Schedule

Mezzo-soprano Valerie Eickhoff (Germany, 1996) performs ‘Deh, per questo istante solo’ from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito; ‘Vois sous l’archet frémissant’ from Jacques Offenbach’s opera Les contes d'Hoffmann; and ‘Una voce poco fa’ from Gioachino Rossini’s opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, during the final round of the Aria division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). She is accompanied by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jacques Lacombe. This performance was recorded at Montreal Symphony House.

From the Rammenau Castle, the Gewandhaus-Quartett performs String Quartet No. 14 in G major, K. 387 by Mozart. Composed in Vienna in 1782, this play dubbed Spring is the first of the Haydn Quartets, a suite of six string quartets composed by Mozart during his early years in Vienna in honor of Joseph Haydn, considered by many as the father of string quartets. Founded in 1808, the Gewandhaus-Quartett is the oldest quartet in the world, continuously performing for more than 200 years. It is currently composed of Frank Michael Erben (first violin), Conrad Suske (second violin), Volker Metz (viola), Jürnjakob Timm (cello), and Steffen Adelmann (double bass).

In this recital, Roberto Giordano plays the Six Pieces for Piano, op. 118 of Brahms, a collection completed in 1893 and dedicated to Clara Schumann who will be the penultimate produced by the composer during his lifetime. The concert program also includes two Beethoven sonatas, the famous Moonlight Sonata No. 14, op. 27, and Sonata No. 31, op. 110, one of the last sonatas signed by the composer. This concert was recorded at Villa Visconti Borromeo Litta, in the Italian city of Lainate, in 2017. Directed by: Pietro Tagliaferri.

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Ying Li (China, 1997) performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sonata No. 13 in B-flat major, K. 333, and Béla Bartók’s Sonata, BB 88, Sz.80. This performance was recorded at Nuovo Teatro Ariberto in Milan, in June 2021.

Celebrated German violinist Isabelle Faust performs two of J. S. Bach’s incredible works for solo violin: Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004), and Sonata No. 3 in C major (BWV 1005). Both works are part of the composer’s well-known Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001-1006). Partita No. 2 is made up of four dance movements, concluded by its famous Chaconne, a monumental piece within the violin repertoire. In this Chaconne, Bach develops a series of continuous variations from a theme, exploring a complex range of harmonic possibilities. Sonata No. 3 includes an extensive fugue in which Bach employs many contrapuntal techniques. In this wonderful performance, Faust shows her mastery of Bach’s technically challenging pieces. This performance was recorded at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, in 2020.

Five-strong vocal ensemble amarcord is joined by an extra alto and two soprano voices for this unusual concert at Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church. As amarcordplus, the ensemble presents a program focused on the city of Leipzig, which includes sacred madrigals by Johann Hermann Schein, motets from Heinrich Schütz’s collection Geistliche Chor-Music, as well as two motets by the most famous Thomaskantor: Johann Sebastian Bach. Moreover, various sacred works by lesser-known contemporaries Philipp Heinrich Erlebach and mononymous composer Liebhold are performed, in addition to compositions by other members of the Bach family, including Johann Michael Bach and Johann Christoph Bach. This performance was recorded on May 1, 2020.

Les Dissonances is a collective of artists founded by violinist David Grimal in 2004. The conductorless ensemble consists of musicians from the most prestigious European orchestras, international soloists, and young talents. In this performance, Les Dissonances’ string quartet – consisting of David Grimal (violin), Hans Peter Hofmann (violin), David Gaillard (viola), and Xavier Phillips (cello) – performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K. 465, ‘Dissonance’ (Op. 10 No. 6). The String Quartet is the last in the set of six quartets that were dedicated to Joseph Haydn. Written between 1782 and 1785, these are also known as the Haydn Quartets (Op. 10). String Quartet No. 19 is remarkable for its slow, dissonant introduction, giving the piece its nickname. This ominous passage suddenly gives way to the bright Allegro in C major. This performance was recorded at Opéra Comique in Paris, France, in 2015.

Quarteto Radamés Gnattali performs Heitor Villa-Lobos's String Quartet No. 9 at the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janiero, Brasil. The ensemble was founded in 2006 and consists of Carla Rincón and Francisco Roa (violins), Fernando Thebaldi (viola), and Hugo Pilger (cello). The quartet, which specializes in Brazilian music, focuses on educational activities. Their recording of all of Villa-Lobos string quartets is a major achievement and was very well received by international music critics. Except for his Bachianas brasileiras, the performance of many of the Brazilian's compositions is limited to Latin America. Highly regarded as a composer, conductor and educator in his native country, Villa-Lobos has operas, symphonies, concertos, piano repertoire, choral music, and seventeen string quartets to his credit.

