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Following his monumental exploration of the 32 Sonatas, András Schiff has now recorded – on two period instruments – remarkable, contrasting versions of the Diabelli Variations alongside major late works with intrinsic ties to them. The Sonata Op. 111 and the Diabelli Variations (Disc 1) are played on an original Bechstein grand from 1921, and the second reading of the Diabelli Variations, (paired with the op. 126 Bagatelles on Disc 2) on a Hammerflügel fortepiano from Beethoven's own day. This gives listeners a unique opportunity to compare the rich range of these highly contrasting sonic universes, a world apart from modern day instruments. Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations are considered a magnum opus of the piano repertoire, a towering contribution to the genre and an entire Encyclopedia of pianism.

Published almost two centuries ago in 1823, the Diabelli Variations are more than just a major work in Ludwig van Beethoven’s oeuvre and in the history of piano music. Rather, they are among those exceptional works of music history that simply cannot be classified and – as Igor Strawinsky wrote in amazement about the Grand Fuge for string quartet composed three years later – could well have been created on a satellite in outer space. Despite only daring to première the Diabelli Variations in Berlin in 1856 and focussing on them throughout his life as an artist and publisher, Hans von Bülow was correct in his prediction that this work would provide “musical brain food for generations” – and not just for pianists and their audiences, but for music historians and theorists too. As such, countless works have been dedicated to the origins, intention, structure and (biographical) symbolism of the work – not least, in the tradition of von Bülow, by the pianists themselves, as demonstrated by the editions and statements of greats such as Artur Schnabel, Alfred Brendel and Rudolf Buchbinder.

Schumann's Op. 15 is a collection of piano pieces titled "Kinderszenen" or "Scenes from Childhood." Composed in 1838, this set of 13 short pieces reflects Robert Schumann's deep connection to childhood memories and his imaginative, introspective nature. Each piece within Op. 15 captures a distinct mood or scene, providing a glimpse into the emotional landscape of a child's world.

Auteur d’un nombre phénoménal d’opéras (cent quinze lui sont attribués, sans compter le reste d’une production considérable), Alessandro Scarlatti avait soixante ans lorsqu’il composa son dernier ouvrage lyrique, Griselda, pour le prince Ruspoli. Créé au Teatro Capranica à Rome en 1721, il s’inspire du Décaméron de Bocacce sur un livret dû à divers auteurs, dans une distribution exclusivement masculine comportant à l’origine cinq castrats et un ténor.Parmi les enregistrements de cet ouvrage, celui de René Jacobs paru en 2002 avait d’emblée placé la barre très haute. Le présent témoignage enregistré en 2021 durant le Festival della Valle d’Itria à l’occasion des trois cents ans de l’ouvrage comporte une distribution essentiellement italienne distribuée à deux sopranos, un contre-ténor et une mezzo-soprano avec des voix lyriques convenant particulièrement bien à cet ouvrage dramatique.

Federico Maria Sardelli is perhaps one of the word’s most notable experts of Vivaldi music as well as a versatile and gifted artist (he’s a painter, a novelist, a conductor, a composer and a musicologist). He wrote many books about Vivaldi including a prize-winning novel. Twice nominated for the Grammy Awards (in 1996 and 1999), since 2007 he has been in charge of the Vivaldi catalogue (The Ryom Vivaldi Werkverzeichnis). He is the founder and the director of the baroque ensemble "Modo Antiquo". The Russian violinist Anton Martynov completes this remarkable cast for an outstanding Vivaldi.

In his Opus 300 Carl Czerny compiled a unique keyboard compendium of all the stylistic facets of European music from the Baroque until far into the Romantic era – an audio history of music en miniature featuring preludes as our guides and an overwhelming variety of characters, forms, and pianistic invention. The 120 finely chiseled preludes range from the aphoristic extreme of ten to twenty seconds in length to the just as aphoristically packed narrative and rhapsodic forms of a maximum of three to four minutes. Their numerical midpoint is formed by sixteen very short interludes that are brilliant examples of modulations, each proceeding from C major to all the other major keys. Like most of the preludes from No. 60 to No. 71, they represent variants of this art form originally distinguished by improvisation: as interludes they build audio bridges from one (imaginary) work to the next and link what would appear to be beyond linking. The work of course is interpreted in its entirety on two CDs – by none other than Kolja Lessing, one of the most versatile musicians of our times and a violinist and pianist who combines interpretive and musicological work in his many significant contributions to music culture.

Schumann's Op. 15 is a collection of piano pieces titled "Kinderszenen" or "Scenes from Childhood." Composed in 1838, this set of 13 short pieces reflects Robert Schumann's deep connection to childhood memories and his imaginative, introspective nature. Each piece within Op. 15 captures a distinct mood or scene, providing a glimpse into the emotional landscape of a child's world.

The Twelve Grand Concertos, Op. 6, HWV 319–330, by George Frideric Handel are concerti grossi for a concertino trio of two violins and cello and a ripieno four-part string orchestra with harpsichord continuo. First published by subscription in London by John Walsh in 1739, they became in a second edition two years later Handel's Opus 6. Taking the older concerto da chiesa and concerto da camera of Arcangelo Corelli as models, rather than the later three-movement Venetian concerto of Antonio Vivaldi favoured by Johann Sebastian Bach, they were written to be played during performances of Handel's oratorios and odes.

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields A small orchestra specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical eras, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields became one of the most popular ensembles in the entire field of classical music, making albums that topped classical charts and even made an impact in pop. The group's seamless sound was identified in the minds of many listeners with that of Baroque music itself. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (the name has been spelled both with and without the hyphens, and with and without the period after "St") was formed in 1958 by violinist Neville Marriner, who was interested in exploring the then largely new field of Baroque music with a group of other musicians. Performing without a conductor until market forces dictated that Marriner take the post, the group played its first concert on November 13, 1959, at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and took its name from that venue. The orchestra began recording in 1961 on the L'Oiseau-Lyre label, championed by its founder, Louise Hanson-Dyer, and at first, finding more success with recordings than with concert appearances.