Jansons Pärt

Mariss Jansons Jansons’s earliest memories were of his father, the conductor Arvid Jansons, conducting opera and ballet: ‘As a very small boy, three years old, I was always observing… I went to my father’s rehearsals. When I came home, I put my book on the table and started to conduct. I changed my trousers because they were for rehearsal, not for concert. I played at being artistic director, drawing up programmes for subscription seasons.’ He learned to play the violin in Riga, and in 1957 entered the Leningrad Conservatory, where he studied conducting with Rabinovich, as well as the piano and violin.

This release from BR KLASSIK explores the genre of the 19th and 20th century Rhapsody, featuring works from masterful composers Emmanuel Chabrier, George Gershwin, George Enesecu, Maurice Ravel, and Franz Liszt. The concert-like atmosphere of this recording makes this a truly unique release, as these works were recorded live in Munich as recently as October 2015. The five rhapsodies featured here come from different regions and the composers unique styles can be heard in each of their works. Chabriers Espana is centered around Iberian and folk music which was very popular at the time. Liszts Hungarian Rhapsody contrasts this work with its use of Hungarian folk melodies. The ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue from George Gershwin throws Americana into the mix with its blues roots. Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks never fails to please with their brilliant interpretations and performance quality. World-renowned Russian pianist Denis Matusev is brilliant as the Rhapsody in Blue soloist.

Mariss Jansons's interpretation of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 is yet another landmark for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, performed here with a star-studded cast. This recording is part of the orchestra's full Mahler cycle presented from 2009 to 2011 to celebrate the composer's 150th birthday and 100th anniversary of his death.

Mariss Jansons Jansons’s earliest memories were of his father, the conductor Arvid Jansons, conducting opera and ballet: ‘As a very small boy, three years old, I was always observing… I went to my father’s rehearsals. When I came home, I put my book on the table and started to conduct. I changed my trousers because they were for rehearsal, not for concert. I played at being artistic director, drawing up programmes for subscription seasons.’ He learned to play the violin in Riga, and in 1957 entered the Leningrad Conservatory, where he studied conducting with Rabinovich, as well as the piano and violin.

Two well-known masterpieces of Russian music complement each other perfectly on the latest CD of Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. Firstly, Stravinsky's ballet music "Petrushka" in its 1947 version which, with its smaller orchestra and more prominent piano part (played by Lukas Maria Kuen), is more of an instrumental work, or "a kind of concert piece"; and secondly, Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." Originally written in 1874 as a piano cycle, it can be heard here in the colourful, universal and engaging orchestral version of 1922 by Maurice Ravel, which made it world-famous.

All Mahler scholars have agreed from the very start that Gustav Mahler embarked on an entirely new path with his Fifth Symphony. Even for his immediate contemporaries, such as the conductor Bruno Walter or the music critic Paul Bekker, the Fifth marked the beginning of a new creative phase, and Mahler himself was also keenly aware of this – which is why he was all the more upset by the fact that his work was not understood at its premiere in Cologne in October 1904 and, even later, met with a largely negative reception.

The two essential pieces of early 20th-century ballet music by Stravinsky combined on this new CD are live recordings of concerts performed on January 16, 2009 in the Philharmonie im Gasteig (Le sacre du printemps) and on November 17, 2016 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz (L'oiseau de feu), and both feature the excellent recording quality of the Bayerischer Rundfunk.

The genesis of Anton Bruckner's Eighth Symphony was perhaps ignited by a bout of sudden fame that boosted the composer’s constantly shaky self-confidence. After the performance of Bruckner’s Seventh, the famous conductor Hermann Levi had hailed him as "the greatest symphonist since the death of Beethoven". Frequently ridiculed in Vienna, Bruckner had finally been taken seriously in Munich: his importance had been recognized, and the Austrian emperor had awarded him the Order of Franz Joseph – something that filled the composer with pride.

There are many biographies of Robert Schumann, but none that gives a real voice to his music – and the life and the music of this great Romantic composer were connected in a particularly subtle way. This new release in the successful series of BR-KLASSIK audio biographies contains approximately 150 excerpts from Schumann’s works; carefully interwoven into his life story, they give voice to his inner world. The mysterious "inner voice" that Schumann noted down in the score of his Humoreske op. 20 thus becomes the motto of this audio biography.