Erica Fontes

Believe it or not, François-Joseph Gossec was the French musical equivalent of Haydn and Beethoven. Under the ancient régime, Gossec established single-handedly the primacy of the string quartet and the symphony in French instrumental music and under the Empire, Gossec created a revolutionary form of massed public music pre-dating Beethoven's Ninth.

Believe it or not, François-Joseph Gossec was the French musical equivalent of Haydn and Beethoven. Under the ancient régime, Gossec established single-handedly the primacy of the string quartet and the symphony in French instrumental music and under the Empire, Gossec created a revolutionary form of massed public music pre-dating Beethoven's Ninth.

Before the great conductor Ferenc Fricsay died (tragically young at the age of 48 in 1963), he made dozens of brilliant mono and stereo recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. Many of his most significant recordings have been released on CD, though some have already drifted out-of-print (Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Mozart Syms 29, 39-41 and Beethoven Syms 3, 5 & 7) and others are only available as expensive imports. This past year there has even been a limited edition boxed set of his music released (in the "Original Masters" series – see my review).

J.S. Bach completed his six suites for solo cello in 1723. Since then, these works have become pillars of the repertoire, influencing many of the 20th century’s works for the instrument. This recording project is a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the completion of the suites and of their far reaching impact on composers of our time. In addition to recording all of the suites, Erica Wise has commissioned six short works for solo cello, each inspired by Bach and his work.

J.S. Bach completed his six suites for solo cello in 1723. Since then, these works have become pillars of the repertoire, influencing many of the 20th century’s works for the instrument. This recording project is a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the completion of the suites and of their far reaching impact on composers of our time. In addition to recording all of the suites, Erica Wise has commissioned six short works for solo cello, each inspired by Bach and his work.

Erica Numamitsu is a Japanese pianist and composer. Her first album is a collection of solo piano pieces, including a piece used in the Japanese film "Nishikira Chopin", about a pianist with focal dystonia. On this album, she shows her talent not only as a performer but also as an arranger.