Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 'Romantic'

��there's always a sense of movement, partly carried by well-shaped long phrasing, and helped by clear rhythmic articulation - a good performance can make you aware how complex and unusual the rhythmic warp and weft of this score is.� --BBC Music Magazine, July 2007 ****

�There is what I can best describe as a Barbirolli-like quality to Sir Simon Rattle's conducting of the finale of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. �as Rattle's performance proves, a broad pulse works wonders when realised in playing which is as trenchant, stirring and inwardly alive as this.� --Gramophone Magazine, July 2007

Following the recent release of their recording of Brahms�s Ein deutsches Requiem, Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker turn their attention to another great 19th-century German work, Anton Bruckner�s Symphony No. 4. The recording, taken in concert, is scheduled for release in May 2007 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Berliner Philharmoniker, which was founded in May of 1882.

Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6

��a young man's view of Tchaikovsky's first and last symphonies: infectious, bracing, and idealistic by turns, the results are both lively and heartfelt. This Path�tique� finale� receives a terrifying rendition; its feverish climaxes in the middle and stabbing sforzandos and pizzicatos near the end convey the pain of death more than its sense of release.� --BBC Music Magazine, November 2009 ****

 

 �Jurowski steers a marvellously lithe and clear-sighted course through this youthful canvas, with springy bass-lines, luminous textures and bracing contrapuntal vigour. Jurowski's Path�tique, too, has much to commend it� Everything is exquisitely nuanced, and Jurowski exploits an intrepidly wide range of dynamic...� --Gramophone Magazine, November 2009

�Both are exceptional performances, superbly recorded with a breathtaking range of dynamics. Taking pride of place is the wonderfully bright, buoyant account of the First Symphony... In both works, the playing of the LPO is world class.� --The Guardian, 4th September 2009 ****

Giuseppe Sammartini: Concertos & Overtures

During his own lifetime, Sammartini was considered to be one of the most talented composers of his generation. John Hawkins wrote in 1776: �His singularities can only be ascribed to that boldness and self-possession which are ever the concomitants of genius.�

He ranked Sammartini�s concertos and overtures at the same level as those of Arcangelo Corelli and Francesco Geminiani � and even held them in higher esteem than Georg Frideric Handel�s. Yet, through an inexplicable twist of history, Sammartini has remained an unknown quantity for the general public.

Les Muffatti have made a careful selection from among the plethora of Sammartini�s masterworks in order to fully reflect their quality. They hope that this world-premi�re recording of works in Sammartini�s widely varying styles can do justice to this genius, and share the ensemble�s enthusiasm for this unjustly underrated composer.

Alessandro Scarlatti: La Folia & other works

GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE

'My very favourite... their easy rapport and the stylishness of her singing are quite unforgettable, and Woolley's stunning performance... wants for nothing' --Gramophone

Rachmaninov: Piano Trios

�the piano writing already has the fluency of Rachmaninov's later music, and it's Vladimir Ashkenazy's treatment of that � wonderfully coloured and full-bodied without ever becoming overbearing � that's the main pleasure of this disc.� --The Guardian, 3rd October 2013 ***

�Though the interpretations are a shade muted, Ashkenazy�s team seem attuned to the movements of Rachmaninov�s soul...Here and there details get lost, though not the players� loving spirit as chords resonate, melodies flow and passion and melancholy walk hand in hand. Have a handkerchief ready.� --The Times, 23rd August 2013 ****

Ashkenazy Completes Lifelong Project To Record Each Of Rachmaninov�s Works With Piano.

Vladimir Ashkenazy, one of the most renowned and revered pianists of our times, crowns his lifelong project to record each of Rachmaninov�s works with piano with the release of Rachmaninov Piano Trios.

He performs the composer�s Trio �l�giaque No. 1 in G minor and the Trio �l�giaque No. 2 in D minor Op. 9.

Ashkenazy is joined by two outstanding young colleagues: violinist Zsolt-Tiham�r Visontay, leader of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and cellist Mats Lidstrom.

The Trio �l�giaque No.1 was written in just four days in 1892. Rachmaninov then performed the piece at the Conservatory with the eminent cellist Anatoly Brandukov and the violinist David Krein � one of seven musical brothers.

