Daniel Barenboim plays CHOPIN The Warsaw Recital

Even though Daniel Barenboim has made only a few recordings of Frédéric Chopin's music, he is well-suited to it by his temperament and esthetic preferences. Barenboim is a reserved pianist who plays with an introspection that is wholly appropriate for Chopin and it was put to best purpose in his 1981 set of the complete Nocturnes. This is the chief reason why his 2010 recordings of solo piano pieces for the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth are welcomed by his admirers and received with approval by critics. As a companion to Barenboim's recordings of Chopin's piano concertos, which were recorded live at the 2010 Ruhr Piano Festival, this release presents a live recital in Warsaw's National Philharmonic Concert Hall. The two albums are highly recommended to fans who have lamented Barenboim's apparent neglect of this composer over the years, and to anyone who can appreciate deeply thoughtful readings of Chopin's works. Barenboim has even taken pains to organize his program through tonal centers, which, with only a couple of exceptions, revolve around D flat major and closely related keys. This planning gives a unifying quality to the recital and demonstrates Barenboim's careful attention to the presentation. But the interpretations are what most listeners will notice, and Barenboim is in fine form in these recordings, playing with an understanding and sympathy that sustain the music and make it compelling. While the audio is less than Deutsche Grammophon's usual best, due to the concert conditions, it is still attractive and reasonably clean, and the microphone placement ensures that every note is heard. (Blair Sanderson, Rovi)

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
1) Fantaisie in F minor, Op.49 [13:31]
2) Nocturne No.8 in D flat, Op.27 No.2 [6:33]
Piano Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, Op.35
3) 1. Grave - Doppio movimento [5:31]
4) 2. Scherzo - Più lento - Tempo I [7:05]
5) 3. Marche funèbre (Lento) [7:38]
6) 4. Finale (Presto) [1:57]
7) Barcarolle in F sharp, Op.60 [9:34]
8) Waltz No.4 in F, Op.34 No.3 [2:43]
9) Waltz No.3 in A minor, Op.34 No.2 [5:55]
10) Waltz No.7 in C sharp minor, Op.64 No.2 [4:14]
11) Berceuse in D flat, Op.57 [4:48]
12) Polonaise No.6 in A flat, Op.53 -"Heroic" [7:21]
13) Waltz No.6 in D flat, Op.64 No.1 -"Minute" [2:23]
Daniel Barenboim

2011 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
477 9519 3GH

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Anne Sofie von Otter SPEAK LOW Songs by Kurt Weill (reuploaded)

Kurt Weill was a pupil of Humperdinck, Busoni and Jarnach in Berlin; their teaching informed his early music, including the choral Recordare (1923) and the Concerto for violin and wind (1924), the latter also influenced by Stravinsky. But the deeper influence of Stravinsky, coupled with an increased consciousness of music as a social force, led Weill to a rediscovery in the mid-1920s of tonal and vernacular elements, notably from jazz, in his cantata Der neue Orpheus and one-act stage piece Royal Palace, written between two collaborations with the expressionist playwright Georg Kaiser: Der Protagonist and Der Zar lässt sich photographieren.
His next collaborator was Brecht, with whom he worked on The Threepenny Opera (1928), The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1929) and Happy End (1929), all of which use the corrupted, enfeebled diatonicism of commercial music as a weapon of social criticism, though paradoxically they have beome the epitome of the pre-war culture they sought to despise. Yet this is done within the context of a new harmonic consistency and focus. These works have also drawn attention from the theatre works in which Weill developed without Brecht during the early 1930s, Die Bürgschaft and Der Silbersee.
In 1933 he left Germany for Paris, where he worked with Brecht again on the sung ballet The Seven Deadly Sins. Then in 1935 he moved to the USA, where he cut loose from the European art-music tradition and devoted himself wholeheartedly to composing for the Broadway stage, intentionally subordinating aesthetic criteria to pragmatic and populist ones. Yet these works are still informed by his cultivated sense of character and theatrical form.
Kurt Weill's ballet with songs is one of this century's greatest theatrical works. It has all the wit and melodic appeal of The Threepenny Opera and social conscience of Mahagonny, but more warmth and musical sophistication than either. It's also all over with in about 40 minutes. Some critics believe the piece was intended as a sort of love poem to Weill's wife, Lotte Lenya; given the tenderness of much of the music, it's hard to disagree. Lenya herself recorded the piece in the 1950's and this very much newer performance is welcome particularly for Anne Sofie von Otter's highly intelligent and musical way with the text.

Kurt Weill (1900 - 1950)
Die Sieben Todsünden
1) Introduktion: Andante sostenuto "Meine Schwester . . . [3:24]
2) Faulheit: Allegro vivace "Müssiggang ist aller Laster" [3:47]
3) Stolz: Allegretto, quasi andantino "Als wir aber" [4:19]
4) Zorn: Molto agitato "Das geht nicht vorwärts" [4:00]
5) Völlerei: Largo "Das ist ein Brief aus Philadelphia" [2:58]
6) No.5 Unzucht "Und wir fanden einen Mann in Boston" [5:36]
7) Habsucht: Allegro giusto "Wie hier in der Zeitung" [2:56]
8) Neid: Allegro non troppo "Und die letzte Stadt" [5:06]
9) Epilogue "Darauf kehrten wir zurück nach Lousiana" [1:50]
Lady in the Dark
10) 3. My Ship [2:42]
11) 1. One Life to Live [3:01]
12) Buddy on the Nightshift [2:09]
13) Nannas Lied [4:02]
Happy End (1929)
tran. Chris Hazell/Tony Burke
14) 1. Bilbao Song [4:27]
15) 2. Surabaya Johnny [6:01]
16) 6. Das Lied von der harten Nuss (Song of the Big Shot) [1:06]
17) Je ne t'aime pas [4:29]
18) Schickelgruber [2:51]
19) Der Abschiedsbrief [3:25]
One Touch of Venus
20) Foolish Heart [2:28]
21) Speak Low [3:59]
22) I'm A Stranger Here Myself [3:13]

Anne Sofie von Otter
Bengt Forsberg
NDR-Sinfonieorchester
John Eliot Gardiner

1994 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
1 CD DDD
439 8942 GH

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Gabrieli Consort & Players - Paul McCreesh HAYDN The Creation