Ayumu Yamanaka (1988, Japan) performs La lugubre gondola (S134bis), Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, (S382bis) and Die drei Zigeuner (S383) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, in 2017. The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and has since built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

On 18 December 2017, the Valerius Ensemble played a Christmas concert in Concordia, Enschede. The ensemble consists of Robert Windak (violin), Annemarie van Vliegen (violin), Eva Šušliková (viola) and Réne Geesing (cello). The program consists of “Das neugeborne Kindelein” from Bachs Cantata BWV 122, the Largo from Vivaldi’s Winter, the Allegro from Mozart’s Divertimento in D (KV. 136), Méditation from Massenet’s opera “Thaïs,” The Entertainer by Scott Joplin, the Vilja song from Léhars “Die Lustige Witwe” and the animated Romanian folk-tune Geampara. The Ensemble closes with Piazzolla’s Ave Maria (Tanti anni prima).

We live in the renaissance of the piano. Musicians with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire have made the piano popular again. In addition to the usual classics they perform formerly scorned works or they discover neglected composers. Legato is a series dedicated to four fascinating pianists - their individual approaches, their fresh ideas and their music. Today in the focus: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the French specialist for classical and avantgarde music. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Art of the Fugue BWV 1080, Nos. 4, 10, 12, 14; Elliott Carter: Matribute, Two Diversions; George Benjamin: Shadowlines I - VI; Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in A flat Major, Op. 110.

Baritone Arvid Fagerfjäll (Sweden, 1991) performs ‘Chanson à boire’ from Édouard Lalo’s Chansons pour voix et piano, Op. 17; ‘Was in der Schenke waren Heute’ from Hugo Wolf’s Goethe-Lieder; ‘Geselle, woll’n wir uns in Kutten hüllen’ from Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch, Vol. I; ‘And I have sat’ and ‘Yea, for this love of mine’ from Aribert Reimann’s song cycle Shine and Dark; ‘Martus’ (Stormclouds) from Gustav Holst’s Hymns from the Rig Veda, Op. 24; ‘Und hat der Tag all seine Qual’ from Alexander von Zemlinsky’s 4 Gesänge, Op. 8; ‘Le cygne’ from Maurice Ravel’s Histoires naturelles; ‘La fleur qui va sur l’eau’ from Gabriel Fauré’s 3 Mélodies, Op. 85; and ‘Mit Myrten und Rosen’ Robert Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op. 24, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Renowned French string quartet Quatuor Ébène marked the 250th birth anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) with a remarkable project: recording all of the great composer’s sixteen string quartets. For five years, violinists Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure, violist Marie Chilemme, and cellist Raphaël Merlin immersed themselves in Beethoven’s 650 pages of sheet music. Their efforts culminated in the performance of the composer’s complete repertoire for string quartet, which covers three decades of Beethoven's musical creativity, during six impressive concerts at Philharmonie de Paris in the autumn of 2020. Quatuor Ébène explored every facet of Beethoven's string quartet repertoire: from the youthful Opus 18 string quartets to the Razumovsky, Harp, and Serioso quartets (Opus 59, 74, and 95) from his middle period, and finally, the depth of his late quartets (Opus 127 to 135). This program features Quatuor Ébène performing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18 No. 3; String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 95, “Quartetto Serioso”; and String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2, "Razumovsky". This concert performance was recorded at Philharmonie de Paris on November 23, 2020.

Patrick Debrabandere conducts the Vox Mago chamber choir in a performance of J. D. Heinichen's Magnificat in A. This performance is part of the concert program In Tempus Adventus, consisting of three beautiful baroque cantatas. Recorded in December 2018 in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Presentatiekerk, Ghent, Belgium. The Magnificat has a typical baroque sound, with a string section, basso continuo, and two oboe parts.

