Die Welt From 5.04.2016

The flagship band for East German rock, Puhdys formed officially in 1969 in Oranienburg, although members of the band had been working together since 1965. The band name was made up of the first letters of the initial members' first names, which at the start featured Peter Meyer on keyboards, Udo Jacob on drums, Harry Jeske on bass, and Dieter Herttrampf on vocals and guitar…

The first complete recording of works by Heinrich Schütz with the Dresdner Kammerchor under Hans-Christoph Rademann has set artistic and editorial benchmarks. The first eight instalments of the complete recording, containing among others the Geistliche Chor-Music 1648, the Italian Madrigals and the Psalms of David, are now being released in an 11 CD boxed set. The recordings have been supplemented with an Arthaus film entitled Heinrich Schütz. Der Vater der deutschen Musik which is a documentary by Jörg Kobel, with the assistance of Hans-Christoph Rademann, about the life and work of Heinrich Schütz.

Das im Jahr 2010 begonnene Bach-Projekt mit dem Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks unter Leitung von Peter Dijkstra findet seinen Abschluss mit der Gesamtaufnahme der Messe h-moll, die im April 2016 im Herkulessaal der Münchner Residenz aufgenommen wurde. Damit umfasst es nun die vier Gipfelwerke Bachs – die drei »protestantischen Oratorien« sowie die »große katholische Messe« – in einer herausragenden künstlerischen Qualität, mit renommierten Vokalsolisten und begleitet von hochkarätigen Ensembles der historischen Aufführungspraxis: drei Werke entstanden in Zusammenarbeit mit Concerto Köln, ein weiteres mit der Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

Bach revised his Johannes-Passion regularly: he returned to it over a period of twenty-six years, from 1724 to his death. It is the version hallowed by tradition, established by the Kantor a year before his death, that is presented on these CDs. But the 1725 version, equally outstanding musically, has also been recorded complete and can be downloaded as a bonus in high-resolution sound. Comparison of the two versions reveals the underlying meaning of this matchless Passion.

Sony Classical presents legendary soprano Kathleen Battle in nine of her foremost studio recordings in her ‘Complete Sony Recordings’. In the course of a remarkable career, launched in 1973 by mentor James Levine in their shared hometown of Cincinnati, Kathleen Battle has captivated international audiences. She has taken home numerous awards – among them five Grammys and London’s Olivier Award for her 1985 Covent Garden debut as Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, the first American singer to win that prestigious prize – and become one of classical music’s best-selling artists.

These Bach transcriptions for solo organ by Andre Isoir take us from the church to the Collegium Musicum, from the Sinfonia of the Cantata BWV129 to the Concerto for four harpsichords, shedding new light on some of the Cantor's most famous pieces. The performances by organists Michel Bouvard and Francois Espinasse, professors at the Conservatoires Nationaux Superieurs de Musique of Paris and Lyon, are presented as a musical tribute to their former teacher.

The concert that brought together Peter Schreier, the leading Mozart tenor of the 1970s from Dresden, and Erik Werba, the Vienna-born doyen of lied accompanists on 25 January 1978 featured 17 songs, the cantata with piano accompaniment “Die ihr des unermesslichen Weltalls Schöpfer ehrt” K619 from the final year of Mozart’s life, as well as two encore pieces.

Das schicksalhafte Leben der schottischen Königin Maria Stuart (1542-1587) hat zahlreiche Werke der Literatur, Musik und Bildenden Kunst inspiriert. Ihr Leben eignet sich wegen der Fülle spektakulärer Ereignisse und des blutigen Endes ideal als Tragödien- und Opernstoff. Schillers Maria Stuart oder Donizettis Maria Stuarda sind dabei nur die bekanntesten Beispiele. Die Dichtungen zu ihrem Schicksal wurden im 19. Jahrhundert von vielen Komponisten zu Liedern vertont. Franziska Hirzel (Sopran) und Tobias Schabenberger (Blüthner-Flügel 1874) stellen hier einige bekannte und wenig bekannte Beispiele zu Maria Stuart aus dem 19. Jahrhundert vor.