Label: BIS SACD 1362
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Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 (Pathétique); Sonata No.9 in E major, Op.14 No.1; Sonata No.10 in G major, Op.14 No.2; Sonata No.11 in B flat major, Op.22

Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano
With what is possibly the most famous C minor chord in the history of classical music, Ronald Brautigam begins a new Herculean travail on BIS. The slow introduction of the ‘Pathétique’ Sonata is the starting signal for a projected 17 CD series of Beethoven’s complete works for solo piano, following Brautigam’s surveys of the piano music by Haydn and Mozart. Both these series have been unanimously praised in the music press. The works on this first volume were composed between 1797 and 1800, by a composer not yet thirty years old. Performed on a fortepiano especially built for this recording project by Paul McNulty, after a Walther & Sohn instrument built around 1802, and recorded in multi-channel, Brautigam’s interpretations are certain to make the listener sit up and take notice. As all Super Audio CDs on BIS, this is a so-called hybrid disc, playable on all CD- and SACD-players. For those who have the necessary equipment, this is probably the first chance of hearing these works performed on a fortepiano in Surround Sound.

Label: BIS SACD 1416
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Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60; Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Osmo Vanska
The Minnesota Orchestra has an illustrious past, numbering such legendary figures as Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos and Antal Dorati among its music directors. As of 2003, Osmo Vänskä is the tenth man on the post, and has had a very successful first season, rounded off by a European tour. During this eventful year, the team also recorded the first volume in what will be one of the first complete cycles of Beethoven’s symphonies in Surround Sound. We are now releasing this recording on a disc, which is sure to make its mark! Osmo Vänskä – described as ‘an exemplary Beethoven conductor, it's hard to think of anyone better at present’ (Andrew Clements in The Guardian) – has chosen to open his Beethoven cycle with Symphonies No.4 and No.5. The Fourth was on the program during the orchestra’s European tour this spring in performances that were very warmly applauded by the critics: the Vänskä/Minnesota interpretation ‘bristled with energy and displayed a muscular, finely honed ensemble’ and ‘proved that the possibilities of the modern-instrument approach are not exhausted yet’ according to the British music press, and a German reviewer was struck by the symphony’s Finale (‘one could not imagine it played more vivaciously and grippingly’) as well as ‘the immensely rich’ dynamic contrasts of the performance as a whole – qualities that certainly are brought out in the Surround Sound version on the present disc. (As all our Surround Sound releases, this too is issued on a so-called hybrid disc playable on all CD-players in stereo.) In first-class acoustics (Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis) and using the latest recording technology, our most experienced recording team have given free sonic rein to Osmo Vänskä and his Minnesota Orchestra in performances that are among the most exciting one can imagine!

Label: BIS SACD 1540
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STRING QUARTET NO 2 IN C MAJOR, OP. 36; THREE DIVERTIMENTI; MINIATURE SUITE; STRING QUARTET IN D MAJOR

The Emporer Quartet
Martin Burges, violin; Claire Hayes, Violin; Fiona Bonds, viola; William Schofield, cell

Benjamin Britten always enjoyed performing with small ensembles – he played the viola as well as the piano – and his natural facility in writing for strings was evident from a very early age. The programme on this disc contains several examples of those early works, including a world première recording of his Miniature Suite, composed at the age of 16. The disc opens with String Quartet No.2, however, the most ambitious of Britten’s three mature quartets. Composed in 1945, a few months after the première of the opera Peter Grimes, this work was part of a commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Henry Purcell’s death. Nevertheless, the connection with Purcell is only explicit in the third movement, called Chacony, and even this movement is based on a theme whose character is very personal to Britten himself. In this first part of a survey of Britten’s works for string quartet, the internationally acclaimed Emperor Quartet performs the music of their compatriot. The quartet’s first release on BIS was a disc with music by James MacMillan, which earned it high praise, for instance in the French magazine Répertoire: ‘The ultra-sensitive interpretation reveals a spectacular virtuosity and perfection, with an uncompromising explosiveness’. A warm welcome also met the following disc of Martinu quartets, accorded a ‘Stern des Monats’ in the German magazine Fono Forum, and chosen as a selected recording in Strad Magazine, with the following praise: ‘The Emperor Quartet produces playing of scorching insight and commitment.

