Khalab & M'berra Ensemble M'berra

1849 was a banner year for chamber music output for Robert Schumann. He wrote feverishly, often completing entire compositions in a matter of days with no appreciable loss of quality. Among the instruments to benefit from this frenzy was the cello, which still suffered from a dearth of repertoire. The only original work Schumann penned for cello and piano was the Op. 102 Five Pieces in Folk Style. As was common for the day, Schumann also listed the cello as an "alternate" instrument in both the Op. 70 Adagio and Allegro (originally for horn) and the Op. 73 Fantasiestücke (originally for violin).

For a kinder, gentler, more tuneful, and even a more danceable Stravinsky in his High neo-Classical period, try the wind chamber music Czech-French-American composer Bohuslav Martinu wrote in his High French period. Three of the works on this disc by the Ensemble Villa Musica – Le Revue de Cuisine from 1927, the Sextet from 1929, and the Quartre madrigaux from 1937 – represent Martinu at his Parisian best: archly lyrical, angularly rhythmic, and brilliantly colorful. For a lighter, deeper, more conservative, and even a more melancholy Stravinsky in his postwar late neo-Classical period, try the last work on this disc,

One of the continuing appeals of Hans Werner Henze's music is his ability to use the formidable arsenal of twentieth century musical innovations in works that have immediate aural appeal, while probing ambiguous or disturbing layers of meaning lurking beneath the surface. The complexity of his music is generally not so much apparent on its surface as in its psychology. While Henze has written in virtually every genre of music in his long and remarkably productive career, he is essentially a dramatic composer, and it's for his operas, ballets, music theater pieces, vocal music, and film music that he will be most remembered.

For 30 years, the answer to the question "Who's got the best recording of the delightful woodwind chamber of Strauss?" was "Edo de Waart and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble." While there have been other fine recordings, notably the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's DG recording, de Waart and the Netherlanders were so simple, so relaxed, and so virtuosic, so unutterably charming that they were the clear first choice. While this recording by the Ensemble Villa Musica may not be a first choice, it is mighty close. In this the second of two discs dedicated to Strauss' woodwind chamber music, the Ensemble Villa Musica has the same sort of simple grace and easy virtuosity that distinguished de Waart and the Netherlanders. .

Gideon Klein est né en 1919 à Prerov, Tchécoslovaquie (République Tchèque). Il commença l'étude du piano à onze ans avec Ruzena Kurzova, et donna son premier concert à 14 ans. En 1938 il se rendit à Prague, où il fréquenta la Masterclass de piano de Vilém Kurz (1872-1945). Il poursuivit en parallèle des études de théorie musicale, et obtint son diplôme en 1939. Il fut ensuite l'élève d'Alois Hába (1893-1976) pour la composition, et étudia la musicologie à la faculté de philosophie de l'Université Charles à Prague.

Paul Dessau composed more than 450 works from all the genres, but scarcely a single one of them continues to meet with recognition and representation in today's concert world. The musicians of the Ensemble Avantgarde decided to change this with an impressive overview of the chamber oeuvre of this composer. The young Dessau celebrated great successes with his Concertino in the unusual instrumentation for solo violin with flute, clarinet, and horn already in 1925 and even won a composition prize for it. Dessau himself actually wanted to become a violinist, and Gewandhaus concertmaster Andreas Seidel masters with bravura what at times is a wildly virtuosic solo part.

Hindemith's writing combines the great contrapuntal sense of Bach with a mastery of modern harmony. These three pieces, with very unusual instrumental combinations, showcase some of his best writing with a fantastic performance from a world class ensemble.

With Transcend, the Fukio Quartet illustrates the experience and feeling of the global crisis that has strongly influenced their work over many months: The Corona Pandemic. Between cancelled concerts and an uncertainty if and when it will be possible for them to make music live again, this album was created. Within a transcendent time that was accompanied by open questions and vagueness. The state of limbo that in a way defines any crisis - the mood in which the next decision, the next turn, is not completely clear - represents a very essential core of the quartet's work. Through the sound of the saxophone, they are able to transmit emotions that they cannot communicate in any other way. In the process, every little dissonance, every inner discord, every crisis is a significant part of what resonates with the recipients. It's fukio.

Bass-baritone Adam Plachetka presents Molieri, a programme of opera arias by Mozart and Salieri, together with the Czech Ensemble Baroque under the baton of Roman Válek. Thanks to fictional works such as the film Amadeus, Antonio Salieri is often scapegoated as the man who allegedly caused Mozart’s untimely death out of professional envy. Despite the fact that this is obviously not true, Salieri’s popularity has suffered from this popular myth-making, and most of his operas have sunk into oblivion. Molieri brings the two composers together, focusing on bass-8 baritone arias from their opera buffas. Famous arias from Mozart’s Da Ponte operas are heard in a completely different light when paired to excerpts from Salieri’s Falstaff, Axur, La grotto di Trofonio and La scuola de’ gelosi. It also makes clear why Salieri enjoyed such success, as well as why great composers such as Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt all wanted to study with him. Given the importance of Prague for Mozart’s operatic successes, the music fits the players of Czech Ensemble Baroque like a glove, and Plachetka possesses the optimal combination of vocal authority and agility to sing these buffo roles.

A live set celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary loops in a 20-piece orchestra, rousing poetry and new improvisers among the hardcore veterans.