now on I wish to strike a new path,” was Beethoven’s
comment shortly before the publication of the sonatas
op. 31. Here we see a master who has found his own
path and is ready to appropriate and perpetuate traditional
forms in his own way. more
The Walachowski piano duo plays arrangements
and original works for piano duo on their second
CD for OehmsClassics. The former include Sergey
Rachmaninov’s arrangement of Peter Tchaikovsky’s
ballet music “Sleeping Beauty”. However, Tchaikovsky
was by no means satisfied with the first version of the
transcription by the just 18-year-old Rachmaninov,
with the result that he asked Alexander Siloti to
complete it and also made amendments to it himself.
In contrast, Brahms’ Hungarian Dances are indeed
original works which the composer did not arrange
for orchestra and for solo piano until later. The CD
includes a rarity: the six Contredanses by Stanislav
Moniuszko, the founder of the Polish National Opera.
Moniuszko was born in 1819 in Ubiel, Belarus, and
died in Warsaw in 1872.
The young Delian Quartet continually surprises its
audiences with unusual concepts and programme
ideas. These days, one of their trademarks is the
involvement of guest musicians who expand the pure
quartet repertoire with attractive variations and repertoire
discoveries. On this Haydn CD, the quartet presents
the famous “Sunrise” quartet from the “Erdödy”
quartets op. 76 along with the rarely played B minor
quartet from op. 33. 
The RSO Vienna’s Beethoven cycle under Bertrand de
Billy is continually developing. These carefully illuminated
recordings do not rely on external sensational
effects but on fidelity to the score, careful disposition
of the formal sections and highly precise musical
cooperation, i.e. chamber music culture in a great
symphony orchestra. And as is so often the case, the
music has the most direct effect when it is allowed to
speak for itself and not forced into channels of subjective
or even eccentric “interpretation”. 
My music is my self-portrait,” said Francis Poulenc of his
works. The composer’s personality was as brilliant as
his music, which always contains something surprising,
a change of level, a contrast between the “great”
and the banal and between tradition and the avantgarde.
Hansjörg Albrecht presents three concertos
for keyboard instruments on his new CD of organ
music; he himself takes the solo part in the concerto
for organ, strings and timpani. In the harpsichord
concerto and the concerto for two pianos and orchestra,
he takes on the role of the orchestra, whose part
he plays on the organ. With this, he harks back to
performance practices typical of the early 20th century,
particularly in France and the USA, where “salon
organs” were often used in private salons for small
concerts, and avant-garde composers presented their
new works to an audience of connoisseurs. 
The flute was still undergoing constant development in
Mozart’s day. Neither the sound nor the intonation
of the instrument were equal to the challenges of
demanding solo concertos. Not until he came into
contact with Johann Baptist Wendling and his flute
compositions did Mozart reach a new understanding
of the flute’s possibilities and its inherent potential.
In this recording, the soloist Bernahrd Krabatch
plays a wooden transverse flute which however has
a modern key mechanism. With this, he produces a
darker, mellower sound without compromising on
intonation and precision. He is accompanied by the
Salzburg Mozarteum orchestra under Ivor Bolton, an
ensemble which is regarded as a model for uniting
both worlds – those of historical performance practice
and modern orchestral tradition.
While Mendelssohn’s “big” symphonies are an essential
part of the symphonic repertoire, his symphonies for
strings, the “youthful symphonies”, are only rarely
performed. Unbelievable what masterly music the
concert-goer is missing! The fact that these works
come from the pen of a 12 to 14 year old is historical
certainty, but as a listener one can hardly believe it.
