May 2012

Although Franz Schubert's Lieder, his symphonies and his chamber music are staples in concert halls and on disc, his music for the stage is much less well known. He began composing operas in 1811, at the tender age of 13, and it is probable that the tuition he received from Antonio Salieri around that time fuelled his interest in the stage even further. Although he had one of his first public successes with the Singspiel Die Zwillingsbruder, Schubert later encountered difficulties in getting his operas staged: most of them would remain unperformed for a long time after his death in 1828, and are still rarities in the repertoire. With a few exceptions, the overtures to these works have suffered a similar neglect, even though they display an astonishing abundance of musical ideas, and possess a stirring dramatic character beyond anything found in the symphonic works. The striking originality of the music becomes even more obvious when performed on period instruments, as on the present recording with Manfred Huss and the fifty musicians in the Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, whose previous discs on BIS of works by Haydn have been warmly received by critics worldwide. Their recordings of Schubert's overtures were made in 1997 and for this re-release the original recording has been remastered by BIS Records.

Der Teufel als Hydraulicus (1811/12), Der Spiegelritter (1811/12), Des Teufels Lustschloss (1814, second version), Der vierjahrige Posten (1815), Claudine von Villa Bella (1815), Die Freunde von Salamanka (1815), Die Zwillingsbruder (1819), Alfonso und Estrella (1821), Die Verschworenen/Der hausliche Krieg (1823), Fierabras (1823)

Brought together by Anne Sofie von Otter, the four composers on this disc lived during the space of less than a century, from the birth of Erik Gustaf Geijer in 1783 to the death of Adolf Fredrik Lindblad in 1878, and thus prepared the ground for the great generation of Swedish song composers. The 32 songs selected by von Otter and Bengt Forsberg provide a broad image of the early development of a Swedish Lied tradition. At one end of the spectrum is the simple grace and tunefulness of Lindblad and Geijer's songs, while in comparison, Franz Berwald seems to have been more intent on breaking new ground with his relatively complex songs, attempting to reach an international audience through his settings of German and French texts. August Soderman, the youngest of the four, began his career as a successful theatre musician. Frequent public concerts and an introduction to the music of Wagner prompted him to search for new forms of musical expression in his songs, with the aim of creating a broader narrative with a greater dramatic force. With her usual gift for characterisation, Anne Sofie von Otter brings these largely forgotten miniatures to life with the support of Bengt Forsberg and, in two duets, the baritone Fredrik Zetterstrom.

Lindblad Aftonen, Der schlummernde Amor, Man tro? Jo jo!, Svanvits sang, Varning, Nattviolen, Frieriet (duet), Pa gamla dagar (duet), Vaggvisa, En sommardag, Gubben vid vagen, En ung flickas morgonbetraktelse, Brollopsfarden
Geijer Blomplockerskan, Gral och allt val, Min Politik, Skarslipargossen
Berwald Romance, Lebt wohl ihr Berge, Traum, A votre age, En parcourant les doux climats, Den 4 Juli 1844 (Konung Oscar!)
Soderman Jungfrun i rosengard, Jungfrun i det grona, Synden doden, Ich hab' im Traum geweinet, Im wunderschonen Monat Mai, Flickan i skogen, Ballade, Serenad, Majvisa

In March 1783, the readers of Cramer's Magazin der Musik could read abotu a certain 'Louis van Betthoven', a 'boy of promising talent', whose first published work was being advertised as 'nine variations for the pianoforte, written by him on a march, engraved at Mannheim.' The piece in question was the Dressler Variations, WoO 63, and it marked not only the beginning of an illustrious career, but also the start of Ludwig van Beethoven's lifelong involvement with variation form, culminating almost forty years later with the monumental Diabelli Variations for solo piano, and the third movement of his Ninth symphony. In this series, Ronald Brautigam has previously recorded early sonatas and sonatinas from the same period as the present works, a disc described by the reviewer on German web site Klassik Heute as 'providing a touching illustration of those times when the great Beethoven was simply young Ludwig' through playing which is 'simultaneously committed to the utmost purity of style and imbued with an immense musical exuberance'. As on the previous instalment in the series, Brautigam has chosen to perform these early variations on a fortepiano after a Walter and Sohn instrument from c. 1805.