Nobody would argue with the view that The Creation is Haydn's single greatest achievement, including the composer himself, who, over a period of 18 months in 1796-98, worked on it with an intensity and fervour unequalled in his long career. To someone who during the previous 40 years had attained international popularity and esteem with his symphonies, quartets and keyboard sonatas, the project presented a new and unexpected challenge.
In his old age, Haydn sometimes regretted that he had not been able to compose an opera that commanded international respect, but in the oratorio he found a genre far better suited to his artistic temperament. The origins of The Creation go back to his visits to London in the early 1790s, when one of his most uplifting musical experiences was attending large-scale performances of Handel's choral works in Westminster Abbey. Most of the music was entirely new to him, and he was quite overwhelmed by the practice of performing Messiah, Israel in Egypt, Zadok the Priest and other works with several hundred singers and players.
In the words of one early biographer: “Haydn confessed to me that when he heard Handel's music in London, he was so struck by it that he began his studies all over again as if he had known nothing until that time. He mused over every note and extracted from these learned scores the essence of real musical magnificence." Handel was idolized in London as the great master of the “ancient" school, while Haydn was regarded as the master of the “school of the modern". Although there were some rumours that he was working on an oratorio, Haydn was shrewd enough to realize that it was better not to enter into direct competition with Handel. (This was to be borne out by subsequent events. Even after the very first performance in London the critic of the Morning Herald wrote, rather condescendingly: “The Oratorio of Creation, composed by Haydn, was performed at Covent Garden last night with much deserved applause...and, although not equal in grandeur to the divine compositions of the immortal Handel, is, nevertheless, on the whole, a very charming production." )
Towards the end of Haydn's second London visit (1794-95), the impresario and violinist Johann Peter Salomon gave him the libretto of an oratorio on the creation of the universe. Nothing of certainty is known about this original text, which is now lost. Haydn could not even accurately remember the name of its author. One contemporary commentator, perhaps stimulated more by the notion of divine succession than by historical accuracy, claimed that it had been intended for Handel. On his return to Vienna Haydn showed the text to Gottfried van Swieten, an admirer of Handel's music who for over ten years had promoted semi-private performances of the composer's music in the city.
If Haydn had any doubts about embarking on The Creation, Swieten played a critical part in allaying them, and he provided the composer with practical assistance, even translating the libretto into German. Swieten also arranged for the work's first semi-private performances, at the Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna, in April and May 1798. These were received with enormous enthusiasm and paved the way for the work's first public hearings at the Burgtheater in March 1799.
During the remaining ten years of Haydn's life, numerous performances of the work were given throughout Europe, often in one of the original languages, German or English, sometimes in one of the two translations that Haydn sanctioned, French or Italian, but also in Czech, Hungarian, Russian and Swedish. The international success of The Creation was a cultural phenomenon without parallel in the history of music. (David Wyn Jones)


CD 1:
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)
The Creation (Die Schöpfung)
Text adjustment: Paul McCreesh
Part 1
The First Day
1. Introduction: The Representation of Chaos [6:19]
2. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth - And the Spirit of God [3:11]
3. Now vanish before the holy beams - Despairing, cursing rage [4:07]

The Second Day
4. And God made the firmament [2:02]
5. The glorious heav'nly hierarchy [2:16]
The Third Day
6. And God said: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together [0:39]
7. Rolling in foaming billows [4:10]
8. And God said: Let the earth bring forth grass [0:30]
9. With verdure clad the fields appear [5:12]
10. And the heavenly host the third day proclaimed [0:11]
11. Awake the harp, the lyre awake [2:10]
The Fourth Day
12. And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven [0:40]
13. In brightest splendour rises now the sun [3:06]
14. The heavens are telling the Glory of God [4:08]
Part 2
The Fifth Day
15. And God said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly [0:31]
16. On mighty pens uplifted soars the eagle [8:10]
17. And God created great whales [2:38]
18. And the angels struck their immortal harps [0:18]
19. Most beautiful appear, with verdure young adorn'd - The Lord is great [6:53]
The Sixth Day
20. And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature [0:24]
21. Straight opening her fertile womb [3:27]
22. Now heaven in fullest glory shines [3:38]
23. And God created man [0:49]
24. In native worth and honour clad [3:54]
25. And God saw ev'rything that he had made [0:21]
26. Achieved is the glorious work [9:43]

CD 2:
Part 3
1. In rosy mantle now appears [4:22]
2. By thee with bliss, o bounteous Lord [10:32]
3. Our duty have we now perform'd [2:16]
4. Graceful consort! [8:03]
5. O happy pair [0:33]
6. Praise the Lord, uplift your voices [3:43]

Sandrine Piau
Ruth Massey
Mark Padmore
Peter Harvey
Gabrieli Consort & Players
Paul McCreesh
Chetham's Chamber Choir

2008 ARCHIV Produktion
2 Compact Discs DDD
477 7361 0 AH2

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Melos Quartett LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Die Späten Streichquartette

CD1
String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127:
1. Maestoso - Allegro
2. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto cantabile
3. Scherzando vivace - Presto
4. Finale
String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131
5. Adagio, ma non troppo e molto espressivo
6. Allegro molto vivace
7. Allegro moderato
8. Andante, ma non troppo e molto cantabile - Piu mosso
9. Andante moderato e lusinghiero
10. Adagio
11. Allegretto
12. Adagio, ma non troppo e semplice
13. Allegretto
14. Presto
15. Molto poco adagio
16. Adagio quasi un poco andante
17. Allegro

CD2
String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130
1. Adagio ma non troppo - Allegro
2. Presto
3. Andante con moto, ma non troppo
4. Alla danza tedesca. Allegro assai
5. Cavatina. Adagio molto espressivo
6. Finale. Allegro
Fugue for string quartet in B flat major ('Grosse Fuge'), Op. 133
7. Overtura. Allegro - Fuga
8. Meno mosso e moderato
9. Allegro molto e con brio
10. Meno mosso e moderato
11. Allegro molto e con brio
12. Allegro

CD3
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor ('Heiliger Dankgesang'), Op. 132
1. Assai sostenuto - Allegro
2. Allegro ma non tanto
3. Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenden an die Gottheit, in der lydischen Tonart. Molto adagio
4. Alla marcia, assai vivace - Più allegro
5. Allegro appassionato
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135
6. Allegretto
7. Vivace
8. Lento assai e cantante tranquillo
9. Der schwer gefaßte Entschluß. Grave (Muß es sein?) - Allegro (Es muß sein!) - Grave, ma non troppo tratto — Allegro

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Melos Quartett LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Die Mittleren Streichquartette

CD1:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1837)
String Quartet in F after the Piano Sonata in E, Op.14 No.1
1. Allegro
2. Allegretto
3. Rondo. Allegro comodo
String Quartet in F, Op.59 No.1 (Rasumowsky)
4. Allegro
5. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
6. Adagio molto e mesto - attacca
7. Theme russe. Allegro

CD2:
String Quartet in E, Op.59 No.2 (Razumovsky)
1. Allegro
2. Molto adagio. Si tratta questo pezzo con molto di sentimento
3. Allegretto
4. Finale. Presto
String Quartet in F, Op.95
5. Allegro con brio
6. Allegretto ma non troppo - attacca
7. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
8. Larghetto espressivo - Allegretto agitato

CD3:
String Quartet in C, Op.59 No.3(Razumovsky)
1. Introduzione. Andante con moto. Allegro vivace
2. Andante con moto quasi Allegretto
3. Menuetto. Grazioso - attacca
4. Allegro molto
String Quartet in E flat, Op.74 ('Harp')
5. Poco Adagio - Allegro
6. Adagio ma non troppo
7. Presto - attacca
8. Allegretto con Variazioni

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Melos Quartett LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Die Frühen Streichquartette Op. 18

