Label: BAYER SACD 100348
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FREDERIC CHOPIN: Ballades in G minor Op. 23, F major Op. 38, A flat major Op. 47, F minor Op. 52; Fantaisie in F minor Op. 59; Barcarolle in F sharp major Op. 60; Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major Op. 61. Burkard Schliessmann, piano. Burkard Schliessmann, who completed his musical studies as a pupil in the master-class of Herbert Seidel, Shura Cherkassky, Bruno Leonardo Gelber and Poldi Mildner, is regarded as one of the influential pianists of the modern era. He has received numerous prizes and awards of merits for his interpretations. The concerts he gave in the USA, Japan and at European festivals including Paris, the Munich summer piano festival, the Frankfurt festival and the Mallorca/Valldemossa Chopin festival were all received with similar acclaim from the public and critics alike. Famous critics have had no hesitation in placing him alongside the finest pianists: "This is the most imaginative playing one has heard yet on the level of Richter, Michelangeli, Serkin, Wild, Gould - the highest order of artistry" wrote the "High Performance Review" in the USA. When he is working on a piece of music, Burkard Schliessmann always has Hegel in mind: "art isn't all about a pleasant or useful musical mechanism, but about laying bare the truth". After an initial, seemingly improvised phase, Schliessmann explores the smallest of structures, whilst at the same time conducting a rigorous analysis of the independent interfaces between the various parameters - melody, rhythm and harmony. The individual sound is always the carrier of the whole - suffused with its own identity, interpreted through the personality of the performer. In addition to this "parameter polyphony", Schliessmann always takes into consideration philosophy, literature, sociology, history of art and the natural sciences in his works. Underlying this analytical process is a profound understanding of musical composition and contemporary history. Thus Schliessmann is able to free himself from the background so carefully studied and bring to his work, thanks to an intuitive knowledge of these complex relationships, a fresh, almost improvised artistic interpretation, and this is all the listener perceives... (SACD-HYBRID)

Label: BIS SACD 1390
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12 Etudes, Op. 10; 12 Etudes, Op. 25 - Freddy Kempf, piano
Ever since becoming the youngest winner of the BBC Young Musician award Freddy Kempf has been making waves in the world of music – not least in the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition where he shot to prominence when the jury and the public vociferously disagreed about the choice of winner! A succession of recordings for BIS has served to confirm his reputation as an unusually exciting performer who is prepared to take risks for the sake of the music. On the current disc Freddy Kempf returns to Chopin – a choice of composer that the critics loudly applauded last time (on BIS-CD-1160). (A typical comment read: ‘This disc is never less than fascinating. It shows a young tiger with an absolute command of the keyboard.’) On the present disc Freddy Kempf performs the two cycles of Études that Chopin wrote at two different stages of his life. Those who are unfamiliar with the music should not be put off by the title. These works are études in the sense that they make massive demands on pianistic technique. But they are first and foremost musical statements that all exhibit a very clear structure. Indeed the very first of the études makes no attempt to hide its admiration for J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with echoes of the first prelude in C major. Freddy Kempf’s formidable technique on his instrument enables him to communicate a sense of enjoyment and discovery in these 24 studies which, if they did not require such extensive preparation, would surely be heard more often. There are no “freebies” for the performer in this repertoire. But there is all the more musical insight for the listener.

Label: BIS SACD 1459
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BRETT DEAN: Demons (dedicated to Sharon Bezaly – World Premiere Recording)
ERNST VON DOHNANYI: Passacaglia
CARL-AXEL DOMINIQUE: Songlines (dedicated to Sharon Bezaly – World Premiere Recording);
CECILE CHAMINADE: Piece romantique
CASPAR DIETHELM: Zodiak (World Premiere Recording);
JEAN DONJON: Le chant du vent
FRANÇOIS DEVIENNE: Sonata No. 4 in G major;
CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Syrinx

