Franz Peter Schubert

Both in his memoirs and in conversation with the present writer, Stern named Myra Hess among the musicians who had influenced him. The two met in the summer of 1951 at the Casals Festival in Perpignan but it was not love at first sight, on Hess’s side at any rate. When their record company American Columbia, which largely underwrote the Casals Festival, suggested that Hess should record some chamber music at the 1952 event in Prades, she was grateful for the chance to renew collaboration with her old friend Szigeti but was not too keen to work with Stern. Once she started rehearsing Brahms’s B major trio with him and Casals, however, she realised how much she had in common with Stern. The trio was recorded and Hess also played and recorded the Schumann Quintet with Stern, Alexander Schneider, Milton Thomas and Paul Tortelier, as well as three works involving Szigeti: Schubert’s A major Sonata, Brahms’s C major Trio (with Casals) and C minor Piano Quartet (with Milton Katims and Tortelier).

These Prades encounters eventually led to the Hess-Stern duo which mainly appeared in New York, Edinburgh (at the Festival) and London. They initially played Brahms’s G major Sonata at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, on 16 April 1956 in honour of the ninetieth birthday of David Mannes, founder of the Mannes College of Music: Stern began the recital with the Bach Chaconne and Hess ended it with Beethoven’s A flat Piano Sonata, Op.110. Thereafter they gave sporadic sonata recitals, the repertoire taking in all three by Brahms, as well as two by Bach, a few Beethovens and individual works by Mozart and Schubert. Although the duo was not recorded commercially, we do have this BBC transcription of what turned out to be their last recital, on 28 August 1960 at the fourteenth Edinburgh International Festival (a London appearance scheduled for that October had to be cancelled, owing to the heart attack which hastened the end of Hess’s career). To hear two such great romantic artists together is something of a privilege.

- Tully Potter, 2011

Today’s leading bel canto tenor, and one of the world's biggest opera stars, celebrates this Christmas season with a very personal choice of sacred arias and songs, including favourites such as Panis Angelicus, Ave Maria and O Holy Night.

As well as the glorious coloratura for which he is celebrated, the album also reveals the more intimate side of Juan Diego Flórez, in new interpretations of much-loved tenor classics for the festive season. These popular hits take their place alongside less familiar treasures including the Qui sedes from Bellini’s Mass in A minor and the virtuosic Alleluia from Fux’s Plaudite, sonat tuba – which call for the thrilling virtuosity that have made Juan Diego Flórez a star in the world's greatest opera houses. A highlight of the programme is the title track Santo – composed by Juan Diego Flórez himself – and infused with the musical colours and rhythms of his Latin American roots. "My father was a folk-singer and I grew up with Peruvian music. My hobby is to compose and orchestrate, and the melody came to me very easily. The hard part is then to find the right instrumental colours and write for all the instruments and the chorus. But it's fun."

Schubert's reputation as a composer of solo lieder has tended to overshadow the works for two of more voices that he composed from the age of 14 to his last years. Some of these works includes four voices and choir, and they fall in to the category of domestic music making. The earliest date from his years as a pupil of Antonio Salieri, and may well have been intended as study works, others, such as the scena 'Antigone und Oedipe' D542 of 1817 was probably composed for friends, and is quite demanding of the performers.

The singers on these CDs represent some of the very best Schubert interpreters of the period -- and the recordings date from 1973. The accompanist is the incomparable Gerald Moore.

The highly regarded baritone Thomas Oliemans has been acclaimed for his performances of the works of Schubert; “Oliemans gives an astonishing Schubert-recital. Opera Magazine. ”In a recent interview he said “I’ve never been afraid of the great compositions, because they are the reasons for keeping music alive”. He will be making his Royal Opera House debut in 2011.

Gerhard Oppitz has a particular fondness for presenting cycles of the works of major composers and here continues his Schubert series: “….this imperious, no-nonsense German pianist bears down heavily on Schubert’s lyricism and vitality…..” Gramophone.

Pianist Rachel Cheung presents her debut CD, on which she performs a varied programme of pieces by Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt and Poulenc. This disc, amongst the first to be recorded for the new label, Alpha Omega Sound, is the perfect introduction to Cheung’s amazing talent

Born in Hong Kong, 19-year-old classical pianist Rachel Cheung has won numerous national and international prizes and awards (Steinway International Youth Piano Competition, Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, Leeds International Piano Competition) to name just a few. She performs regularly in Europe and the USA and made her UK debut at London’s Steinway Hall in November 2009.

After the Telefunken recordings of Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (Tah 698-700), this is another welcome reissue: several rarities from the famous Capitol label which seem to have disappeared completely. Music lovers have long searched for these rare performances, at last made available. In these recordings we can admire the wonderful playing of the famous Hamburg strings, led by Erich Röhn and Arthur Troester, but also the beauty of the sound of Gerhard Otto’s flute and above all the incredible clarinet playing of Rudolf Irmisch (Waldweben).

Recorded April and December 1955