Audiomax label

Jan van Busch performs French organ rarities on Friese (III) organs in Passow, Vietlübbe, Bibow, Hanstorf an Alt Bükow. The French organ literature of the 19th century is rich in works for small instruments. Not all are as demanding as the cycles from L'Organiste, a late work by Franck.

After the great success of its CD with Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No.1 (AUD7031608), the Max Brod Trio now turns to another master of the art of chamber music. The three musicians from the Bohemian-German-Austrian borderlands present Dvořak’s Piano Trios Op.65 and 90.

This quartet was originally the Sonare Quartet, which performed many twentieth century works. There has been another Beethoven Quartet, made up of musicians from the Moscow Philharmonic and Shostakovich created his quartets for that ensemble. The new BeethovenQuartett was formed in 2006, the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich’s birth and concentrates on great works of the past.

In 2007 both these artists won the prestigious Internationaler Wettbewerb für Liedkunst in Stuttgart. In 2008 he made his debut with the Opéra Comique in Paris, starring as Cadmus in Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione. The DVD of this production was awarded numerous prizes. One of the works on this CD is based on poems by James Joyce.

Schumann’s treatment of the cello opens up a special dimension. Because Schumann was originally a pianist and composed for the instrument he is usually seen in the light of that instrument. In fact, he also played the cello and so was familiar with the instrument’s technique and character. He even fell back on the cello when his hopes of becoming the Paganini of the piano were dashed as a young man.

This trio was formed in 2005 and performed international concerts sponsored by the European Union. The trio was named after Max Brod, who was a mediator between the German, Czech and Jewish cultures. The ensemble has a great many friends and supporters and aims to continue Max Brod’s work. It is very open to new ideas, initiatives and cultural projects.

As the name of this label would suggest, this CD presents the Beethoven and Mendelssohn A minor String Quartets in 2+2+2 surround sound on SACD with a DVD Video.

On its second album, the young do.gma chamber orchestra led by Mikhail Gurewitsch demonstrates its enthusiastic freshness. “Presented with youthful élan, nuanced, magnificent in sound, and with just right dose of refinement.” SWR