Giulio Briccialdi (1818-1881) has been one of the major European flutists of the Nineteenth Century. Praised by coeval critics as 'the first among the living flutists? in a period when virtuosos were reaching extraordinary levels, Briccialdi was a unique artist with a quintessentially Romantic personality. His refined activity as a composer is nowadays mostly known thanks to his paraphrases on ope…

Par PART ARVO. Fratres (original setting for violin and piano) was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and premiered on August 17th, 1980 at that very place (violin: Gidon Kremer, piano: Elena Kremer). Composed in Pärt's very own 'Tintinnabuli'-style, this piece allows many different settings because it is not bound to a specific tone color. 'The highest virtue of music, for me, lies outside of …

on a Given Theme Most Excellent Composers and Virtuosos Diabelli Variations. Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. Beethoven's 'Diabelli Variations”, written between 1819 and 1823, mark the pinnacle of his oeuvre for variations and next to Bach's 'Goldberg Variations” form one of the most important contributions to this genre. In addition to Beethoven, 50 other composers from Austria, mainly Vienna, followed …

Par PART ARVO. `Spiegel im Spiegel` is a well-known example of Arvo Pärts Tintinnabuli style and has been used in many films. Arvo Pärts Spiegel im Spiegel illustrates his creative principles: above a permanent flow of chords on the piano, the cello unfolds acantilena in long note values, which grows out of succinct steps. This cantilena spins out sweeping, chorale-like arches and spreads itself o…

Opera In Three Acts. Par SAINT-SAENS CAMILLE. Today, 'Samson et Dalila? is undoubtedly one of the best-known of Camille Saint-Saëns's thirteen operas, being more present in the repertoire of international stages than most other French 19th century compositions. During Saint-Saëns's lifetime, the opera was already regarded as the pinnacle of his dramatic stage works. The fact that the work's genes…

Giulio Briccialdi (1818-1881) has been one of the major European flutists of the Nineteenth Century. Praised by coeval critics as 'the first among the living flutists? in a period when virtuosos were reaching extraordinary levels, Briccialdi was a unique artist with a quintessentially Romantic personality. His refined activity as a composer is nowadays mostly known thanks to his paraphrases on ope…

Par PART ARVO. Fratres (original setting for violin and piano) was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and premiered on August 17th, 1980 at that very place (violin: Gidon Kremer, piano: Elena Kremer). Composed in Pärt's very own 'Tintinnabuli'-style, this piece allows many different settings because it is not bound to a specific tone color. 'The highest virtue of music, for me, lies outside of …

Par PART ARVO. Fratres (original setting for violin and piano) was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and premiered on August 17th, 1980 at that very place (violin: Gidon Kremer, piano: Elena Kremer). Daniel Hope, internationally acclaimed violin soloist, says about the piece: 'Fratres opened up my ears in a completely new way. Recently when I recorded it, I was extremely pleased about the edit…

Par RUTTER JOHN. for SATB and organ This superb Latin mass setting for choir and organ demonstrates the composer's strong melodic sense and innate feeling for the sound of choral worship. The atmospheric Kyrie leads to a Gloria that contrasts vibrantly rhythmic passages with smoother, expressive sections. The mysterious harmonies of the Sanctus pave the way for a tender Benedictus, and the Agnus D…

Par SCHUBERT FRANZ. Presented for alto recorder and piano, the two most famous Ave Marias in music. Gounod’s, based on Bach’s first prelude and Schubert’s equally well known composition. They offer an undemanding blow for treble recorder in these arrangements by Sylvia Corinna Rosin or, perhaps a little more challenging, the Schubert will fit the tenor recorder, whose mellower tone will suit the m…