Nine Variations on a March by Ernst Christoph Dressler WoO63, Six Variations on a Schweizer Lied WoO64, Twenty-four Variations on Venni Amore WoO65, Thirteen Variations on Es war einmal ein alter Mann WoO66, Twelve Variations on the Menuett a la Vigano WoO68, Nine Variations on Quant' e piu bello WoO69, Six Vartiations on Nel cor piu non mi sento WoO70

As the hub of a fledgling British Empire, London in 1710 was bursting with new wealth and offered the perfect setting for operatic entrepreneurs eager to spread the latest Italian fashions. It was a city of opportunity for Handel, fresh from spending 5 years in Italy, but also for many other touring musicians including Arcangelo Corelli, Francesco Maria Veracini and Francesco Geminiani. This recording unveils a portrait of the chameleon Handel, emerging with his early Italian-styled Amadigi, reaching maturity in the English operatic Hercules and arriving finally in the perennial melodic grace of Theodora, his penultimate oratorio. Extracts from these works, in which the young Norwegian mezzo-soprano Tuva Semmingsen displays both vocal agility and a wide-ranging emotional palette, are interspersed with instrumental works by Handel's Italian contemporaries. For further variety, the leader and artistic director of the ensemble Barokksolistene, Bjarte Eike, also performs a chamber work by Veracini, who visited London regularly during some three decades in the early 18th century.

Handel Extracts from Amadigi di Gaula - Act 1 Sinfonia, Arias: T'amai, Vado corro, O rendetemi; Act 3 Sinfonia, Aria: Sento la gioia;
Extracts from Hercules - Act 3 Sinfonia, Recitativo accompagnato: Where shall I fly?;
Theodora -As with rosy steps
Corelli Concerto grosso in D major Op 6 No 4, Veracini Sonata in A major for violin and continuo Op 2 No 9, Geminiani Concerto grosso in D minor No 12 'La Follia'

The 45 cantatas and cantatilles by Thomas-Louis Bourgeois exactly follow - with regard to the time period and the development of style - the genesis, proliferation and decline of the French cantata. The five cantatas recorded here are taken from his first two collections. Boree, Hipomene and Les Sirenes are part of the fist volume of which Brossard said: 'This is one of the best works that was ever created in this genre.' After its publication in 1708, the volume was repeatedly published over the following 40 years, a sign of its success. Equally at home on the concert and opera stages, soprano Carolyn Sampson has enjoyed notable success in the UK as well as throughout Europe and the US. The 2011-2012 season includes debuts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly, as well as concerts with Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. She will give recitals at Wigmore Hall and Amsterdam Concertgebouw and will return to Glyndebourne Festival for Purcell's The Fairy Queen.

Bourgeois Les Sirenes,  Boree, Zephire et Flore, Hippomene, Psiche

This recording of Alceste is performed by the Early Opera Company and Christian Curnyn, whose other Handel recordings for Chandos have all received glowing accolades. The production of Alceste was initially envisaged as an expensive collaboration between the Scottish-born novelist and playwright Tobias Smollett, the Covent Garden company of actors and singers, the theatre owner and manager John Rich, the prestigious composer Handel, and the elaborate scenery designer Giovanni Servadoni. However, soon after full rehearsals began, Alceste was aborted permanently. Theories about the cancellation abound but whatever the reason, Smollett's abandoned script for the play was lost, and only Handel's incidental music survives today. Although Handel never performed his music for Alceste, he characteristically found plenty of practical uses for it. He adapted several sinfonias, choruses, and arias to form the majority of music for The Choice of Hercules, and several other numbers were later used in revivals of Belshazzar and Alexander Balus.

