February Classical, available 5 & 12th February

harmonia mundi UK

Classical new releases

FEBRUARY 2015

DISTRIBUTED LABELS: ACCENT RECORDS, ACTES SUD, AGOGIQUE, ALIA VOX, AMBRONAY, APARTE, ARTE VERUM, AUDITE, BEL AIR, BELVEDERE, THE CHOIR OF KINGS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, CONVIVIUM, CHRISTOPHORUS, CSO RESOUND, DUCALE, EDITION CLASSICS, EVIDENCE, FLORA, FRA MUSICA, GLOSSA, harmonia mundi, HAT[NOW]ART, HERITAGE, KAMER, KML, LA DOLCE VOLTA, LA MUSICA, LES ARTS FLORISSANTS EDITIONS, LSO LIVE, MARIINSKY, MIRARE, MODE, MUSO, MYRIOS, MUSIQUES A LA CHABOTTERIE, NAÏVE, ONYX, OPELLA NOVA,, PAN CLASSICS, PARADIZO, PARATY, PHIL.HARMONIE, PRAGA DIGITALS, RADIO FRANCE, RAM, REAL COMPAÑIA ÓPERA DE CÁMARA, RCO LIVE, SFZ MUSIC, SIGNUM, STRADIVARIUS, UNITED ARCHIVES, WALHALL ETERNITY, WERGO, WIGMORE HALL LIVE, WINTER & WINTER, YSAYE

available February 5th, call-off Jan 25th 2016

BBC Music Magazine February Concerto Choice

harmonia mundi HMC902221 Vivaldi Violin Concertos / Teatro alla Moda Amandine Beyer, Gli Incogniti

Gramophone Editor’s Choice February

Glossa GCD921517 Handel Duetti e terzette Italiani Roberta Invernizzi, Silvia Frigato, Krystian Adam, Thomas Bauer, La Risonanza / Fabio Bonizzoni

Gramophone Editor’s Choice January

DISC OF THE MONTH

EVCD015 Beethoven Complete works for cello & Piano François Frédéric Guy & Xavier Phillips

Gramophone Editor’s Choice January

Wigmore Hall Live WHLIVE 0078/2 Mozart Piano Sonatas Vol.4 Christian Blackshaw

Gramophone Editor’s Choice January

Naive V5414 My Armenia Sergey Khachatryan (violin) & Lusine Khachatryan (piano)

Gramophone Editor’s Choice January Mirare MIR162 W.F.Bach Keyboard Concertos Maude Gratton, Il Convito

CHORAL

NOMINEES

Signum SIGCD430 Brahms & Bruckner Motets Tenebrae/Nigel Short; Mark Templeton, Helen Vollam, Patrick Jackman (trombone) “Don’t be fooled by the compact dimensions of Bruckner’s motets. They have lofty symphonic ambitions, and Tenebrae and its enterprising conductor Nigel Short match their demands with an ease and economy that’s rarely heard, from the deepest bass to the soaring sopranos. Majestic Brahms, too, with immense power, huge dynamic range and ringing intonation.”

CONCERTO

Myrios MYR016 Tchaikovsky/Prokofiev Concertos/ Kirill Gerstein “This recording of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto replaces the inauthentic bombast of the familiar final-published score with the composer’s favoured version. From the soloist’s first entry, sensitively performed

by Kirill Gerstein, we discover a lyrical, intimate work, belying its reputation as a hackneyed warhorse.”

INSTRUMENTAL

Wigmore Hall Live WHLive0076/2 Mozart Piano Sonatas Nos 6, 12, 14 & 16; Fantasia in C minor, K475 Christian Blackshaw (piano) “After years away, Christian Blackshaw returned to the stage at the top of his game. A Wigmore Hall Mozart series in 2012 revealed his thoughtful artistry, exemplified by this superlative volume, the third in the series. Four varied sonatas and the dark Fantasia in C minor are all played with his hallmark luminous tone, natural grace and authority.”

