Teeny Exzesse No.5 (1995 11)

Antoine Reicha, born Antonín Rejcha in Prague, moved in adolescence with his family to Bonn, playing violin and flute under the direction of his uncle in the court orchestra in which Beethoven also served. In 1794 he moved to Hamburg, where he took up teaching and composition instead of performance. In 1799 he tried for operatic success in Paris, but when this failed he moved to Vienna, renewing acquaintance with Beethoven and Haydn. Here he won considerable success, returning to Paris once more in 1808 where he enjoyed esteem as a composer and, above all, as a teacher at the Conservatoire. His pupils included Berlioz, Liszt and, for a short time, César Franck. He was the author of a number of important theoretical treatises.

The world premiere recording of the complete Pieces de clavecin by Antoine Forqueray, court musician of Louis XN and one of the greatest viola da gamba players of all times. The Pieces de Clavecin comprise five Suites containing 32 pieces in total and were published after the composer's death by his son, the equally famous Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Forqueray in two versions: as viola da gamba solos with continuo and in a transcription for solo harpsichord, the latter being the better-known version.

This is the only recording of sacred music by the extraordinary 17th-century Venetian singer and composer Barbara Strozzi. The Latin works in her collection Sacri Affetti Musicali were entirely suitable for church performance–something Strozzi herself, as a woman outside a convent, was forbidden to do. Most likely she performed these pieces as "spiritual recreation" at meetings of the "Academy of the Unisons" founded by her father, a well-known poet.

Although Misty Morning and No Time is entirely instrumental, the 1994 date was inspired by the work of Scottish poet Norman MacCaig. Those who aren't seriously into jazz might have a hard time understanding how something without words (a jazz instrumental) could pay tribute to something that uses words to get its point across (a poem). But there's certainly a parallel between the two - just as a poet like MacCaig uses the English language to convey what he's feeling, Smith uses his tenor sax to express his emotions. Of course, one needn't be familiar with MacCaig's work to appreciate Misty Morning and No Time, which points to the fact that while Smith was still heavily influenced by John Coltrane in 1994, he was sounding increasingly original with each album…

Franz Schmidt is currently on his way to be recognized as one of the most important representatives of the post-Mahlerian, post-romantic symphonic tradition. Indeed, there is something about Schmidt's symphonies - the fourth in particular - that suggests a certain post-apocalyptic feeling, not in terms of any feeling of tragedy in particular but because it feels as if Schmidt are writing the somewhat sobering afterwords to the works of Bruckner and Mahler at the very end of the romantic era (the symphony dates from 1933).

Pollini is so much a part of the contemporary music scene that it's amazing to realize that the earliest material on this disc (Stravinsky and Prokofiev) dates to the 1940s. These two performances retain their power to startle and amaze, both through Pollini's seemingly effortless virtuosity and through the immediacy of his musical conceptions. This Prokofiev is a close rival even to Richter's. Webern, from six years later, is so colorful and well organized that it makes the difficult music almost easy to listen to. Not many listeners will put up with Boulez's obscurities, but there is still plenty to make the disc worthwhile.

This 1995 release from Deutsche Grammophon combines two memorable concerto recordings by Sviatoslav Richter. Almost all of Richter's recordings are considered legendary – particularly since he did not like recording in the studio – but these are rightfully so. They were some of the first that were released widely in the west, where he was still something of a new talent in the late '50s-early '60s, although a middle-aged man by then. The Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2 with Stanislaw Wislocki and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra dates from 1959 and was met with high praise from most for its detail and the depth of Richter's knowledgable interpretation. It is not as ardent as most other pianists' readings, but its clarity speaks volumes and can still move the listener.

Mister Ed (Eduardo Gomes de Bifteca) studied the recorder and specialised in classical music. In 1987 he graduated from the famous Berklee College of Music. Once moved to New York, Ed met two guys who were looking for a singer with a high voice! Together they formed the rock group Forked Tung and toured through the US and Europe. They had lots of fun but lacked success. Eventually mister Ed found work as a DJ touring US airbases. He always kept his nickname Mr. Ed. This time he earned good money and was able to buy enough gear to atart his own Mr. Ed studio. This he did in Cork, Ireland and that is where he created his first two albums: "Orange Dream" and "Ultra-Beige Dream".

Beyond all argument, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, Op. 10, is his biggest, his grandest, and his greatest symphony, a massive and monumental work that celebrates the triumph of all that is decent and virtuous over all that is depraved and immoral. But while Prokofiev's symphonic suite The Year 1941, Op. 90, is perhaps not his loudest and dumbest symphonic work, it is as bathetic, as bombastic, and as banal as the Symphony No. 5 is good, decent, and virtuous. The great thing about this disc is that both works are on it and both works get the best possible performances from Theodore Kuchar and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.