This is Volume 2 in the series of orchestral works by Alfredo Casella, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda, with the pianist Martin Roscoe. The disc also forms part of the Italian Series on Chandos, in association with Ricordi Music and the BBC Philharmonic. International Record Review said of the previous volume: 'Anyone with more than a passing interest in this fascinating composer needs to have this remarkable disc.' Albeit largely forgotten today, Casella was in fact one of the most important composers of his generation, possessing creativity in abundance, and rare technical skill. The earliest music on this disc, A notte alta, is Casella's only piece of programme music, inspired, the composer tells us, 'by sentimental events in my personal life'. Unlike most Italian composers of his generation, Casella had no operatic ambitions in the early part of his career. It was not until after his return to Italy from Paris in 1915 that he began to take a creative interest in the theatre, and the result was La donna serpente. This operatic score has much in common with Mozart's Die Zauberflote, from the magic and comic elements to the heroic rescue of a beautiful young woman, in this case a half fairy-queen condemned to assume the shape of a serpent for 200 years. The Concerto for Orchestra, Op 61 was written to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. It was performed for the first time by this orchestra in its famous concert hall in 1938.

Concerto for Orchestra
A notte alta
Suites Nos 1 and 2 from La donna serpente

Founded in 1983, regularly giving more than 60 concerts a year, and having performed in over 40 different countries, the Schubert Ensemble is firmly established as one of the world's leading exponents of chamber music for piano and strings. The Ensemble here performs Piano Quintet No 2, arguably one of Dvorak's greatest and most popular chamber pieces, thanks to its memorable melodies and sheer panache. The composer took great pride in his country, and in his people, their character and cultural heritage, all of which is evident in this work. Dvorak wrote his Piano Quartet No 2 at the persistent request of his publisher Simrock in Berlin, who had long recognised the sales potential of the composer's music. He was not wrong; the work went on to become one of Dvorak's most frequently played chamber works. The seven songs which make up the cycle Gypsy Songs were written in 1880 to texts by the Czech poet Adolf Heyduk. The version heard here, for piano quartet, was arranged by the four core members of the Schubert Ensemble, and is a highly popular encore piece performed at many of its concerts.

Piano Quintet No 2 in A major Op 81
Piano Quartet No 2 in E flat major Op 87
Gypsy Songs - Songs My Mother Taught Me Op 55 No 4 (arr. for piano quartet)

This is the fourth disc in our series dedicated to the orchestral works of Mieczyslaw Weinberg, performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Thord Svedlund. The cello soloist is Claes Gunnarson, one of Sweden's leading cellists, who combines the post as Principal Cello of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra with a brilliant solo career. After the Second World War, along with many other composers, Weinberg was subjected to a series of campaigns against so-called Formalism in the Soviet arts. As a result he turned his attention to concertante works, a medium less prone to censure than symphonies, sonatas and quartets. The first movement of the Cello Concerto shares the tense, pensive lyricism found in the opening Nocturne of Shostakovich's almost exactly contemporaneous First Violin Concerto. In the 1970s, Weinberg's symphonic production went in two distinct but complementary directions. One of these was at the patriotic end of the Socialist Realist spectrum, while the other was much more abstract. Weinberg's highly austere five-movement Symphony No 20 clearly falls into the latter category - challenging, perplexing, and unpredictable. A previews volume in Chandos' Weinberg series (CHSA5089) was nominated for a Grammy this year, in the Best Engineered Album category.

Cello Concerto Op 43
Symphony No 20 Op 150

Every epoch has had its group dances, and they have always been a source of inspiration to composers. In the interwar period, the Blues and Charleston meant as much to composers as the Sarabande and Gigue did to Johann Sebastian Bach and the Polonaise and Mazurka to Frederic Chopin. The advent of American jazz and dance music in Europe was a gift from the gods for young composers hungry to find new paths and means of expression. Even though the word jazz meant little more than syncopated march and dance music based on ragtime, there was no stopping the rage. Jazz represented a radical break with the traditional, old-fashioned way of life of the nineteenth century, and made a wonderful match with the elated expectations that had replaced wartime suffering. Within just a few years, jazz fever swept across Europe. This CD is a collection of some of the gems of the jazz era.

