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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Friedrich Der Grosse / Frederick The Great 1712-2012Music for the Berlin Court
The year 2012 marks the tercentenary of the birth of Frederick the Great, whose political and military glory has often relegated his musical talent to the status of a mere hobby. But Frederick II was not only the key personality of Berlin musical life for the whole of the 18th century – as is shown by the works of the composers presented on this CD, all of whom worked at his court at some point in their careers – but also an excellent flautist who left posterity a number of fine flute sonatas from his own pen. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012. Formed in East Berlin in 1982, Akamus can pride itself on an outstanding reputation and an exceptional career: it has been a welcome guest in all thegreat musical institutions of Europe, Asia and North and South America. In 2011, the ensemble took in its stride operatic productions in nine European countries, an extended tour of the USA and its first tour to China. The group gives around one hundred concerts a year, with varied forces, under the direction of its different Konzertmeisters: Midori Seiler, Stephan Mai, Bernhard Forck, Georg Kallweit; or guest conductors such as Marcus Creed, Daniel Reuss and Hans-Christoph Rademann. The Akademie’s collaboration with René Jacobs, which started almost 25 years ago, has turned into a genuine artistic partnership. The productions resulting from their work together have been enthusiastically acclaimed both on stage and on record: their recording of 'Die Zauberflöte' was distinguished with an Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and BBC Music Choice. More recently 'Agrippina' has been shortlisted for a BBC Music Award in April 2012. Since 1994, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin has recorded exclusively for harmonia mundi. “the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin offers a chance to experience what his chamber concerts might have been like, in period pieces by court composers, with one of more than 100 hundred of the king's flute sonatas...C P E Bach's "Sinfonie No 1" is the standout, performed with gusto.” The Independent, 2nd March 2012 “There is no need to say much about the Berlin Akademie fur Alte Musik's performances; they show all the urgent intent, vibrant sound and expert ensemble playing we have come to expect from them. What better outfit could there be to celebrate Frederick's 300th anniversary year, and what better repertoire to mark their own 30 years together?” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012 “the Akademie plays most sensitively, wind colouring unobtrusively...The best playing, of the most inspired piece, is Bach's Sinfonie...Its fire and fury is breathtaking - and superbly played. Most warmly recommended.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Vivaldi: Cello Concertos
Caldara: | Sinfonia No. 6 'Sam Elena al Calvario' Sinfonia No. 12 'La Passione di Gesu Signor nostro' | Vivaldi: | Concerto for strings No. 5, RV 114 Concerto for cello, bassoon, strings & continuo RV409 Christian Beuse (bassoon) Cello Concerto in F major, RV 412 Cello Concerto in G minor, RV416 Cello Concerto in A minor, RV 419 Cello Concerto in B minor, RV424 Concerto, Op. 3 No. 11 'Con due Violini e Violoncello obligato', RV 565 Sinfonia in C major, RV 709 |
Alongside the famous Quattro Stagioni, La Notte, and so on, Vivaldi wrote no fewer than 27 concertos for the cello – an instrument which at the time was generally limited to playing basso continuo. With the genuine virtuosi he had available to him at the Ospedale della Pietà, the Red Priest played a key role in the emancipation of the cello, which so readily inspired him to invent varied figuration. The musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin have chosen to add highly expressive pieces by Caldara to punctuate the sumptuous feast of sound offered by maestro Queyras. “The adage goes that Vivaldi did not so much compose hundreds of concertos as write the same concerto hundreds of times. However, this disc featuring the estimable cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras illustrates the fallacy of that argument. ...Queyras is equal to all Vivaldi’s challenges and intricacies, adopting a buoyant “period” style that is fully matched by the incisive, pungent playing of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.” The Telegraph, 29th September 2011 ***** “[in RV409] Queyras’s soft-grained tone is strikingly partnered by the almost bleakly plaintive bassoon playing of Christian Beuse. The players of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin delight in the sharp cut and thrust that Vivaldi so often offers in theses works.” The Irish Times, 7th October 2011 **** “Queyras’s handling of Vivaldi’s dazzling streams in the faster movements is brilliant and precise, despite extreme