Johannes Brahms

This prediction Schumann about the young Brahms is performed beautifully with A German Requiem, which shines in the center of the work Brahms and even dominates without being subject to any comparison.

A historical record with Fisher-Dieskau and especially Elisabeth Grümmer whose " Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit ", accompanied by a very slow Rudolf Kempe, is quite simply one of the most sublime pieces recorded.

David Zinman celebrated his 75th birthday on July 9, 2011. He will leave the Tonhalle Orchestra in 2014 after nearly 20 years. He has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich since 1995.

Under his aegis as Artistic Director, the Orchestra has developed into an outstanding ensemble, celebrated highly successful tours in Europe, the United States and Asia, and recorded numerous CDs.

New York born David Zinman is one of the internationally most recognized conductors of his generation. He frequently conducts the renowned American orchestras in Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco and New York; in Europe, he regularly guest conducts the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the London Philharmonia Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

The Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich has recorded for SONY/RCA/ARTE NOVA: Beethoven (complete symphonies, complete concertos), Schumann (complete symphonies), Richard Strauss (complete orchestra works) and Gustav Mahler (complete symphonies on SACD). A project with the complete symphonies by Franz Schubert started in 2011.

The recording of all the Beethoven symphonies was awarded (among others) the German Record Critics’ Prize in 1999 and GRAMMOPHONE “Editor’s Choice” & “Record of the Year 2000”. Sales worldwide of their recording of all Beethoven symphonies with the Tonhalle Orchestra (complete cycle and separate CDs): more than 1,000,000 units.

The Beethoven cycle has been famous because of the unusual and fresh interpretation combining the advantages of period instruments interpretations with the sound qualities of a big modern orchestra. All qualities of the renowned Beethoven cycle can be expected also regarding to the Brahms interpretations.

All Sony Classical recordings have received special praise because of their superb sound quality. (Chris Hazell/Recording Producer & Simon Eadon/Sound Engineer & Editing).

The cycle of the complete Brahms Symphonies (Symphonies 1 – 4) was recorded in April 2010 in the Tonhalle Zurich, a concert hall, that has been inaugurated by Johannes Brahms himself and that is famous because of its superb acoustical qualities.

In recent years, the Tonhalle Orchestra has developed into one of Europe’s leading ensembles. Ground-breaking CD recordings of the orchestral works of Richard Strauss and the symphonies of Robert Schumann, for example – and most notably of all the Beethoven symphonies, overtures and solo concertos – paved the way for the orchestra’s rise to prominence.

Wherever the Tonhalle Orchestra performs it is enthusiastically received by audiences and critics alike.

Ever since 1999, when the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich won the German Record Critics’ Prize for its seminal recording of all the Beethoven symphonies, it has been at the centre of worldwide attention. Since then, well over one million CDs have been sold.

LIMITED EDITION

28 CDs and 1 DVD - 'My Life, My Music' including 'The Last Interview' (German with optional subtitles in English and French)

Gunter Wand (January 7, 1912 - February 14, 2002) was one of the most important conductors of the 20th century. Together with the Kolner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester (WDR Sinfonieorchester) and then with the NDR Sinfonieorchester, whose principal conductor he was from 1982-1991. He produced outstanding recordings that retain their reference status to this day. His Bruckner cycle with the Cologne orchestra in particular mader Gunther Wand's work internationally known.

Wand was a keen advocate of absolute fidelity to the original, and was famous for his authentic interpretations, for the unrelenting precision of his rehearsal work and the high standards the set for recordings that were released on disc. This edition contains magnificent recordings personally authorised by Wand himself, such as the complete Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Schubert symphonies. The DVD "My Life, My Music" gives a comprehensive insight into the life and work of this great conductor.

Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Köln here perform Johannes Brahms’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3. Brahms started composing the First in 1854 and continued to make additions and radical changes to the work before its première in 1876, some 22 years later. The Third is Brahms’s shortest symphony and was composed some six years after his Second.

As part of its series of historic recordings, the audite label presents another notable jewel. On 5 March 1963 two great virtuosos made their Berlin débuts with orchestra in the same concert: the then 18-year-old cellist Jacqueline du Pré and the 22-year-old pianist Bruno Leonardo Gelber.

Du Pré’s interpretation of the Schumann Cello Concerto seems more vivid and contains greater contrasts even than her later recording of the work. With his reading of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, Gelber communicates a conception of a large-scale work, shaping the inner contrasts and connections without ever losing sight of the overall coherence. For everyone who is interested in the history of interpretation, these two live documents of a great moment in Berlin’s post-war musical life are a must.

This CD forms part of our series “Legendary Recordings” and bears the stamp “1st Master Release”. This term stands for the exceptional quality of audite’s archive releases which are all, without exception, produced using original tapes from the radio archives. Usually, these are the original analogue tapes with tape speeds of up to 76 cm/s which are of astonishingly high quality, even by today’s standards. In addition, the process of re-mastering – executed with professional expertise and sensitivity – reveals hitherto hidden details of the interpretations, creating a sonic image of superior quality. CD releases produced from private recordings of radio broadcasts or old 78rpm records cannot match this level of sound quality.

Brahms's important output of 24 chamber scores dominated the second half of the 19th century, as that of Beethoven had dominated the first half. His corpus was thus a response to that of Beethoven, his model, and to that of Mendelssohn, who was likewise born in Hamburg and also composed two cello sonatas. In 1890, aged only 57, Brahms resolved to give up composing but he had reckoned without the inspiration that his meeting with the Meiningen clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld was to have on his creative imagination. He subsequently added four scores for clarinet to his output, including this Trio Op. 114.

Louis Schwizgebel-Wang was awarded 2nd prize at the Leeds Piano Competition 2012.