J. S. Bach’s six Brandenburg Concerto’s belong to his best-known works. The composer wrote these concertos between 1711 and 1720 and dedicated them in 1721 to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg. In celebration of the pieces’ 300th anniversary, Czech harpsichordist and conductor Václav Luks and the renowned Baroque ensemble Collegium 1704 recorded all six Brandenburg Concertos on historical instruments in 2021. The concertos are based on the Italian concerto grosso form, in which a group of solo instruments is set against a large ensemble. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos feature remarkable combinations of solo instruments and virtuoso solos. In this performance at the Hall of Mirrors in the Köthen Castle, Germany, Luks and his Collegium 1704 present Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050. Remarkably, the harpsichord appears as a solo instrument here, along with the flute and violin, rather than as an accompanying instrument. The piece is therefore considered one of Bach’s very first keyboard concertos.

Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Chayka-Rubinstein (Germany, 1998) and pianist Maria Yulin (Israel, 1988) perform ‘Colloque sentimental’ from Claude Debussy’s Fêtes galantes II; ‘Die Geister am Mummelsee’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder; ‘Bei dir allein’ from Franz Schubert’s Vier Refrainlieder, D. 866; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; ‘La fleur qui va sur l'eau’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Trois melodies, Op. 85; ‘Dance of the moon in Santiago’ from George Crumb’s Sun and Shadow (Spanish Songbook II); and ‘Den’ li tsarit?’ (Does the day reign?) from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Seven Romances, Op. 47, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

In this six-part documentary on the life and work by Heitor Villa-Lobos, director Liloye Boubli takes viewers on a journey through the life and work of the Brazilian legend of classical music. The composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist was born 1887 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Growing up amongst the immense social changes Brazil went through at the time - social revolution and modernization, abolishing slavery in 1888 - Villa-Lobos went on to become one of the best-known South American composers of all time. In this sixth and final episode of the mini-series, Brazilian musicians and experts discuss Villa-Lobos' everlasting legacy and how his compositions continue to inspire Brazilian composers and artists to this day.

The Valerius Ensemble, consisting of Eeva Koskinen (violin), René Geesing (cello) and Ingo Lulofs (piano) plays Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque Nr. 1 and the Finale of Dvořák’s Piano Trio No.3, Op. 65. Rachmaninoff composed this Trio in 1892 at the age of 19. The work does not have an opus number and consists only of one movement, which is highly unusual for a Piano Trio. This concert was recorded at Muziekcentrum Enschede in the Netherlands on March 18, 2018.

Rodolfo Barráez conducts the Orchestra and Choir of the Academia de Musica del Palacia de Mineria in a performance of Carl Orff's cantata Carmina Burana. Soloists are Anabel de la Mora (soprano), Andrés Carrillo (tenor) and Daniel Cerón (baritone). Carmina Burana, composed in 1935 and 1936, is based on 24 poems from a medieval manuscript of the same name. The full title is "Songs from Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments and magical images". It was first performed at the Oper Frankfurt on June 8, 1937.

Celebrated German violinist Isabelle Faust performs J. S. Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004). The work is part of the composer’s well-known Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001-1006). Partita No. 2 is made up of four dance movements, concluded by its famous Chaconne, a monumental piece within the violin repertoire. In this Chaconne, Bach develops a series of continuous variations from a theme, exploring a complex range of harmonic possibilities. This performance was recorded at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, in 2020.

Mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny (Canada/Oman, 1998) performs Georgy Sviridov’s Russkajaj pesnya; ‘Ja li v pole da ne travushka’ from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Seven Romances, Op. 47; John Greer’s On Children; ‘Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder!’ and ‘Liebst du um Schönheit’ from Gustav Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder, Op. 44; and ‘Le spectre de la rose’ from Hector Berlioz’s song cycle Les nuits d’été, Op. 7, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The Berliner Philharmoniker is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany and is ranked as one of the best orchestras in the world. In 1991, orchestra members played beautiful chamber music, such as Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major, Op. 20. Beethoven finished his septet in 1800 and dedicated his work to Empress Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Recorded at the Philosophers’ Hall in the library of Strahov Monastery in Prague, this episode features soloists Bernd Gellerman (violin), Rainer Moog (viola), Jörg Baumann (Violincello), Klaus Stoll (double-bass), Karl Leister (clarinet), Radovan Vlatkovic (french horn), and Milan Turkovic (bassoon).

