Das Kind in Dir

An Original Jackets treasury of analogue-era pianism by legendary and lesser-known names from the catalogues of American Decca and Westminster.

Karl Bohm’s name carries with it immense respect among musicians and connoisseurs in our most sophisticated markets, particularly for opera where his “gods” were Mozart, Wagner and Richard Strauss. Deutsche Grammophon proudly brings together for the first time his complete vocal recordings for the label – including the star-studded 1968 ‘Le nozze di Figaro’; the legendary ‘Zauberflöte’ from 1964 with Fritz Wunderlich and Roberta Peters; Bohm’s two recordings of the ‘Missa solemnis’, two Rosenkavaliers, three recordings of Ariadne auf Naxos, Wagner’s Hollander & Tristan … and one disc of new-to-CD recordings. Beautiful packaging and presentation.

In 1914, Franz Schmidt staged his opera Notre Dame at the Vienna State Opera to great acclaim. Immediately afterwards, he was looking for material for a new opera when he came across the novel Fredigundis by Felix Dahn, which is loosely based on historical events from the 6th century. Schmidt worked on the project from 1916 to 1921, with the premiere taking place in Berlin in December 1922. Schmidt’s music for Fredigundis marks the end of a development that runs through the so-called ‘Classic-Romantic’ period. The work is characterised by extensive chromaticism and a boundary-pushing expansion of the major-minor tonal system paired with dense counterpoint and perfect compositional artistry in the vocal parts. The dramatic mezzo-soprano Dunja Vejzovic, who became famous for her Wagner roles in Bayreuth and Salzburg, performed on all the major opera and concert stages of the world. The excellent cast of singers in this performance is supported by Austrian conductor Ernst Märzendorfer, who also mastered several instruments and composed piano concertos, incidental music and a ballet. On this recording, he conducts the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, which has established itself as an opera orchestra through a long and successful collaboration with the MusikTheater an der Wien.

Box set containing a compilation of works by various composers in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Liszt. As well as the tracks listed it also includes 'Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, 'Pathétique'', 'Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, 'Moonlight'' and 'Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57, 'Appassionata'' by Ludwig van Beethoven, 'Preludios, Op. 80' by Joaquin Turina, etc…

Die aufnahmetechnisch hervorragendste, die erste digitale 'Ring'-Produktion: Dynamische Expansion, Brillanz des Klangbildes, instrumentale Qualität und Präzision des Zusammenspiels sind vermutlich nicht zu übertreffen. Die Staatskapelle Dresden erweist sich etwa den Wiener und Berliner Philharmonikern bei Wagner als gleichwertig. Janowski, ein vorzüglicher Musiker, ist als Koordinator von Orchester und Sängern, als Disponent des Gesamtklanges außergewöhnlich gut. Gleiches gilt für Schreiers Loge, die auffallendste Einzelleistung.

This is an excellent and bargan-priced collection of mainly late Schumann, none of which is frequently encountered in the concert hall. With some of the pieces this is with good reason: in the Requiem, and especially the Mass, Schumann's genius flickers barely at all - clearly his heart wasn't in religious music, and the result is dull and worthy, at least by his usual standards. Much better are the delightful secular oratorios, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt and Paradies und die Peri, both of which breathe the sweet springlike air of Romanticism which for most listeners is the true Schumann.