He began composing the Trio �l�giaque No. 2 in November 1893, on the day of his mentor Tchaikovsky�s sudden death. The work is clearly inspired by themes from Tchaikovsky�s Piano Trio in A minor and is a deeply grief-stricken tribute of the young composer to his teacher.

Fifty years ago Ashkenazy�s first recording for Decca was of Rachmaninov: the 3rd Piano Concerto with Fistoulari and the LSO, followed soon after by three of the Etudes-tableaux Op.39. As a pianist, Ashkenazy has been an exclusive Decca artist ever since

Rachmaninov Rarities, released in February, celebrated the notable anniversary with a beguiling selection of overlooked and unpublished works, including several world premiere recordings.

Ferdinand Rebay: Quartets for Guitar, Flute and Strings

A rare and important discovery: 2 quartets (one for guitar and strings, the other featuring the flute) by Ferdinand Rebay, a Viennese composer of the first half of the 20th century.

Rebay�s music (unlike his contemporaries of the Second Viennese School) remained in the Late Romantic idiom.The fact that he composed for guitar doesn�t mean his music is light- weight, on the contrary, these are serious and complex masterworks, in which the guitar is explored as an equal and independent instrument.

Excellent performances by a group of Iberian soloists.

Ferdinand Rebay (1880�1953) is absent from most musical dictionaries, yet was active at one of the most fascinating periods of European music and taught by one of the most respectedmusiciansofthetime-RobertFuchs, at the Vienna Conservatoire. Fuchs was both a composer and a pedagogue, and among his esteemed pupils were Mahler, Wolf, Sibelius, Zemlinsky and Schreker. Fuchs considered Rebay to be one of his best pupils, although the young composer found it impossible to flourish within the environment of the Second Viennese School and continued to work within the late Romantic idiom.

Rebay turned to the guitar due to the influence of his friend Jacobus Ortner, Professor of Guitar at the conservatoire. Aware that the neglect of guitar repertoire for over half a century had led to a decline in the quality of writing for the instrument, Rebay set out to write complex, serious music that conti- nued in the tradition of Giuliani and Sor, who had been composing in the early 1800s. Also influenced by Schubert�s Lieder with guitar, Rebay experimented with song before creating the large-scale works heard on this CD. These compositions exemplify Rebay�s compositional style and principles: the music is innovative and challenging, and the guitar is a fully integrated member of the chamber ensemble, rather than a soloist accompanied by the other instruments.

The neglect of Rebay�s music since his death is due far more to historical circumstances than its quality � he was prevented from working in Nazi Germany due to his attempts to protect his Jewish wife, and his music subsequently fell into obscurity. This new CD is a rare opportunity to hear the work of one of the most exciting redis- coveries in guitar music, played by expert performers.

Brahms: The Symphonies

�Where Harnoncourt rather underplays the First Symphony, giving it a decorous Schumannesque feel, Rattle's reading is one in which the inwardness and charm of the exquisitely realised inner movements offset the breadth and lyric power of the surrounding drama. ...in the Third... we hear... exquisitely quiet string- and horn-playing - the inner movements rich in beauty and quiet foreboding... Rattle's finely moulded direction sustains the discourse.� --Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2009 

�Simon Rattle has clearly forged a deep bond with the Berlin Philharmonic during his tenure, and the playing is never less than superb, with every section of the orchestra ideally responsive. If any one aspect should be singled out it must be the horn-playing, both solo and as a body, which is gloriously expressive, most movingly of all throughout Symphony No. 2.� --BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 *****

�if you�re looking for Romantic depth and sheer beauty of tone, then you�ve come to the right band. In fact, there are moments where a particular theme is so achingly lovely that you almost forget to breathe� --Charlotte Gardner, bbc.co.uk, 9th September 2009

�there are no gimmicks, only an impressive fidelity to the score...In sum, a revelation, which rewards repeated listening.� --The Observer, 20th September 2009

�Rattle's account of the Second Symphony has a wonderfully relaxed good humour about it, with the Berlin Phil's fabulous horn section adding lustre to the climaxes, and a finale that positively overflows with high spirits. Much of the Third is equally fine, by turns spaciously expressive and tautly rigorous.� --The Guardian, 18th September 2009 ****

�For all-round technical and musical expertise, it is difficult to fault these mellifluous performances. Very satisfying.� --Classic FM Magazine, October 2009 ****

Bacri: Sturm und Drang

"All these performances are excellent and superbly recorded, and the whole - Martin Anderson�s detailed and well-informed insert notes included - is up to BIS� best standards. This is a very fine release by any count." --Music Web International

This highly accessible, colourful and melodic music is here interpreted by the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Jean-Jacques Kantorow, a team whose previous recordings on BIS have been enthusiastically received by the reviewers. A disc of works by Saint-Sa�ns was for instance described as �a smorgasbord of distinctive orchestral colours� in Classic FM Magazine and was a finalist in the Gramophone Awards 2007.