Soprano Ana Carolina Coutinho (Brazil, 1993) and pianist Megumi Kuroda (Japan, 1989) perform Franz Schubert’s Die Blumensprache, D. 519; ‘Sonnenuntergang’ from Viktor Ullmann’s Drei Hölderlin-Lieder; ‘Verschwiegene Liebe’ from Hugo Wolf’s Eichendorff-Lieder; ‘Il vole’ and ‘Fleurs’ from Francis Poulenc’s Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101; ‘Wasserrose’ from Richard Strauss’s Mädchenblumen, Op. 22; Kōsaku Yamada’s 風に乗せてうたへる春の歌八章; たたえよ、しらべよ、歌いつれよ;and Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

In 2006, Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich set out on tour performing solos and duets by Bartók und Schumann. The last of the concert series at the Berliner Philharmonie has been recorded for this film, featuring a rare solo performance by Martha Argerich. A concert film with personal and moving commentary by Gidon Kremer. Program: Schumann's Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 10, Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 121; Kinderszenen, Op. 15; Bartók: Violin Sonata No. 1 Sz 75; Violin sonata No. 2 Sz 76.

Can we get into Beethoven’s creative mind, especially in the last phase of his life, when he was coping with severe hearing loss? Tom Beghin’s new recording of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas Opus 109, 110, and 111 is an artistic exploration of how Beethoven’s musicking was shaped by the work environment he created with the help of colleagues and friends. Not only does pianist Tom Beghin perform Beethoven’s trilogy of pianistic masterpieces on a magnificent new replica of Beethoven’s Broadwood piano, he uses a reconstruction of the Gehörmaschine that was mounted on the composer’s piano so he could continue to create music as his hearing declined. ‘You do hear better when you bring your head under this machine, don’t you?’ André Stein asked Beethoven. Two centuries later, we too can bring our heads under the machine and wonder: Do we hear Beethoven differently? Beghin draws us inside the hearing machine, where we feel as well as hear the essence of Beethoven’s rambunctious and irresistibly poetic musical vibrations. Inside the Hearing Machine invites us into the multisensory playground of a deaf composer for whom the machine was more than a hearing aid and who interacted with his instrument through much more than sound.

On April 9, 2020, when that year's pandemic forced concert life to a standstill, flautist Ana de la Vega and oboist Ramón Ortega Quero were well into their scheduled concert tour. They played their concert at Palais Lichtenau in the German city of Potsdam as planned, albeit without an audience. This intimate recording is the result. On the program are Joseph Haydn's “Londoner” Trio No.1 C Hb. IV/1, Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen, Op.22, Antonín Dvořák's Silent Woods for cello and piano, J. S Bach's Trio Sonata in C minor from “Musikalischen Opfer” BWV 1079 and Robert Schumann's Drei Romanzen, Op. 94. The concert concludes with Ignaz Moscheles's Concertante in F.

Violinist Daniel Rowland, violist Rachel Roberts, cellist Julian Arp, and pianist Diana Ketler perform Richard Strauss’s Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 13, as part of the Stiftfestival 2016 in the Dutch village of Weerselo. In his early years, Strauss tried to compose different types of chamber music works, including a piano quartet. The young composer started writing the Piano Quartet in C minor in the spring of 1884 and completed it one year later. The work is in four movements and shows considerable influence from Johannes Brahms. It premiered on December 8, 1885 in Weimar and was performed by members of the Halír Quartet with Strauss himself playing the piano part. The following year the work won the first prize given by the Berliner Tonkünstlerverein for a piano quartet. This performance was recorded at the Stiftkerk in Weerselo, the Netherlands.

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Su Yeon Kim (South Korea, 1994) performs various works by Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1; Mazurka, Op. 2, No. 2 and 4; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1. The recital comes to a close with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Gigue in G major, KV 574. This performance was recorded at Teatro EDI Barrio’s in Milan, in January 2020.

We live in the “renaissance of the piano”, as the New York Times put it in summer. A new generation has made the piano popular again: pianists with a passion for virtuosity and a willingness to expand their repertoire. In addition to the usual classics they perform formerly scorned works or they discover neglected composers. LEGATO is a series dedicated to presenting some of this new movement's most fascinating pianists - their individual approaches, their fresh ideas and their music. During this episode, the spotlights are on the Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky. He performs works by Medtner (Fairy Tales), Llywelyn (Mutata Consilia), Beethoven (Diabelli Variations), Godowsky (Alt Wien) en Liadov (Three Preludes).

Soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth (USA, 1995) performs ‘Shadowinnower’ from Joseph Schwantner’s Two Poems of Agueda Pizarro; ‘Erwartung’ and ‘Erhebung’ from Arnold Schoenberg’s 4 Lieder, Op. 2; ‘Lied der Delphine’ from Franz Schubert’s Zwei Szenen aus dem Schauspiel ‘Lacrimas’, D. 857; Francis Poulenc’s Trois poèmes de Louise Lalanne, FP. 57; and ‘Rose’, ‘Gris’, and ‘Mauve’ from Lionel Daunais’s song cycle Fantaisie dans tous les tons, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Acclaimed classical music talent scout Antonio Mormone (1930-2017) lives on as the name-giver of the Premio Internazionale Antonio Mormone (PIAM), awarded to the winner of the Italian music competition of the same name. The first edition of this competition, which was held in various venues in Milan from 2019 to 2021, was dedicated to the piano. As part of this competition, Micah McLaurin (USA, 1994) performs Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2, and Barcarolle, Op. 60; and a selection of Alexander Scriabin’s Etudes: Op. 42 No. 5, and Op. 8 Nos. 11 and 12. This performance was recorded at Teatro EDI Barrio’s in Milan, in January 2020.

In this concert, Herbert Blomstedt conducts the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Kammerchor for the last time as the Gewandhaus Music Director at the Leipzig Bachfest 2005. After seven successful years in Leipzig, the maestro performs J. S. Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232), one of the greatest works of church music ever written. Soloists are Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Anna Larsson (alto), Christoph Genz (tenor), and Dietrich Henschel (bass). The mass is a musical setting of the complete Ordinary of the Latin Mass and is one of last compositions Bach completed, just one year before his death, in 1750. Blomstedt's reading of the work is conceived and executed on the highest level with the performance pulsating with life. Since 1999, the Leipzig Bachfest has been regarded as the world’s leading festival celebrating the music of Bach.

Les Dissonances is a collective of artists founded by violinist David Grimal in 2004. The conductorless ensemble consists of musicians from the most prestigious European orchestras, international soloists, and young talents. In this performance, Les Dissonances perform Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18. The work is scored for two violins, two violas, and two cellos. Brahms wrote his only two string sextets at the very beginning of his career. String Sextet No. 1 was written in 1860. Brahms was one of the first to compose for this ensemble, blazing a trail for Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and others. This performance was recorded at Opéra de Dijon, France, in 2013.

Jan Hugo performs Bellini/Liszt's Réminiscences des Puritains (S390) and 'Les jeux d'eau à la Villa d'Este' and 'Sursum corda' from Liszt's Années de Pèlerinage: Troisième Année (S163) during the semi finals of the International Liszt Competition 2017 at TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht.

Les Dissonances is a collective of artists founded by violinist David Grimal in 2004. The conductorless ensemble consists of musicians from the most prestigious European orchestras, international soloists, and young talents. In this performance, Les Dissonances perform Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 18. The work is scored for two violins, two violas, and two cellos. Brahms wrote his only two string sextets at the very beginning of his career. String Sextet No. 1 was written in 1860. Brahms was one of the first to compose for this ensemble, blazing a trail for Antonín Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Arnold Schoenberg, and others. This performance was recorded at Opéra de Dijon, France, in 2013.

Soprano Harriet Burns (United Kingdom, 1989) performs Robert Schumann’s Singet nicht in Trauertönen, Op. 98; Franz Schubert’s Atys, D. 585; ‘L’absent’ from Gabriel Fauré’s Trois chansons, Op. 5; ‘Seranilla de la Zarzuela’ from Judith Weir’s A Spanish Liederbooklet; ‘Tournoiement’ (Songe d’opium) from Camille Saint-Saëns’s song cycle Mélodies persanes, Op. 26; James K. Wright’s Quilled Sonnet; Charles Gounod’s Au rossignol, CG. 332; and ‘Och Moder, ich well en Ding han’ from Johannes Brahms’s 49 Deutches Volkslieder, WoO. 33, during the semi-finals of the Art Song division of the Concours musical international de Montréal 2022 (CMIM). This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

“Shusha, the Renaissance” is a musical journey featuring pianist Murad Huseynov. The city of Shusha is often considered the cradle of Azerbaijan's music and poetry and one of the leading centres of the Azerbaijani culture, having been declared the cultural capital of Azerbaijan in January 2021. On the program are the following works: Fikret Amirov’s (1922-1984) Twelve Miniatures for Piano Solo: I. Ballade - II. Ashigsayagi – III. Nocturne – IV. Humoresque – V. Lyrical Dance – VI. Hunting - VII. Lullaby – VIII. Waltz – IX. Barcarolle – X. Toccata – XI. Elegy – XII. March; Adil Babirov’s (1934-2021) ‘s Prelude & Scherzo; Gara Garayev’s (1918-1982) Sonatine: I. Allegro – II. Moderato assai – III. Vivo ; Tofik Kouliyev’s (1917-2000) ‘Gaytagi’ and F. Amirov’s Romantic Sonata: I. Allegro energico - II. Andante espressivo - III. Allegro non troppo). This performance is filmed in Shusha in October 2023 and in the Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, in December 2023. Written and directed by Michel Swierczewski.