Sharon Bezaly, flute

In what American Record Guide has called 'one of the most interesting series going', Sharon Bezaly and her golden flute have reached the third instalment. By its very nature, an alphabetical anthology of the literature for solo flute creates exciting possibilities for combining works across styles and periods on the same disc. On the first volume, termed 'an in every respect remarkable CD'‚ by Klassik Heute (which also gave the disc a special recommendation), Bezaly juxtaposed Finnish composer Kalevi Aho and J.S. Bach. The following instalment saw the unlikely combination of Boismortier and Elliott Carter, with results that made the reviewer in International Record Review exclaim: 'Anyone who has yet to encounter the playing of the astonishing young flautist, Sharon Bezaly, should do so without delay'. For this volume, covering the letters C and D of the alphabet, the choice has been made to make the recording in multi-channel. This means that the resulting hybrid Super Audio-CD offers the possibility of hearing works by Cécile Chaminade, Claude Debussy and others in Surround Sound. (Like all BIS hybrid SACDs, the disc also contains a stereo version playable on all CD players.) As with previous volumes, C-D includes music specifically written for this project and dedicated to Sharon Bezaly.

Label: BIS SACD 1559
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JOAQUIN RODRIGO (1901 – 1999): Concierto pastoral for flute and orchestra (1978); FRANÇOIS BORNE (1840 – 1920): Fantaisie brillante sur des airs de Carmen (arr. for flute and orchestra by G. Chiaramello); JACQUES IBERT (1890 – 1962): Concerto for flute and orchestra (1934)

Sharon Bezaly, flute; São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/John Neschling
Separated by the Pyrenees, the musical milieus of Spain and France have sometimes been like oil and water – or maybe like oil and wine. It took Bizet's opera Carmen to open the ears of the French to the Spanish rhythms and inflections, which were to become so important to so many later composers, from Debussy to Ibert. On the present disc, Carmen – in the guise of Borne's Fantaisie brillante – plays a similar role, creating a bridge between Rodrigo's Concierto pastoral and Ibert's Flute Concerto, two of last century's main concertante works for the flute. Soloist Sharon Bezaly will hardly need a closer presentation after her highly praised recordings of the past couple of years. Her recital with pianist Ronald Brautigam (BIS-SACD-1429) and her recording of Mozart's concertos (BIS-SACD-1539), to mention only two, have garnered such high praise and so many distinctions that it would be impossible to list them – suffice it to say that the reviewers have called her 'a sorceress of timbres', 'God's gift to the flute', 'a First Lady among equals' and a 'graceful Mozartean, with limpid tone, an impish sense of humor, and sometimes staggering breath control.’

Label: COVIELLO SACD 50505
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Premiere complete recording of the Italian journey album from 1839/40

Dörthe Maria Sandmann, soprano; Ulrike Bartsch, alto
Philip Mayers, piano
Ensemble Vokalzeit
It had been Fanny Hensel’s childhood dream: when her parents, on a journey to Switzerland in 1822, decided to turn around as they reached the foot of the San Gottardo, and not to cross the mountains to Italy, the 16-year old made the resolution to return one day and realize this trip to the South. However, it would take another 17 years for her plan to be put into practice. Fanny and Wilhelm Hensel both treasured their happy memories of this voyage. In the spring of 1841, a young French composer paid them a visit with him they had often been in Rome together. They spoke greatly of the “heavenly days”, days that were "unforgettable" und "like stars in the sky". This must have been the time where the idea was born to record these memories in her own very personal manner: she selected some of her pieces composed in Italy, wrote a number of new scores and transcribed them onto differently colored manuscript paper. Her husband adjoined a vignette to each piece, a small penciled sketch, as recollections of certain situations, some of which are not individually known today.

Label: BIS SACD 1530
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Totentanz, Paraphrase on ‘Dires irae’ for Piano & Orchestra, S. 126; Concerto No. 1 in E flat major for Piano & Orchestra, S. 124; Concerto No. 2 in A major for Piano & Orchestra, S. 125

