Diapason D'or

The violinist Leila Schayegh has already impressively demonstrated her Bach expertise several years ago with her recording of the Sonatas BWV 1014-1019, which won the Diapason dor de lanne, the Editors Choice and was also included in the prestigious Bestenliste der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Now she is venturing into Bachs Sei solo, better known as Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin, the monumental BWV 1001-1006 this is THE solo benchmark violin music which is a must for every violinist, whether or not they specialize in historical performance practice. Here again, her approach and technical perfection are an impressive proof of Bachs Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by no means having been exhausted, yet, as new brilliant performers such as her will always shed new light on these wonderful pieces.

Firma Melodiya presents recordings of the outstanding violist Mikhail Kugel. Unfortunately, this name is little known in this country and much better known in Europe where he has played concerts and given master classes for the last 20 years. However, in the beginning of his performing career in the 1970s and 1980s, he was considered one of the best Soviet violists. He shared the first prize with Hungarian violist Zoltán Tóth at the international competition in Budapest in 1975 (Yuri Bashmet won the second prize at the same competition).

This new album comes to us from the colorful multi-faceted pianist Roberte Mamou, nicknamed Poetess of Sound when she was awarded the Diapason dOr for her recording dedicated to Cimarosa. It is about poetry with Slavic soul as a connecting the thread. This release is an inner journey that goes from melancholy to uncontrolled exaltation. Glinka, Rubinstein and Tchaikovsky tell us here about nostalgia, sadness, and tenderness. Roberte Mamous multi-faceted and colorful musical personality emerges magically from the instrument when she plays, in a breathtaking alchemy which owes something to the flavors and scents of Tunisia where she spent her childhood. The experience of ten years as vocal coach at the La Monnaie Royal Opera in Brussels is also discernible, but perhaps what comes across most is the love and passion which she has always felt for music in all its forms. As a soloist Roberte Mamou has appeared with some of the greatest orchestras and ensembles. To name but a few, the Berlin Symphonic, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Moscow Soloists, the Collegium Instrumentale in Bruges, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Lille.

Nathan Milstein once described Sergei Prokofievs first violin concerto as: indeed one of the best modern violin concertos a brilliant piece, perhaps the finest of all Prokofievs works, while the second concerto was taken up by violinists such as David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz. Here the two works are interpreted by the Ukrainian-born Vadim Gluzman, who as many critics have remarked is firmly based in the glorious tradition of these and other virtuosos of the 19th and 20th centuries.

We bundled the eight Mozart cds that Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper recorded over the last ten years into an atrractive box, with an informative note from producer Jonathan Freeman-Attwoord. The duo partnership Gary Cooper and Rachel Podger has taken them worldwide. These recordings of Mozarts Complete Sonatas for Keyboard & Violin have received countless awards and accolades, including multiple Diapason dOr awards and Gramophone Editors Choices, and hailed as benchmark recordings.

With this recording, Israeli-born Matt Haimovitz makes his first appearance on Oxingale Records. Previously, his six acclaimed recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon label received praise for their deep expressiveness, interpretive insight, flawless technique and burnished tone. His recording, Suites and Sonatas for Solo Cello, was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque (1991) and le Diapason dOr (1991).