The Melos Quartet is one of the leading and longest-established string quartets of the world, and is particularly known for a warm, romantic sound without overstatement of emotionality, a strong grasp of form, and highly accurate, assured playing.
Its founders were four string players who already had important careers as soloists and orchestral musicians. They were:
Wilhelm Melcher of Hamburg (b. April 5, 1940), winner of the 1962 International Chamber Music Competition of Venice and concertmaster of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra since 1963.
Gerhard Ernst Voss, the second violinist, born in Brushed, Germany on December 17, 1939 and Hermann Voss, born in Brünen on July 9, 1934, were brothers who studied at Cologne. Hermann was the solo violist of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra while Gerhard was a member of the Würtemberg Chamber Orchestra.
Cellist Peter Buck was also a member of the Würtemberg Chamber Orchestra. He studied at Düsseldorf and at Freiberg.
The Melos Quartet started winning awards almost as soon as it was formed in 1965. In 1966 it won the Geneva International Competition with a prize for Best Quartet, and an award at the Villa-Lobos String Quartet Competition of Rio de Janeiro. In 1966 it was sent to represent West Germany at the Jeunesses Musicales of Paris.
In 1967 its members decided to resign from their various orchestral positions in order to concentrate on quartet music full time. Since then it has toured extensively, recorded frequently, and become of the best-known quartets in the world. In 1993 Gerhard Voss left the quartet and was replaced by Ida Bieler, soloist of the Villa Musica Ensemble and Professor of Robert Schumann Akadamie of Düsseldorf.
They recorded a performance of the Schubert String Quintet in C major (D. 956) with Mstislav Rostropovich as the second cellist on the Deutsche Grammophon label. They recorded a 3 CD set of the Haydn Quartets on the Deutsche Grammophon label. They also recorded the complete Mendelssohn and Schubert String Quartets on the Deutsche Grammophon label. They also recorded the complete Beethoven Quartet Cycle for their 25th Anniversary as a Limited Edition Set. With Violist Franz Beyer, they recorded Mozart's complete String Quintets, again for Deutsche Grammophon. Most of these recordings are now out of print and can be difficult to find. (Joseph Stevenson)

CD1:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827)

String Quartet in F, op.18 No. 1
1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
3. Scherzo. Allegro molto
4. Allegro
String Quartet in G, op.18 No. 2
5. Allegro
6. Adagio cantabile - Allegro - Tempo I
7. Scherzo. Allegro
8. Allegro molto quasi Presto

CD2:
String Quartet in D, op.18 No. 3
1. Allegro
2. Andante con moto
3. Allegro
4. Presto
String Quartet in c, op.18 No. 4
5. Allegro ma non tanto
6. Scherzo. Andante scherzoso quasi Allegretto
7. Menuetto. Allegretto
8. Allegro - Prestissimo

CD3:
String Quartet in A, op.18 No. 5
1. Allegro
2. Menuetto
3. Andante cantabile
4. Allegro
String Quartet in B flat, op.18 No. 6
5. Allegro con brio
6. Adagio ma non troppo
7. Scherzo. Allegro
8. La Malinconia. Adagio - Allegretto quasi Allegro

1984 Polydor International GmbH, Hamburg
3 Compact Discs
410 971-2 GH3

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Emerson String Quartet SHOSTAKOVICH The String Quartets

Ever since Beethoven left us his 16 string quartets, listeners have turned to the genre to find a composer's innermost thoughts. You'd be hard pressed to find feelings further removed from a composer's public persona than those of Shostakovich. His symphonies and operas are like the chapters in his "official" biography -- usually indicating how far in or out of favor he was with Stalin -- but the chamber music, frequently written "for the drawer," as he put it, is his personal journal.
It is tempting though ultimately unfair to compare the Emerson String Quartet's interpretations with versions by the Borodin, Shostakovich or Fitzwilliam Quartets. Those ensembles not only got the Stalinist references, they lived the life -- or, in the case of the Fitzwilliam, at least worked directly with the composer. But for these quartets to survive as repertory pieces, rather than journalism, they require both a working knowledge of the composer's intentions and a healthy distance from them.
The Emerson Quartet fits the bill perfectly. Though supportive of new music, they are less interested in advocacy than in creating perspective -- for creating connections between, say, Haydn and Bartók on the musical continuum. In Shostakovich's music, they see Stalin's name carved on every tree, but never lose sight of the forest. Recorded live at the Aspen Music Festival, their performances make deep emotional connections without bleeding into excessive sentimentality, remaining true both to the composer and to their own audiences.
Shostakovich didn't start exploring the quartet form until he was in his 30s, so unlike Beethoven, his 15 quartets change less in style than in content. The Emersons relate the comparative freedom of the early works, cranking the levels of sorrow and despair as the cycle progresses, until the final four quartets, which take on an aura of serenity. Throughout the cycle, the four musicians turn moods on a dime -- from bitter irony to sweet melancholy -- making each piece a world entirely its own. (Ken Smith)

CD 1:
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975)
String Quartet No.1 in C major, Op.49
1. 1. Moderato [3:56]
2. 2. Moderato [3:59]
3. 3. Allegro molto [2:23]
4. 4. Allegro [3:44]
String Quartet No.2 in A major, Op.68
5. 1. Overture (Moderato con moto) [7:58]
6. 2. Recitative & Romance (Adagio) [9:05]
7. 3. Valse (Allegro) [5:29]
8. 4. Theme & Variations [10:44]
String Quartet No.3 in F major, Op.73
9. 1. Allegretto [6:52]
10. 2. Moderato con moto [4:22]
11. 3. Allegro non troppo [3:50]
12. 4. Adagio [4:44]
13. 5. Moderato [8:19]

CD 2:

String Quartet No.4 in D major, Op.83
1. 1. Allegretto [3:51]
2. 2. Andantino [6:23]
3. 3. Allegretto [4:35]
4. 4. Allegretto [9:31]
String Quartet No.5 in B flat major, Op.92
5. 1. Allegro non troppo [11:19]
6. 2. Andante [8:29]
7. 3. Moderato [10:22]
String Quartet No.6 in G major op.101
8. 1. Allegretto [6:44]
9. 2. Moderato con moto [4:59]
10. 3. Lento - attacca: [3:58]
11. 4. Lento - Allegretto - Andante - Lento [6:33]

CD 3:
String Quartet No.7 in F sharp minor, Op.108
1. 1. Allegretto [3:42]
2. 2. Lento [2:49]
3. 3. Allegro [5:06]
String Quartet No.8 in C minor, Op.110
4. 1. Largo [4:34]
5. 2. Allegro molto [2:38]
6. 3. Allegretto [4:05]
7. 4. Largo [4:46]
8. 5. Largo [3:34]
String Quartet No.9 in E flat major, Op.117
9. 1. Moderato con moto [4:24]
10. 2. Adagio [3:47]
11. 3. Allegretto [4:02]
12. 4. Adagio [3:00]
13. 5. Allegro [9:29]
String Quartet No.10 in A flat major, Op.118
14. 1. Andante con moto [4:13]
15. 2. Allegretto furioso [3:58]
16. 3. Adagio [4:49]
17. 4. Allegretto - Andante [8:41]

