Brian Ferneyhough – born in Coventry in 1943 and recipient of the prestigious Siemens Prize in 2007 – counts among the great musical challengers of our time. As an unyielding proponent of a steady refinement of musical perception, he doesn't shy away from mind-boggling structural aggregations and extreme technical and artistic demands on his musicians. In doing so he enjoys the support of a handpicked group of virtuosos, who regularly perform his compositions all over the world.
The Lockenhaus International Chamber Music Festival is regarded as one of Austria’s most prestigious festivals: it was created by the violinist Gidon Kremer to offer a new vision of chamber music and the opportunity to create musical exchanges in an intimate setting. The cellist Nicolas Altstaedt succeeded Gidon Kremer in 2012 and now continues the spirit of the festival. For this first recording in partnership with Lockenhaus, he is joined by experienced partners, including the Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang, the Hungarian violinist Barnabás Kelemen, the German pianist Alexander Lonquich – whose Schubert double album was recently released on Alpha (Alpha 433) – and the British violist Lawrence Power. Together they have selected two works, the Piano Quintet of Béla Bartók, a demanding composition, rarely performed even though it is considered an intensely personal work, and the String Trio of Sándor Veress, a former student of Bartók.
During the 2010s, Sebastian Fagerlund focused on a series of orchestral compositions and concertos, making one single excursion into vocal music: the opera Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata, 2017). One of his most important works, the opera has influenced his subsequent music, with an increase of long melodic lines alongside his signature rhythmic drive and energy. Dedicated to Nicolas Altstaedt, Fagerlund’s cello concerto Nomade consists of six movements played without a break – a journey by the cellist-wanderer through various landscapes, moods and events depicted by the orchestra.
On a toujours tendance à sous-estimer l'importance de Nicolas Lebègue dans la formation du style de la musique francaise pour clavier. Cet homme qui venant de Laon débarqua à Paris à l'âge de 25 ans a non seulement standardisé la suite pour clavecin à la francaise, mais il a aussi codifié le style d'orgue francais classique par ce premier livre d'orgue publié 10 ans après son arrivée à Paris.