W.F. Bach: Cembalo Konzerte

At the same time as we get to know Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s compositions we can also take stock of the real personality of Johann Sebastian Bach’s eldest son. His works are still mostly unknown to the public at large and remain in the shadow of those by his brothers. It is true that his music still seems to be somewhat strange, imprisoned as it undoubtedly is by the composer’s profound inner drama. Born in 1710, Wilhelm Friedemann benefited more than any other of his brothers from the impact of his father’s personality; we may well remember the famous phrase attributed to Johann Sebastian “The son that gives me joy is the one that I love”?

Vita: Monteverdi & Scelsi

“the main connection appears to be the sombre tone shared by both composers. To link them more securely, Wieder-Atherton has devised a narrative based around the character of Angioletta – after whom the longest and most satisfying of the madrigals was named – charting her path from infancy to an old age starkly depicted in the lowering clouds of Scelsi's "Ygghur I"” --The Independent, 18th March 2011 ***

Following her acclaimed recording ‘Chants d'Est’ (V5178) and the emblematic ‘Chants Juifs’ (V5226), cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton’s enterprising new album on Naïve, ‘Vita’ (‘Life’ in Italian), combines the music of two great Italian composers, one from the 16th century and one from the 20th. The disc includes transcriptions for cello of several of Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals alongside excerpts from Giacinto Scelsi’s “Trilogy: Les Trois Âges de l’Homme” for solo cello.

Sonia Wieder-Atherton has played as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Orchestre de Paris, and the Israel Philharmonic. She has recently signed an exclusive contract with the record company Naïve. The first result of this collaboration was Chants d’Est, a voyage through the music of Russia and Middle Europe for cello and chamber orchestra with the Sinfonia Varsovia.

Wieder-Atherton decided to produce a disc combining the music of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) and Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) because “I felt that the music of both of these two geniuses explored the forces within human nature”. She worked with Franck Krawczyk to transcribe for cello several madrigals of Monteverdi, mostly from the Eighth Book. Those madrigals, also performed by cellists Sarah Iancu and Matthieu Lejeune, are combined with excerpts from Scelsi’s Trilogy for solo cello Les Trois Âges de l’Homme.

The Most Relaxing Flute Album in The World... Ever!

Most Relaxing Flute Album In The World... Ever! CD music is a 2-disc set with 32 songs.

For centuries the flute has held a special place with audiences around the world. Most Relaxing Flute Album In The World... Ever! features a cross section of the most popular repertoire performed by the great musicians of our time.

Over 2 ½ hours of sublime flute music.

Hindemith: Viola Works

“Tamestit brings his wonderful musical intelligence to bear on some of the greatest music written for the instrument...From both a performance and repertoire point of view, there is surely no better single-disc introduction to Hindemith's viola music for anyone still unfamiliar with it.” --BBC Music Magazine, June 2014 *****

“ In all four works, Hindemith captures the mournful pathos of the viola’s sound. Tamestit’s sumptuous tone is complemented by Hadulla’s diamantine pianism in Op 11, No 4, and by the sympathetic Frankfurt RSO under Järvi.” --Sunday Times, 26th January 2014

One of today’s leading violists, Antoine Tamestit has dedicated his eagerly awaited new recording to German composer Paul Hindemith, whose 50th anniversary of death was celebrated in 2013. Hindemith was a brilliant viola player whose compositions widened the repertoire for this instrument, ranging from solo pieces to concertos. This recording features the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, one of the major German orchestras, conducted by leading conductor Paavo Järvi. Antoine Tamestit is developing an intense career through his concerto, chamber and solo performances. Born in Paris in 1979, he was initially inspired by his teachers Jean Sulem, Jesse Levine and Tabea Zimmermann, and soon came to international prominence by winning, in rapid succession, the Maurice Vieux, the William Primrose, Young Concert Artists and the ARD Competitions.

With the support of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Foundation and several important awards (Deutschlandfunk-Förderpreis, Victoires de la Musique, Crédit Suisse), he has quickly became one of the most sought-after viol players of his generation.

