Bartolomey

"It is very rare to hear string players relishing the groove quite so joyously. BartolomeyBittmann embody the musical virtues of unbridled playfulness and rhythmic radicalism, and they deploy them with an ease that is not normally associated with classical instruments." (Wolfgang Muthspiel)

This self-titled album from Austrian jazz string group Strings & Bass features groovy, folk-infused original compositions by members Florian Willeitner, Johannes Dickbauer, Matthias Bartolomey und Georg Breinschmid.

Ever since the film during the intermission of the 2017 Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, the "Kolophonistinnen" cello quartet has made a striking impression on a broad public.

The Decca Record Company stretches back to the late 1920's, and built a reputation at the forefront of audio reproduction. Today, Decca is a label of great diversity, home to many of the world's most distinguished artists, and with appeal to both specialist and mainstream audiences. The Decca Music Group also incorporates the Philips label. These labels are the home of an array of the greatest musicians, which include Juan Diego Florez, Andrea Bocelli, Renee Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli and Luciano Pavarotti.

Since the year 2012, the association EntArteOpera has dedicated itself to holding yearly festivals celebrating the lively culture of remembrance and the revival of the extensive opus of forgotten, ostracized, persecuted by the Nazi regime, exiled or even murdered composers. The present recordings main focus is on songs and works by the female composers Henriette Bosmans, Vally Weigl, Charlotte Schlesinger and Vitezslava Kapralova, with the addition of the Love Song H 259 by Bohuslav Martinu. Hermine Haselböck, mezzo soprano, Franz Bartolomey, cello and pianist Clemens Zeilinger take you into the passionate and at the same time poetic sound worlds of four extraordinary female composers whose music is heard as rarity and discovery.

“I don’t think I have ever known a musician with quite the level of openness to people, to emotions, to musical languages, and the capacity to make them his own as Florian Willeitner.

Introducing a new artist on ACT: FLORIAN WILLEITNER“I don’t think I have ever known a musician with quite the level of openness to people, to emotions, to musical languages, and the capacity to make them his own as Florian Willeitner. He is a stunningly good violinist, and I discover something new every time I hear him.” Paul Zauner, Founder & Artistic Director, INNtöne Festival In the past the violin in jazz could sometimes seem a bit exotic, even outlandish, but all that has changed. Classical music and jazz are no longer mutually exclusive worlds; these days they enrich each other, and it is the norm for string instruments to take centre stage. The ACT label has played its part in this transformation, with artists such as the Bartolomey/Bittmann duo, the radio.string.quartet.vienna and the incomparable Adam Baldych among the pioneers who created the paradigm shift, and who continue to take their music in new directions.And yet, as violinist/composer Florian Willeitner from Passau in Southern Germany sees it, there is still further to go: “The full potential of the violin, with its unique versatility and its kaleidoscopic possibilities of timbre and texture, is rarely to be heard in conventional jazz settings.”

Ever since the film during the intermission of the 2017 Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, the "Kolophonistinnen" cello quartet has made a striking impression on a broad public. With their commitment and their enthusiasm, performances by the four young women - Hannah Amann, Marlene Förstel, Theresa Laun and Elisabeth Herrmann - take listeners' hearts by storm. For their debut album, the "Heldinnen" ("heroines," an affectionate and appreciative appellation by their teacher) have compiled an exciting program rich in contrast, in keeping with their characters, full of Viennese esprit and Slavic soul, world-famous melodies from blockbuster movies, as well as fascinating new pieces by top Austrian musicians Florian Bramböck and Matthias Bartolomey.