New Releases

Zaubernacht is a children’s pantomime, and received its stage premiere in November 1922. In view of the limited budget, Weill instrumented the piece for an unusual group of instruments: piano, percussion, and five strings with a flute and a bassoon.

For the first time we have the opportunity to listen to the elegant toy waltzes, marches, and polkas in their original form, as the score only resurfaced from a publisher’s safe in 2006!

This new release boasts three of Denmark’s greatest contemporary composers. Sørensen, Nørgård and Abrahamsen have all created new forms of musical expression that manage to renew a deep romantic yearning of the intangible and mysterious.

The Trio con Brio Copenhagen are a superlative and unique group, highly praised for their sensitivity and interpretation of ‘new’ music - Classic FM Magazine wrote of them: ‘the Copenhagen players go the full distance with playing of skin-rippling sensitivity’.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra premieres the first two symphonies by their outstanding young composer-in-residence, Søren Eichberg.

Eichberg is a very accessible composer who writes colourful and effectual music. He is currently working on a commission from the Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

These are but a few of pianist Malcolm Troup’s awe-stricken observations in his review (Music and Vision Daily) of a recital by Israeli-American keyboard sensation Tali Morgulis – comments that will no doubt mirror any piano fan’s reaction to her performances in Archipelago of Light, her debut recording on Delos. Reflecting our penchant for unusual repertoire, this beguiling release offers her stunning renditions of rarely heard piano music by Brazilian masters Heitor Villa-Lobos and Almeida Prado as well as Argentinian icons Alberto Ginastera and Astor Piazzolla. The Piazzolla piano arrangement is heard here in its world premiere recording, and this is the only recording of Prado’s Ilhas available outside of Brazil.

Tali Morgulis is a pianist of rising international prominence, noted for her brilliant technique, exceptional musicality and vibrant interpretations. She maintains an active international concert career while offering “a unique approach to teaching” as a faculty member at the University of Houston’s Moores School of music. With these dazzling performances, she demonstrates her engaging style as well as her distinct flair for Hispanic music.

Delos’ “strong personality” is due, above all, to the pioneering goals and philosophy of our late founder, Amelia S. Haygood. Combining her unshakable faith in the therapeutic powers of classical music, determination to provide a recording platform for deserving American artists, championing of unusual repertoire, and endless fascination with cutting-edge recording technology, she forged an independent label that quickly gained an enviable worldwide reputation for the extraordinary artistry and audiophile quality of its recordings.

We at Delos celebrate our fortieth anniversary with a three-CD collection containing forty choice excerpts drawn from our catalog of over 500 recordings, covering orchestral, vocal and chamber/instrumental music encompassing our entire history. Among many others, our survey treats you to the artistry of orchestras like Gerard Schwarz’s Seattle Symphony and Constantine Orbelian’s Moscow Chamber Orchestra; vocal superstars like soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky; and revered instrumental virtuosos including cellist Janoś Starker, clarinetist David Shifrin and guitar innovator Paul Galbraith. You’ll also hear from several rising star performers as well as emerging composers like Kenji Bunch. Many of them also showcase Delos’ renowned, audiophile-endorsed sound quality: the work (and legacy) of our GRAMMY winning engineer, the late John Eargle.

A “New Formula” for Viola and Orchestra

Throughout its history, the viola has served primarily as an ensemble instrument, with its solo applications largely restricted to recital music like solo sonatas or other works with piano. Mainstream composers through the ages have indeed written fine concertos or other works for viola and orchestra, but they are (for various reasons) quite uncommon compared to concertos featuring more “glamorous” instruments like piano or violin. While some of their creators have also reworked their creations into piano versions, the reverse process – converting original piano parts into orchestral scores – is almost unheard of … until now. In this – violist Roger Myers’ first album on Delos – our artist offers the remarkable fruits of a “new formula” to expand the limited repertoire for viola and orchestra: well-known chamber masterpieces by Robert Schumann (Märchenbilder) and Dmitri Shostakovich (the Sonata for Viola and Piano: his final work) that have been skillfully transformed into impressive and colorful orchestral works. Myers commissioned the third work (Suite for Viola and Orchestra) from composer Michael McLean (who also orchestrated the Schumann) in memory of his mother. The Schumann and the Shostakovich are presented here in world premiere recordings. Myers, a violist of international renown, offers exceptional performances that combine deep feeling, glowing tone and stunning virtuosity. He collaborates here with the legendary London Symphony Orchestra under the sensitive baton of Michael Francis.