Wolpe (arr. Geert van Keulen) Suite from the Twenties
Burian Suite Americaine (Americka Suita) Op 15 (1926)
Martinu Jazz Suite (1928)
Seiber Jazzolette Nos 1 and 2
Milhaud La Creation du monde

It goes without saying that Telemann had a thorough command of the French and Italian styles. Countless ensembles, including the Holland Baroque Society, have played such pieces. In 'Barbaric Beauty' the Holland Baroque Society follow a completely different path by focussing on Telemann's Polish style. At least, this is how he described the pieces he wrote after discovering the music played along the Polish-Hungarian border. It was at the beginning of his career, when he was just 25 years old, that he heard sounds that were to inspire him throughout his life. Telemann writes in his autobiography: 'In 1704 I was appointed Chapelmaster in Sorau (Zary) by His Excellence Count Erdmann von Promnitz. When the Court resided for six months in Plesse and Krakow, I became acquainted with both Polish music and the music of the Hanaks. This in all its barbaric beauty. (The Hanaks are Czechs from Moravia) The music came from four different instruments: an extremely shrill violin, a Polish bagpipe, a bass trombone and a regal. On one occasion I even heard thirty-six bagpipes and eight violins together. One can hardly imagine the brilliant ideas the wind players and violinists brought forth during the improvisations at moments when the dancers were allowed to rest.' It is striking that Telemann was explicitly interested in the improvisations, mentioning the 'brilliant ideas' for which there was only occasion when the band could free itself of the tight metre and musical requirements of the dance. Telemann wrote with enthusiasm: 'If you were to write down all that was played there, after a week you would have enough ideas for the rest of your life. If you know how to turn it to your own advantage, there is so much good to be had from this music.' He also wrote: 'Later I wrote large-scale concertos and trios in this style, which I subsequently gave an Italian look to by alternating Adagios and Allegros.'

Telemann Perpetuum Mobile, Les Janissaires, Mourky, Hanaquoise, Marche, Mezzetin en Turc
Collection Uhrovec
Collection Szirmay-Keczer

Vivaldi's instrumental chamber works cannot be dated with any certainty, nor do we know for whom they were written. Despite this lack of information, we can surmise he produced them for his pupils at the Pieta, perhaps during the late 1720s and 30s. Bach, Telemann and several French composers all explored the chamber concerto medium to a great degree. 18th-century Italian composers, who concentrated on opera, sacred and secular music for the voice, appear to have ignored it, with the exception of Vivaldi.

A score of a flute concerto by Vivaldi was recently discovered by the musicologist Andrew Woolley among the Marquess of Lothian family papers in the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is thought that the score of the concerto by Vivaldi, titled Il Gran Mogol, was collected in the 1730s by Lord Robert Kerr, the son of the third Marquis of Lothian, during a 'grand tour' of continental Europe. During his Grand Tour, Lord Kerr may have actually attended a concert at the Ospedale Della Pieta, a major attraction for foreign visitors to the city. On that tour, Kerr, a flautist, is also believed to have acquired three pieces found in the same folder as the concerto. He was commissioned into the army in 1739, was captain of the grenadiers and died at the battle of Culloden in 1746, fighting for government forces against the Jacobites. Il Gran Mogol, referring to India or the Mogul empire, is believed to have been written by Vivaldi in the late 1720s or early 1730s as part of a quartet of short 'national' concertos. The other three in this collection were entitled La Franca, La Spagna, and L'Inghilterro. All four of these concertos were referred to in the sales catalogue of an 18th-century Dutch bookseller, but only Il Gran Mogol has since been discovered.