Patrick Debrabandere conducts the Vox Mago chamber choir in a performance of Christoph Graupner's (1683-1760) cantata Magnificat anima mea. This performance is part of the concert program In Tempus Adventus, consisting of three beautiful baroque cantatas, recorded in December 2018 in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Presentatiekerk, Ghent in Belgium. This festive cantata was composed for Christmas in 1722. Graupner was a very prolific composer, with one of the largest oeuvres in the classical music history. He befriended composers like Händel and Matheson and even was chosen over Johann Sebastian Bach as the new cantor of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, but his employer Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen decided otherwise and still wished to keep Graupner as court composer.

The Messiah (HWV 56) by Georg Frederich Handel, also known as “A New Sacred Oratorio”, tells the life and suffering of Christ: a story of passion, fire, and sacrifice. This is one of Handel's best-known works, which took only three weeks to compose this oratorio and its famous "Hallelujah". The work has immense popularity since its premiere in Dublin in 1742, and is often presented at Easter. This performance of the Dutch ensemble Ribattuta Musica under the direction of conductor Dick Duijst was filmed in the grand church of the city of Ermelo, the Netherlands, in 2016. The soloists are Elvire Beekhuizen (soprano), Rosina Fabius (viola), Oscar Verhaar (counter-tenor) Satriya Krisna (tenor), and Hans Voschezang (bass). Ribattuta Musica is a professional ensemble that delivers authentic performances based on current musical practices at the time of the composers.

We live in a "renaissance of the piano”, as the New York Times has recently put it. With virtuosic flair and an eagerness to expand the repertoire, a new generation of pianists has revitalized the instrument’s appeal. In addition to the usual classics, they perform formerly scorned works or discover neglected composers. Legato is a series dedicated to presenting some of this new movement's most fascinating pianists – their individual approaches, their fresh ideas and their music. Each episode portrays an artist and shows an aspect of the world of the piano. The sum of these portraits provides viewers with an overall picture of the art of the pianist. Montréal native Marc-André Hamelin is internationally renowned for his musical virtuosity and refined pianism. The Times described one of his performances as “ultimate perfection”. He plays works by Haydn (Piano sonata in E major), Chopin (Piano sonata No. 3), Debussy (‘Préludes’, book two), Hamelin (Etude No. 7), as well as two short pieces by Gershwin (‘Do, Do, Do’ and ‘Liza’).

Celebrated German violinist Isabelle Faust performs two of J. S. Bach’s incredible works for solo violin: Partita No. 2 in D minor (BWV 1004), and Sonata No. 3 in C major (BWV 1005). Both works are part of the composer’s well-known Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (BWV 1001-1006). Partita No. 2 is made up of four dance movements, concluded by its famous Chaconne, a monumental piece within the violin repertoire. In this Chaconne, Bach develops a series of continuous variations from a theme, exploring a complex range of harmonic possibilities. Sonata No. 3 includes an extensive fugue in which Bach employs many contrapuntal techniques. In this wonderful performance, Faust shows her mastery of Bach’s technically challenging pieces. This performance was recorded at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, in 2020.

Alexander Ullman (1991, United Kingdom) performs Die drei Zigeuner (S383), Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth (S382bis) and La lugubre gondola, (S134bis) during semi-final II (chamber music) of the 11th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, held in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, in 2017. The competition actively presents, develops, and promotes piano talents from around the world. In doing so, it has become one of the prominent gateways to the international professional classical music scene for young musicians. The International Franz Liszt Piano Competition was founded in 1986 in the Netherlands and has since built a reputation as one of the world’s most prestigious piano competitions.