Label: BIS SACD 1662
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LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918 – 1990): Serenade after Plato’s ‘Symposium’
ERNEST BLOCH (1880 – 1959): Baal Shem – Three pictures of Chassidic Life
SAMUEL BARBER (1910 - 1981): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14

Vadim Gluzman, violin

Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra/John Neschling
The three works for violin and orchestra gathered here testify both to the versatility of Vadim Gluzman as a performer and to the richness and variety of the influences at play in American music during the 20th century. Like the text by Plato which inspired it, Bernstein’s Serenade, from 1954, is a series of statements in praise of love. Musically it is typical of its maker, with allusions both to his own music and to works by Bartók, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, and with a hint of jazz in the finale. Composed some thirty years earlier, Ernest Bloch’s Baal Shem turns to the Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, dealing specifically with aspects of the Chassidic movement. Its second movement, Nigun (Improvisation) is probably Bloch’s most famous work for the violin, an attempt to recreate the ecstasy generated by fervent religious singing. Samuel Barber, on the other hand, was deeply fascinated by the music of J.S. Bach and Brahms, although this is not always obvious in his music. His Violin Concerto, which he began to compose in Switzerland in 1939, while war was breaking out in Europe, has been described as having ‘a chastened and aristocratic classic style’. That violinist Vadim Gluzman possesses the musical convictions and the supreme command of his instrument to do justice to all of these works will be clear to anyone who has encountered his previous concerto disc, with works by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. The recipient of numerous distinctions, it was glowingly reviewed, for instance in International Record Review: ‘The variety of tone, lithe, sinuous and febrile ... is truly exceptional.’ Gluzman is here supported by the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) under John Neschling, a team that has demonstrated its versatility on a number of recordings ranging from Villa-Lobos’ Choros to Liszt’s piano concertos.

Label: BIS SACD 1672
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Three Sonatas, WoO47 (‘Kurfürsten Sonatas’); Zwei Sätze einer Sonatine, WoO50; 2 Leichte Sonatinen, K Anh 5; Zwei Stücke für Klavier (Orphika)‘Leichte Sonate’, WoO51

ARTIST: Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano

In eight previous volumes Ronald Brautigam has traversed what is often called 'The New Testament of Piano Music', namely Beethoven's 32 numbered sonatas. The present disc may be regarded as an appendix to these, as it explores the composer's first attempts in the genre. It opens with the three Kurfürsten Sonatas from 1783, in which Beethoven – at the tender age of twelve – demonstrates a remarkable maturity. With influences from C.P.E. Bach's ground-breaking keyboard music, as well as the sonatas from Haydn's 'Sturm und Drang' perod, the pieces earn their nickname from being dedicated to Archduke Maximilian Friedrich, Kurfürst of Cologne and the employer of Beethoven's father. The Kurfürsten Sonatas were published upon completion, whereas the remaining, later pieces on this disc remained unpublished during Beethoven's lifetime. Zwei Sätze einer Sonatine and Zwei Stücke für Klavier (Orphika) – often called 'Leichte Sonate' – were composed as gifts to two friends from Beethoven's youth: Franz Wegeler and Eleonore von Breuning. In the case of the Two Easy Sonatinas, the manuscript scores were found among Beethoven's papers after his death. There is no proof that Beethoven really is the composer, however, and although they are usually dated as having been written around 1790, this is no more than an educated guess. As a whole, the pieces presented here are the earliest so far in this series, and Ronald Brautigam has consequently chosen to introduce a new instrument for his performances: a copy of a fortepiano by Johann Andreas Stein from 1788. The opportunity it provides of following the evolution of the piano during a momentous period in piano music and instrument building certainly adds to the attractions of this universally acclaimed series. But Brautigam's interpretations have a directness and urgency to them that far surpasses such considerations – as summed in a review in Classic FM Magazine of a recent instalment: 'Brautigam has more to say about the music than any recent cycle recorded on modern instruments… An outstanding disc of an outstanding series.'