Concerto Madrigalesco RV 129, Laudate Pueri RV 601, Il Gran Mogul RV 431a, Motet - Nulla in mundo RV 630, Concerto in B flat RV 547

The Duos for Violin and Viola by Mozart have long been favourite pieces of ours – pieces we'd take out and play when there wasn't a keyboard player or cellist to hand, or busk as teenagers to earn extra pocket money. Back then, the audience's response clearly indicated how appealing these pieces were as our takings always doubled when we played them! These works never cease to amaze – Mozart uses the two instruments so effectively and with such exquisite craftsmanship that he never leaves one wondering where the rest of the string quartet might have gone….They are also hugely engaging to play and so endlessly rich and interesting that the appeal to the listener is guaranteed. Mozart's reference to other genres is always fascinating. In this case the writing is dramatic, operatic even (the violin taking the role as soprano diva (!) and the viola as the heroic tenor?!). One could perhaps go as far to say that these duos are distillations of the art of chamber music as in the Haydn quartets, but more naturally recreational and less self-conscious. For a violist they are about as exposed as you can be; hitherto very few sonatas or concerti had been written for solo viola – and the accompaniment would seldom have been as scant as a single violin. The conversational and imitative nature of the writing allows for freedom and characterization, and it was refreshing and rewarding to be as spontaneous as possible in the recording sessions. It was also a diverting and enjoyable experience to record two of the Michael Haydn duos, previously unknown to us both. The character of these pieces is often reminiscent of Austrian folkmusic and it really seems as if you can hear the yodelling vernacular bouncing off the mountains in timely echoes. The challenges in these works are quite different to those of his friend Wolfgang – the demands placed on the violinist are obvious as the writing is busy, yet in need of a casual fluidity, whereas the violist has the task of being constantly inventive with material which is largely accompanimental (melody and bass, in effect). Who knows? Maybe Wolfgang and Michael tried these out during Mozart's visit to Salzburg when he helped his friend complete a set of six Sonatas in 1783.' - Rachel Podger and Jane Rogers

Mozart Duo for violin and viola in G major, Duo for violin and viola in B flat major, Menuetto
M Haydn Duo for violin and viola No 1 in C major, Duo for violin and viola No 2 in D major

The music of Giovanni Bottesini is a must for double bass players. It was a dream come true for me to have the opportunity to record my favourite Bottesini pieces with my favourite ensemble Amsterdam Sinfonietta, who I have so enjoyed working with for the past ten years. And it is an unforgettable experience to make a recording with friends including the top soloists Liza Ferschtman, Monika Leskovar, Candida Thompson and Hans Eijsackers, not to forget my own sister Christianne.' - Rick Stotjin

Capriccio di Bravura, Duo Concertante auf Bellini I Puritani Thema, Gran Duo Concertante, Grande Allegro di concerto alla Mendelssohn, Une bouche aimee Tutto Che Il Mondo serra

A magnificent recording of Bartok's thrilling phsychological drama. 'Despite occasional successful stagings of this opera, it is concert performances that stir up the feelings of audiences most. I have witnessed many times in performances of this psycho-drama that listeners, staring at the faces of the two singers for sixty minutes, or following a surtitled or printed libretto translation during Bartok's deeply emotional music, were confronted with themselves. The prologue is very important; this is in fact a story about us. Usually, after the opera has ended, discussions break out, dividing men and women. Whereas everybody seems to understand why Judit cannot resist her desire to open all the doors, Bluebeard's character remains controversial. Is it right or wrong, necessary or unnecessary to keep certain doors closed? Why does he need to lock Judit up after she has discovered his secrets? Is the blood real, or does it exist only in Judit's fearful imagination? This Bluebeard is not a killer, even if he has a bad reputation and Judita sees blood everywhere. All the earlier wives are alive in his heart, behind closed doors. Bartok, who was himself a closed, shy man, seems to have been fascinated by strange-looking characters who turn out to feel endless love. This links Bluebeard to the Miraculous Mandarin. I am very grateful to Mr Vikarius and Mr Somfai of the Bartok archive in Budapest, who drew my attention to a number of errors in the printed score which we have been able to correct in this new recording. I also want to thank the Budapest State Opera, who lent us the very rare keyboard xylophone which gives the torture chamber scene its authentic colour.' - Ivan Fischer

