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Schiffsverkehr, Herbert Grönemeyer's 13th studio album, is the beginning of a new chapter for the German singer: after losing both his wife and his brother to cancer in 1998, his past couple of albums have been informed by his grief, and while Schiffsverkehr doesn't dispense with the melancholic ballads, it marks a return to the more experimental sounds of his album Bleibt Alles Anders, coupled with a stronger focus on guitars and synthesizers, giving the album an '80s sound with elements of Deutschrock. Just like its two predecessors, the record reached the number one spot in the German, Austrian, and Swiss album charts (thus continuing a streak of number one albums in Germany that has lasted since 1984's 4630 Bochum).

Viktoria Mullova is one of the most versatile and charismatic violinists to have emerged in the late 20th century, demonstrating a high level of mastery in broad range of repertoires, from Baroque to Romantic and post-Romantic to jazz and crossover. She established her reputation early in the 1980s, winning both the Sibelius and Tchaikovsky competitions and going on to win the Grand Prix du Disc and a Diapason d'Or Award, as well as garnering numerous other honors. Her widely acclaimed 1987 Philips recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons is ample proof of her sure grasp of the idiosyncrasies of the Italian Baroque, and the freshness and vitality of her playing has made her version a favorite with listeners and critics. Mullova performs with passionate musicality and technical finesse, and Claudio Abbado leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in a nuanced, idiomatic accompaniment.