Strauss Digital

Only few cellists are as inspiring as Raphaela Gromes: her cello playing is virtuosic and vibrant, full of passion and technically brilliant, versatile and charming at the same time. She fascinates her audience as soloist as well as duo-partner or member of a wind-quartet, her performance being fantastically challenging and extraordinarily light-footed.

Mandy Fredrich’s album brings together a series of art songs that create coherent arcs and extended storylines, like a kind of mini-opera. The composers’ songs were used to put together four stories about lovers, all of which revolve around the theme of dreamy happiness in all its different facets!

"The starting point was Beethoven’s Sonata op. 111, but this little piece ‘Vers la flamme’ by Scriabin exemplifies an idea, and the title is ideal for the whole album. The idea is a journey from the earthly to the light, it is about the question of how life and death are connected. Now you can say that it is generally a function of music that it catapults you into a new level of consciousness. But I think the four works on this album do that in a special way, they radiate a tremendous power. They reflect different personal worlds, were written at different times and spring from different genres and sound ideas, yet they all have a similar function.”

In 2010 Arik was chosen by Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport for a six months’ artist in residence program at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. During his Paris stay, Arik began collaborating with French musicians in trio format. Returning to Israel, Arik set about writing material for his first Trio recording, Mostly Ballads. Legendary drummer Buddy Rich said “jazz should be treated the same as classical music – it’s to be listened to.” His words certainly apply to this sterling effort from the Arik Strauss Trio.

For the first time ever, Richard Strauss’ songs can be heard in an arranged version for choir or choir and violin. Compiled from different opuses, including Vier letzte Lieder op. 150, the KammerChor Saarbrücken and their conductor Georg Grün present several famous songs in a new guise. Franz Zimnol’s and Clytus Gottwald’s transcriptions approach Strauss’ compositions in different ways, all of them providing new listening impressions as well as perspectives on the original.

Mandy Fredrich’s album brings together a series of art songs that create coherent arcs and extended storylines, like a kind of mini-opera. The composers’ songs were used to put together four stories about lovers, all of which revolve around the theme of dreamy happiness in all its different facets!

Decca, THE Opera Company, has always invested infinite energy and enormous care in its productions, pairing unrivalled casts with its unequalled technical skill and legendary sound. Decca Classics is proud to continue its Hardback Opera Series of go-to performances incorporating true 24-bit audio with two reference recordings of R. Strauss with casts led by Birgit Nilsson and also Leontyne Price’s legendary recording of Verdi’s Aida – all three performances are conducted by Sir Georg Solti

Both the works on this album came about as a reaction to the horrors of war. Shostakovich visited Dresden in 1960, and much of the city still lay in ruins. His 8th String Quartet dedicated to the victims of fascism, is one of his most powerful and deeply personal works, quoting from earlier compositions, and using the composer’s musical motto D Es C H. The composer wept after the first private performance.

The piano duo Tal & Groethuysen has thrilled classical music audiences for more than 30 years. They have received innumerable accolades worldwide for their recordings with Sony Classical, including five ECHO Klassik Music Awards, nine German Record Critics' Prizes, and the Cannes Classical Award.