 The French composer Nicolas Bacri has said that melody is the essence of all music; it is certainly an essential feature of these works, composed between 1995 and 2004. The programme mirrors Bacri�s involvement with the melodic genre par excellence, the concerto: four of the works included are concertante works with one or two solo instruments in interplay with a small-scale orchestra. Concerto nostalgico �L�automne� and Concerto amoroso �Le printemps� � dedicated to Lisa Batiashvili and Fran�ois Leleux, the soloists on this recording � form part of a projected �Four Seasons� cycle, whereas the Flute Concerto � here interpreted by Sharon Bezaly � and the brief Nocturne for cello and strings, with soloist Riitta Pesola, stand on their own. But besides his many concertos, Bacri has also composed no less than six symphonies.

Of these, Symphony No. 4 was commissioned to form part of a concert-cycle dedicated to �Sturm und Drang� compositions of the late-Classical era. Bacri himself has described the process as �putting myself �in the skin� of a composer of the Classical period�. He adds the following qualification: �Even though I haven�t been afraid to sketch the outlines of an aesthetic vocabulary of another time, I have also tried to present an emotional content arising from the musical pre-occupations I feel to be my own.� This highly accessible, colourful and melodic music is here interpreted by the Tapiola Sinfonietta under Jean-Jacques Kantorow, a team whose previous recordings on BIS have been enthusiastically received by the reviewers. A recent disc of works by Saint-Sa�ns was for instance described as �a smorgasbord of distinctive orchestral colours� in Classic FM Magazine, while the German website klassik.com discovered �a truly magnificent orchestral sound � as flexible as it is transparent.�

Bizet: Carmen Ballet

Fiedler and the Boston Pops recorded from the 1950s through the 1970s with RCA records (with brief excursions to other labels toward the end), issuing disc after disc of classical overtures and ballet pieces, as well as arrangements of movie themes, Beatles hits, and other pop tunes. Pops concerts were packaged as fast-moving one-hour shows on the PBS television network. Critics usually ignored or snickered at Fiedler's handling of pop music, but they almost always approved of the verve he brought to light and not-so-light classics; indeed, his 1930s recording of a particular Beethoven overture was held in higher esteem than Toscanini's. Whether Fiedler's Beethoven Seventh could have stood up to Toscanini's will never be known.

Bach: Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato Volume 2

This recording is the second volume devoted to Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin, performed by H�l�ne Schmitt (the first volume was released at the end of August 2005). It is one of the rare versions played on a Baroque violin (gut strings, curved bow...). These are archetypal works for solo violin, combining spirituality and virtuosity. Taking up a difficult challenge, Bach succeeds most admirably in obtaining polyphony from a monodic instrument.

Extreme classics

Here is a compilation of some of the most spectacular classical works ever written. That is not to say they are all thunderingly loud, and many are not loud all the time. Perhaps one of the elements that separates classical music from other genres is its contrasts in volume and all the shades in between. These composers were experts at using dynamic contrasts to great effect. Music by these great composers is now so ofter used as background to films and documentaries that we have forgotten how to really listen to it in all its varied moods.

With orchestras of more than 100 performers we run the gamut from calm and evocative to exciting and dramatic. Holst's The Planets exemplifies orchestral effect to the utmost in its marvellous depiction of space. Wagner features stirring opera music and the sort of power chords that would impress heavy metal fan. One of my favourites, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is a spectacular piece that still has the power to upset listeners of a nervous disposition. Listen to its mesmerising pounding rhythms. More sonic thrills await in Saint-Saen's finale of his Third Symphony.