Label: BIS SACD 1723
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Clarinet Concerto in E flat major, Op.1
Clarinet Concerto in F minor, Op.5
Clarinet Concerto in B flat major, Op.11

Martin Fröst, clarinet

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra/Okko Kamu

On the strength of his fine musicianship, his unusually inspiring and often unconventional performances and a long series of highly acclaimed recordings, Martin Fröst has become recognized as one of today’s most interesting performers. In concert as well as on disc he covers a wide spectrum of styles and periods, from Kalevi Aho and Christopher Rouse, to Carl Nielsen, Brahms, Schumann and, of course, Mozart. His 2003 recording of Mozart’s clarinet concerto was an amazing critical – and popular! – success, which he followed up with last year’s disc of works by C.M. von Weber, by many reviewers claimed to be the finest recordings of these oft-recorded works. Martin Frost’s latest discs consists of the three concertos by Bernhard Henrik Crusell, the almost exact contemporary of Weber. Born in what is now Finland, Crusell joined the Swedish court orchestra in Stockholm at the age of only 15. Largely self-taught both as a clarinetist and composer, he did visit Berlin and Paris briefly, but his main sphere of activity was Stockholm. He nevertheless developed a reputation on the continent as one of the greatest virtuosos on the clarinet, and his three concertos were printed by prestigious publishing houses in Leipzig. Charming, spirited and often songful, these works also make great demands on the performer, demands which Martin Fröst is the equal of, here with the fine support of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and conductor Okko Kamu.

Label: BIS SACD 1729
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FRANCIS POULENC: SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO
FRANK MARTIN: BALLADE
CARL REINECKE: SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO
BOHUSLAV MARTINU: SONATA FOR FLUTE AND PIANO
OLIVIER MESSIAEN: LE MERLE NOIR

ARTISTS: Sharon Bezaly, Flute; Ronald Brautigam, Piano

From Carl Reinecke's Undine Sonata, composed in 1882, to Poulenc's 1957 Flute Sonata this disc brings together five central works in the repertoire for flute and piano, covering a wide range of styles and approaches. Reinecke's work is a musical re-telling of the well-known story of Undine, the water spirit who marries a knight, but is betrayed and takes her revenge on him. Frank Martin's virtuosic Ballade (1939) features an acrobatic flute cadenza, roaming melismas and irrepressible cascades, generating a compelling sense of drama. In 1945, while in exile during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Martinu composed his Flute Sonata, in which the virtues of his distinct musical language are plain to hear - lyrical lines, a rhythmic drive which is both energetic and lively and an effective use of tone colour. Six years later the bird-lover Messiaen composed Le merle noir, constructed around the song of the blackbird, which he painstakingly noted down and then found the means to imitate on the flute. Poulenc's melodic Sonata, finally, has become a signature work for its composer: its lightness, transparency and sonic refinement have charmed audiences ever since the first performance. Presenting this substantial programme is Sharon Bezaly, one of today's leading flutists, supported by the eminent pianist Ronald Brautigam. The same performers have previously released a highly acclaimed duo disc which Classic FM Magazine described as 'compulsively listenable … Prokofiev's Flute Sonata has never sounded so perkily seductive on disc, nor has Schubert's enchanting set of variations given up its secrets so readily'. In agreement with this, website Classics Today.com wrote: 'On the evidence of this sensational disc, it seems clear that Sharon Bezaly is a flutist virtually without peer in the world today'.

Label: BIS SACD 1793
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Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827): Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, “Emperor” ; Choral Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80

Ronald Brautigam, piano
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Parrott, conductor
Eric Ericsson Chamber Choir (vocal soloists: Hannah Holgersson, soprano; Marie Olhans, mezzo-soprano; Maria Sanner, alto; Mikael Stenbaek, tenor; Gunnar Birgersson, baritone; Ove Pettersson, bass)