CD 4:
1. Adagio (Elegy) for String Quartet [4:35]
2. Allegretto (Polka) for String Quartet [2:47]
String Quartet No.11 in F minor, Op.122
3. 1. Introduction: Andantino [2:12]
4. 2. Scherzo: Allegretto [2:42]
5. 3. Recitative: Adagio [1:08]
6. 4. Etude: Allegro [1:15]
7. 5. Humoresque: Allegro [1:02]
8. 6. Elegy: Adagio [4:12]
9. 7. Finale: Moderato [3:39]
String Quartet No.12 in D flat major, Op.133
10. 1. Moderato - Allegretto [6:29]
11. 2. Allegretto - Adagio - Moderato - Allegretto [19:24]
12. String Quartet No.13 in B flat minor, Op.138 [19:09]

CD 5:
String Quartet No.14 in F sharp major Op.142
1. 1. Allegretto [8:14]
2. 2. Adagio [8:52]
3. 3. Allegretto [7:59]
String Quartet No.15 in E flat minor, Op.144
4. 1. Elegy [12:37]
5. 2. Serenade [5:47]
6. 3. Intermezzo [1:38]
7. 4. Nocturne [4:30]
8. 5. Funeral March [4:36]
9. 6. Epilogue [6:18]
Emerson String Quartet

2000 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
5 Compact Discs DDD

463 2842 2 GH 5

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Nicola Benedetti FANTASIE

British violinist Nicola Benedetti presents her fourth album, Fantasie, a selection of well-loved violin pieces that form a stunning violin showcase. The repertoire is varied, ultimately all popular pieces and greatly different to the repertoire on her most recent discs. The combination of virtuosic, gipsy-influenced show stoppers with introspective meditations and songs represents the two aspects of violin-playing that particularly interest Benedetti, as well as showing her musical and technical development. Former winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition Benedetti has established a fantastic career performing with major orchestras across the UK, US and Japan, garnering praise for her bold interpretations of concertos such as Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Glazunov and Szymanowski. For Fantasie Benedetti has put aside the concerti to explore some of the recital greats, including Vaughan Williams’ "The Lark Ascending", one of the greatest works for violin which, for the last three years, has been voted Classic FM’s favourite piece of classical music in their Hall of Fame.

Pablo de Sarasate (1844 - 1908)
1. Zigeunerweisen Opus 20 [8:59]
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)
2. The Lark Ascending [16:02]
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)
3. Introduction And Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor [9:19]
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (1842 - 1912)
4. Meditation - Meditation from Thais [5:39]
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
5. Tzigane [10:02]
Arvo Pärt (1935 - )
6. Spiegel Im Spiegel [9:50]
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)
7. Vocalise Opus 34 No.14 [6:11]
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
8. Apres Une Reve [2:47]

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Krystian Zimerman GRAZYNA BACEWICZ Piano Sonata 2 - Piano Quintets 1 & 2

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Grażyna Bacewicz was famous as one of the leading and most forward-looking composers of her generation. Comparisons were drawn with Nadia Boulanger, who had occupied an equally prominent position in the world of music before the Second World War. Today it is Sofia Gubaidulina who plays this role on the contemporary classical scene. If Grażyna Bacewicz’s music failed to reach a wider international audience, this was due above all to the circumstances in which she lived and worked: during the most creative and productive years of her life as a composer, her native Poland – like all the other countries of the Eastern Bloc – was cut off from developments in the world at large and, more especially, in the world of western culture.
Bacewicz’s works are exceptionally rich and varied, extending, as they do, to all the different musical genres and forms. But although she wrote symphonic works and instrumental concertos, her great passion was chamber music. Among her contributions to the medium are seven string quartets entirely capable of standing comparison with those of Bartók.

The First Piano Quintet was premiered in 1952 and quickly hailed as a work of exceptional ma-turity in terms of its musical ideas and the ways in which those ideas are implemented. All four sections are logically interconnected so as to create a four-movement cycle, while also revealing highly personal emotions on the part of the composer. The magisterial musical language reflects the work’s classical form. As always with Bacewicz, the composer’s technical skills and her understanding of the instruments’ range of sonorities are on the very highest level. It is clear that great passion informs this work, a point evident from even the very first bars, in which a lyrical section (Moderato molto espressivo) is contrasted with the iridescent brilliance of the virtuosity and also with the figurative fragments (Allegro). The second section is a scherzo at a markedly faster tempo. It is written as a stylized Polish folk dance, the oberek, a dance of which the composer was particularly fond and which is heard again in the final movement of the Second Piano Sonata.
The Second Piano Sonata was written a year later and belongs to the same creative period as the First Piano Quintet. Both works share a similar neoclassical form, a comparable post-Romantic range of expression and the use of the oberek. We would be entirely justified in speaking of this work in the same breath as the great piano sonatas of the 20th century, including, for example, the late sonatas of Prokofiev.
The three-movement work begins with a Maestoso – Agitato filled with contrasts and emotional tensions and built up along the lines of an opening allegro. The highly emotional Largo is remi-niscent of the slow movement of the First Piano Quintet, while the final Toccata sweeps the lis-tener along with its virtuosity and energy, the latter produced by its use of the oberek. It was Bacewicz herself who gave the first performance of the Second Piano Sonata, a work that calls on its performer’s entire technical arsenal. A few years later the piece was taken into the reper-tory of Andrzej Jasiński, who subsequently taught Krystian Zimerman and inspired his famous pupil with an abiding love of this extraordinary work.
The two piano quintets were written thirteen years apart. The second of them dates from 1965 and is generally regarded as one of the most important of all her contributions to the medium. It also represents a change of aesthetic direction for its composer: as she admitted at the time, she was now moving towards the avant-garde and the world of dodecaphony, aleatory features and complex tone colours. Formally speaking, the work harks back to Classical models. But it achieves its sense of cohesion by dint of its uninhibited flood of sounds, most frequently in the form of individual motifs and brief phrases which, one after the other, are carried forward by the different instruments.
“A lot happens in my music,” Grażyna Bacewicz once explained. “It’s aggressive and at the same time lyrical.” This says all that needs to be said about her music. There is indeed much that happens in it, and even though several decades have now passed since it was written, it continues to exert a powerful fascination on listeners and performers alike. (Jan Popis)

Grazyna Bacewicz (1909 - 1969)
Piano Quintet No.1
1. 1. Moderato molto espressivo [8:19]
2. 2. Presto [4:31]
3. 3. Grave [8:02]
4. 4. Con passione [5:11]
Sonata No. 2 for Piano
5. Maestoso [6:15]
6. Largo [8:56]
7. Toccata [3:36]
Piano Quintet No.2
8. 1. Moderato [7:12]
9. 2. Larghetto [7:36]
10. 3. Allegro giocoso [5:15]
Krystian Zimerman

Kaja Danczowska

Agata Szymczewska

Ryszard Groblewski

Rafal Kwiatkowski

2011
1 CD DDD
477 8332 9 GH

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Pierre Boulez SZYMANOWSKI Song of the night - Violin Concerto No. 1