Arnaldo Cohen, piano
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP)/John Neschling
A mercurial performer, conductor and composer, Franz Liszt epitomizes the Romantic genius, and his chosen instrument, the piano, was the emblematic instrument of the Romantic era. This disc brings together the composer’s three mature works for piano and orchestra. All three originate in Liszt's period as a touring virtuoso, when his visits to various cities all over Europe would cause as much publicity, not to say hysteria, as the great arena concerts of any modern-day rock or pop star: It was with good reason that the poet Heinrich Heine coined the word 'Lisztomania'! But these works were brought to conclusion during a later period, more or less corresponding to Liszt's appointment as Kapellmeister of the Court Theatre in Weimar (1848-1861). In his new role, Liszt was focusing on the orchestra, conducting the works of others as well as composing himself, especially in a new genre: the symphonic poem, of which he was one of first great advocates. The works on this disc are therefore far from what one might expect, or fear, in terms of the solo instrument being favored over the orchestra. In a great moment, the theme of the Dies irae, which runs through the Totentanz, is first presented in the deep brass of the orchestra and the first concerto was actually originally conceived as a Grande Fantaisie symphonique, a title which gives some idea of Liszt’s aim: a work in which piano and orchestra play equally important roles. On the present recording it is the all-Brazilian team of eminent pianist Arnaldo Cohen and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Neschling who join forces in order to realize this partnership. Arnaldo Cohen is a highly respected Liszt interpreter, as he has shown on a previous BIS release (BIS 1253), which earned him an Editor's Choice in Gramophone as well as glowing reviews, such as the following in the Chicago Tribune: 'These performances pack a tremendous visceral punch ... among the most musically intelligent recordings of these celebrated pieces to grace the catalogue.' The São Paulo SO and Neschling have recently been earning international recognition both after highly successful tours and a number of BIS recordings that among other things have been described as ‘the most vibrant, colorful, rhythmically vital and virtuosic performances imaginable’ (Classics Today.com).

Label: BIS SACD 1639
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PIERRE SANCAN (*1916): Sonatine (1946); CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR (1844 – 1937): Suite for Flute and Piano, Op. 34; ALBERT ROUSSEL (1869 – 1937): Joueurs de flute, Op. 27; Deux Poèmes de Ronsard, Op. 26*DARIUS MILHAUD (1892 – 1974): Sonatine (1922); BENJAMIN GODARD (1849 – 1895): Suite de trois morceaux, Op. 116

Sharon Bezaly, flute; Love Derwinger, piano; *with Barbara Hendricks, soprano
During long periods the flute has been almost synonymous with France, the country from which the music, the great players and the finest instruments all came. The French flute – whether dreamy as in Debussy’s Syrinx or sprightly as in Poulenc’s Sonata – is simply unmistakably French, in all its delights. On her new release, renowned flutist Sharon Bezaly – who herself studied in Paris – celebrates this tradition, with a program consisting of works composed between 1889 and 1946. Among the composers, some – Widor and Milhaud – are more famous than others, but not necessarily for their flute works. (Widor, for instance, is mainly known for his organ compositions.) Others are closely associated with the flute and, indeed, with the works here recorded. Roussel’s Joueurs de flûte is a case in point: a panorama of the flute through the ages in which each of the four movements evokes a mythical flutist, such as the Greek god Pan and the Hindu deity Krishna. Roussel has also composed the settings of two poems by Ronsard, in which Sharon Bezaly is joined by Barbara Hendricks. French Delights is something of a companion piece to a previous Bezaly disc: Café au Lait, a predominantly French flute recital accompanied by Roland Pöntinen. Upon its release that disc, and the artistry of Sharon Bezaly, were highly acclaimed, for instance in French magazine Diapason: ‘The flute turns into the voice of enchantment, a lullaby of the senses or an invitation to dreamfulness, into planning light or the glitter of light on water – an instrument almost too beautiful.’ Here again, with the support of eminent pianist Love Derwinger, Sharon Bezaly displays her prodigious talent.