VOCAL

Harmonia Mundi HMC902217 Beethoven An die ferne Geliebte, and other Lieder; Bagatellen Op. 126 Werner Güra (tenor), Christopher Berner (fortepiano) “Beethoven’s heart and mind is uncovered as his song-cycle An die ferne Geliebte is put within the context of an interleaving of the composer’s songs and bagatelles. Werner Güra’s beautifully enunciated tenor recreates the spiritual struggle in Beethoven’s songs, and Christoph Berner’s fearless playing, as accompanist and soloist, sets the songs into new and thrilling relief.”

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

HANDEL: Water Music Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Music for a royal excursion. On 17 July 1717, King George I of England ‘went up by Water to Chelsea, and was entertain’d with an excellent Consort of Musick . . . composed specially by the famous Handel’. The fifty musicians cost the . . . princely sum of £150 – but their hunting horns, trumpets, flutes and the rest so delighted the company that the concert was repeated three times in the course of the evening.

No doubt the matchless virtuosos of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin will repeat that feat in your living room!

Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: HMC902216 Barcode: 3149020221624 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Georg Kallweit

Suite no.1 1 | I. Overture : Largo - Allegro 3’12 2 | II. Adagio e staccato 2’08 3 | III. [Allegro] 2’08 4 | IV. Andante - III. [Allegro] da capo 4’30 5 | V. Allegro 2’47 6 | VI. Air 3’11 7 | VII. Minuet 2’23 8 | VIII. Bourrée 1’10 9 | IX. Hornpipe 1’30 10 | X. [Allegro moderato] 3’41 Suite no.2 11 | XI. [Allegro] 2’00 12 | XII. [Alla Hornpipe] 3’43 13 | XIII. [Minuet] 2’49 14 | XIV. [Rigaudon 1] 1’07 15 | XV. [Rigaudon 2] - XIV. [Rigaudon 1] 1’28 Suite no.3 16 | XVI. Lentement 1’59 17 | XVII. [Bourrée] 1’14 18 | XVIII. Menuet [1] 0’56 19 | XIX. [Menuet 2] 1’36 20 | XX. [Gigue 1] - XXI. [Gigue 2] da capo 2’11 21 | XXII. Menuet (Coro) 2’39

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos 2 & 5 Vadym Kholodenko Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Miguel Harth-Bedoya 2013 Cliburn Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko became the first-ever 'Artist in Partnership' with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra beginning in 2014-15. Under the baton of Miguel Harth-Bedoya he opens his complete cycle of Prokofiev piano concertos with the 'dark-hued but dazzling' No. 2 in G minor, coupled with the less familiar No.5 in G major.

“He rewarded the audience with a highly varied, consistently interesting and technically amazing performance” STAR TELEGRAM, concert review

Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: HMU907631 Barcode: 093046763169 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: digipack Vadym Kholodenko [piano] Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Miguel Harth-Bedoya

ALSO AVAILABLE: HMU907605 Stravinsky: Three Movements from Petrushka; Liszt Transcendental Studies “It’s easy to hear how Vadym Kholodenko’s extrovert temperament and big technique earned him first prize.”

Jed Distler, Gramophone – February 2014

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

Elena LANGER: Landscape With Three People Snow, The Storm Cloud, Two Cat Songs, Ariadne, Stay O Sweet

Anna Dennis William Towers Nicholas Daniel

Label: harmonia mundi File Under: Classical/Chamber music Catalogue No: HMU907669 Barcode: 093046766924 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Anna Dennis [soprano] William Towers [countertenor] Nicholas Daniel [oboe] Roman Mints [violin] Meghan Cassidy [viola] Kristine Blaumane [cello] Robert Howarth [harpsichord] Katya Apekisheva [piano]

A selection of chamber works by Elena Langer (b.1974, Moscow), notable for their playful counterpoint and delicate textures. The London-based composer delights in exploring the endless soundworlds of voices and instruments.

'Landscape With Three People' dates from 2013, with texts by poet Lee Harwood.

Elena moved to London to complete her degrees first at the Royal College of Music and then at the Royal Academy of Music. She has studied with Julian Anderson, Simon Bainbridge, Gerard McBurney and taken lessons with Sofia Gubaidulina (Centre Acanthes, France), Dmitri Smirnov, Jo Kondo and Jonathan Harvey. In 2002 and 2003 Elena was the first ever composer-in-residence at the Almeida Theatre, London.

