Elisabeth Höpfner

The works of Schubert are central to Elisabeth Leonskaja's repertoire - and her interpretations of his work have been described as "essential". Born in the Soviet Union, where her greatest mentor was Sviatoslav Richter, she moved in 1978 to Vienna. She has said that: "In Schubert, there are things that any average Viennese person will understand better than I do … I, though, have to think about them carefully. In Schubert, profound matters are expressed with a lightness of touch."

George Szell or Otto Ackermann: which one of these legendary renditions of the Four Last Songs by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf is your favourite? Make your own judgement with this collection of the best Strauss recordings by the grande dame of German lieder. It also demonstrates her talent in the piano/voice format, with her long-time accompanists Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons, and in opera, with landmark performances of Capriccio’s closing scene conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch and excerpts from Arabella with Lovro von Matačić.

Elisabeth Misvær has taken the initiative to revive several old joiks and to publish these in an album. These traditional joiks have been taken from several valuable sources, including sound files and transcriptions from Karl Tirén's records and documentation of joik from the years 1909-1913. In addition, she has gained access to sources that include old private recordings from Nils Lennart Ranberg from Fauske. Elisabeth is concerned with generational and tradition transmission and has brought her son Trygve along in this work. The album mainly contains Pit Sami joiks (vuolle), but also joik from Ume Sami and Lule Sami areas, two Sea Sami joiks from Måsøy in Finnmark as well as two new joik compositions.

Venice ca. 1700: having recently arrived from France, the instruments à la mode - the oboe, bassoon, baroque recorder, and flûte traversière - go on to conquer the musical centers of the Serenissima. The versatility of these new woodwinds inspires Vivaldi at the Ospedale della Pietà and his compatriots Caldara and Lotti at San Marco throughout their lives, whether in Venice, Rome, Vienna, or Dresden.

One of the most celebrated pianists of our time, remaining true to herself and to her music, and in doing so, is following in the footsteps of the great Russian musicians of the Soviet era. This album pays tribute to the Second Viennese School, featuring works by Berg, Schoenberg and Webern.

The dazzling pianist Élisabeth Pion joins Arion Baroque Orchestra conducted by Mathieu Lussier in exploring rarely performed works by French composer Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836). A contemporary of Mozart, this artist fascinates modern listeners both for her trailblazing career and for her contribution to the development of the French piano repertoire.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf was one of the most linguistically as well as musically versatile sopranos of the post-war years. Her soprano accompanied by various other participants including the Pianisten, Orchestras & famous Conductors cover the classical great composers.

A top-class performer of Mozartian repertoire, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf recorded legendary versions of the major operas alongside the most excellent singers and conductors of her generation: Carlo Maria Giulini, Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Christa Ludwig, Luigi Alva, Giuseppe Taddei and more. This collection also includes the rare Mozart lieder with her two favorite accompanists Gerald Moore and Geoffrey Parsons, and an early version of Exsultate, jubilate with Walter Susskind.