Danube

It is difficult to understand why the twelve sonatas by Johann Philipp Krieger recorded here are almost completely forgotten today. Those who listen more closely to them will discover a rich cosmos of melodic, harmonic, and stylistic ideas that could hardly be rendered more vividly in musical tones. These Baroque sonatas seemingly randomly join together the most sparkling strands of pearls – short and very short little movements, spontaneous ideas, witty episodes, and oscillating emotional states in what are rapid and above all fascinating sequences. They are to be understood as little scenes of a musical drama 'en miniature'. Krieger’s sonatas structured in small units recall characters on the stage in their careful design and perfect compositional-technical elaboration. They engage in cooperative action, oppose each other, and react to each other, enter into musical dialogue or competition, fall in love with each other and rise up in mutual embrace, and laugh or cry together – just as in real life.

Joe Zawinul - Stories of the Danube (1996) {Philips 454 143-2}
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© 1996 Philips | 454 143-2
Classical / Jazz/ World Jazz

Billed as Joe Zawinul's First Symphony, this large-scale classical work may seem like a radical departure to the composer/keyboardist's jazz and pop fans, but it is really a logical expression of Zawinul's indestructible European roots. Moreover, it is not as alien to his jazz work as one might suppose; at times, one can hear trademark Zawinul ostinato lines in fleshed-out, orchestrated form, and rhythms and tunes of his jazz-rock days ("Doctor Honoris Causa," "Pharoah's Dance" "Unknown Soldier") turn up like old friends crashing a black-tie ceremony.

Johannes Schenk (1660-1712) was one of the most prominent gamba virtuosos of the 17th century. He was born in Amsterdam around 1660 and lived in his hometown for about 40 years. From 1696 he worked in Düsseldorf at the court of Elector Johann Willem I. Nothing is known about his teachers, but given the techniques he used he was probably influenced by English examples. His early works were written in the German and Dutch baroque tradition. Later works also reveal Italian influences. The ensemble Capriccio Stravagante released a CD with works by Schenk, taken from the "Scherzi musicali" opus 6, the "Nymphe di Rheno" opus 8 and "L 'écho du Danube" opus 9.

Giovanni Ferrandini seems to have been something of a child prodigy. By the time he was 12 he had left his home town of Venice to take up a paid court appointment as oboist in Munich. What should be remarked upon is not just his age but that the Elector of Bavaria was paying him; this was an age when young people could be expected to take on the role of assistant or student without salary.

Ristori was born in Bologna and after some success with the Venetian opera, went to Dresden in 1715. From the 1720s he was responsible, along with Heinichen and Zelenka, for the music at the religious services at the Catholic court. He was appointed as church composer after Zelenka died. The first work on this CD was composed for the Royal Chapel and he second was written for teaching figured bass.