Viertel

The little-known story of screenwriter Salka Viertel, whose salons in 1930s and 40s Hollywood created a refuge for a multitude of famous figures who had escaped the horrors of World War ll.

Die freie Journalistin Nele führt ein unkonventionelles Leben in einem großstädtischen Szeneviertel. Die dortige Auseinandersetzung um eine Luxussanierung eskaliert und ein Immobilienhändler wird erschossen, bevor Nele einen Termin mit ihm wahrnehmen kann. Der Leiter der Soko Sanierung vermutet den Täter unter den Sanierungsgegnern. Neles Sohn Cairo und seine Freunde engagieren sich im militanten Protestmilieu…

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) is without a doubt, one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th Century. Among his achievements, completing a sonata for each of the orchestral instruments shows how versatile this composer was. As an acclaimed violist himself, he dedicated to the viola an extended part of his complex and unique composing literature. These four monumental sonatas for viola solo represent the backbone of the viola repertoire, which also demonstrates a synergy of compositional language rooted in the Baroque, representing the technical, structural and philosophical evolution of this German composer. Thirty-year-old Spanish violist Jesus Rodolfo Rodriguez is widely recognized for his performances, which combine the spontaneity and fearless imagination of youth with the discipline and precision of a mature artist.

Ning Feng is one of those who can, not only for his sterling playing but also because of the rabid intelligence behind the selection of pieces here. None of these works is anything less than enthralling, and a few approach the
incandescent. Milstein’s arrangement of the Paganiniana has never been bettered… this is an unqualified recommendation of a wonderful album that demonstrates the highest artistic and programming skills possible.”

The evolution of classical music in the last quarter of the 20th century has often been described as that from an era marked by structure moving to one that seeks its inspiration in sound. It is not only the quest for novel and striking timbres – similar to the quest for new harmonic or rhythmic systems – but also the notion of sound as a model of structure.

This new showpiece in the Collection Diotima, in which the eponymous quartet devotes itself to monographies of contemporary composers, offers here a triple line-up of some of the foremost composers of their generation: this album is a living image of serious music today, which in this 21st Century has focused on exploring the multifaceted realm of sound. Stefano Gervasoni (b. Italy, 1962), Gérard Pesson (b. France, 1958) and Enno Poppe (b. Germany, 1969) has each, in his own way, renewed the tradition and technique of writing for the string quartet.