A. E. Goldberg

This box set of all Mozart's mature Sonatas for piano and violin is astonishing. It reveals the deep pleasure of music making, the mutual respect between two outstanding musical personalities of different generations, and some of the greater insights into sublime music that have been set down. The balance and the joy are breath-taking, and from beginning to end, it's hard to imagine the works being played differently.

Even those who may be unfamiliar with his music will likely recognize Johann Goldberg's name in association with J.S. Bach's famous Goldberg Variations, the story behind which is so speculative as to not bear repeating here. Goldberg was in fact a student of the elder Bach's as well as W.F. Bach. So similar was Goldberg's early use of counterpoint, texture, and chromaticism to his teacher's that one of the trio sonatas heard on this album – the one in C major – was actually listed for many years in the BWV as being by Bach. Regrettably for listeners, Goldberg died before his 30th birthday; like Brahms, he was his own worst critic and destroyed copious amounts of his own compositions.

After the first two recordings for ARS PRODUKTION, which were dedicated to the rare gems of the string trio repertoire, the excellent Trio Goldberg now turns its attention to Beethoven, whose works have formed a central part of the ensemble's program since it was founded. The three Trios Op. 9 (1797/98) were considered by Beethoven himself to be his most mature compositions at the time they were written. Prepare yourself to be transported into the intense musical world of Beethoven and discover the fullness of these masterpieces.

Musica Baltica Volume 4 Johann Jeremias Du Grain was on familiar terms with the musical greats of his era. He learned the musical trade from Telemann, who was already famous at the time, and he assisted the very busy Handel with the composition of a festive cantata for the five hundredth anniversary of Elbing, his chosen place of residence. One hears traces of these illustrious surroundings in Du Grain's own cantatas, which Andrzej Szadejko and the Goldberg Baroque Ensemble are now presenting for the first time on this audiophile multichannel release in the Musica Baltica series. Du Grain's cantatas not only represent the very best of their times; they are also extraordinarily appealing.