Label: BIS SACD 1766
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Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64 (Original 1844 version); Concerto in D minor for Violin and String Orchestra; Concerto in D minor for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra; Capriccio brillant for Piano and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 22; Concerto for Piano no 1 in G minor, Op. 25; Concerto for Piano no 2 in D minor, Op. 40; Concerto for 2 Pianos in A flat major; Concerto for 2 Pianos in E major; Rondo brillant for Piano and Orchestra in E flat major, Op. 29; Serenade and Allegro giocoso for Piano and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 43; Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A minor

Isabelle van Keulen, violin; Ronald Brautigam, Roland Pöntinen, Love Derwinger, piano
Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Lev Markiz
By using the superior storage capacity of the Super Audio CD for stereo content only, and not including a surround mix, it is possible to produce discs with a playing time much in excess of the common CD. BIS has made use of this option before, releasing the complete organ music by Bach – with a duration of more than 20 hours – as a five-disc set (BIS-SACD-1527/28). Now the turn has come to the Complete Concertos by Mendelssohn, originally released between 1995 and 1998 on four CDs, but here collected on a single SACD. If the String Symphonies, collected on the accompanying release BIS-SACD-1738, are the works by the young Mendelssohn on the way to becoming a fully-fledged composer, the concertos give a more all-round picture of the composer. Beginning in 1822, when he composed the Concerto in D minor for Violin and the Concerto in A minor for Piano, Mendelssohn kept returning to the concertante format throughout his life, until the great E minor Violin Concerto, written three years before his death, in 1844. Between these works can be found the two rarely heard Concertos for Two Pianos – youthful, but surprisingly mature works – as well as his two piano concertos Opp. 25 and 40, and three concert pieces for piano and orchestra. Soloist in these is Ronald Brautigam, who will be well-known for his acclaimed surveys of the solo piano music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Isabelle van Keulen takes on the works involving solo violin, and was at the time of the original release described as ‘a winning soloist with a soft tone like the finest-spun silk – plus strength to match, when required’ (Gramophone). Swedish pianists Roland Pöntinen and Love Derwinger partner each other in the concertos for two pianos, virtuosic works first performed by Felix and his sister Fanny. The accompaniments throughout are provided by Amsterdam Sinfonietta, under Lev Markiz, and were characterized as ‘both polished and warmly supportive’ - Gramophone.

Label: EBS SACD 6153
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Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra in D minor
Concerto for Violin & Orchestra in E minor, Op. 64

Ursula Schoch, violin; Nina Tichman, piano
Neue Philharmonie Westfalen/Theo Wolters
Ursula Schoch was born in Ludwigsburg in 1971 and received her first violin lessons at the age of four. After finishing school she studied at the Cologne academy of music with Prof. Saschko Gawriloff between 1992 and 1998, when she took her final exam. In addition to her solo studies she has studied chamber music with the famous Viennese Alban Berg-Quartet. Ursula Schoch has won several first prizes in the “Jugend musiziert” competition, in both chamber music and solo violin. In 1992 she won the first prize in a competition of the “Deutsche Musikrat”, which opened the door to an international career for her. In 1990 she made her debut as a soloist with the orchestra of the Ludwigsburg festival, where she recorded Mozart’s violin concertos D major KV 218 and KV 271a. Since then Ursula Schoch has been invited to numerous festivals and has toured the European continent as well as Japan, central Asia, the USA and Africa. Ursula Schoch was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado for three years. In 2000 she was appointed leader of the violins by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Together with the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Westphalia Ursula Schoch already produced three highly regarded CD-recordings.

Label: BIS SACD 1738
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String Symphony No.1 in C major; No.2 in D major; No.3 in E minor; No.4 in C minor; No.5 in B flat major; No.6 in E flat major; No.7 in D minor; No.8 in D major (version for strings and version with winds); No.9 in C major; No.10 in B minor; No.11 in F major; No.12 in G minor; No.13 in C minor (Symphonic Movement)

Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Lev Markiz
By using the superior storage capacity of the Super Audio CD exclusively for stereo content, and not include the usual surround mix, it is possible to produce discs with a playing time much in excess of the common CD. BIS has made use of this option before, releasing the complete organ music by Bach – with a duration of more than 20 hours! – as a five-disc set (BIS-SACD-1527/28). Now the turn has come to Mendelssohn, and his thirteen String Symphonies, originally released between 1993 and 1997 on four CDs, but here collected on a single SACD. These exuberant works were all composed between 1821 and 1824, by a composer who had not yet turned 15. They were performed in the Mendelssohn family residence in Berlin, at Sunday concerts during which musicians from the court orchestra performed and the young Felix and his sister Fanny would appear as soloists when called upon. The opportunity to trace the development of an extremely talented prodigy into a confident composer makes this collection highly interesting. But first and foremost it is a source of tremendous pleasure, with delightful music incorporating influences from Mozart and Haydn, as well as from the Baroque up to and including C.P.E. Bach in expert performances by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta (formerly known as Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam) and Lev Markiz. As described at the time of the original release by the reviewer in Gramophone it consists of ‘life-enhancing music from the adolescent fast on his way to such miracles as the Octet and Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And performances to match from a group with brilliance of execution and beautiful even tone as a starting-point for the classical athletic grace, joie de vivre, and often striking ideas.’
Ultra Extended Playing Time.
This product can only be played on a machine with SACD capability. It cannot be played on a conventional CD player.

Label: CYBELE SACD 050502
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FELIX MEDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809 – 1847) – SIX SONATAS FOR ORGAN, OP. 65
Sonata in F minor, Op. 65 No. 1; Sonata in C minor, Op. 65 No. 2
Sonata in A major, Op. 65 No. 3; Sonata in B flat major, Op. 65 No. 4
Sonata in D major, Op. 65 No. 5; Sonata in D minor, Op. 65 No. 6
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833 – 1897) – ORGAN WORKS
Fugue in A flat major, WoO 8
Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122

Gerd Zacher, organ, Historical E. F. Walcker Organ (1900) - III/37, Evangelist Church, Essen-Werden
The organ heard on this recording dates from 1900 and was manufactured by the Ludwigsburg-based company E. F. Walcker. It is recognised as a historical monument due to it being one of the few surviving instruments with a pneumatic tracker action. Its differentiated colours blend remarkably well, as was required at the time. In relation to these chorale preludes by Johannes Brahms, the organ is a near contemporary; the six Mendelssohn organ sonatas were finished 55 years before its construction, but in their utopic potential herald the arrival of such an instrument.
On 10 April 1845, Mendelssohn wrote to his publisher Breitkopf und Härtel: “I have now completed the work for organ which I mentioned at the beginning of winter. It has grown, however, much larger than I had originally imagined. That is to say that there are six sonatas in which I have sought to express my way of treating the organ and of conceiving for it. Therefore, I would be pleased were they to be published as one work...”.
This work influenced the evolution of organ-building, an arc which stretches back to Bach’s suggestions and extends to the so-called “future music” of Liszt. Not surprisingly, it is a multifaceted piece. From his letters, it is known that Mendelssohn loved baroque organs. In his lifetime, however, several modifications had been introduced. Among them was equal-tempered tuning and its consequences for the mixture stops. What today is known as a “romantic” organ was not yet a reality. In fact, such organs started to be built in response to the variety of these sonatas and as such, a rarity occurred: the repertoire preceded, and helped dictate the design of, the instrument. Until then the reverse held true: the organ of the era spurred the compositions that suited it best. The appreciation that César Franck had for Mendelssohn is also well known and this preference is obvious in his own organ oeuvre. The Walcker family, which later built this instrument in Essen-Werden, were close friends and one-time apprentices of Cavaillé-Coll, César Franck’s organ-builder.
(2 CDs)


REVIEW
AUDIOPHILE AUDITION

The Walcker organ - built in 1900 - has a pneumatic tracker action and a great variety of tonal colors. While not as versatile as the organs of the French romantic school, it has a number of modifications over the basic baroque organ of Bach’s day. While Mendelssohn loved baroque organs, he wrote his six organ sonatas in a more advanced style that perfectly fits this organ design. Mendelssohn was the first to unite sonata form with the Protestant chorale in his organ sonatas.

He saw the entire cycle as one cohesive work, with the individual sonatas representing the different movements of one massive sonata. Although he composed them in a different order, he arranged the six works of the cycle with a key sequence of f-c-A-B flat-D-d (with the lower case denoting the minor keys and the caps the major).

