Alexandre Tharaud (piano)
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Composers

Abrahamsen, Hans (b.1952)
Pesson, Gérard (b.1958)
Strasnoy, Oscar (b.1970)

Works

Abrahamsen: Left, Alone
Pesson: Future is a faded song
Strasnoy: Kuleshov

Listen to the piano turn into a bumblebee, a donkey, trolls, a bird, a horse and a butterfly! Sometimes it isn't anything except a piano, but the music coming out of it is exciting and beautiful. Can you spot Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? Mozart makes it twinkle in all kinds of different ways. There are so many things to enjoy here, and all from the most amazing musical instrument: the piano.

Artists

Balázs Szokolay (piano), Jenö Jandó (piano), Zsuzsa Kollar (piano), Idil Biret (piano), Alexander Peskanov (piano), Pierre-Alain Volondat (piano), Patrick de Hooge (piano), Chu-Fang Huang (piano), Rico Gulda (piano), Wolfgang Rubsam (piano), Hae Won Chang (piano), Peter Nagy (piano), Christian Kohn (piano), Silke-Thora Matthies (piano), Francois-Joel Thiollier (piano)

Composers

Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750)
Bartók, Béla (1881-1945)
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827)
Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-49)
Debussy, Claude Achille (1862-1918)
Dvořák, Antonín (1841-1904)
Fauré, Gabriel Urbain (1845-1924)
Grieg, Edvard Hagerup (1843-1907)
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)
Ibert, Jacques (1890-1962)
Joplin, Scott (1868-1917)
Liszt, Ferencz (1811-86)
Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-47)
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)
Scarlatti, Domenico (1685-1757)
Schubert, Franz Peter (1797-1828)
Schumann, Robert (1810-56)

Works

Bach, J S: French Suite No. 5 in G major, BWV816
Bartók: For Children Volume 2: Based on Slovakian Folk Tunes
Beethoven: Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59)
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight'
Chopin: Waltz No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute Waltz'
Debussy: Children's Corner
Debussy: Suite Bergamasque
Debussy: Clair de Lune (from Suite Bergamasque)
Dvořák: Slavonic Dances Nos. 9-16, Op. 72 Nos. 1-8
Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Grieg: Lyric Pieces III (6), Op. 43
Grieg: Lyric Pieces V (6), Op. 54
Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 50 in D major, Hob.XVI:37
Ibert: Histoires...
Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
Liszt: Transcendental Studies, S139 Nos. 1-12
Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Book 6 (6), Op. 67
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 1 in E flat major
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 2 in F sharp minor
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 3 in B flat major
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 4 in C major 'Spinning Song' or 'Bee's Wedding'
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 5 in B minor
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 6 in E major 'Lullaby'
Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K331 'Alla Turca'
Mozart: Variations (12) on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' in C major, K265
Rachmaninov: Polka italienne
Scarlatti, D: Keyboard Sonata K125 in G major
Schubert: Marches Militaires (3), D733
Schumann: Album for the Young, Op. 68, Vol. 2

This album was recorded in partnership with Belgian classical radio station Klara. Gwen Cresens teams up with The Brussels Philharmonic and Diego Matheuz for a coupling of Piazzolla's Aconcagua (concierto para bandoneon) and Richard Galliano's Opale concerto (concerto pour accordéon soliste). Also on the album are compositions by Enrique Granados, Isaac Albeniz and Gwen Cresens and an arrangement of Piazzolla's famous Oblivion by Gwen Cresens.

Composers

Albéniz, Isaac (1860-1909)
Cresens, Gwen (b. 1975)
Galliano, Richard (b.1950)
Granados, Enrique (1867-1916)
Piazzólla, Astor (1921-92)

Works

Albéniz: Córdoba (No. 4 from Cantos de España, Op. 232)
Cresens: Nobody Likes an Angry Bunny
Cresens: Suite Espagnole: La noche anterior
Galliano: Opale Concerto
Granados: Danza española, Op. 37 No. 5 'Andaluza'
Piazzólla: Concerto for Bandoneon & Orchestra 'Aconcagua'
Piazzólla: Oblivion
Piazzólla: Pedro y Pedro

The two-time ECHO Klassik winner Nuria Rial is not only one of the most important sopranos of early music, but has thrilled with her velvet and expressive voice also with compositions of the 20th and 21st century. For this recording she has teamed up with the 8 cellists of the Sinfonieorchester Basel.