To top it all, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture comes complete with bells and cannons.All up, there are excerpts from 26 exhilirating works some of which may drive you into a frenzy in their extremism so turn down the volume until you adjust some of the most powerful and extrovert music ever written. --Toowoomba Chronicle, November 2006

Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps

�the physical impact here of maximum Berlin Philharmonic firepower is part of what the music itself calls for...Compared to the clotted cream sonorities in evidence here, Rattle's CBSO recording is far truer to the music's poised incisiveness and grace. But his new reading of The Rite of Spring with the Berlin Philharmonic is a formidable achievement.� --BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 *****

BBC Music Magazine Orchestral Choice - May 2013

�It�s indecently luxuriant and played with a confidence which almost borders on complacency...This recording is full of...sounds which will have you dusting down your miniature score in disbelief. Rarely has the second half�s intro sounded so decadent and sweaty, and I whooped for joy at hearing a normally inaudible low horn rasp a few minutes near the close.� --The Arts Desk, 6th April 2013

�This is a pretty considerable account of Le Sacre. I think there is, at times, a degree of greater urgency than was the case in 1987 - perhaps the presence of an audience helped; perhaps it�s the fact that an even more experienced Rattle is now at the helm of a virtuoso orchestra...a refined and excellent performance of Apollon Musag�te which benefits not only from the virtuosity of the Berlin string players but also from the fastidious ear of their conductor.� --MusicWeb International, April 2013

Bach: Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato Volume 1

These works, considered as masterpieces for solo violin, blend the spiritual dimension and great technical virtuosity. When writing these sonatas and partitas, Bach faced the challenge of writing a polyphonic work for a monodic instrument.

�mesmerising� --Classic FM Magazine

Odyssey

This chronological exploration of the musical universe of Gy�rgy Ligeti begins in 1948, with a brief piece for solo piano composed by a 25-year old music student in Budapest and ends with his final compositions, also for solo piano, when Ligeti had long since become established as one of the truly great figures of 20th-century music.

On the way, it takes in a number of works which demonstrate the kaleidoscopic qualities of the composer and his oeuvre � from the sharply delineated sense of humour displayed in the Six Bagatelles to the otherworldliness of Lux Aeterna (used by Stanley Kubrick in his film 2001 � a space odyssey), and the sheer mass of Volumina for organ, in which the performer uses elbows, arms and the palms of his hands in order to strike the largest possible number of keys at the same time.
The music and its creator are described in an enlightening essay by the musicologist Arnold Whittall, who quotes a remark by Ligeti himself as one explanation for this almost bewildering range of moods and atmospheres: �every�thing that is direct and unambiguous is alien to me�. Ligeti�s �uvre certainly bears this out, while also testifying to another observation by the composer: �what is serious is at the same time comical, and the comical is terrifying�.

The present, amply filled anthology brings together some seminal Ligeti works in interpretations that were highly praised when originally released, by performers of international standing, including Nobuko Imai, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, Fredrik Ull�n and Hans-Ola Ericsson, as well as the eminent vocal ensemble Schola Heidelberg.

Hoffmeister: Flute Concertos Nos. 21 and 24

"�fans of the flute and the Classical orchestra will pass many an uplifting, mellifluent hour, especially in the good company of Swiss flautist Bruno Meier and the dependable Prague Chamber Orchestra�Meier�s gold flute has an appropriately luxurious tone�he flutters and cruises gracefully along like a sunlit fritillary on a summer breeze. The PCO have appeared several times before on Naxos�so they are au fait with the intermediate demands of this kind of music. Sound quality is pretty good." --MusicWeb International, July 2013

As prolific a composer as Haydn, Franz Anton Hoffmeister was a formative figure in his day, also acting as a significant music publisher for Mozart and Beethoven. Meeting the tastes of the time with a perfect blend of grace and artistry, both of these flute concertos are filled with radiant elegance and catchy melodies, allied to symphonic dimensions and passages of remarkable virtuosity for the soloist.

Beethoven, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

"This is a very distinguished performance indeed [Beethoven]. It is one where one's senses tell one from start that nothing will mar the enjoyment; how this should be I do not know, but immediate distinction is already apparent and it is never lost." --Gramophone

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach: Sinfonias, Concerto

This recording of works by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, the least well-known of the four composer sons of Bach, marks the completion of the FBO�s highly acclaimed series �Bach�s Sons� on the Carus label. Unlike his prominent brothers Carl Philipp and Johann Christian, the �Bueckeburg Bach� never ventured beyond the provinces, serving as a court musician for forty years at the court of the Count of Schaumburg-Lippe. But his music is anything but provincial. It moves impressively between the styles of both brothers, combining the artistic demands of Carl Philipp with the light Italian tone of the younger brother Johann Christian, and so defies easy musical categorization.