The Quarteto Radamés Gnattali performs Heitor Villa-Lobos' String Quartet No. 13. The quartet, existing of Carla Rincón (violin), Francisco Roa (violin), Fernando Thebaldi (viola) and Hugo Pilger (cello), was founded in 2006 and is specialised in Brazilian music and educational activities. Their recording of the complete set of Villa-Lobos string quartets is a major achievement and was very well received by the international music press. Except for the Bachianas Brasileiros Heitor Villa-Lobos is little known outside Latin America. Not only a composer but also a highly regarded conductor and educationist in his native Brazil, Villa-Lobos has operas, symphonies, concertos, piano and choral music as well as 17 String Quartets to his credit. Recorded at the Theatro Municipal, Rio de Janiero, Brasil.

Harpsichordist and organist Sébastien Daucé conducts Ensemble Correspondances and soloist Sophie Karthäuser (soprano) in a performance of Michel-Richard de Lalande's (1657-1726) sacred music piece Les Leçons des Ténèbres ('lessons of darkness'). To round off the period of Lent leading up to Easter, the congregation sings these Lamentations of Jeremiah in church. With each psalm, one of the candles is extinguished until complete darkness and silence ensues. Whatever one's faith, this tradition is a unique spiritual experience. French baroque composer Michel-Richard de Lalande, an important composer of 'grands' motets of unprecedented length, was one of many who wrote music for this religious practice. This performance was recorded at Chapelle Corneille in Rouen, France in 2016.

Baritone Geng Lee (China, 1994) and pianist Nils Basters (Germany, 1989) perform Henri Duparc’s Chanson triste; ‘Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen’ and ‘Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen’ from Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, Op. 48; ‘Litany’ from John Musto’s Shadow of the Blues; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; ‘Hôtel’ from Francis Poulenc’s Banalités, FP 107; and ‘Ging heut’ Morgen über’s Feld’ from Gustav Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

A first: an Early Baroque passion which will be heard again for the first time in the modern age. Giovanni Maria Trabaci was a style pioneer who broke with the Neapolitan unison tradition and was the first composer to write a complete passion cycle. With Jean-Marc Aymes’s unerring nose for quality, this concert belongs at the top of your list of favourites.

Soprano Isabel Weller (Germany, 1994) and pianist Yuriko Watanabe (Japan, 1994) perform Claude Debussy’s Nuit d’étoiles, L. 2, and Mandoline, L. 43; Joseph Haydn’s Piercing eyes, Hob. XXVIa, No. 35; ‘Die Mainacht’ from Johannes Brahms’s Vier Gesänge, Op. 43; ‘Pietà’ from Paul Hindemith’s Das Marienleben, Op. 27; Bart Visman’s Vermeer’s Gold; and ‘Lied vom Winde’ from Hugo Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder, during the semi-finals of the International Vocal Competition 2021 – Lied Duo. This performance was recorded at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.

The Italian-Swiss ensemble Trio des Alpes, consisting of Hana Kotková (violin), Claude Hauri (cello), and Corrado Greco (piano), and the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova join forces in this performance of the Concertino for Piano Trio and String Orchestra, H. 232 by Czech composer Bohuslav Martin (1890-1959). Martin was a prolific composer, creating an oeuvre of almost 400 works. The four-movement Concertino was completed in 1933 and saw its first performance in 1936, by the Basler Kammerorchester under the baton of Paul Sacher. During the years 1931-1943, Martin wrote multiple concertante compositions. Many of these works were more or less influenced by the Baroque ‘concerto grosso’ form, in which a group of solo instruments is set against a large ensemble, a principle that appealed to the composer. This performance was recorded at Teatro Bibiena in Mantua, Italy, on January 21, 2016.

Luca Vignali (oboe), Angelo De Angelis (clarinet), Carmine Pinto (horn), Eliseo Smordoni (bassoon), and Linda Di Carlo (piano) perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Quintet for piano and winds in E-flat major, Op. 16. The piece, completed in 1796, is assumed to have been modelled on Mozart’s Quintet for piano and winds, K. 452. Both quintets are scored for the same unusual instrument combination, are in the same key, and feature the same three-movement structure. A marked difference is that Beethoven, as a piano virtuoso, wrote the piano parts to highlight the strengths of his playing. Besides, the composer regularly places this instrument in the center of attention. Beethoven published the work in 1801 in two versions: as a quintet for piano and winds, and as a quartet for piano and strings (also designated Op. 16). This performance was recorded at Perugia’s Auditorium Santa Cecilia, Italy, on June 23, 2022.