tempos, and he is eloquently expressive in the beautifully phrased slower music. In two effervescent and sophisticated concertos for two violins and cello (RV 415 and RV 565), his partners, Georg Kallweit and Elfa Run Kristinsdottir, are equally good.” Sunday Times, 9th October 2011 “The timbre and sonority of Queyras's instrument imparts a rich, antique flavour, while his deft bowing – as on the finale to the "Concerto in G minor" – perfectly embodies the Vivaldian qualities of delight and vivacity. The album is full of memorable moments” The Independent, 21st October 2011 **** “Queyras's Adagio, with the lightest of accompaniments - solo lute - is especially eloquent...Queyras's scheme, alternating the cello with varied sinfonias and concertos for the string band, is particularly successful, with a series of extremely lively (though on occasion excessively fierce) performances by the Akademie fur Alte Musik, Georg Kallweit contributing a beautiful violin solo in the well-known Concerto RV565.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | JC Bach: Missa da Requiem & Miserere
After an acclaimed disc of Johann Ludwig Bach, Hans-Christoph Rademann continues his fascinating exploration of the most famous musical dynasty. Born in 1735, the ‘London Bach’ was the youngest of Johann Sebastian’s sons. He seems to have remained in his father’s shadow until the age of 19, when he had the chance to travel to Italy, very likely to receive guidance from the celebrated Padre Martini, as his (future) friend Mozart was to do some years later. It was in Milan that he wrote the two works recorded here, including an incredible Requiem with a completely unexpected formal design; in matters of style, however, the 22-year-old composer had already laid the foundations of all his later output. “The Requiem is a strange, heterogeneous piece, which sets only three sections of the traditional requiem mass...In many ways, the Miserere is a more convincing work. It's conceived on a grand, imposing scale, with carefully plotted tonal architecture and, as Hans-Christoph Rademann's performance shows, an orchestral accompaniment of great imagination and variety.” The Guardian, 20th October 2011 *** “Both pieces are clear in their ambitions of grandeur, and both the vocal and choral writing succeed in making a strong impression. The harmonic language does, however, tend towards blandness..With a strong team of soloists (Lenneke Ruiten, Ruth Sandhoff, Colin Balzer, Thomas E Bauer) these new Berlin performances are so strong that you may hardly notice.” Irish Times, 28th October 2011 **** “tip top performances which show the young Johann Christian Bach in the strongest light at the turning-point of his career. The Requiem is undoubtedly his youthful masterpiece, and this is the finest recording of an of his Italian music I've heard. Thoroughly recommended.” International Record Review, November 2011 “The performances under Hans-Christoph Rademann's direction are excellent, with notably strong contributions from the RIAS Kammerchor and the Berlin Akademie fur Alte Musik. Colin Balzer and Thomas E Bauer are stylish soloists with a feeling for textural imagery...this is overall a fine and interesting release.” BBC Music Magazine, January 2012 **** “Soprano Lenneke Ruiten is (by a whisker) prima inter pares in a first-rate quartet of soloists, and the choir and orchestra are excellent throughout.” bbc.co.uk, 25th February 2012 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Kenneth Tarver (Belshazzar), Rosemary Joshua (Nitocris), Bejun Mehta (Cyrus), Kristina Hammärström (Daniel), Neal Davies (Gobrias), Christina Sampson, Lucy Taylor, Andrew Radley, Richard Wilberforce, Vernon Kirk & Andrew Davies RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs Directed by Christof Nel – A Film by Don Kent Set Designer: Roland Aeschlimann Costume Designer: Bettina Walter Produced by Bel Air Media / Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2008 Handel's Belshazzar at the Aix Festival was imported from the Staatsoper Berlin. Berlin had built a huge, magnificent production and imported English and American opera singers, including star-turn countertenor Bejun Mehta. Add to this a superb local Baroque instrumental ensemble and an accomplished vocal ensemble, not to mention the world-renowned early music conductor, René Jacobs: and voilà, an operatic hit. Christophe Nel, a well-respected director in progressive German opera houses teamed up with famed Swiss minimalist set designer Roland Aeschlimann and costume designer Bettina Walter to create a production which respected the supposed austerity of oratorio. This experienced team brought Handel's not-so-high drama and philosophic tragedy to almost operatic dramatic standards as the Persian prince Cyrus overran the dissolute Babylonians and freed the captive Jews. “The Persian prince Cyrus, was sumptuously sung in heroic stances by Bejun Mehta; Rosemary Joshua, Belshazzar's mother Nitocris, sang in convincingly Handelian terms, and convincingly portrayed a religious zealot troubled by her wayward son. Most beautiful too was the singing of Neal Davies as the Syrian Gobrias, whose son had been killed by the dissolute emperor Belshazzar, a role also well sung and broadly characterised by American tenor, Kenneth Tarver. The star of the show was the RIAS-Kammerchor, able to personify Babylonians or Jews at the drop of a hat, singing magnificently. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin again proved itself a world-class chamber ensemble." musicwebinternational “the dramatic essence of the story...comes over in a striking semi-expressionist fashion. There's a strong set of central performances. Though Tarver is encouraged to go over the top as Nel's bisexual hedonist villain, his bright and brilliant tenor is purposefully deployed...Joshua supplies sobriety and maternal concern on a grand scale...Mehta's King Cyrus is immaculately sung and powerfully acted...Jacobs proves a consistently lively presence” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 **** “Happily, stage producers Christof Nel and Martina Jochem place their faith entirely in Charles Jennen's plot and characters...The capable RIAS Chamber Choir get stuck into the dramatic story and the entire cast achieve an abundance of highly effective acting and dramatic visual ideas...Most of the singers are superb and their acting draws us into the contrasting moralities and fortunes of their characters.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011 “Ten minutes into this gripping performance and you understand Rene Jacobs's enthusiasm for the idea [of staging it] - the music lends itself perfectly to dramatization...Jacobs and his cast respond thoughtfully, but not over-zealously, to Handel's vivid characterization...[Tarver] looks and sounds like the perfect Belshazzar...Joshua is spellbinding...[Mehta] has an instinctive feel for Handel...it's one of the most convincing stagings of a Handel oratorio I've seen.” International Record Review, September 2011  BBC Music Magazine
Blu-ray Choice - August 2011 |
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Kenneth Tarver (Belshazzar), Rosemary Joshua (Nitocris), Bejun Mehta (Cyrus), Kristina Hammärström (Daniel), Neal Davies (Gobrias), Christina Sampson, Lucy Taylor, Andrew Radley, Richard Wilberforce, Vernon Kirk & Andrew Davies RIAS Kammerchor & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, René Jacobs Directed by Christof Nel – A Film by Don Kent Set Designer: Roland Aeschlimann Costume Designer: Bettina Walter Produced by Bel Air Media / Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2008 Handel's Belshazzar at the Aix Festival was imported from the Staatsoper Berlin. Berlin had built a huge, magnificent production and imported English and American opera singers, including star-turn countertenor Bejun Mehta. Add to this a superb local Baroque instrumental ensemble and an accomplished vocal ensemble, not to mention the world-renowned early music conductor, René Jacobs: and voilà, an operatic hit. Christophe Nel, a well-respected director in progressive German opera houses teamed up with famed Swiss minimalist set designer Roland Aeschlimann and costume designer Bettina Walter to create a production which respected the supposed austerity of oratorio. This experienced team brought Handel's not-so-high drama and philosophic tragedy to almost operatic dramatic standards as the Persian prince Cyrus overran the dissolute Babylonians and freed the captive Jews. “The Persian prince Cyrus, was sumptuously sung in heroic stances by Bejun Mehta; Rosemary Joshua, Belshazzar's mother Nitocris, sang in convincingly Handelian terms, and convincingly portrayed a religious zealot troubled by her wayward son. Most beautiful too was the singing of Neal Davies as the Syrian Gobrias, whose son had been killed by the dissolute emperor Belshazzar, a role also well sung and broadly characterised by American tenor, Kenneth Tarver. The star of the show was the RIAS-Kammerchor, able to personify Babylonians or Jews at the drop of a hat, singing magnificently. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin again proved itself a world-class chamber ensemble." musicwebinternational “the dramatic essence of the story...comes over in a striking semi-expressionist fashion. There's a strong set of central performances. Though Tarver is encouraged to go over the top as Nel's bisexual hedonist villain, his bright and brilliant tenor is purposefully deployed...Joshua supplies sobriety and maternal concern on a grand scale...Mehta's King Cyrus is immaculately sung and powerfully acted...Jacobs proves a consistently lively presence” BBC Music Magazine, August 2011 **** “Happily, stage producers Christof Nel and Martina Jochem place their faith entirely in Charles Jennen's plot and characters...The capable RIAS Chamber Choir get stuck into the dramatic story and the entire cast achieve an abundance of highly effective acting and dramatic visual ideas...Most of the singers are superb and their acting draws us into the contrasting moralities and fortunes of their characters” Gramophone Magazine, October 2011 “Ten minutes into this gripping performance and you understand Rene Jacobs's enthusiasm for the idea [of staging it] - the music lends itself perfectly to dramatization...Jacobs and his cast respond thoughtfully, but not over-zealously, to Handel's vivid characterization...[Tarver] looks and sounds like the perfect Belshazzar...Joshua is spellbinding...[Mehta] has an instinctive feel for Handel...it's one of the most convincing stagings of a Handel oratorio I've seen.” International Record Review, September 2011 BBC Music Magazine DVD Choice - August 2011 |
