Ludwig van Beethoven

Dmitri Bashkirov is one of the ‘superstars’ of the piano world. An exceptional teacher, his pupils include Arcadi Volodos and Claire-Marie Le Guay. This, his debut on Claves, combines a most original programme with orchestra.

One of Britain’s most prolific recitalists, Martin Roscoe presents the much anticipated second volume from his Complete Beethoven Series of the new Barry Cooper edition.

Martin Roscoe is a versatile musician who endeavours always to serve the composer and the music. His enduring popularity and solid reputation are built on a deeply thoughtful musicianship that is allied to an easy rapport with audiences and fellow musicians alike.

We are delighted to present Volume Two from his complete Beethoven piano sonata series, of which Roscoe describes these works as “ the most searching, the most challenging and the most fulfilling of all composers.”

Here’s a genuine rarity: Ferdinand Rebay (1878-1953) has been hitherto unknown outside a small circle of guitar connoisseurs, but that should change thanks to this attractive set of sonatas and dances, all receiving their first recordings at the hands of two talented young Italian musicians. Rebay was Viennese born and bred. In 1901 he entered the piano class of Joseph Hofmann at the Vienna Conservatory and studied composition with the eminent pedagogue Robert Fuchs, who counted Mahler, Wolf, Sibelius and von Zemlinsky among his students. Four years later, when leaving the Conservatory with a distinction in composition, Rebay's catalogue already numbered around 100 works, including a piano concerto dedicated to Prof. Hofmann. He continued to compose prolifically, mainly in the area of vocal music, producing around 100 choral works, 400 Lieder and two operas. After the Anschluss in 1938, Rebay lost his teaching positions as well as his pension and was reintegrated only in 1945, a few months before his definite retirement. Rebay's interest in writing for the guitar was triggered by his niece, the guitarist Gerta Hammerschmid (1906-1985) and by her teacher, his friend and colleague at the Musikakademie, Jakob Ortner (1879-1959), who probably introduced him to the technical possibilities of the instrument. He died, almost forgotten, in Vienna in 1953. Among Rebay's most ambitious and important guitar works are the duos for guitar and a string or wind instrument. Substantial works, with a duration between 15 and 25 minutes, these duos have no match in the guitar repertoire; the Sonatas on this disc are among their number, and complemented by stylish arrangements made by Rebay of several of Beethoven’s German Dances. The scarce original repertoire for clarinet and guitar, limited during the 19th century essentially to Heinrich Neumann's six serenades is almost trebled by Rebay's substantial contribution.

It’s hard to believe that Martha Argerich is now approaching her 70th birthday – on 5 June this year. She has been recording for Deutsche Grammophon for 50 years, and has made some of the greatest recordings on the label, now fully documented on The Martha Argerich Collection capboxes (Solo Recordings, Concerto Recording, Chamber Ensemble Recordings).

Three generously filled CDs (nearly 240 minutes of music) portray the incredible virtuosity, style and range of this incomparable artist. We follow her solo and concerto career that is gradually subsumed in recordings with musical partners like Nelson Freire, Stephen Kovacevich, Mischa Maisky and Gidon Kremer – Argerich’s five decades of recording with DG and Philips (Decca) are surveyed in a magnificent chronological sweep.

The Syzmanowski Quartet has chosen Vienna as the second stopping point in this new series. (The first was Paris on AVI8553158 ) The four works on this CD provide an exemplary overview of the Viennese musical tradition up to the beginning of the 20th century.

In addition to Luciano Pavarotti’s brilliant career on the opera stage, he was also known for his immensely popular recital performances featuring art song and lieder. This double-album features 24 recordings made at the peak of his career, ranging through works by Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini, Mascagni, and the rather less obvious Legrenzi, Liszt and Respighi as well as Giordani’s ‘Caro mio ben’, Beethoven’s ‘In Questa Tomba Oscura’, and Schubert’s ‘Ave Maria’. This is one of a series of five archive recordings of the legendary tenor being released by the American label Opera d’Oro over the next couple of months.

David Geringas is one of today’s most respected cellists. His intellectual rigor, stylistic versatility and warm tone have earned him accolades the world over. This is an important addition to the chamber music discography.

Colin Anderson writes: “Beethoven’s music is presented as rough-hewn, yet not without its own beauty, lyricism and consolation alongside its heroic and humanistic characteristics…” The soloists in Symphony No.9 include Fritz Wunderlich.

This performance of this more obscure work was recorded in Vienna in 1951. The bonus is Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, performed by Chorvereinigung “Jung-Wien” and the Wiener Symphoniker, conducted by Leo Lehner in 1952.

Pianist, Felicja Blumental, is joined by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Robert Wagner to perform Beethoven's first and second piano concerti. This is the first release in a series of three discs featuring all SIX of Beethoven’s piano concerti.