A Bach Festival

Since its inception in 1971, the Empire Brass has remained virtually unrivaled among brass quintets for sheer virtuosity and diversity of repertoire. Each of the ensemble's five members -- trumpeter and founding member Rolf Smedvig, trumpeter Marc Brian Reese, French hornist Greg Miller, trombonist Mark Hetzler, and tubist Kenneth Amis -- have held leading positions with American orchestras, and the members perform some 100 concerts together annually.

Kalevi Aho: Oboe Concerto & Sonata

"Piet Van Bockstal plays with staggering virtuosity and an almost terrifying conviction; he gets excellent support from Brabbins and the Lahti Symphony and from pianist Yutaka Oya. BIS�s engineers capture it all with their usual skill (on the 5.0 tracks, the sound is nearly palpable), and the notes, mainly by Aho himself, give just the information you need. In sum, strongly recommended." --FANFARE

�There�s a chamber-like intensity to this concerto � a heightened instrumental clarity if you will � and oboist Piet Van Bockstal is a gentle and evocative soloist throughout...Fine music and musicianship, faithfully caught; what BIS does best.� --MusicWeb International, May 2013

All three of these works rely on extended oboe techniques�but each does so in a different way. In the Sonata (1984-5, by far the Read more Solo IX (2010), traces of the normal/extended conflict remain in the form of sometimes bitter conversation (even confrontation) among differing �sound worlds,� but without the morally loaded overlay (pure/impure) that we find in the sonata. In the Concerto (2007)�which borrows liberally from Arabic music in its scales, rhythms, and instrumentation�the extended techniques have been integrated into the soloist�s voice. No longer reflecting a musical �other,� they are treasured for their expressive potential.

Aho is one of the most distinguished of our living composers; and, on the basis of what I�ve heard (his output is enormous), one of the most consistent: He�s stylistically wide-ranging, but his concentration is unfailing. It�s perhaps no surprise, then, that all three of these imaginative works hold your attention from first note to last. Or, more accurately, these works reward your attention from first note to last. They�re not easy listening�they won�t carry you along without effort on your part. The sonata, which makes some apparent allusions to the Shostakovich 10th, is especially challenging, as both the emotional content of the music and the relation of the two performers are apt to shift unexpectedly and sometimes violently, leaving you in a state of anxious vulnerability. There�s a bit less whiplash in the 10-minute solo work, but this, too, is both vehement and changeable in a way that keeps you on your guard.

That said, it�s the concerto to which I find myself returning most often, perhaps because it makes the most of Aho�s exceptional timbral imagination. Gavin Dixon recently referred to the �Nordic chill� of Aho�s Clarinet Quintet ( Fanfare 36:3), but there�s no chill in this Middle-Eastern inflected music. There�s no musical tourism, either�no attempt at tickling us with exoticism of the sort we hear in Ibert�s Escales , the Corigliano Oboe Concerto, or the �Arab Village� from Schuller�s Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee . In part, that�s because the Arabic elements are fundamental to his expressive palette, rather than a superficial add-on. Even more, though, it�s because the intensity of the music�dedicated to the memory of Aho�s mother, who died just as he was finishing it�is so far from the postcard aesthetic. The work begins with a 10-minute lament. That�s followed by four more movements, played without pause. They range wildly in character, yet the sense that the soloist is railing against the pain of the world remains. The struggle is sometimes beneath the surface of the music, but it�s never far away, and it erupts with particular violence at the end of the fifth movement. In the end, the concerto leaves you drained�and I wish that BIS had placed it at the end of the disc rather than at the beginning.

Piet Van Bockstal plays with staggering virtuosity and an almost terrifying conviction; he gets excellent support from Brabbins and the Lahti Symphony and from pianist Yutaka Oya. BIS�s engineers capture it all with their usual skill (on the 5.0 tracks, the sound is nearly palpable), and the notes, mainly by Aho himself, give just the information you need. In sum, strongly recommended.

FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

Borodin Quartet play Borodin, Stravinsky & Miaskovsky

"Borodin's String Quartet No.1 has been overshadowed by the ultra-tuneful No.2, which is indeed a lyrical masterpiece. It's predecessor is not quite that; then again, the Borodin Quartet's state-of-the-art performance of No.1 here shows that this is a winsome, engaging, far-too-neglected work with some really lovely moments, like the frosted glass sounds that open the Scherzo movement's trio section. Miaskovsky's Quartet No.13 too, is a warmly engaging creation, brimming with rich invention. And as played here in pungent, live-wire style, Stravinsky's one-movement Concertino sounds like the mini masterpiece it is." --Classic FM Magazine July 2010 *****

The acclaimed Borodin String Quartet�s second recording for Onyx. Borodin�s remarkable 1st quartet with its references to Beethoven�s op131 is coupled with Stravinsky�s wonderfully concise Concertino of 1920 and Myaskovsky�s epic 13th quartet.

The Borodin Quartet has been at the very centre of the chamber music world for over 60 years, and has seen several changes in personel during this period. This new Onyx recording is the first to feature the new cellist Vladimir Balshin who replaced Valentin Berlinsky recently.

Saint-Sa�ns: Piano Quartet & Piano Quintet

�The performances could hardly be more finely attuned to the technical challenges, while the composer's own booklet-notes set the scene succinctly...As a 'feast for the senses', Whalley's music demonstrably has much to recommend it.� --Gramophone Magazine, May 2013

�A gorgeous programme of Saint-Sa�ns� beguiling chamber music played with great authority and flair.� --MusicWeb International, April 2013

 �The Fine Arts Quartet play with perfectly judged elegance throughout. A fine recording.� --The Observer, June 2013

Saint-Sa�ns holds a vital place in the history of French chamber music. At a time when his compatriots were more devoted to opera and song, Saint-Sa�ns (who wrote both, too) repeatedly produced chamber music of compelling individuality and lasting significance. The 1875 Piano Quartet in B flat major, Op. 41 remains one of the great works in the chamber repertory, a masterful example of the composer�s organisational skill and lyric gifts. The gorgeous Barcarolle is followed by the youthful Piano Quintet in A minor, Op. 14, a brilliantly confident work with a concerto-like r�le for the piano.

Bach: Flute Sonatas

�Hewitt has never tried merely to copy the character and techniques of harpsichord on the piano. Rather, she translates one to the other, capitalising on their differences...[Oliva's] modern silver flute has a glorious shimmering quality and an even tone...[His] breath control is astonishing...Hewitt's clean articulation exemplary...this is an inspired modern-instrument take on Bach.� --BBC Music Magazine, April 2013 ****

�Oliva is alert to the stylistic nuances, both Baroque and galant, inherent in these works...What makes this recording stand out is Oliva and Hewitt's consummate musicality and palpable sense of ease, whatever the demands of the music.� --Gramophone Magazine, June 2013

Fans of Angela Hewitt will be delighted to find her in chamber mode, accompanying Andrea Oliva (described as �one of the best flutists of his generation, a shining star in the world of the flute� by Sir James Galway) in a programme of J S Bach�s flute sonatas (including one by his most famous and talented son, CPE). Of unfailingly remarkable quality, all these works exploit the full potential of an instrument which was only just coming into its own when they were written. Oliva�s lyricism and agility coupled with Hewitt�s musicianship�not to mention her lifelong rapport with Bach�s music�make this an album to treasure.

Schoenberg: Verkl�rte Nacht, Op. 4; Schubert; String Quintet in C major, D956

�A disc to make the uninitiated fall in love with Schoenberg; a big-hearted performance...which manages to combine intense refinement with unabashed emotion...[The Schubert] receives another compelling performance, and the massive scale barely registers...Wonderful, rich recording too.� --The Arts Desk, 29th June 2013

�they play with a control that brings real dramatic immediacy to the pieces...all the players converse with a single voice - the herding calls of the third movement [of the Schubert], for instance, have their own distinct colour simply by virtue of the other-worldly accuracy of their tuning.� --Gramophone Magazine, August 2013