Pierre Boulez, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday, adds another milestone to his performing and recording career with this all-new recording of Szymanowski's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 op. 35 and Symphony No. 3 op. 27 "Song of the Night". This recording was made with the Vienna Philharmonic and soloists Christian Tetzlaff on violin and tenor Steve Davislim. The album comes in a deluxe, hardcover package featuring two essays, numerous color photos, and a bonus CD including interviews with Boulez. Though this marks Boulez's first recording of works by Szymanowski, he first encountered the composer's music in 1942 during a violin recital featuring "The Fountain of Arethusa" op. 30. According to Boulez, "In 1942, 1943 the avant-garde was not very popular! The only composer played was Richard Strauss - no Stravinsky and no Bartók, much less the Second Viennese School. Szymanowski was an exception who left me highly impressed, and the impression has remained deeply rooted in my memory." For this recording with the Vienna Philharmonic Boulez has chosen two works which were composed chronologically near each other and both are highly Romantic with influences from Impressionism and mysticism. The third symphony is a setting of the poem of the same name from the collection Divan-i Shams-i Tabriz by Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (1207-1273). The poem, while apparently simple in form, led Szymanowski to delve deeply into all manner of meanings and ultimately create a sensuous and radiant work for large orchestra. Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic, who have collaborated many times before on Deutsche Grammophon recordings, bring astonishing technical refinement and a luxurious sound to these two works. The large, expanded orchestra creates colors and sounds in the works of Szymanowski unlike any other heard and with the recording acoustics of the Großer Musikvereinssaal the listener can hear every detail. To complete the album, Boulez is joined by violinist Christian Tetzlaff for a performance of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 op. 35. The violin concerto was composed just after Symphony No. 3 and, though much lighter and virtuosic, uses a similar musical language. Die Presse hailed Christian Tetzlaff's playing of the Violin Concerto in 2009: "Concentrated, rapt, and yet dauntlessly assertive..." Throughout Boulez gives his customary insightful and intellectual reading of the work while allowing it to blossom with the exotic fragrances of the orient as filtered through Szymanowski's Romantic style.

CD 1:

Karol Szymanowski (1882 - 1937)

Violin Concerto No.1, Op.35

1. Vivace assai [18:34]

2. Cadenza [4:31]

Christian Tetzlaff

Wiener Philharmoniker

Pierre Boulez

Symphony No.3 - "Chant de la nuit", Op.27
3. Moderato assai... [8:43]

4. Vivace scherzando... [6:54]

5. Largo... [9:49]

Volkhard Steude

Steve Davislim

Wiener Philharmoniker

Pierre Boulez

Singverein Der Gesellschaft Der Musikfreunde

Johannes Prinz

CD 2:

"Song of the Night" / Interviews with Pierre Boulez

1. English Interview with Pierre Boulez [15:04]

Pierre Boulez, Andrew Clemens

2. German Interview with Pierre Boulez [16:00]

Pierre Boulez, Albert Hosp

3. French Interview with Pierre Boulez [15:32]

Pierre Boulez, Omer Corlaix

2010 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg

2 Compact Discs

477 8771 6 GH2

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GYÖRGY LIGETI Clear or Cloudy

Deutsche Grammophon's budget-priced, four-CD collection of all the works by György Ligeti in its catalog has many things to commend it, beginning with the title. Clear or Cloudy is a profoundly astute description of the composer's career, encompassing both the great sound clouds of his micropolyphonic work of the 1960s, such as "Atmosphères," "Volumina," "Lux aeterna," and "Lontano," and the crystalline clarity of his early years, demonstrated in "Six Bagatelles for wind quintet" and his first "String Quartet," as well as in his "Etudes pour piano" and "Piano Concerto" from his final period.
The performances here are extraordinary, and some are legendary. In "Volumina," Gerd Zacher wrings an incredible variety of sonic possibilities from the organ and shapes them into a chilling aural experience. "Aventures" and "Nouvelles Aventures," with singers Jane Manning, Mary Thomas, and William Pearson and the Ensemble InterContemporain, led by Pierre Boulez, are especially assured, and lead the listener on a frightening, comic, cryptic emotional roller coaster ride. The radiant performances of "Atmosphères" and "Lontano" by Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic make the most of the scores' glistening mysteries.
If this were intended as a survey of Ligeti's career, one could quibble over the omissions -- the "Requiem"; the "Trio for horn, violin, and piano"; and the fact that there are only two of the piano etudes -- but given the fact that it is a reissue of everything Deutsche Grammophon happened to have in its archive, it is a remarkably comprehensive and representative collection that offers a broad and detailed view of the composer's output. It's an ideal introduction to Ligeti for anyone coming to his remarkable work for the first time, and it is also expansive and diverse enough to interest those who are already fans. The set contains over five hours of music, and the program booklet includes an insightful essay by Paul Griffiths. Surprisingly, for a collection coming from so many recorded sources, the sound is consistently excellent, with the appropriate ambience and presence for the various works. (Stephen Eddins, Rovi)

CD 1:
György Ligeti (1923 - 2006)
Sonata for Solo Cello
1. 1. Dialogo: Adagio, rubato, cantabile [4:55]
2. 2. Capriccio: Presto con slancio [3:47]
Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet (1953)
3. 1. Allegro con spirito [1:14]
4. 2. Rubato. Lamentoso [3:04]
5. 3. Allegro grazioso -attacca subito [2:43]
6. 4. Presto ruvido [0:58]
7. 5. Adagio. Mesto [2:27]
8. 6. Molto vivace. Capriccioso [1:21]
String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes)
9. Allegro grazioso [1:31]
10. Vivace, capriccioso [0:34]
11. A tempo [1:20]
12. Adagio, mesto [2:10]
13. Presto [2:11]
14. [...] molto sostenuto - Andante tranquillo [1:34]
15. Più mosso [2:00]
16. Tempo di Valse, moderato, con eleganza, un poco capriccioso [0:55]
17. Subito prestissimo [0:43]
18. Subito: molto sostenuto [0:45]
19. Allegretto, un poco gioviale [0:54]
20. Allarg. Poco più mosso 0:001:03
21. Subito allegro con moto, string. poco a poco sin al prestissimo [0:34]
22. Prestissimo [1:05}
23. Allegro comodo, gioviale [0:13]
24. sostenuto, accelerando [1:46]
25. Lento [0:42]
Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet
26. 1. Molto sostenuto e calmo [2:05]
27. 2. Prestissimo minaccioso e burlesco [0:43]
28. 3. Lento [1:48]
29. 4. Prestissimo leggiero e virtuoso [0:49]
30. 5. Presto staccatissimo e leggiero [0:31]
31. 6. Preso staccatissimo e leggiero [1:12]
32. 7. Vivo, energico [1:08]
33. 8. Allegro con delicatezza [2:32]
34. 9. Sostenuto, stridente [1:03]
35. 10. Presto bizzarro e rubato, so schnell wie möglich [1:01]
String Quartet no.2 (1967-68)
36. Allegro nervoso [5:13]
37. Sostenuto, molto calmo [4:56]
38. Come un meccanismo di precisione [3:09]
39. Presto furioso, brutale, tumultuoso [2:01]
40. Allegro con delicatezza - stets sehr mild [5:38]

