Andreas Kuemmert

On their first GENUIN CD, the young musicians of the Gellert Ensemble from Central Germany bring an absolute repertoire rarity to life. Under its conductor Andreas Mitschke, the ensemble has produced the oratorio The Raising of Lazarus by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, the so-called "Bückeburg Bach," on the Leipzig label. Bach wrote his dramatic work together with the Sturm und Drang poet Johann Gottfried Herder, a colorful and nuanced portrait based on the unbelievable story from the New Testament. The Gellert Ensemble presents historical performance practice at the highest level in an impressive, spirited performance!

Andreas Späth is a new name to me, but his long and distinguished career saw him create a varied catalogue of over 150 works. He was also a clarinettist, violinist, organist, and voice teacher, as well as becoming the city music director in Neuchâtel and an honorary member of the Swiss Music Society among other things. Very little of his music has found its way onto recordings, so this extensive overview of his chamber music with clarinet is very welcome indeed. This release is titled ‘Romantic Clarinet Chamber Music’, but Späth’s idiom has a Classical poise and an elegant lack of sentimentality, at least in the Introduction & Variations on Weber op. 133. This has a nice variety in its variations, emphasising lyricism and witty inflection rather than pure virtuosity, though there is indeed some of this in evidence, and we are fortunate to be in the safe hands of soloist Rita Karin Meier.

Balthasar Erben, born in Danzig in 1626, was a cosmopolitan. When he applied for the position of Kapellmeister at the main church of St. Mary in his home town at the age of 27, the council granted him a generous grant so that he could "look around the world and perfect himself as a composer". Erben was on the road in Europe for five years and visited all the centers of musical culture up to Rome.

The maximalist Franz Liszt and the almost minimalist Erik Satie might seem a preposterous album pairing, but violinist Andreas Seidel and pianist Steffen Schleiermacher – really, it is Schleiermacher whose project this seems to be, although he gets second billing – make a strong case for its relevance. The key is that it is the mysterious late works of Liszt that are featured. Between Liszt's works of the early 1880s and the famous Gymnopédies of Satie is a period of just seven or eight years, and, more importantly, a common spareness of melodic material and, in some cases, an interest in popular music.

The 17th century Austrian composer and organist Alessandro Poglietti could not complain about favoritisms during his lifetime. Thus, the Austrian Emperor raised him to the peerage, while the Pope made him Knight of the Golden Spur. His end, however, was sad. During the siege of Vienna by the Turks in 1683, Poglietti was murdered by the Tartars, while his vast number of children were taken away. Pogletti is especially important for his keyboard music. His 12 ricercares form an important link in the 'development' of the instrumental polyphony between Frescobaldi and Bach.

Behind every Mozart solo piano composition is the human voice, and many interpreters understandably build their interpretations from the melody line down. By contrast, fortepianist Andreas Staier generates rhythmic and dramatic momentum by letting his left hand lead, so to speak. His firm, sharply delineated bass lines in the C minor sonata's outer movements and the E-flat sonata's Allegro finale evoke a symphonic rather than operatic aura that proves far more stimulating than Paul Badura-Skoda's equally rigorous yet less vibrant fortepiano traversals.

Andreas Vollenweider's 1985 effort White Winds, subtitled "Seeker's Journey," features the composer's modified electric harp in pieces that are much more experimental than what would later emerge as the prevailing sound of new age…

Eolian Minstrel is Andreas Vollenweider's debut SBK Records release and the long awaited followup to his 1991 #1 NAC and jazz album, Book of Roses. Andreas plays a harp, but one that has been modified to produce an extraordinary range of sounds. A damper which he designed himself allows him to strum and pluck with more crispness and percussive attack. A microphone attached to each string allows for greater articulation of individual notes, and hand-made strings further define his unique sonorities. This recording is Andreas' most daring album to date and for the first time features guest vocalists, such as Carly Simon and Eliza Gilkyson.