At the center: Astor Piazzolla's famous cycle “Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas” (The Four Seasons of the Port, meaning that of Buenos Aires), but also one of Heitor Villa-Lobos' Bach homages “Bachianas Brasileiras”, where the recorded elegiac No. 5 belongs to the most popular compositions of the Brazilian. From the Catalan home of Nuria Rial there is the legendary folk song “El Cant dels ocells” (The song of the birds). Legendary, as cellist Pablo Casals always ended his concerts with this song in exile (after the Spanish Civil War in 1936).

Another highlight is the world premiere recording of “Vocal Ice”, an impressive work by Spanish composer Bernat Vivancos.

8 Cellists of the Sinfonieorchester Basel, Nuria Rial (soprano)

Composers

Piazzólla, Astor (1921-92)
Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959)
Vivancos, Bernat (b.1973)

Works

trad.: El cant des ocells
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria (Cantilena)

Much decorated by his native country, António Pinho Vargas, originally best known for his jazz performances, is now one of Portugal's leading classical composers. His instrumental and film music has won numerous awards, and his chamber works have been performed by some of the world's leading ensembles. In turning to the sacred, Pinho Vargas has crafted music of moving declamatory power. He has organized Judas into five specific scenes with an epilogue, whilst the Requiem is a very personal and powerful reply, in the composer's words, 'to a history of numerous works of the past'.

World Première Recordings

Coro Gulbenkian, Orquestra Gulbenkian, Joana Carneiro, Fernando Eldoro

Composers

Vargas, António Pinho (b.1951)

Works

Vargas: Judas
Vargas: Requiem

Grammy-nominated artist Max Emanuel Cencic presents Nicola Porpora: Opera Arias, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Porpora's death.

Featuring 7 world premiere recordings, this album will be released on 02 March 2018, the day before the official anniversary on 03 March 2018.

This release is in addition to Cencic's new recording of Porpora's Germanico in Germanica (with Julia Lezhneva), released on 12 January 2018.

Awards
Presto Recording of the Week 2nd March 2018
Presto Recordings of the Year Finalist 2018
International Opera Awards 2019 Nominated - Recital Album
Diapason d'Or April 2018 Nouveauté

Brought up in the Roman Catholic faith, which he abandoned in 1917 following the death of his father, Poulenc returned to the Church in 1936 after the death of his close friend and fellow composer Pierre-Octave Ferroud. Together these events caused a spiritual crisis in Poulenc's life which led to a series of important compositions for chorus. The powerful Mass in G major, dedicated to the memory of his father, is notable for its daring use of tonality, though the playfulness of Poulenc's 'Les Six' period is not absent. In the Sept Chansons, set to surrealist texts, and in the two sets of Motets - both very personal and penitential - Poulenc generates a huge range of emotion.

Elora Festival Singers, Noel Edison

Composers

Poulenc, Francis (1899-1963)

Works

Poulenc: Mass in G major
Poulenc: Motets
Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël
Poulenc: Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence
Poulenc: Sept Chansons

“They come from the mean streets of south London but sing like little angels” (The Evening Standard)
Familiar to audiences across the world, the boys have a stunningly original sound, which is at once both ancient and modern. Their distinctive flowing white robes symbolise the traditional origins of their style - yet their music reaches across the generations to a new mainstream audience. LIBERA's success in album charts around the world bears witness to the extraordinary appeal of this unique 'boy band'. Enchanting audiences wherever they go, they have attracted an enthusiastic fan base in many countries, particularly the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Korea and this year also in the Philippines.

Peace follows the success of Libera's best-selling albums Angel Voices, Free, Visions and New Dawn. Each CD has been characterised by the ensemble's distinctive celestial, shimmering sound with mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies. The programme comprises songs drawn from plainsong and traditional hymns, based on themes by Mozart, Saint-Saëns, César Franck and Chopin and by Robert Prizeman and John Rutter.

Libera's founder, the composer/arranger/conductor Robert Prizeman, said, 'It is a great privilege to work regularly with the young singers of Libera, an honour to play a part in their musical development, to be fired up and challenged by their talent, bubbling enthusiasm and freshness. Each new Libera album offers me unique opportunities to write and arrange music to suit the particular sounds and talents of the current group of boys. The writing and arranging responds to the singers and vice versa - there is a mutual inspiration.'

