Sinfonia Varsovia

Praised by The New York Times for her ‘clear articulation … unequivocal phrasing … [and] expressivity’, Ingrid Jacoby has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation. She began her piano studies with Larisa Gorodecka, herself a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus. Graduating at sixteen with highest honours from the St Louis Conservatory of Music, Ingrid Jacoby went on to win the National Baldwin Piano Competition, the Concert Artists Guild International Piano Competition and the Steinway Hall Artists Prize.

In America, the National Society of Arts and Letters awarded to her (in 1994) one of its highest distinctions, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Her discography includes the world premiere recording of Korngold’s solo piano pieces, works by Gershwin and Bernstein, and a recording of the Shostakovich and Ustvolskaya piano concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, which earned the highest commendation from the American Record Guide.

This is Volume 2 of Ingrid Jacoby’s complete set of Beethoven Piano Concertos.

The first CD of Beethoven Concertos 2 & 4 has received wonderful reviews: ‘Jacoby revitalises Beethoven’s Piano Concertos … terrifically and with so much intelligence and energy that all leading competitors pale by comparison.’ (Crescendo magazine, Germany), and ‘Here is a performance of Beethoven that is well-nigh flawless in every regard.’ (International Record Review, UK). This strongly projected performance of Beethoven’s Concerto No.5 is complemented by an all-Beethoven recital which Ingrid Jacoby recorded in 1991–2, featuring sets of variations, the Andante favori and the op.119 Bagatelles. The producer was Tony Faulkner.

The booklet contains notes by Richard Wigmore in addition to personal insights by Ingrid Jacoby on Beethoven interpretation.

The final volume in the series, featuring Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 1 & 3, will be released in the autumn this year.

Praised by The New York Times for her “clear articulation … unequivocal phrasing … [and] expressivity”, Ingrid Jacoby has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation. She began her piano studies with Larisa Gorodecka, herself a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus. Graduating at 16 with highest honours from the St Louis Conservatory of Music, Ingrid Jacoby went on to win the National Baldwin Piano Competition, the Concert Artists Guild International Piano Competition and the Steinway Hall Artists Prize. In America, the National Society of Arts and Letters awarded her one of its highest distinctions, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her discography includes the world premiere recording of Korngold’s solo piano pieces, works of Gershwin and Bernstein with the Russian National Orchestra, and a recording of the Shostakovich and Ustvolskaya piano concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, which earned the highest commendation from the American Record Guide.

This recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 marks Ingrid Jacoby’s debut on ICA Classics ‘Live’ series. It also marks the start of a complete cycle of the Beethoven Concertos for ICA Classics which will be released over the next two years.

The CD contains notes by Richard Wigmore in addition to personal insights by Ingrid Jacoby on Beethoven interpretation. Her performances produce many imaginative and individual touches which make these recordings stand out in a crowded catalogue.

The accompaniment by the Sinfonia Varsovia drew the following praise from Martha Argerich: “...they are wonderful, they are one of the best orchestras, not only in Poland. First class.” (August 2009). Award-winning conductor Jacek Kaspszyk has been Artistic Director of the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic since 2006 and until recently was also Music Director of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Here he continues his long association with the Sinfonia Varsovia.

Beautifully recorded in the best digital sound, there is a palpable feeling of the live performance being created in the Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio.

This is the first release in a new series of “Music in Chopin’s Time”. As with “The Real Chopin” series, the intention is to restore the authentic sound of Chopin’s era. The Fryderyck Chopin Institute aims to compile a collection of works from Chopin’s musical world in the most outstanding interpretations by artists with an interest in recovering lost beauty.

A star is born! The Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva is the vocal revelation that everyone is talking about. Still only 21, a protégée of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the winner of several major awards, Lezhneva makes her solo recital debut with a programme of arias by Rossini, a composer of whom is particularly fond. She is accompanied by the Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by its new artistic director Marc Minkowski.

In 2007 Julia Lezhneva won the prestigious Elena Obraztsova International Competition for Young Opera Singers in St Petersburg, for which the judges included Teresa Berganza, Christa Ludwig and Eva Marton. She has sung opposite Juan Diego Flórez at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and made her UK debut, aged 19, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko, also performing Rossini. Her London debut, introduced by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, came at the 2010 Classical Brit Awards singing Elena’s Final Rondo from Rossini’s La Donna del Lago in the Royal Albert Hall.

In October 2010 she confirmed her status as one of the world’s most exciting talents by winning the First International Opera Competition held at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris. Her performance in the recent Naïve recording of Vivaldi’s opera Ottone in Villa, conducted by Giovanni Antonini, has been praised to the skies by the international press. Her debut solo concerts at the 2010 Salzburg Festival with the Mozarteum Orchestra and Marc Minkowski likewise achieved extraordinary success. Minkowski has followed the young singer’s career closely; it was he who invited her in 2009 to take part in Bach’s B minor Mass, her first recording, and in summer 2011 she will sing the part of Fiordiligi under his baton in a new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at Salzburg. Despite her youth, Julia Lezhneva has a huge and extremely varied repertoire, ranging from the Baroque and bel canto styles to Romantic and contemporary music.

For her second album, Bel raggio, Aleksandra Kurzak focuses on the bel canto classics of Rossini; offering a beguiling mix of the virtuosic, the lyrical, and the comic. Joining her are Sinfonia Varsovia and Pier Giorgio Morandi.

The programme contains highlights from Le comte Ory, La donna del lago, La gazza ladra, Guglielmo Tell, Semiramide, Il turco in Italia, and more pieces which remain at the heart of her stage repertoire.