Epifania

Epifania is dedicated to the Finnish conductor Juha Kangas. We have been close friends since 1991 when he directed the first performance of my 1st Symphony ’Balsis · Stimmen’.

Epifania is a brief, tranquil composition with an extremely measured sonorous string sound primarily played con sordino. A lyrical theme is introduced at the beginning which is varied during the central section with cumulative exhilaration, only to reappear a third time in inverted form in the final section, accompanied by the divisi violins playing an old Latvian folk song. As an unspoken motto above the music, I can see the question: what remains at the end of a life full of music? Pēteris Vasks

Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra’s new CD Epifania (Epiphany) includes works by five composers of our time, some of who have direct links with the orchestra and conductor. Four of the works are heard here as world premiere recordings. Tiensuu’s Sulci and Meriläinen’s Summer Concerto were both specially commissioned works by the orchestra.

Vask’s work Epifania was dedicated to the conductor of this recording, Juha Kangas. Vasks says he got the idea for its main theme while walking by the Baltic Sea one summer’s evening.

J S Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 1-7 BWV1052-1058

“Lifschitz's fleet-fingered articulation serves the fast music handsomely...A mixed bag perhaps, but still worth unpacking.” --BBC Music Magazine, June 2012 ****

“his Bach-playing is infused with a truly recognisable and fascinating personality and, at best, a remarkable sustainability of line...Lifschitz harnesses himself to Bach's supreme voice-leading to guide his keen perception of dynamic possibility, texture and touch and, most of all, melodic intensity.” --Gramophone Magazine, June 2012

Konstantin Lifschitz has long since established himself as an outstanding exponent of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He has already recorded the ‘Musical Offering’ and the ‘Art of Fugue’ for ORFEO and now turns his attention to the composer’s seven keyboard concertos. He is partnered by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble that enjoys an equally distinguished reputation for its Bach interpretations. With only three of these seven concertos has it been possible to identify specific originals with different solo instruments, while the other four have been ascribed to various other instruments by experts in the field; attributions that none the less continue to be hotly debated. Lifschitz has at his command exactly the sort of touch and playful cunning needed to free the piano from its function as a continuo instrument and turns the whole experience into something intensely vital.

The fact that he plays these works on a modern concert grand is wholly convincing, not least because in Bach’s day instruments were evolving all the time and Bach himself was fond of experimentation in this, as in so many other areas. The cyclical overview provided by Konstantin Lifschitz and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in the case of the present recordings allows us to appreciate the old and the new in a clear and compelling way.

St Petersburg

“Anyone expecting...a diet of thin, phoned-in Neapolitan fare will be in for a surprise. There is rich music here, and dramatic too...Bartoli, as ever, is in complete technical command of this music, which in places is as challenging as you'll find at this period...The playing of I Barocchisti...is brilliant, surging, ardent.” --Gramophone Magazine, November 2014

Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice - November 2014

“Bartoli's voice is wearing well, and she been recorded with sensitivity. Some of her faster passagework sounds a little rough around the edges, even fierce, but her technical skills are still remarkable, and in the best items her bel canto skills and refinements continue to impress.” --BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2014 ****

Cecilia Bartoli returns with a majestic new album of world premiere recordings, hidden treasures of the Mariinsky.

For the very first time Bartoli explores the Baroque musical treasures of Tsarist Russia with music from the court of three 18th century Tsaristas: Anna, Elizabeth and Catherine the Great.

Music written by Italian and German composers working for the Russian court, this album sheds new light on an incredible and momentous time for Russia, shaping its politics and culture towards the enlightened West.

Mostly sung in Italian, the album also offers the first opportunity to hear Bartoli sing in Russian.

The music has been intricately researched by Bartoli herself, unlocking the archives of St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Library to uncover music lost for over 200 years.

Reunites Bartoli with Baroque specialists Diego Fasolis & I Barocchisti.

St Petersburg lives up to all the expectations one might have for a new Cecilia Bartoli solo album.

It is a perfect showcase for the countless qualities of this fantastic and unique artist, and a world of hidden baroque discoveries from the Mariinsky Archive in St Petersburg, each track a world premiere recording.