The name Libera comes from the band's signature song based on the Libera Me portion of the Requiem Mass. The boys who make up Libera are between the ages of seven and fourteen, come from a variety of backgrounds and attend local schools. 'Normal” boys who still love to play football, skateboard, listen to R'n'B and punk music, through their involvement in Libera they have travelled the world, recorded movie soundtracks and CDs and served as backing singers to Elton John, Björk and Pavarotti. But, as one of the boys said, “The travelling and filming is fun but even if we didn't go anywhere I'd still want to do it because I just love singing.” That joy of singing comes across clearly in their performances and on their recordings.

Libera's original sound is both ancient and modern. Their flowing white robes symbolise the traditional origins of their style but their music reaches out across generations to a mainstream audience.

Composers
Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-49)
Franck, César Auguste (1822-90)
Gregorian Chant
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Prizeman, Robert (b.1952)
Rutter, John (b.1945)
Saint-Saëns, Charles Camille (1835-1921)
Works
Franck, C: Panis Angelicus
Prizeman: How Shall I Sing That Majesty
Prizeman: Lead Kindly Light
Prizeman: Sanctissima
Prizeman: Time
Rutter: A Gaelic blessi

Carolyn Watkinson (mezzo-soprano)
Latvija Choir, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur

Composers

Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeievitch (1891-1953)

Works

Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20

After the outstanding critical acclaim of her previous album of Tchaikovsky & Sibelius Violin Concertos with Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim, Lisa Batiashvili presents a masterful version of Prokofiev's two violin concertos, in another first-class musical partnership, with Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. With her unique talent to turn standard repertoire into something new, fresh, elegant and special, this album will allow the listener to rediscover Prokofiev through Lisa's eyes. Set for release on 2 February 2018, the album features the core classic Prokofiev (violin concertos), as well as selected movements of his famous ballets with their very recognizable tunes (Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, The Love for Three Oranges), newly arranged for Solo Violin and Orchestra by Tamás Batiashvili, Lisa's father.

Awards
Gramophone Awards 2018 Shortlisted - Concerto
Opus Klassik Awards 2018 Winner - Concert Recording (20th/21st-century music)
Presto Recordings of the Year Finalist 2018

Catalogue No: 4798529
Label: DG
Length: 59 minutes

Lisa Batiashvili (violin)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Composers

Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeievitch (1891-1953)

Works

Prokofiev: Cinderella, Op. 87
Prokofiev: Dance of the Knights (from Romeo and Juliet)
Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges: Suite Op. 33a: March
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63

Written in 1944, Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony is one of his greatest and most complete symphonic statements. At its première he himself called it “a symphony of the grandeur of the human spirit”. The first movement couples considerable strength with unexpected yet highly characteristic twists of melody. After a violent scherzo followed by a slow movement of sustained lyricism, with a fiercely dramatic middle section, the finale blazes with barely suppressed passion. The Year 1941 is another wartime work, a symphonic suite written in response to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. This is the first volume of a complete cycle of the Prokofiev Symphonies with the OSESP and Marin Alsop, the orchestra's newly appointed Principal Conductor.

São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop

Awards
BBC Music Magazine July 2012 Orchestral Choice

Composers

Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeievitch (1891-1953)

Works

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 100
Prokofiev: The Year 1941, Op. 90

Beatrice Lillie (narrator), Gary Graffman (piano), Julius Katchen (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra, Animals at London Zoo
Skitch Henderson
Recorded: 1960-02
Recording Venue: Kingsway Hall, London

Composers

Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeievitch (1891-1953)
Saint-Saëns, Charles Camille (1835-1921)

Works

Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67
Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux

Opera Explained: Puccini - La Bohème

David Timson (reader)

Opera Explained: Puccini - Madama Butterfly

David Timson (reader)

Antonello Palombi (tenor), Gunnar Lundberg (baritone)
Hungarian Radio Chorus, Hungarian Operetta Orchestra
Pier Giorgio Morandi

Composers

Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria (1858-1924)

Works

Puccini: Crisantemi
Puccini: Messa di Gloria
Puccini: Preludio Sinfonico