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| |  | German Baroque Lieder
Albert, H: | O der rauhen Grausamkeit Letzte Rede einer vormals stoltzen und sterbenden Jungfer Seelchen, habt ihr nicht gesehen Der Mai des Jahres Herz | Dedekind: | Alles Ding vergeht geschwinde | Erlebach: | Amor, eile und erteile treuen Raten Unser Leben ist mit viel Not umgeben Fortuna, du scherzest mit mir | Hammerschmidt: | Schönheit, du kanst zwar wol binden Canzona No. 3 | Kindermann: | Gott sey gedankt, der Fried steht noch Ach Herr, wie lange haben wir | Krieger, A: | Fleug, Psyche, fleug | Krieger, J: | Mein Herz ich liebe dich Abend-Andacht Kommt wir wollen ausspazieren Sonata in G for 2 violins and continuo Wol dem der sich vernügt |
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Here is the most ambitious composition left by Johann Ludwig Bach, known as ‘the Meiningen Bach’, who belonged to a branch of the family separated from Johann Sebastian’s since the 16th century. Its genesis was rather unusual: Johann Ludwig composed his cantatas to texts by his patron, Duke Ernst Ludwig, and was therefore commissioned to set the poem which the duke had written for his own funeral, in November 1724. Five years before St Matthew Passion, this score already requires two choirs and a large array of instruments, and must have utilised every musician in the court Kapelle. Since the 2007-08 season Hans-Christoph Rademann has been chief conductor of the RIAS Kammerchor. He grew up in a family of Kantors, and during his training as a choral and orchestral conductor at the Musikhochschule in Dresden he already founded the Dresdner Kammerchor, with which he made a reputation both in Germany and abroad, and which he still directs today. “Here's a real find...Don't be put off by the funeral music title; this is optimistic and celebratory and it bursts with trumpets-and-drums fervour in honour of the departed Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, while visions of the heavenly host mingle with deep-felt grief in complex counterpoint...Excellent performances; a major rediscovery which should be heard here.” The Observer, 13th February 2011 “The RIAS Chamber Choir enunciates its words clearly and accentuates the text lightly, thrilling to the stereo banter of the double choruses and bringing a wonderful grace to Johann Ludwig's less obvious ideas...A must-have for lovers of the German Baroque: no wonder Johann Sebastian thought it worth performing so music of Ludwig's music in Leipzig.” International Record Review, March 2011 “unmannered and irradiating solos from Rademann's singers allow the listener to penetrate the courtly virtues of employer and employee in unusually close collaboration - and the whole amounts to rather more than the individual parts...Rademann makes as strong a case for Ludwig's best surviving work as one can imagine.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Since Bach was more than cryptic in indicating the instrumentation of what is often regarded as his musical testament, The Art of Fugue has been subjected to an infinite variety of arrangements for all sorts of instruments. This recording follows a series of performances in which the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin tested a highly unusual concept: rather than play uniformly one after the other the contrapuncti and canons that Bach left us, they have made great efforts to diversify both the instrumentarium and the macrostructure – to the point where we end up, to our delight, experiencing their interpretation as an exciting musical game for several players! “A fresh look at one of Bach's most elusive masterpieces proves that this is far more than paper music. The lively Berlin early music group make the sometimes dry counterpoint burst with inventiveness and life...their scintillating responsiveness to Bach's complex structures is a continual delight.” The Observer, 26th December 2010 “[They] imbue the methodical counterpoints with new life by sharing them between strings and wind, and by sequencing the series for maximum contrast...Whatever the sequence, it's the vivid way in which the Akademie realise Bach's ingenious structures that makes the recording so compelling.” The Independent, 7th January 2011 **** “the mix of sounds from this crack Berlin ensemble is particularly lively. Whether in solos, trios, quartets or a combined mass of 22, the players beaver away on strings, winds and harpsichord, illuminating the interwoven threads and adding useful spice to music that plays for more than an hour in the same key.” The Times, 15th January 2011 “It's usually assumed now that it was conceived for a keyboard instrument, but the layout of the score does not preclude a much more varied instrumentation. That is what the Akademie für Alte Musik has adopted, preserving the overall musical shape of the sequence, but regularly sharpening the contrasts between successive numbers and varying the orchestrations as widely as possible.” The Guardian, 3rd February 2011 *** “an unusually dramatic exploration of linear and textural variation...the incremental effect is both studied and often strikingly effective.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2011 “Beautifully conceived and executed: superb clarity, attention to detail and absolute conviction. More fun, too, than plain keyboard versions.” Classic FM Magazine, April 2011 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
Pergolesi completed his Stabat Mater a few days before his death, on 17 March 1736, prompting comparisons with another mythical figure, Mozart composing his Requiem. It is framed here by three more masterpieces of the pianto genre in a similar spirit of bittersweet sadness. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovenian parents, Bernarda Fink studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón. Today her repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the twentieth century, and she appears regularly with such great international orchestras as the Vienna Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic and with celebrated Baroque ensembles. Among the conductors with whom she works are Nikolaus Harnoncourt, René Jacobs, Mariss Jansons and Riccardo Muti. Since the start of her career, Bernarda Fink has been applauded in the leading concert halls of Europe and Argentina. She was recently heard in the role of Irene (Theodora) under the direction of Ivor Bolton at the Salzburg Festival and as Idamante in Luc Bondy’s production of Idomeneo conducted by Jesús López-Cobos at the Teatro Real in Madrid; she has also recorded the latter role for harmonia mundi with René Jacobs. She gives song recitals in the principal European and American musical centres. Bernarda Fink has taken part in more than 50 recordings. Anna Prohaska studied at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik Berlin with Norma Sharp, Brenda Mitchell and Wolfram Rieger. She has a close association with the Staatsoper Berlin where her roles have included Blonde, Oscar, Tebaldo, Poppea (Agrippina), and Anne Trulove, with such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jordan, Ingo Metzmacher, and René Jacobs. Her work at the Salzburg festivals includes concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra as well as Don Giovanni (Zerlina) and Luigi Nono’s Al gran sole carico d’amore. She has also appeared at the Lucerne and Aix-en-Provence Festivals and in concert with Claudio Abbado (Berlin Philharmonic and Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolivar), Sir Simon Rattle (Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic), and Pierre Boulez (Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rund-funks). In recital she can be heard with Eric Schneider, with whom she recorded her first solo recital album. “The Akademie establishes the poignancy of atmosphere at the start, and all the performances are stylish and emotionally in keeping.” The Telegraph, 15th October 2010 **** “This latest recording is notable for Bernarda Fink’s rich, velvety singing of the alto solos, although “historically aware” fanatics may now find her plush timbre a shade too fruity for a sacred work...This is an attractive programme and Fink fans won’t be disappointed.” Sunday Times, 24th October 2010 *** “Anna Prohaska's bright-to-the-point-of-glaring soprano contrasts well with Bernarda Fink's dark alto in the solos...[Forck] does remind you how forceful its confrontation with mortality is, and how much is gained when sentiment is stripped away.” The Guardian, 11th November 2010 **** “Bernhard Forck and the orchestra balance the various emotions with skill...[the Salve Regina] is an attractive piece of no great profundity.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2011 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Gluck: Italian Arias
“on this disc Cecilia Bartoli makes clear that Gluck was a formidable musical dramatist even in his early, pre-'reform' works...This CD, in short, is a tour de force of dramatic singing, in the widest sense of the term: and it is also full of really beautiful sound; rich, warm, out.” Gramophone Magazine, 2001 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Gramophone Awards 2002
Gramophone Magazine