The first sonata is a the longest of all at over 15 minutes. It has four movements on a large scale, blending the choral with sonata movement structure. The second sonata has no chorale and starts with two slow movements. It’s primary theme is a fugue. The third and fourth sonatas are in major keys and highly contrasted with one another. The fourth takes the form of a four-movement classical piano sonata. The fifth is the shortest of the six and again begins with two slow movements and a chorale. The final sonata uses a Luther chorale “Our Father who are in in heaven” for an overall theme and variations structure.

Brahms’ Fugue is quite chromatic and was a strong influence on Arnold Schoenberg. The 11 Chorale Preludes was the only work Brahms left behind upon his death. They used variations on lieder and hymn melodies from his childhood, and in fact he had played some of them on the piano for his friends the night before his death. The acoustics of the church are well-preserved via the full 5.1-channel surround reproduction. Although all solo instruments benefit from surround sound reproduction, the pipe organ benefits more than any other, since the acoustics of its venue are so much a part of the musical experience. Audiophile organ buffs will definitely want to add this expertly performed, recorded and notated album to their collection.
- John Sunier

Label: CYBELE SACD 140402
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Piano Sonata in A minor D 845
Piano Sonata in A major D 959

Thomas Gunther, piano (Original Streicher Hammerfluegel, 1848)
In the late 1970s, when I was a young piano student, I was treated to a spectacular performance: a fortepiano recital by an esteemed Austrian pianist, a pioneer in the revival of this instrument. The grand piano was, as I learned from an LP made around the same time, an 1815 Brodmann from Vienna, a model with 5 pedals. In addition to the “sustain” and “forte” pedals, it had a “moderator” pedal, a “bassoon stop” (using parchment, producing an effect similar to wires on a side drum) and a “janissary stop”, which imitated the sounds of the Turkish military’s drums, bells and cymbals.br>The concert consisted of two works by Beethoven (opp. 90 and 126) and two by Schubert: Moments musicaux and the grand sonata in B flat major, D 960. The performer enlivened the mood of the evening with his temperament and Viennese swagger, commenting on not only the works on the program, but also the instrument itself and his ideas about authentic performance practice.
I only vaguely remember the impression these sounds left on me; likely, the music seemed rather curious or scurrilous. My reaction to this first encounter with “original sound” vacillated between surprise and fascination. As the pianist closed the night with Mozart’s „Rondo alla turca“, complete with much crashing of the “janissary stop”, doubts about the seriousness of the entire event plagued me ...
At the time, “historical performance practice” or playing on “original instruments” did not have the same degree of understanding that they enjoy today. As a novice, the results seemed strange and mildly suspicious to me; somehow I could not refrain from the impression that some deficiency became a virtue here. The specific charms of the idea, as well as of the instrument itself, had yet to reveal themselves to me. For a long time, this remained my only encounter with this manner of interpretation.
Not until some 20 years later did I listen with mature wisdom to pianists such as Andreas Staier and Malcolm Bilson – and then the connection between instrument, repertoire and pianistic history made sense!
My first personal contact with a fortepiano happened in July 2004 and the instrument was the wonderful J.B. Streicher model heard on this recording. I accepted an invitation to play Schubert’s A major sonata, D 959 as a demonstration of this restored piano. The first time I touched the keys was a near shock! In the course of my studies, I was always told that old instruments had a very light mechanism, so I was very much surprised to discover how much power is needed to elicit sounds from within the instrument. Indeed, the full bodied sonority of the instrument was striking: its warmth in the treble keys, its powerful bass, matching its size, and its pronounced middle register. However, the notes did not reliably sound as I intended, especially when played piano (the aforementioned “moderator” – a piece of cloth placed between the hammers and strings, thus producing a very delicate, somewhat nasal tone – was obsolete by 1848). Understandably, I had mixed feelings when I performed Schubert’s great sonata on this instrument three days later. This performance showed me how the instrument’s inadequacies could hinder me in performance, or so I felt then. To my surprise, the audience was completely enchanted by the sound!
From this experience grew the idea of presenting the beautiful and impressive sound of this grand piano to a larger audience in the form of an SACD recording.

Label: CYBELE SACD 150302
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Années de Pèlerinage, Deuxième Année: Italie

Thomas Hitzlberger, piano (Original Steingraeber grand piano from 1873)
The Steingraeber Grand Piano from 1873 ("Piano Liszt")
For decades, Franz Liszt was acquainted with the Steingraeber company. Since the 1840s, Eduard Steingraeber attended to the master's piano during the concerts. Besides other duties, Steingraeber had to replace the strings in the intervals - when they could no longer withstand the vigor of the young piano revolutionary. In 1873, Eduard Steingraeber built the grand piano played for the present recording. In those days, this instrument (whose housing was adjusted to match the rococo style of the concert hall in the Bayreuth Steingraeber house) was considered a state-of-the-art piano, equipped with a cast iron plate, proper strong strings and a repetition lever. During his countless stays in Bayreuth, Franz Liszt played this instrument, the last time a few days before his death in July 1886.
Despite its age and apart from a few minor mechanical and tonal irregularities, the instrument is still in remarkably good condition. Compared to other historic instruments, the piano excels by a particularly earthy, tonic sound in all pitches. This extraordinary, powerful sound is produced by the remarkable sound board: a construction with a very rigid sound board with extremely high ribs, which makes the instrument noteworthy for its extensive overtone range.

Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38016
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BERNHARD HENRIK CRUSELL (1775 – 1838) – CONCERTOS FOR CLARINET & ORCHESTRA
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in F minor, Op. 5 (1815); Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in B flat major, Op. 11 (1822); Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in E flat major, Op. 1 (1811)

Eric Hoeprich, clarinet
Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens
By any standards, Bernhard Henrik Crusell had a remarkable life. Barn in rural Finland, san of a bookbinder he arrived in Stockholm at the age of 16 as an apprentice to a military band, and basically never looked back. Within two years, Crusell had joined the orchestra of the Hofkapelle, where he would later play the première performances of his clarinet concertos. By the end of his life, he had travelled throughout Europe, meeting some of the mast interesting and outstanding clarinettists and composers of his generation, and had established a reputation as a gifted clarinettist/composer and translator of opera libretti. For the latter, he was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of the Swedish Academy in 1837. As for the former, he is best known today for his solo works for clarinet, among which we find the three concerti here, a set of variations for clarinet and orchestra (op. 12) and a Sinfonia concertante for clarinet, horn and bassoon (op. 3). His quartets for clarinet and string trio represent fine contributions to the genre, and the three clarinet duets are staples in any clarinet teacher’s musical diet.

Label: ARS PRODUKTION SACD 38024
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Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 12; Symphony in E flat major, Op. 14; Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in D major, Op. 24

Paolo Giacometti, pianoforte; Martin Sandhoff, flute
Kölner Akademie/Michael Alexander Willens

Had he been asked to name his favourite instrument, Johann Wilhelm Wilms would have surely replied “the orchestra". This might sound rather strange coming from a composer renowned, ¡n his adapted home of Amsterdam, as the greatest of the young piano virtuosos and teachers (and also over the decades as a flutist) of his time. As soon as one hears one of his orchestral works, however, it makes perfect sense. Every page of a Wilms score sings with the composer’s desire to communicate his musical ideas by means of an ensemble of carefully chosen and capable instrumentalists. Wilms openly professed the primacy of instrumental music over its vocal counterpart. The great conductor and composer Igor Markevitch’s observation “The greater the masters were, the mare they wrote not far the instrument, but for the person who breathed life into it” is thus particularly applicable to Wilms. His extensive familiarity with the specific capabilities of all the orchestral instruments is matched by his intimate knowledge of the technical skills and persona/qualities of the musicians in his circle who played them. He therefore not only wrote beautiful passages for his orchestral colleagues to play, but also frequently entrusted them with role-like ports within the interweaving dialogues of his scores. It is hardly surprising that the musicians whose playing was showcased in this way later begged him to write solo concertos for them. That is how roughly fifteen concertos and concerto-like works for one or mare orchestral instruments came to be written in less than twenty years. Most of these remained unpublished and forgotten until today. Of the approximately eight works for piano and orchestra which Wilms wrote in just under three decades for his own use, only the five published concertos survive.