For the final instalment of his survey of Beethoven’s works for piano and orchestra, Ronald Brautigam has saved ‘the final crowning glory of his concerto output’, as Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper describes the Fifth Piano Concerto in his liner notes. The work has become known as the Emperor Concerto, as it shares its key (E flat major) as well as a certain sense of power and grandeur with the Third Symphony, the ‘Eroica’. It is coupled on this disc with the Choral Fantasia – an intriguing work scored for piano, orchestra and chorus with vocal soloists. The explanation for this unusual combination is that Beethoven wanted to provide a fitting finale for one of his mammoth concerts in Vienna. The concert, which took place on 22 December 1808, included performances of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies as well as the Fourth Piano Concerto and two movements from the Mass in C major; the Choral Fantasia thus brought all of the evening’s performers on stage once more before the end of the concert. The individual discs in Ronald Brautigam’s series have received numerous distinctions, including a MIDEM Classical Award in 2010, and his performances have been weighed against classic recordings by legendary pianists. ‘Brautigam's account [of Concerto No. 1] compares with Richter's for sparkle, with Pollini's for cleverness, and with Michelangeli's for liveliness... The performance of Beethoven's Third Concerto that follows is even better’, wrote the reviewer on website All Music.com, while the one in Gramophone deemed that the recording of the Second Concerto was ‘almost as good as Serkin's account with Ormandy, which is saying something!’ In the review in International Record Review of the penultimate volume, finally, the series so far was summed up as follows: ‘For my money, Brautigam and Parrott are setting a new bench-mark, and I eagerly await the final instalment.' It is of course a great pleasure to be able to announce the release of that longed-for disc, with Ronald Brautigam, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Parrott in their usual top form, and with the brief but crucial appearance of the eminent Eric Ericson Chamber Choir in the Choral Fantasia.

Label: BIS SACD 1805
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Bedrich Smetana: Má Vlast - Vyšehrad; Vltava(The Moldau); Šárka; From the Bohemian Woods and Fields; Tábor; Blaník

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra / Claus Peter Flor, conductor

By gathering six symphonic poems under the title Má Vlast(‘My Country‘), Bedrich Smetana created what is probably the most extensive portrayal of any geographical region in the history of music. In his cycle (composed between 1874 and 1879) Smetana combined the new genre of symphonic poem, a term coined by Liszt in 1854, with the then highly fashionable ideals of nationalistic music. The result was an instant success – not just on Smetana‘s home ground, but also internationally – and the various parts (especially The Moldau) still remain favourites in concert halls all over the world. Female warriors, Christian reformers, medieval fortresses and peasant festivals – all of these appear in the broad fresco in which Smetana depicted his beloved Bohemia. Ranging from idyllic to grandiose, the music is here performed by Claus Peter Flor and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, a team whose recording of the Asrael Symphony by Smetana‘s compatriot Josef Suk made great impact on its release in 2009. Commending the sound quality (‘world-class‘), the reviewer on the Classics Today website called it ‘one smoking hot performance‘ by an orchestra playing ‘like a pack of demons‘ and his colleague in the Spanish magazine Scherzo praised Flor for striking ‘a balance between soft and loud, between drama and lyricism, between lucidity and ambiguity, which makes this into a new benchmark.‘ More succinctly the review in Classic FM Magazine included an ‘unqualified go buy recommendation‘.

Label: BIS SACD 1844
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ARTISTS: Camilla Tilling, soprano; Paul Rivinius, piano.

Label: BIS SACD 1859
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ARTISTS: Marie-Luise Neunecker, horn. Antje Weithaas, violin. SilkeAvenhaus, piano.

Label: BIS SACD 1881
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J.S. Bach: Cantatas from Leipzig 1727-29; O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe, BWV 34; Sei Lob und Her dem höchsten Gut, BWV 117; Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan (I), BWV 98; Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille, BWV 120

Artists:
Hana Blažíková, soprano; Robin Blaze, counter-tenor; Satoshi Mizukoshi, tenor; Peter Kooij, bass
Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, director.

Volume 48 of Masaaki Suzuki’s and Bach Collegium Japan’s traversal of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas opens with Cantata 43, O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe – a jubilant work intended for White Sunday 1727, but with its origins in an earlier, secular wedding cantata. Its scoring, with three trumpets and timpani, returns in the closing work, Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille (BWV 120) composed for a festive church service marking the annual town council election in Leipzig.
Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium recently completed a tour of the United States giving performances at Carnegie Hall and Yale University amongst other locations.

Label: BIS SACD 1883
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ARTISTS: Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano.