Lars Gunnar Lars Gunnar Bodin

Concerto Copenhagen and Lars Ulrik Mortensen presents the three symphonies by Joseph Haydn; Merkur, Trauer, Palindrom.

Concerto Copenhagen and Lars Ulrik Mortensen presents the three symphonies by Joseph Haydn; Merkur, Trauer, Palindrom.

On-going Lars Vogt’s discography, whose complete EMI recordings will be released as a beautiful physical boxset this fall. Barely 21 and having just won a prize at the prestigious Leeds Piano Competition, Vogt signed his first contract with EMI and released his debut album in 1991. Making its digital premiere, this recording includes a very ambitious program with Schubert’s Fantaisie-Sonata, Brahms’ last set of piano pieces, Op. 119, a sonata by Haydn and Lachenmann’s variations after a Schubert’s delicate écossaise. A thundering start in the musical industry!

In the mid-1980s, the Swedish Dragon label came out with five LPs of music featuring the great Swedish baritonist Lars Gullin. The second volume, which has the earliest recordings in the batch, consists of performances that were either previously unreleased or quite obscure at the time. Gullin is heard in quartets and quintets, sometimes as a sideman, including a few very rare appearances on alto which, although worthy, show why he mostly stuck to baritone. The cool-toned bop, reminiscent but not derivative of Gerry Mulligan, should be of great interest to 1950s jazz collectors.

With the establishment of Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens in 1843, the Danish composer and conductor Hans Christian Lumbye (1810–1874) swiftly rose to fame as the city’s internationally acclaimed king of waltzes and galops, leading his orchestra from the violin. For this recording, Lars Ulrik Mortensen and Concerto Copenhagen – Scandinavia’s leading period instruments ensemble – studied Lumbye's original scores and used instruments from the era to recreate an authentic sound. This collection showcases Lumbye’s enchanting music, along with popular pieces by his idols, Lanner and Strauss I.

Over the past few years Swedish bassist, cellist, composer, and arranger Lars Danielsson has matured into one of the most important voices in European jazz. He has played alongside such international stars as Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker, John Scofield, and Charles Lloyd, led his own quartet, worked as musical producer for Caecilie Norby, Viktoria Tolstoy and the Danish Radio Orchestra, and, most importantly, recorded three CDs under his own name for ACT. These recordings reveal Danielsson’s unmistakeable originality, his music’s amazing openness, and his wide-ranging creativity.
Tarantella (2009) is more multi-layered than Danielsson’s previous projects. Whether they are atmospheric, suspended musical images full of movement (this is already implied in the names of the title piece, along with “Ballet”, and Ballerina”), spherical hymns reminiscent of Swedish church music…

Born to sing J. S. Bach, Anne Sofie von Otter brings elegant style, richness of voice, and career-long commitment to Baroque music to this glorious recording of alto and soprano arias she herself selected. Featuring beloved staples like the moving “Erbarme Dich” from the St. Matthew Passion and the “Agnus Dei” from the B minor Mass, this follow-up to her successful release of Music for a While includes lesser-known repertoire to entice the most jaded lover of voice, Baroque or Bach. Lars Ulrik Mortensen leads Concerto Copenhagen, the acclaimed Scandinavian Baroque ensemble, in instrumentations of fascinating variety unusual in Bach solo vocal albums

Mortensen's magnificent direction brings out the full measure of excitement, pathos and emotion in Handel's score…[the production] conveys an enormous amount of what makes Partenope very special.

Laura Marti's new album "Africa - Tribute to Lars Danielsson" is a beautiful homage to the legendary European jazz musician. Recorded in Germany's Bauer Studios during the intense conflict in Ukraine, the album is a testament to the importance of supporting Ukrainian music in European cultural life. The album features 9 tracks, including 8 of Danielsson's well-known compositions and a special track written by him for the project, called "For Laura," in which he also participated. Marti invited renowned Ukrainian jazz pianist and composer Natalia Lebedeva to create the arrangements for the songs, and talented Ukrainian jazz musicians Yakiv Tsvietinsky, Yuriy Natsvlishvili, and Dima Litvinenko joined the project. This album is a must-listen for any jazz lover looking to explore the intersection of European and Ukrainian jazz.