The Sei Sonate a Quattro are, if not Rossini's very first attempt at composition, then definitely one of his earliest works, having been composed in 1804. Composed for two violins, cello and double bass while staying with his friend and patron Agostino Triossi, the curious combination of this quartet makes this a unique, extremely well crafted piece, with a few fresh new ideas from a young compose…

Offertorium. Par MOZART WOLFGANG AMADEUS. Since the two verifiable autographs of the offertory Misericordias Domini have been lost, for the present new critical edition Robert Münster was able to rely for the first time on the manuscript parts from the music of the Court of Munich which he discovered. These can be traced back to the material used for the first performance of the work in Munich in …

Par MICHAEL GEORGE. Twentyfive - For Living is the first disc of George Michael's career-spanning greatest hits album, which celebrates the 25th anniversary since he shot onto the pop scene as part of Wham!. Released in November 2006, and quickly reaching the Number 1 spot in the album charts, this is a diverse selection of George Michael's best musical moments from the last quarter of a century. …

After a twelve-year interval, Dvo?ák once again turned his attention to the string quartet in summer 1893. He had been musical director in New York since autumn 1892 and spent the summer in Spillville (Iowa) where a group of Czech immigrants had settled, thus making him feel at home. The beautiful natural surroundings led him to write this unconventional string quartet in the tradition of Beethove…

In 1717 Telemann composed his cantata 'Gott der Hoffnung erfülle euch? for the first day of Whitsun based on a text by Erdmann Neumeister. It forms part of the 'Concerten-Jahrgang?, also known as 'Das Harmonische Zion? or 'Italienischer Jahrgang? where all the cantatas are conceived as concertos for vocal and instrumental parts and have been colourfully scored. This particular work includes two ob…

The three volumes of The Masterwork in Music present complete English translations of major works by Austrian music theorist Heinrich Schenker, one of the twentieth century's leading figures in the field. First published in German between 1925 and 1930, these essays represent Schenker's greatest writings in analysis prior to the 1935 definitive formulation of his theory of music in Der freie Satz …

The premiere of the Azione teatrale 'Orfeo ed Euridice? took place in Vienna in 1762 and plays a significant role in the history of the music theatre.With this work, the composer for the first time rejected the rigid conventions of the Italian opera seria and made an important first contribution towards the renewal of opera genre.In collaboration with his librettist Calzabigi, Gluck reduced the pl…

With his clarinet quintet, begun in 1915, Reger was remembering his role models Mozart and Brahms, whose works in this genre he particularly admired. This melancholic quintet that is worked through in a strictly motivic way was to be Reger's last opus. Shortly after he had sent it to his publisher, he died of heart attack in May 1916. The quintet was to become his swan song, first performed at a m…

After a twelve-year interval, Dvo?ák once again turned his attention to the string quartet in summer 1893. He had been musical director in New York since autumn 1892 and spent the summer in Spillville (Iowa) where a group of Czech immigrants had settled, thus making him feel at home. The beautiful natural surroundings led him to write this unconventional string quartet in the tradition of Beethove…

Beethoven wrote 32 sonatas for piano. Volume 1, edited by Stewart Gordon, includes the first 8 sonatas (Op. 2, Nos. 1-3; Op. 7; Op. 10, Nos. 1-3; and Op. 13 [Pathtique]), written between 1795 and 1799. Since these autographs no longer exist, this edition is based on the first editions, published by various Viennese engravers. Dr. Gordon discusses a variety of topics including Beethoven's life; …