Giacomo Puccini the organist/DIAPASON D'OR!
Artist(s):Liuwe Tamminga Composer:PUCCINI
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 captivated generations of pianists, then György Ligeti and finally his friend György Kurtág. Michiels likes to dream that the 1894 Érard grand piano on which the Préludes by Chopin and Debussy were recorded might once have adorned a salon that Proust visited.
“I wondered whether music was not the only example of how souls might have communicated if language had not been invented, words formulated and ideas analysed. It is like a possibility that has not been acted upon."
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), Préludes op. 28 Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Préludes Book 1 & 2 György Ligeti (1923-2006), Études pour piano Book 1 & 2 (selected works) György Kurtág (*1926), Játékok Book 5 & 9 (selected works)16 other products in the same category:
Artist(s):Liuwe Tamminga Composer:PUCCINI
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...
Artist(s):Oxalys & Dietrich Henschel Composer:C. Debussy, A. Zemlinsky, F. Busoni, G. Mahler
Artist(s):Oxalys ensemble Composer:Debussy, Martin, Caplet, Pierné
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...
Oxalys is one of Belgium leading chamber music groups who specialises in the repertoire of the 20th century.
Artist(s):Alexei Lubimov Composer:Erik Satie
Artist(s):Sergei Istomin & Viviana Sofronitski Composer:Felix Mendelssohn
The Richter Ensemble performs music from the 17th to the 20th century exclusively on gut strings and uses its experience with historical performance practice to heighten the sense for the development of musical language over the centuries. The ensemble is passionately dedicated to the music of the Second Viennese School and, based on its research, has decided that the time is ripe to steer the...
Artist(s):Piet Kuijken on Pianoforte J.B. Streicher N° 6680 (1868) Composer:Johannes Brahms
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...
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...
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...
Artist(s):José Pizarro, David Aijón Composer:Robert Schumann
Artist(s):il Gardellino & Arthur Schoonderwoerd Composer:Ludwig van Beethoven