A new recording from Roberta Invernizzi always betokens pleasure, but the rare occasion when the Italian soprano is placed in the spotlight - as with this new collection of opera arias by Antonio Vivaldi - promises something very special indeed. Invernizzi is known for her style and dramatic vividness in the music of the Baroque, perfectly suitable for this new rollercoaster journey of the emotions released by Glossa, courtesy of Vivaldi's own fertile dramatic capacity to capture moods - pastoral evocations, storms at sea, hunting and even prison scenes. The programme offers a set of contrasts in known arias from Vivaldi's operatic music and those which deserve to be better known. Invernizzi's interpretation is aided by La Risonanza's fine group of instrumentalists; and, of course, there is sympathetic direction from Fabio Bonizzoni. A wonderful opportunity to get closer to the unfolding world of Vivaldi's dramatic music with the dazzling and alluring voice of Roberta Invernizzi.

Combatta unngentil cor (Tito Manlio), Leggi almeno tiranna infedele (Ottone in Villa), Da due venti un mar turbato (Ercole sul Termodonte), Non ti lusinghi la crudeltade (Tito Manlio), Rete lacci e strali adopra (Dorilla in Tempe), Se garrisce la rondinella (Orlando finto pazzo), Ombre vane ingiusti orrori (Griselda), Fra le procelle del mar turbato (Tito Manlio), Dite ohime! Ditelo al fine (La Fida Ninfa), Nacque al bosco e nacque al prato (Il Giustino), Tu dormi in tante pene (Tito Manlio), Gelosia, tu gia rendi l'alma mia (Ottone in Villa), Se mai senti spirarti sul volto (Catone in Utica), Dopo un'orrida procella (Griselda)

Here for the first time on CD is Glyndebourne's acclaimed 1996 production of Handel's oratorio Theodora. Although Theodora is a story of a virtuous woman and sexual persecution, this has not proved to be an obstacle to its enduring success, the subject a deeply touching one, resonating from the age of antiquity to the present day. This audio release, in no way detracting from the extraordinary Peter Sellar's production, allows the focus to be on the soloists, conductor and orchestra. This recording confirms Lorraine Hunt as a true Handelian, capturing the spirit of Irene as few others could. In counter-tenor David Daniels as Didymus, there is a breadth of range drawing the listener away from the oft strained and forced falsetto sound, From the ouset Dawn Upshaw is a heartfelt Theodora culminating magnificently in her final duet with Daniels 'Thither let our hearts aspire...' the delivery, sensitivity and ensemble nothing short of astounding. There is no better choice of debut release from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on the Glyndebourne label, William Christie's musical approach one of transcendence, making the most of this wonderful music.

As is his custom, Andreas Staier has gone back to the original manuscript of one of the most famous sets of variations in history: Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. But he has not restricted his works to recording the magnum opus, since the CD begins with a selection of the variations written by some of the other 50 composers Diabelli asked to tak part in his project. Here you can discover the very first stirrings of Liszt's virtuosity (aged eleven!), the music of Mozart's son, the unexpected variations of Kreutzer and Kalkbrenner, and the Diabelli Variation of a certain Franz Schubert. A thrilling musical investigation!

Theme (Diabelli) and variations by Czerny, Hummel, Kalkbrenner, Kerzkowsky, Kreutzer, Liszt, Moscheles, Pixis, Mozart and Schubert
Beethoven Diabelli Variations Op 120

To mark the close of an outstanding 13-season tenure as Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic, Christopher Seaman leads his orchestra in a program of music which he holds especially dear: Vaughan Williams' London Symphony and the Serenade To Music (with singers from Mercury Opera Rochester). 'A Grammy-level performance.' (City Newspaper, Rochester, concert review)

Symphony No 2 'A London Symphony'
Serenade to Music (original version 1939)