CD 2:
1. Atmosphères [9:05]
2. Volumina [17:28]
3. Lux aeterna (1966) [7:59]
4. Organ Study no.1 "Harmonies" [9:04]
5. Lontano (1967) (for large orchestra) [12:44]
6. Ramifications for string orchestra or 12 solo strings (1968-69) [8:28]
7. Melodien for Orchestra [13:07]

CD 3:
1. Aventures for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists (1962) [12:01]
Nouvelles Aventures for 3 singers and 7 instrumentalists
2. 1. Sostenuto [6:17]
3. 2. Agitato molto [5:12]
Cello Concerto (1966)
4. 1. Quarter = 40: Attacca [6:55]
5. 2. (Lo stesso tempo) [8:14]
Chamber Concerto for 13 instrumentalists
6. 1. Corrente (Fliessend) [5:03]
7. 2. Calmo, sostenuto [5:48]
8. 3. Movimento preciso e meccanico [3:51]
9. 4. Presto [3:32]
Mysteries of the Macabre for Trumpet and Piano
10. Arr. Elgar Howarth [6:52]
Double Concerto for flute, oboe & orchestra
11. 1. Calmo, con tenerezza [8:08]
12. 2. Allegro corrente [7:51]

CD 4:
1. Die große Schildkröten-Fanfare vom Südchinesischen Meer [0:37]
Three Pieces for two Pianos
2. 1. Monument [4:15]
3. 2. Selbstportrait [7:08]
4. 3. Bewegung [4:56]
Études pour piano (1985)
Premier livre
5. Étude 2: Cordes à vide [3:36]
6. Étude4: Fanfares [3:24]
Piano Concerto (1985-88)
7. 1. Vivace molto ritmico e preciso - attacca subito: [3:54]
8. 2. Lento e deserto [7:01]
9. 3. Vivace cantabile [4:24]
10. 4. Allegro risoluto, molto ritmico - attacca subito: [4:48]
11. 5. Presto luminoso: fluido, costante, sempre molto ritmico [3:17]
Violin Concerto (1992)
12. 1. Praeludium: Vivacissimo luminoso - attacca: [4:23]
13. 2. Aria, Hoquetus, Choral: Andante con moto - attacca: [8:11]
14. 3. Intermezzo: Presto fluido [2:44]
15. 4. Passacaglia: Lento intenso [5:55]
16. 5. Appassionato: Agitato molto [7:12]

2006 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
4 Compact Discs ADD / DDD

477 6443 4 GB 4

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Kronos Quartet CARAVAN

The intrepid Kronos Quartet has undertaken many musical voyages over the years, but none of their prior releases has covered as much uncharted territory or defined their exploratory spirit so well as KRONOS CARAVAN. Starting with the Balkans as a home base, the quartet dons gypsy garb and roams the globe to Portugal, India, Mexico, Argentina, and the Middle East, picking up local musicians as collaborators along the way. Few of the featured composers will be familiar -- except for Terry Riley and perhaps, for tango aficionados, Anibal Troílo -- but just as Kronos brought Astor Piazzolla's music to the attention of many listeners a decade ago, there are names here that merit a brighter spot on our multicultural radar. Among them is Carlos Paredes, a Portuguese guitarist and composer whose two works on this album -- sensitively arranged, as is much of the program, by frequent Kronos collaborator Osvaldo Golijov -- show a gift for devastatingly gorgeous lyricism. Equally striking is the mesmerizing brilliance of Rahul Dev Burman's "Aaj Ki Raat," an artifact of Bollywood, India's vibrant film industry. This is the first recorded outing for new Kronos cellist Jennifer Culp, who replaced Joan Jeanrenaud in 1999. Culp seems to take naturally to the quartet's unique repertoire and style; listen to her long solo at the beginning of Lebanese composer Ali Jihad Racy's "Ecstasy" for a taste of her expressive, versatile playing. There's something here for everyone. Even if the synthesized brass and percussion of Riley's "Cortejo Fúnebre" sound slightly out of place, and Kayhan Kalhor's contribution from Iran seems a bit too literal-minded in its depiction of galloping horses, there's no arguing with Kronos's ability to masquerade in a multitude of styles and blend effectively with their guests, whether it be the Romanian gypsy ensemble Taraf de Haïdouks or rock drummer Martyn Jones, who sits in for a rousing reading of surf guitarist Dick Dale's "Misirlou Twist" that spotlights the familiar tune's Armenian ancestry. (Scott Paulin)

Aleksandra Vrebalov
1. Pannonia Boundless, for string quartet [6:12]
Carlos Paredes
2. Canção Verdes Anos - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [3:04]
Rahul Dev Burman
3- Aaj Ki Raat (from the film Anamika) - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [4:53]
Enrique Rangel
4. La Muerte Chiquita - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [4:06]
Sapo Perapaskero
5. Turceasca - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [7:31]
Rezsö Seress
6. Szomorú Vasárnap (Gloomy Sunday) - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [3:27]
Terry Riley
7. Requiem Quartets (3) (Requiem for Adam), for string quartet with sound collage: Cortejo Fúnebre en el Monte Diablo (Funeral March) [7:08]
Aníbal Troilo
8. Responso - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [4:40]
Carlos Paredes
9. Romance No.1 - arranged by Osvaldo Golijov [4:07]
Kayhan Kalhor
10. Gallop of a Thousand Horses, for string quartet, kamancheh & tombak [4:43]
Ali Jihad Racy
11. Ecstasy, for string quartet [8:34]
Nicholas Roubanis
12. Misirlou Twist, for pops orchestra (arrangement of 'Misirlou') [4:20]

