Vienna. 1803. George Bridgetower, a violinist of Afro-European descent, causes furore with his virtuosity and captivates Beethoven, who writes a devilish and magnificent sonata for his unique and exotic character. Despite the premiere’s enormous success performed by both of them, an unfortunate comment by the violinist about one of the composer’s female friends leads to this famous sonata being...
Without doubt, Benjamin Britten (1913-76) left an indelible impression on every genre of 20th century English music. However, it is his smaller scale vocal repertoire that is particularly fascinating. Featuring three of Britten’s “Canticles” as well as a selection of his best realizations (or “arrangements,” if you will) of songs by Henry Purcell (1659-95), this recording represents the mature...
Alejo de los Reyes had his first experience of playing the guitar in Argentina with his parents, who were classical guitar players and teachers. In his parents’ home, Argentine folk music was part of every celebration and every gathering, and the tango was his grandfather’s favourite music. During his studies, De los Reyes played alternately in classical concert halls and tango salons. After...
Franz Schubert (1797-1827) was an extremely prolific composer, but his entire output for violin and piano fits on two CDs. His bold use of tonalities is already evident in the early works from 1816 and 1817, which clearly reflect his admiration for Mozart. The first three are labelled "Sonatina", possibly intended to appeal to amateur musicians. However, they are highly complex works by the...
After a very successful lifetime, albeit marked by long years of physical and psychological suffering, Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) chose Passy, on the outskirts of Paris, as the place to spend the final years of his life. Here Rossini recovered his health and began composing again after years of inactivity. During these years, in addition to the wonderful Petite Messe solennelle, he wrote...
In this recording, Jan Michiels transports us back to the Parisian salons of the 19th century. These were not only an ideal environment for Chopin – his Préludes op. 28 are a recurring thread throughout this album – but also for Debussy, whose Préludes are closely correlated with those of Chopin. Michiels opens his salon to various visitors: first Alfred Cortot, whose Chopin interpretations...
In addition to his famous large-scale song cycles, Schubert also composed and published numerous smaller song compilations. Some of these “miniature cycles” consist of songs written at different times and under different circumstances, but which Schubert himself assembled on the basis of thematic and textual connections. The selected cycles appeared in print during Schubert’s publishing career...
Flemish composer Johan Huys is equally proficient on all keyboard instruments, but he is best known as a harpsichordist. He was president of the competition at the MA Festival Bruges for 39 years. For this world-famous competition, which is inextricably linked to him, he composed several pieces for harpsichord, including the compulsory work for the 2018 harpsichord competition: Ceci n’est pas...
Spanish Guitar music from around 1930 with works dedicated to Regino Sáinz de la Maza (1896-1981). Yiannnis Efstathopoulos performs with an historical informed approach, using a Spanish guitar modelled on the type that was used around 1930 with gut strings. this results in highlighting each string’s individual character and the delicate balance between the high and low strings. Works by Julián...
In 1959, two composers wrote nonets: Nino Rota’s melodic Nonetto, on which he would continue to work for almost 20 years, and Bohuslav Martinů’s farewell chamber music piece, a nonet, which he composed as a last piece to satisfy his longing for his homeland. Eisler did not compose his nonet in his native country either, but arrived in Mexico in 1941 as a refugee from the Nazis. There he wrote...
