Schubertiade

Artist at the crossroads of genres, the tubist Thomas Leleu, elected "Instrumental soloist revelation of the year" at the Victoires de la Musique 2012, explores in Born to Groove a music in his image, without borders! In this new album, each track is accompanied by instrumental themes with bass and drums, where jazz fusion alternates with improvisation, swing, bossa, groove or even world jazz. If he composed the majority of the tracks on this recording, the musician has also surrounded himself with his accomplices from The Tuba's Trip: Laurent Elbaz, Lamine Diagne, Sam Favreau, Philippe Jardin, Jérôme Buigues, as well as Jean-Luc Di Fraya and the electro group French Fuse. Together, they decompartmentalize genres and enthusiastically explore classical, jazz, pop and even world music. A way to reveal all the richness of his instrument: the tuba!

Roman Trekel is a German baritone who has established a firm career from a base at the Staatsoper Berlin during the 1990s. He began his higher musical education in 1980, studying voice with Prof. Heinz Reeh until 1986. He received a position at the Berlin Staatsoper's Opera Studio in 1986, and in 1988 joined the Staatsoper (Unter den Linden) as a soloist member of the company. He entered the music competition circuit and in 1989 won the First Prize in the Walter Gruner International Competition in London.

After two Schubert albums, Mauro Peter has now turned intensively to the songs of Robert Schumann – a composer no less dear to him than Franz Schubert. In 2012 he won the Schumann Competition in Zwickau. “It is young, it is lyrical,” tenor Mauro Peter explains his deep connection with Schumann’s Dichterliebe. “I can relate to these feelings because they are familiar to me. The music is full of emotion and so incredibly heartfelt at the same time.”

Isabel Villanueva will present her debut album ‘Bohèmes’ on 20th October in an press-conference held at Teatro Real in Madrid. This is her first recording project for viola and piano recorded with François Dumont for IMMStage label. The album includes works by Liszt, Granados, Hahn, Martinu, Enesco and Debussy.

A kaleidoscope of folkloristic, international Christmas carols This CD presents secular Christmas carols from Europe and South America. These traditional songs have been newly arranged by Manfred Fränkel for voice, accordion, violin and percussion instruments. The carols are intended to sound as natural as possible and yet offer something unusual. Older and more recent songbooks from a wide variety of countries served as the basis for the adaptations; in some cases the original languages were retained, and in others the texts have been translated into German.

"The last years of Schubert’s life were clouded by illness, so thoughts of the afterlife cannot have been far from his mind. For their latest recital for BIS, Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton present an all-Schubert recital themed around Elysium, the mythical idea of a blessed and happy eternal future, with texts that explore different states of the afterlife by well-known authors such as Goethe, Rückert and Schiller as well as by lesser-known ones. Opening with a hymn to the divine in nature, this recital in turn evokes distant realms, blissful eternity and dream-filled sleep, before concluding with a farewell to the earth; from the passion and doubt of Die junge Nonne (The Young Nun) to the beautiful and touching Du bist die Ruh (You are peace). Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton have released several acclaimed discs for BIS, including Album für die Frau, a collection of songs by Clara and Robert Schumann and A Soprano’s Schubertiade, a Schubert anthology, named ‘Recording of the Month’ by MusicWeb International and ‘CD-Tipp’ by BR Klassik."

A kaleidoscope of folkloristic, international Christmas carols This CD presents secular Christmas carols from Europe and South America. These traditional songs have been newly arranged by Manfred Fränkel for voice, accordion, violin and percussion instruments.

Schumann is the new album from the critically acclaimed, Grammy nominated cellist Sol Gabetta. This recording features a recording of Schumann’s cello concerto with the renowned Kammerorchester Basel under the direction of Giovanni Antonini. Sol Gabetta also teams up with the wonderful French pianist, Bertrand Chamayou to record Fantasy Pieces op. 73, the Adagio and Allegro op. 70 and the Five Pieces in Folk Style op. 102.