Friedrich

Awakening is the title of tenor Robert Pohlers' solo debut album on GENUIN. Together with his pianist Friedrich Praetorius, he brings to life a unique compilation of lieder by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs of Nature, Life, and Love, sung mainly from the new edition of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig. Why this is only now available is because the beautiful lieder are predominantly of private origin, and many of them were not originally intended for publication at all. With their intimate character, they are sonorous heart-to-heart messages, brought to us by the gentle voice of the former member of the Thomanerchor Robert Pohlers and the clear piano playing of Friedrich Praetorius.

F. Gulda was, according to eminent cellist Pierre Fournier, the foremost pianist of his generation. And HIS generation emcompassed big names like Alfred Brendel, Ingrid Haebler, Jorg Demus, and perhaps, even Maurizio Pollini. It is a great pity that Gulda wasn't in league with 'the' eminent conductor Herbert von Karajan. This precluded many otherwise hot exposures of Gulda in discography. If pianists like Uchida could leave a complete set of Mozart sonatas, if Christoph Eschenbach could leave yet another complete set with good critical acclaim, certainly Friedrich Gulda's Mozart sonatas (and concerti) would have been hailed by ALL as the greatest ever!

German Baroque composer Johann Friedrich Fasch organized a music exchange service between Dresden, Darmstadt, Hamburg, and other cities, which allowed him to know exactly what was new and upcoming. His style, then, often seems to be rooted in his own period, while looking forward to the classical era. He enjoyed writing for the chalumeau, an early French two-keyed clarinet, and this mellow yet agile instrument is featured on three of the pieces here, most notably the concerto in B-flat. Gili Rinot proves a worthy player of this curious instrument, playing with virtuoso flair, yet able to float long, lyrical lines so lovely and sweetly that they seem to hang in the air.

The recordings for this release were made in the middle of the pandemic under difficult conditions. The hope of the artists involved is to make their contribution so that culture will emerge from this crisis not weakened, but strengthened. "Art is a daughter of freedom, and from the necessity of spirits, not from the necessity of matter, it wants to receive its prescription" (Schiller). Reinhold Friedrich, a prolific performer on major stages around the world, is a professor of trumpet at Karlsruhe, a sought-after lecturer for master classes, honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid and also in Hiroshima. Many of his recordings were awarded international prizes and got high press acclaim.

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787) was born in Köthen, a small German city, where his father, played viola da gamba and cello in the court orchestra. In 1723 Abel senior became director of the orchestra, when the previous director, Johann Sebastian Bach, moved to Leipzig. That the young Abel later attended the Leipzig Thomasschule and was taught there by Bach is not finally confirmed. What is known, however, is that he joined Johann Adolph Hasse's court orchestra in Dresden on Bach's recommendation in 1748, where he remained for nine years. On Bach's recommendation in 1748 he was able to join Johann Adolph Hasse's court orchestra at Dresden, where he remained for fifteen years.