Hagen

Nina Hagen is a unique vocalist, ranging from a coloratura soprano to a guttural alto and phrasing in surprising, dramatically changing ways, so that her performances are musical roller coasters, full of sudden shifts in mood and volume. Singing alternately in German and English, Hagen is backed by rock tracks leaning toward punk on some songs, and by producer Giorgio Moroder's signature Euro-disco synth-dance sounds on others on this 14-track, 74-minute compilation. Want to hear a German-language version of the Tubes' "White Punks on Dope"? How about a performance of "My Way" (also in German) that rivals Sid Vicious' for outrageousness? Ultimately, Nina Hagen may be a period novelty act of the early '80s, a mixture of Toni Basil, Falco, and a hyena. But she gets your attention.

This exceptional recording was made using three original instruments that belonged to Paganini himself: the powerful 1743 Guarneri del Gesù violin; a six-string guitar by Ory, Paris, dated 1797; and a magnificent 1736 Stradivari cello, property of the Nippon Music Foundation and entrusted to Clemens Hagen, cellist of the Hagen Quartet. The three instruments are played together for the first time on this release. It was Giulio Plotino who conceived this project and took upon himself the difficult task of reuniting the three instruments. Indeed, this unique recording would not have been possible without him.

“By far the most compelling interpretation of Mozart’s string quartets comes from Salzburg: there is scarcely any other group that is capable of covering the vast stylistic range of these works as convincingly and as vitally as the Hagen Quartett. The result is a recording that should still be valid in thirty years’ time.” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung)

In its 2012/13 season, the Hagen Quartett brings the complete Beethoven string quartets to the most prominent musical centres of the world, including New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Vienna and Salzburg. During the first half of this tour, the quartet went right away from the stage to the studio to record three of their most favourite Beethoven quartets. With Op. 18/3 and Op. 135, the album ranges from the very first to the last string quartet Ludwig van Beethoven wrote.
The Hagen Quartet came into being in 1981, soon achieving success in a number of competitions and signing an exclusive recording contract with DG, which over the course of a 20-year relationship produced 45 CDs.

This album marks a milestone in the extensive discography of the Hagen Quartett – myrios classics is honoured to present their first recording of a Brahms string quartet. The quartet op. 67 is paired with Brahms’ piano quintet op. 34. Here, the Hagen Quartett is joined by their regular collaborator, pianist Kirill Gerstein.

This is a compilation of Nina Hagen's earliest steps in the pop business, when she was still in the former GDR with the Bands "Automobil" and "Fritzens Dampferband". She sounds relatively tame here, but her madness shines through now and then…

This 3 CD set contains the first CD from Nina Hagen Band and her first 2 solo albums. All 3 show vastly different musical styles that are linked seamlessly with her unmistakable vocal stylings. The first one is very grounded in '70s new wave/punk, the second, NunSexMonkRock, is from 1982 but remains completely timeless since it doesn't sound like anything anyone else has ever attempted before or since and the third, Fearless, sounds the most dated because of the use of clap machines and very-'80s-sounding synths.

Having had the privilege of seeing the Hagen's perform Shostakovich's 3 rd Qrt back in the 1999 ( i think it was) at the Wigmore hall - the Hagen's have been one of the younger generation of Quartets that ranked amnong the finest exponents of DSCH's complex , searing music.