Following his highly acclaimed Beethoven 'Moonlight', 'Pathetique', and 'Waldstein' Sonatas release, Hyperion's Gramophone-award-winning artist Steven Osborne turns his talents to Beethoven's complete Bagatelles. Though the composer himself referred to these thirty short piano works, which he penned throughout his life, as 'trifles', these are nonetheless trifles from the mind of a genius. In this polished album, Osborne lends his remarkable artistry to everything from the Six Bagatelles of Op 126, which at times occupy the same rarefied spiritual world as the late quartets and were the very last works Beethoven ever wrote for the piano, to the composer's most famous stand-alone piano piece, the mysterious little A minor Bagatelle known to all the world as 'Fur Elise'.

Seven Bagatelles Op 33
Eleven Bagatelles Op 119
Six Bagatelles Op 126
Allegretto quasi andante in G minor WoO61a
Bagatelle in C major WoO56
Bagatelle in C minor WoO52
Bagatelle in B flat major WoO60
Allegretto in B minor WoO61
Klavierstuck in A minor 'Fur Elise' WoO59

Among Schumann's inspired late chamber works is a collection of music for more unusual instruments, composed in a concentrated flurry of creativity between 1849 and 1853 and written specifically for particular players, and it is to these exquisite short works that the world-famous Nash Ensemble turns its impeccable collective musicianship. While Schumann modelled his music specifically to the timbres of the instruments he wrote for - piano, violin, horn, clarinet, and oboe - he also arranged these pieces for alternative instruments with an eye to maximising sales. Here, however, the soloists from the Nash Ensemble present the works in their original scoring in what are bound to be definitive performances - the delicious Fantasiestucke for clarinet, and the fiery and lyrical Marchenbilder, which feature star British violia player Lawrence Power. Other delights include the Adagio and Allegro for horn, a brilliant showpiece, the Violin Sonata No 1, Drei Romanzen for oboe and piano, and the Marchenerzahlungen for clarinet, viola and piano.

Adagio and Allegro Op 70
Marchenbilder Op 73
Fantasiestucke Op 73
Marchenerzahlungen Op 132
Drei Romanzen Op 94
Violin Sonata No 1 in A minor Op 105

2 CDs for the price of 1
Acclaimed pianist Piers Lane and his fellow Australians the Goldner String Quartet reprise their highly successful partnership in these world-premiere recordings of the two String Quartets and Piano Quintet of Irish composer Hamilton Harty. Born in County Down, Harty (1879-1941) was a remarkable, self-taught musician who wrote in a lyrical Romantic idiom, as evidenced in these appealing works, while incorporating a modal astringency and folk-music charm that is reminiscent of Percy Grainger. In particular, the winding, pentatonic melody of the Lento of the Piano Quintet - a lusciously big-boned work worthy of Tchaikovsky - and the delightful 9/8 'hop jig' of the first movement of String Quartet No 2 seem like settings of folk-melodies that have echoed for centuries around the green hills of Ireland. Intriguingly, however, they are entirely Harty's own invention.

Piano Quintet in F major Op 12
String Quartet No 2 in A minor Op 5
String Quartet No 1 in F major Op 1

Christopher Tye flourished as a church musician in England during the mid-sixteenth century. A direct contemporary of Thomas Tallis, he held the prestigious post of Master of Choristers at Ely cathedral and successfully managed to compose music for both Protestant and Catholic services during a politically unstable time. Henry VIII was a fan, asserting: 'England one God, one truth, one doctor hath for music's art - and that is Dr Tye' (Tye himself had Protestant leanings). The composer was also described as 'peevish and humoursome', and these qualities are reflected in his remarkably individual music, characterised by unpredictable cadences and phrases of often unexpectedly startling beauty. The two major works on this recording are his masterful Missa Euge bone for six voices, and his Western Wynde Mass, probably an early work, and likely written as a complement to John Taverner's own Mass based on this secular English song. The peerless Westminster Abbey Choir directed by James O'Donnell performs these sparsely beautiful a cappella works with customary freshness and sense of grandeur.