2000 NONESUCH
1 CD DDD

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Complete WEBERN - Boulez

Those who are familiar with Pierre Boulez's earlier "Complete Webern" on Sony will notice that his new Deutsche Grammophon edition contains six discs to Sony's three. That's because Sony only included works for which Webern assigned opus numbers, plus the composer's Schubert and Bach arrangements. DG fleshes out the picture with all of Webern's posthumously published music, mostly dating from his apprentice years. Virtually all of these recordings already have been available. Discs one through three are given over to orchestral, choral, and chamber works with Boulez leading the Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Singers, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Soprano Christiane Oelze's survey of Webern's lieder with voice and piano occupies disc four, with the addition of three unreleased songs set to poems by Ferdinand Avenarius. On disc five, the Emerson Quartet plays all the string trio and quartet works. The final disc brings together the cello and piano music, the four pieces Op. 7 for violin and piano, and the piano works. Gianluca Cascioli's traversals of both 1906 movements for piano were previously released, while Krystian Zimerman recorded two tiny pieces and the Op. 27 Piano Variations especially for this collection.
We first encounter Webern writing music in a style that resembles Brahms with a little Grieg mixed in for good measure. Soon his harmonic palette blossoms with chromatic complexity and takes a refined turn during studies with Arnold Schoenberg. Finally, Webern's singular voice emerges by way of pocket pieces whose ascetic contours sport asymmetrical rhythms, canonic lines that leapfrog from instrument to instrument, and rigorously organized pitches. There's no filler, no fat, and every note counts.
Sometimes it's hard to grasp such fleeting, fragile, and texturally exposed music in a single hearing. When I hear a Webern work in concert, for instance, it's usually over before it begins. Imagine passing a Joan Miró painting while riding a bicycle and you'll understand what I mean. You need to find quiet listening space and know that you can play a movement or even a whole piece more than once.
Performing Webern well demands the utmost in precision and concentration, yet without negating the music's passionate undercurrents. Boulez has lived with this music a long time, and the refinement of his latest interpretations beggar description. The sonic advantages of the DG recordings play no small part, in that fine-tuned dyanmic adjustments at quiet levels can be heard with no compromise. The conductor's tempos have broadened since his 1967-72 recordings in the aforementioned Sony set, and instrumental balances are smoother, more blended than before. Yet the ferocity and edginess of the earlier versions haven't been superceded. Nor is the elemental force and dynamism of Dohnanyi's superb Cleveland Webern readings surpassed here.
No qualms, though, concerning Christiane Oelze, who negotiates Webern's treacherous, leaping lines as if they were nursery rhymes. Similarly, the Emersons leave no little detail unscrutinized, and make a lean contrast to the more opulent, aristocratic Quartetto Italiano Webern recordings from the 1970s. I'm sorry the not-so-famous Cascioli wasn't brought back to record the piano works assigned to the better-known Zimerman, whose mincing, overwrought Variations lack the grace and eloquence of Peter Serkin's recent Koch version.
An excellent booklet includes an introduction by Boulez, numerous photos of Webern at work and play, an informative essay by Paul Griffiths, a comprehensive Webern timeline, and complete texts and translations. Whatever reservations one might harbor about this or that individual performance, it is unlikely that this set as a whole will be surpassed in the near future. It belongs in every serious music library, private or public. (Jed Distler)

CD 1:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
1. Passacaglia for Orchestra op.1 [10:04]
5 Movements for String Quartet, Op.5
2. 1. Heftig bewegt [2:53]
3. 2. Sehr langsam [2:13]
4. 3. Sehr bewegt [0:43]
5. 4. Sehr langsam [1:28]
6. 5. In zarter Bewegung [3:19]
Six pieces for orchestra, Op.6
Original version (1909)
7. 1. Etwas bewegt [1:05]
8. 2. Bewegt [1:30]
9. 3. Zart bewegt [0:50]
10. 4. Langsam (marcia funebre) [4:20]
11. 5. Sehr langsam [2:22]
12. 6. Zart bewegt [1:41]
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
Musical Offering, BWV 1079
Transcription: Anton Webern
13. Fuga (Ricercata) a 6 voci [7:11]
Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Six German Dances, D820
orch. Anton Webern
14. No. 1 - 3 [4:28]
15. No. 4 - 6 [5:57]
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
16. Im Sommerwind [16:00]

CD 2:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
5 Pieces for Orchestra (1913)
1. 1. Bewegt [0:58]
2. 2. Langsam (sostenuto) [1:31]
3. 3. Sehr bewegte Viertel [1:09]
4. 4. Langsame Viertel [1:02]
5. 5. (Alla breve) [1:14]
Three Orchestral Songs for Voice and Orchestra (1913/14)
6. 1. Leise Düfte (Poem by Anton Webern) [1:43]
7. 2. Kunfttag III. "Nun wird es wieder Lenz" (Poem by Stefan George) [1:39]
8. 3. O sanftes Glühn der Berge (Poem by Anton Webern) [1:53]
Symphony, Op.21
9. 1. Ruhig schreitend [6:30]
10. 2. Variationen [3:08]
11. Das Augenlicht (The Light of the Eye) op.26 [5:38]
I. Kantate op.29 for soprano, mixed chorus and orchestra
12. 1. Getragen - Lebhaft. "Zündender Lichtblitz des Lebens" (Chorus) [2:17]
13. 2. Leicht bewegt "Kleiner Flügel Ahornsamen" (Soprano) [2:19]
14. 3. Ruhig "Tönen die seligen Saiten" (Chorus & Soprano) [4:05]
15. Variations for Orchestra op.30 [7:37]
II. Kantate op.31 for soprano solo, bass solo, mixed chorus and orchestra
16. 1. Sehr lebhaft - Ruhig "Schweigt auch die Welt" (Basso) [2:08]
17. 2. Sehr verhalten "Sehr tief verhalten innerst Leben" (Basso) [3:49]
18. 3. Sehr bewegt "Schöpfen aus Brunnen des Himmels" (Chorus & Soprano) [2:25]
19. 4. Sehr lebhaft "Leichte Bürde der Bäume" (Soprano) [1:12]
20. 5. Sehr mässig "Feindselig ist das Wort" (Chorus & Soprano) [3:41]
21. 6. Sehr fliessend "Gelockert aus dem Schosse" (Chorus) [2:12]

CD 3:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
Piano Quintet op.post.
1. Moderato [13:11]
2. "Entflieht auf leichten Kähnen" op.2 [2:43]
2 Songs op.8 for voice and eight instruments
3. 1. "Du, der ich's nicht sage" Langsam [1:05]
4. 2. "Du machst mich allein" Sehr langsam [1:14]
5 Pieces for Orchestra, Op.10
5. 1. Sehr ruhig und zart [0:44]
6. 2. Lebhaft und zart bewegt [0:39]
7. 3. Sehr langsam und äußerst ruhig [1:48]
8. 4. Fließend äußerst zart [0:29]
9. 5. Sehr fließend [0:56]
4 Songs op.13 for voice and orchestra
10. 1. Wiese im Park: "Wie wird mir zeitlos" - Sehr ruhig [2:14]
11. 2. Die Einsame: "An dunkelblauem Himmel" Bewegt [1:30]
12. 3. In der Fremde: "In fremdem Lande lag ich"Fließend [1:03]
13. 4.Ein Winterabend:"Wenn der Schnee ans Fenster fällt" Sehr ruhig [2:16]
6 Songs op.14 for voice, clarinet, bass clarient, violin and cello
14. 1. Die Sonne: "Täglich kommt die gelbe Sonne" Ruhig fliessend [1:42]
15. 2. Abendland I: "Mond, als träte ein Totes" Sehr lebhaft [1:27]
16. 3. Abendland II: "So leise sind die grünen Wälder" Langsam [1:16]
17. 4. Abendland III: "Ihr grossen Städte steinern aufge- baut" Langsam [1:35]
18. 5. Nachts: "Die Bläue meiner Augen" Sehr lebhaft [0:51]
19. 6. Gesang einer gefangenen Amsel: "Dunkler Odem im grünen Gezweig" Sehr fliessende Achtel [1:21]
5 Sacred Songs op.15 for voice, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, harp, violin and viola
20. 1. "Das Kreuz, das mußt' er tragen" Getragen [0:59]
21. 2. Morgenlied: "Steht auf, ihr lieben Kinderlein" Zart bewegt [0:52]
22. 3. "In Gottes Namen aufstehn" Gemächlich [0:59]
23. 4. "Mein Weg geht jetzt vorüber" Sehr ruhig [0:59]
24. 5. "Fahr hin, o Seel', zu deinem Gott" Doppelcanon in motu cantrario: Fliessend [1:36]
5 Canons op.16 for high soprano, clarinet and bass clarinet
25. 1. "Christus factus est" Rasch [0:31]
26. 2. "Dormi Jesu, mater ridet" Ruhig [1:05]
27. 3. "Crux fidelis" Langsam [0:50]
28. 4. "Asperges me, Domine" Sehr lebhaft [0:37]
29. 5. "Crucem tuam adoramus, Domine" Bewegt [0:29]
3 Traditional Rhymes op.17 for voice, violin, viola, clarinet and bass clarinet
30. 1. "Armer Sünder, du" Gemächlich [0:45]
31. 2. "Liebste Jungfrau, wir sind dein" Fliessend [1:03]
32. 3. "Heiland, unsre Missetaten" Langsam [0:49]
3 Songs op.18 for voice, E clarinet and guitar
33. 1. "Schatzerl klein" Sehr ruhig [0:56]
34. 2. Erlösung: "Mein Kind, sieh an" Sehr bewegt [1:11]
35. 3. "Ave, Regina coelorum" Langsam [1:21]
2 Songs op.19 for mixed choir accompanied by celesta, guitar, violin, clarinet and bass clarinet
36. 1. "Weiß wie Lilien" Lebhaft, leicht und frei [1:23]
37. 2. "Ziehn die Schafe" Sehr gemächlich [1:01]
Quartet op.22 for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano
38. 1. Sehr mäßig [3:09]
39. 2. Sehr schwungvoll [3:09]
Concerto op.24 for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trom- bone, violin, viola and piano
40. 1. Etwas lebhaft [2:38]
41. 2. Sehr langsam [2:35]
42. 3. Sehr rasch [1:24]

