Viennese Rhapsody

This album hums and growls, it whispers very delicately and causes a pleasant feeling again and again. It is the warm, deep and full tone of the double bass that has taken hold of the young Viennese soloist Dominik Wagner. This is already the fourth album he is releasing on the label Berlin Classics. As on the three previous albums, he has placed the double bass at the center, and yet everything is different on the new album "Double Bass Rhapsody". Here, the double bass is heard exclusively as a solo instrument, in a quartet and even in a sextet. For this, Dominik Wagner has enlisted the best colleagues he can imagine: Christoph Wimmer and Herbert Mayr, both principal double bassists of the Vienna Philharmonic, who share with him an authentic connection to the Viennese style. And José Trigo, deputy principal double bass of the BR Symphony Orchestra, who, like Dominik Wagner, also studied with Professor Dorin Marc. "In order to bring out the special features of the double bass, there is no need for any other instrument" explains Dominik Wagner.

After the success of last year’s compilation Romance–Sony Classical has released a new album that is very attractive and includes famous works from Lang Lang’s back catalogue. These not only show the super-star pianist‘s interpretative magic, but also his renowned finger-fireworks! All the works are accessible and instantly recognisable. The album includes Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca, Liszt’s Rákóczy March, Chopin’s Minute Waltz and Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer. The album also includes some of Lang Lang’s most streamed tracks to date: Bach’s Air on the G-string and Liszt’s La Campanella.

Today, it’s hard to fathom the worldwide sensation sparked by Van Cliburn’s victory in the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. An American pianist winning a prestigious Russian event at the height of the Cold War made headlines everywhere and the two rival superpowers took the young Texan to their hearts, with a tickertape parade in Manhattan and frequent, sold-out tours of the Soviet Union by Cliburn during the following years. VAI has secured the original Russian television tapes of some of those concerts; this first of the series is from the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in 1962, with the excellent Kirill Kondrashin leading the Moscow Philharmonic. The formal program was made up of two of the most popular concertos in the repertory. The Beethoven Emperor Concerto features Cliburn’s big, bold tone and exquisite phrasing; his magisterial entrance is riveting and the meaningful trills Beethoven sprinkled throughout the work are done with pristine exactitude. The Tchaikovsky Concerto–Cliburn’s signature piece–is even better; the massive opening chords thrilling, ample poetry in the slow movement and, as in the Beethoven, truly stunning legato playing. Also worthy are the two encores–Chopin’s Fantasy in F minor, given with a mixture of power and poetry, and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 12, brimming with excitement and pianistic mastery.

Deutsche Grammophon is undoubtedly home to many of the greatest pianists on record both past and present with the piano repertoire occupying a central position in its long distinguished history. The Yellow Label presents a collection of outstanding performances from its unrivalled roster of pianists: from the greats Argerich, Barenboim and Zimerman to the younger generation Seong-Jin Cho, Yuja Wang and Jan Lisiecki.

3 Years after his last recording Grigory Sokolov returns with a double album of live recordings from his triumphant 2019/20 tour. Focusing on early (Piano Sonata No. 3) and late Beethoven sonatas (Piano Sonatas Nos. 27 & 32) and Brahms’s autumnal piano pieces opp. 118 & 119, the “musical sorcerer” has fascinated audiences and critics across Europe: “Music making at the piano could hardly be more unaffected yet compelling…The music unfolds directly” ( Süddeutsche Zeitung ). “His pianism is stupendous…but Sokolov’s real magic occurs in the moment, in his fine art of making music live, transcending epochs, levitating, always mindful that our playing must end”. (Tagesspiegel)

"Brilliant possession of the instrument, virtuosi technique, a versatile and expressive touch, an animated and emotional style of performance - these are the artistic traits possessed by Semyon Snitkovsky, that allow the brilliant musician to make deep, sincere connection with the audience." These words, spoken by David Oistrakh, come to mind every time one listens to any recording Snitkovsky made throughout his career. The violinist only lived to be 48 years old (1933-1981), but he left behind a large number of records. These records allow his listeners to enjoy the unique artistry that once thrilled audiences and critics in the former USSR and abroad. The CDs that are being released now, present Snitkovsky as a versatile interpreter of the solo, chamber, and solo with orchestra violin repertoire.

Few record labels from the dawn of the LP era are recalled with more admiration and affection than Westminster Records – its first records from 1950 established Westminster as a pioneering source, exploring new and exciting corners of repertoire.