Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra

“A composer is someone who has a lot of music in his head which needs to get out.”

That is how Moritz Eggert once described to some children the act of composing. “As artists we are chroniclers of the emotions of a particular time, and if we are lucky, our chronicles radiate a little, illuminating the path.” Moritz Eggert’s new SACD with the Stuttgart Kammerorchester shows how diverse these paths can be. The spectrum of the works presented here is great and ranges from pieces such as Der Rabe Nimmermehr Ouvertüre to Tetragrammaton which was composed for the Stuttgart Kammerorchester and which almost drills into sound. As a special guest artist, Inga Humpe of ‘2raumwohnung’ sings Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen, a piece co-written with Moritz Eggert. This encounter of two different musical spheres results in a touching orchestral chanson which, through its history of origin and the use of Rückert’s text, is also a homage to Gustav Mahler.

Karl Münchinger recorded all the major orchestral and choral pieces by Bach for Decca, and over a period of some 30 years (from the Mono to the Digital eras), five of the Cantatas. All boast remarkable soloists from their eras. Suzanne Danco sings the two solo cantatas, BWV 51 and 202, recorded in 1953 and released on CD for the first time. Elly Ameling and Helen Watts are soloists in the early cantata, BWV 10. And the digital recordings of Ein feste Burg and Wachet auf feature Julia Hamari and Tom Krause. The collection is rounded off with two of the most popular orchestral arrangements from the Bach cantata repertoire – Jesu, joy of man’s desiring and Sheep may safely graze.

The Rascher Saxophone Quartet here present a disc of works specifically composed for them. They are joined by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Robin Engelen in the orchestra's first appearance on BIS.

With Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in mind, Sally Beamish uses features of Baroque music but also elements from traditional Scottish music.

Steven Stucky revels in the sonic possibilities of the saxophone family, while the strings are content mostly to form a modest backdrop. His Music for Saxophones and Strings falls into two sections – the first with a nocturnal, mysterious atmosphere, while the second is faster, skittish and playful

Chen Yi, finally, has been inspired by the ancient music of her native China. The 'eight sounds' of the title refer to the traditional classifications of Chinese instruments. And she uses the saxophones and the strings to recapture her impressions of music she has heard played by Chinese villagers on old traditional instruments.

In 1960, the Stuttgart-born conductor Karl Münchinger (1915-1990), made a Decca recording of Pachelbel’s Canon and Gigue that assured the piece its immortality in years to come. Münchinger recorded extensively for Decca with his Stuttgarter Kammerorchester (Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra). Moderate-size forces, rhythmic sprightliness and judicious ornamentation were the hallmarks of his recordings of 17th and 18th-century repertoire, and their general airiness also informs his readings of the Serenades on this anthology. The Dvorak, Suk and Wolf recordings date from the 1970s, whereas the Grieg, which he only recorded once, and has been on many “reissue request” lists, dates from 1956. This generous CD, released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death and nearly 80 minutes long, is comprised entirely of first international CD releases.

A fixture on the music scene for more than six decades, pianist Leon Fleisher releases his first two-hand concerto recording in 40 years.

The new recording is comprised of a trio of Mozart concertos recorded with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra: no. 23 in A Major, K. 488; no. 12 in A Major, K. 414; and no. 7 in F Major for two pianos, K. 242, for which he is joined by his wife Katherine Jacobson-Fleisher. Founded in 1945, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra has held a top position in the international orchestral world for more than 60 years. Under founder and director Karl Mnchinger, the ensemble had developed and cultivated the repertoire of the Viennese Classicists.

Werner Haas was a pupil of Walter Gieseking. In 1962 he was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for his complete recording of Debussy’s piano compositions. In 1970 he was awarded the Edison Prize for his recordings of Ravel’s complete piano pieces. He died on 11 October 1976 in an automobile accident near Nancy, France. These two live performances date from the early 1970’s and are performed with the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester conducted by Karl Münchinger and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart conducted by Mladen Basic