Henze Symphony 8

With the passing of time, one can consider the adventure of the Domaine musical a necessity. Even then, there had to be someone to take charge of it and, beyond the awareness of this necessity, outline the new action and devote as much energy as conviction in order for the ideas to be embodied in clearly identifiable realisations. Pierre Boulez was designated, or self-designated, for this mission. Even though activity continued after his departure, it is obvious that the choices and standards of the Domaine musical corresponded quite precisely to the choices and standards of ist founder, with a remarkable constancy for a dozen years of unshakeable militancy.

John Marson was born in 1932 and died in 2007. He studied the harp with Marie Goossens at the Royal College of Music in London, and in 1958, while still a student, began his professional career with the Carl Rosa Opera Company.

This Ondine recording includes a fascinating programme: Luciano Berio’s (1925–2003) iconic adaptation of Johannes Brahms’ (1833–1897) Clarinet Sonata No. 1 combined with Detlev Glanert’s (b.1960) recent arrangement of Brahms’ late vocal masterpiece, Four Serious Songs. Also included is Glanert’s new orchestral work Weites Land (2013) written in the spirit of Brahms. This disc includes as its soloists award-winning clarinetist Kari Kriikku and German baritone Michael Nagy. This is the second Ondine release of Estonian conductor Olari Elts together with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

The LSO’s magnificent string sound is world renowned and this recording marks the LSO Live debut of the LSO String Ensemble, led by LSO leader Roman Simovic, who directs a performance of the much loved Tchaikovsky "Serenade for Strings", together with Bartók’s "Divertimento". The Serenade has proved to be one of Tchaikovsky’s most enduringly popular works, a piece he described as being “passionately in love with”. Inspired in part by Mozart, its elegant music weaves Russian folk-song, and a fine example of the composer’s beloved Waltz, with an elegiac musical centrepiece. Also featured on this release is Bartók’s "Divertimento", one of the composer’s last works before leaving Europe for exile in the US. The Divertimento is a highly original work in its own unique idiom, contrasting two buoyant and light-hearted movements with a sombre Adagio in four sections.

The incomparable lied baritone, Christian Gerhaher, revisits Gustav Mahler in his latest release Mahler: Orchestral Songs. Accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra , under the elegant baton of Kent Nagano, Gerhaher has recorded three Mahler song cycles in their authentic orchestral versions for the first time. On Mahler: Orchestral Songs, Gerhaher manages to blend with the compelling sound of the orchestra, but at the same time makes his baritone hover above the instruments, so that every word and nuance comes across without ever sounding forced. Simple in style and full of empathy, this is the art of song at its finest.