All-star line-ups can be problematic in chamber music, but the depth of drama and colour in the stinging, swooning timbres identified by the Dutch violinist Janine Jansen and her friends...makes this Verkl�rte Nacht impressive.� --The Independent, 20th April 2013 ****

�they bring silky skills and subtle touches to two great string pieces...The dapper phrasing and translucent textures are wonderfully calculated, but the emotions sound a little lightweight, and the Schubert needs a sense of profundity.� --The Times, 20th April 2013 ***

�There's no trace here of starry individualism, but instead a real feeling of collegiate responsibility in the way that all the players constantly listen to each other and shade their own contributions accordingly. But, for my taste at least, it's much too strongly flavoured� --The Guardian, 25th April 2013 ***

�They generate an intoxicating mix of heady passions in Schoenberg�s Verkl�rte Nacht, at the same time maintaining impressive clarity of texture and shaping what can seem a sprawling work. And in a fresh-sounding performance of Schubert�s late quintet, they bring a relish of its boldness as well as an ambiguous poignancy.� --Sunday Times, 12th May 2013


�The individual strands of the chamber version make the music even more claustrophobic than it need be, so that by the end of the half-hour the feeling that you are in the sauna is overwhelming. This team makes sure that you share their efforts to the full.� --BBC Music Magazine, August 2013 ***

Yoshimatsu: Symphony No. 3, Saxophone Concerto

Takashi Yoshimatsu (b. 1953) is Chandos's composer in residence, and this is the third release of his music on that label. Yoshimatsu's music has tended to be in direct opposition to the music of Japan's greatest composer, Toru Takemitsu. Yoshimatsu's music is a mixture of tonalities, but tends to have a romantic heart regardless of how far he pushes his ideas. His Saxophone Concerto is a good example. The music has elements of jazz and blues, but Yoshimatsu allows the soloist (Nobuya Sugawa) room to explore newer sonic territory.

The Symphony No. 3 is much more cantankerous and moody, but still retains a melodic, tonal core with hints of American minimalism here and there. This is engaging, interesting music, decidedly more Western than Eastern. Highly recommended. --Paul Cook.

JS Bach: Double & Triple Concertos

�the music emerges with integrated, unaffected and airy naturalness...And in BWV1064R, the three-violin version here often outshines the surviving three-harpsichord version. Podger's Bach has always been something special: this is indispensable.� --BBC Music Magazine, June 2013 *****

�Bach's contrapuntal lines emerge with unusual clarity, animating each detail of the texture. There's little feeling of an imposed interpretation...The outer movements of the well-known Double Concerto are vivacious and poised, and its central Largo combines tranquillity with an unimpeded momentum.� --Gramophone Magazine, July 2013

�This is the most effervescent, zingy Bach Double Concerto I�ve heard. Close your eyes, don a pair of headphones, and listen to Rachel Podger and Bojan Cicic sparring with effortless, conversational fluency...A life-enhancing disc, infused with terpsichorean joie de vivre.� --The Arts Desk, June 2013
The dynamic ensemble Brecon Baroque was founded in 2007 by violinist and director Rachel Podger as resident ensemble at her annual Brecon Baroque Festival. The international line-up consists of some of the leading lights in the period-instrument world, such as cellist Alison McGillivray, flautist Katy Bircher, oboist Alexandra Bellamy and violist Jane Rogers, as well as some of Rachel's former students who now occupy leading positions in many of Europe's finest ensembles: violinists Bojan Cicic and Johannes Pramsohler.

Brecon Baroque specialises in the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries, mostly as a one-to-apart ensemble based on the Cafe Zimmerman ensemble which Bach himself directed. They also appear as a small baroque orchestra for Vivaldi, Telemann, Purcell and Handel. More than any other composer of his period, J. S. Bach realised the possibilities of the concerto avec plusieurs instruments.

Drawing on the precedents of Vivaldi and others, Bach�s probing musical intellect led him down novel paths of invention where the collaborative and antagonistic features of the genre reached unprecedented levels of complexity. (...) The state of the surviving musical sources for Bach�s concertos suggests that he produced them for a variety of contexts, whether the courtly milieu of K�then, the urban setting of the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig, or even for his own domestic entertainment. This was music that he was willing to rework for different occasions, and each of the concertos on this disc existed in more than one version. (from liner notes by Tim Jones)