CD 4:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
Three Poems (1899-1903)
1. 1. Vorfrühling [1:21]
2. 2. Nachtgebet der Braut [2:40]
3. 3. Fromm [1:55]
8 Early Songs (1901-1904)
4. 1. Tief von fern [1:15]
5. 2. Aufblick [2:42}
6. 3. Blumengruß [1:29]
7. 4. Bild der Liebe [1:37]
8. 5. Sommerabend [2:35]
9. 6. Heiter [1:12]
10. 7. Der Tod [1:08]
11. 8. Heimgang in der Frühe [3:35]
3 Lieder
12. 1. Gefunden "Nun wir uns lieben, rauscht mein stolzes Glück" [1:28]
13. 2. Gebet "Ertrage du's, laß schneiden dir den Schmerz" [1:32]
14. 3. Freunde "Schmerze und Freuden reift jede Stunde" [1:31]
5 Lieder on poems by Richard Dehmel (1906-1908)
15. 1. Ideale Landschaft [2:20]
16. 2. Am Ufer [1:34]
17. 3. Himmelfahrt [2:57]
18. 4. Nächtliche Scheu [2:37]
19. 5. Helle Nacht [2:52]
5 Lieder from "Der siebente Ring" by Stefan George op.3
20. 1. "Dies ist ein Lied" [1:08]
21. 2. "Im windes-weben" [0:41]
22. 3. "An baches ranft" [1:02]
23. 4. "Im morgen-taun" [1:16]
24. 5. "Kahl reckt der baum" [1:33]
5 Lieder on poems by Stefan George op.4
25. 1. Eingang [3:13]
26. 2. "Noch zwingt mich treue über dir zu wachen" [1:42]
27. 3. "Ja heil und dank dir" [2:03]
28. 4. "So ich traurig bin" [0:59]
29. 5. "Ihr tratet zu dem herde" [1:30]
4 Lieder on poems by Stefan George (1908-1909)
30. 1. "Erwachen aus dem tiefsten traumes-schooße" [2:44]
31. 2. Kunfttag I [1:21]
32. 3. Trauer I [1:53]
33. 4. "Das lockere saatgefilde lechzet krank" [0:57]
4 Lieder op.12
34. 1. "Der Tag ist vergangen" [1:37]
35. 2. Die geheimnisvolle Flöte [1:53]
36. 3. "Schien mir's, als ich sah die Sonne" [1:58]
37. 4. Gleich und gleich [0:52]
3 Songs from "Viae inviae" by Hildegard Jone op.23
38. 1. "Das dunkle Herz, das in sich lauscht" [3:34]
39. 2. "Es stürzt aus Höhen Frische" [2:02]
40. 3. "Herr Jesus mein" [2:48]
3 Lieder on poems by Hildegard Jone op.25
41. 1. "Wie bin ich froh" [1:05]
42. 2. "Des Herzens Purpurvogel fliegt durch Nacht" [2:05]
43. 3. "Sterne, Ihr silbernen Bienen der Nacht" [1:35]

CD 5:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
1. Slow Movement for String Quartet 1905 [9:02]
5 Movements for String Quartet, Op.5
2. 1. Heftig bewegt [2:22]
3. 2. Sehr langsam [2:30]
4. 3. Sehr bewegt [0:42]
5. 4. Sehr langsam [1:50]
6. 5. In zarter Bewegung [3:32]
7. String Quartet (1905) [15:22]
6 Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op.9
8. 1. Mässig [0:34]
9. 2. Leicht bewegt [0:27]
10. 3. Ziemlich fliessend [0:22]
11. 4. Sehr langsam [0:50]
12. 5. Äusserst langsam [1:14]
13. 6. Fliessend [0:32]
14. Rondo for String Quartet (c.1906) [6:44]
15. Movement for String Trio op.post. [2:02]
Three Pieces for String Quartet (1913)
16. 1. Bewegt [0:36]
17. 2. Langsam "Schmerz immer Blick nach oben" [1:26]
18. 3. Nicht zu langsam [0:30]
String Trio op.20
19. 1. Sehr langsam [3:27]
20. 2. Sehr getragen und ausdrucksvoll [5:22]
String Quartet, Op.28
21. 1. Mässig [3:49]
22. 2. Gemächlich [1:45]
23. 3. Sehr fliessend [2:11]

CD 6:
Anton Webern (1883 - 1945)
2 Pieces for Cello and Piano
1. Langsam [2:06]
2. Langsam [3:00]
3. Movement for Piano [6:02]
4. Sonatensatz (Rondo) für Klavier (c.1906) [6:18]
Four Pieces, Op.7 - for violin and piano
5. 1. Sehr langsam [0:56]
6. 2. Rasch [1:31]
7. 3. Sehr langsam [0:57]
8. 4. Bewegt [1:01]
Three Little Pieces for Cello and Piano, op.11 (1914)
9. 1. Mässige Achtel [1:09]
10. 2. Sehr bewegt [0:21]
11. 3. Äusserst ruhig [1:03]
Cello Sonata (1914)
12. Sehr bewegt [1:43]
13. Kinderstuck [0:48]
14. Piano Piece (1925) [1:24]
Piano Variations, Op.27
15. 1. Sehr mässig [2:02]
16. 2. Sehr schnell [0:45]
17. 3. Ruhig, fliessend [4:00]

2000 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg
6 Compact Discs DDD
457 6372 9 GX6

You can buy it on Amazon.com
You can download here: [CD 1 & 5] - [CD 2 & 3] - [CD 4 & 6]
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