Quaesumus omnipotens et misericors Deus
Miss Euge bone
Give almes of thy goods
Christ rising
Peccavimus cum patribus nostris
Western Wynde Mass
Nunc Dimittis

Legendary composer and sitarist Ravi Shankar is one of India's most highly esteemed musical ambassadors, renowned for his pioneering work in bringing Indian music to the West. 2010 saw the premiere of his ambitious fusion work, his first symphony conceived for a Western symphony orchestra, which translates the aural sensibilities and sound-worlds of Indian music into a Western structural framework. In this live recording of the work's premiere, David Murphy conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Ravi Shankar's daughter Anoushka on sitar.

The Symphonic Dances, an orchestral suite in three sections, was the last work Rachmaninov completed and proved one of his most popular compositions. Although rarely sentimental, it draws on many of the composer's reminiscences of Russia, from where he emigrated in 1917. It is characteristically lyrical with vivacious rhythmic sections, reminiscent of  Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and the composer's own Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Gergiev couples the Symphonic Dances with another work in three movements by a Russian emigre to the USA. Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements was written between 1942-45 and was the first work Stravinsky completed after his arrival in the USA. Although he claimed it was a 'War Symphony', his true inspiration was typically vague. 'How beautifully blended and responsive they [LSO] are under Gergiev's direction...there is much to enjoy here, not least an orchestra that is at the very top of its game under its charismatic conductor' - International Record Review (UK)

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements

3 years after the first recording dedicated to Vivaldi scores discovered between 2000 and 2007 all over Europe, this second volume features the most recent discoveries on a world premiere recording, and will help to complete one of the most fascinating jigsaw puzzles in musical history. This recording includes 3 major works: a violin concerto, a flute concerto and 4 opera arias from L'inganno trionfante in amore, one of the most important lost scores of Vivaldi. Alongside Federico Maria Sardelli and his orchestra Modo Antiquo, this recording features great names of the repertoire: mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg, violinist Anton Steck and flautist Alexis Kossenko.

Flute Concerto in D minor 'Il Gran Mogol' RV 431a
Son nel Mar d'aspri tormenti, S'odo quel rio che mormora  (L'Inganno trionfante in amore)
Violin Concerto in F  major RV 817
Palpita il core e freme, Langue il fior su l'arsa sponda (L'Inganno trionfante in amore)
Violin Sonata in D major RV 816
Vaghe luci belle (L'Ipermestra)
Violin Sonata in C major RV 815

Thirty years on from their acclaimed recording for Erato, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir return to the Bach Motets in a new SDG recording, taken from a concert in London in 2011 at the end of a tour which was performances in Italy, France, The Netherlands and Germany. The Motets can be seen as some of Bach's most perfect and hypnotic compositions. Through their extraordinary complexity and density, they require exceptional virtuosity and sensitivity from all the performers. Each motet is endlessly fascinating, and each inhabits its own sound world, Bach's masterful use of canon, fugue and counterpoint, and the brilliant exploitation of double-choir sonorities are perfectly matched by the Monteverdi Choir's virtuosity. The album is packaged in a hard back book similar to SDG's other releases. It contains a 44 page booklet with original notes by John Eliot Gardiner and texts in German, English and French.

Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden BWV 230
Komm Jesu Komm BWV 229
Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf BWV 226
Jesu meine Freude BWV 227
Furchte dich nicht ich bin bei dir BWV 228
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied BWV 225
Ich lasse dich nicht du segnest mich denn BWV Anh 159

Abbado's approach to the music of Bruckner is soft and songlike, at times tense and urgent, but constantly filled with warmth of feeling' - and it's not only the Neue Suercher Seitung that is full of praise when Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra play Bruckner!  Their interpretation of his awe-inspiring Fifth Symphony reflects the composer's burgeoning powers and exquisite compositional artistry.  As The Guardian poetically states: 'The composer himself, one suspects, might have leapt to embrace Abbado as an ideal interpreter.'  Recorded at Lucerne Festival 2011

Also on Blu-ray ACC10243