She has received commissions and performances from organisations such as The Royal Opera House's ROH2, Zurich Opera, Carnegie Hall, The Britten and Strauss Festival in Aldeburgh, Park Lane Group, St. Petersburg's Music Spring, Chamber Music Series "XX/XXI" of the Bayerische Staatsoper (Germany).

This recording project was generously funded by Blyth Valley Chamber Music, the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust and a large number of individuals. The new CD will be launched in parallel with the first public performances in Cardiff of the composer’s 'Figaro Gets A Divorce', a new opera for Welsh National Opera under David Pountney.

“An enticing sonic tapestry, pitched midway between the expressive avant-garde tumult of Berio and the rough-and-tumble of folk music.” THE TIMES 21-27 February Figaro Gets a Divorce, opera premiere, Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff 3 March Figaro Gets a Divorce, Birmingham Hippodrome 10 March Figaro Gets a Divorce, Venue Cymru, Llandudno 17 March Figaro Gets a Divorce, The Bristol Hippodrome 24 March Figaro Gets a Divorce, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 31 March Figaro Gets a Divorce, Milton Keynes Theatre 7 April Figaro Gets a Divorce, Theatre Royal, Plymouth 23 April New Piece for Britten Sinfonia, Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford-on-Avon 27 April New Piece for Britten Sinfonia, West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge 29 April New Piece for Britten Sinfonia, St.Andrew's Hall, Norwich 1 May New Piece for Britten Sinfonia, Milton Court, London

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

Sun, Moon, Sea & Stars Songs and Arrangements by Bob Chilcott

Tenebrae Consort Nigel Short Released under their Bene Arte label, this new release from the Tenebrae Consort under Nigel Short combines a stunning selection of arrangements and songs by British choral icon Bob Chilcott. Including several premiere recordings, the programme combines music and words from across the world including Japan, Canada, America, France and the UK. The composer writes: "I am thrilled that they have made this recording of these songs and arrangements, some from a long time ago, some more recent, sometimes frivolous, sometimes reflective, but all performed with the beauty of sound and the breadth of skill and personality that is synonymous with the work of Nigel and his singers."

Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: SIGCD903 Barcode: 635212090329 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal Tenebrae Consort Nigel Short [conductor] CONCERTS: King's Place, London A Cappella Festival 28th January: this programme 11th Feb Choral at Cadogan

[1] En La Macarenita [2] Sun, Moon, Sea and Stars [3] Feller from Fortune [4] She's Like the Swallow [5] L'habitant de Saint Barbe [6] The Lazy Man [7] Shenandoah [8] The Gift to be Simple [9] Swimming Over London [10] Go Little Boat [11] Fascinating Rhythm [12] Con amores, la mi madre [13] LĂ -bas dans cette plaine [14] Viens par le prĂŠ [15] Montagnarde [16] Aka tombo [17] Furusato [18] Tuoll on mon kultani [19] Marriage to my Lady Poverty [20] Thou, My Love, Art Fair [21] Touch Her Soft Lips [22] Even Such Is Time

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

The Evening Hour British Choral Music from the 16th and 20th Centuries

The Choir of Jesus College Cambridge The Choir of Jesus College Cambridge's new release on Signum blends a selection of ancient and modern works from the 16th and 20th Centuries, combining a selection of spiritual works on the theme of evening. The choir's fifth release on Signum, previous discs by the Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge have drawn near universal praise from critics.

RADCLIFFE: God be in my head, BAIRSTOW: Save us O Lord, SHEPPARD: In manus tuas, R.R.BENNETT: Song at Evening, BYRD: Miserere mihi Domine, Gabriel JACKSON: Creator of the stars of night, Lennox BERKELEY: The Lord is my Shepherd, WHYTE: Christe qui lux es et dies, BALFOUR GARDINER: Evening Hymn, Charles WOOD: Hail gladdening light, GIBBONS: Behold thou hast made my days, HOLST: Evening Watch, TAVENER: The Lord’s Prayer, HARRIS: Bring us O Lord God, John BLITHEMAN: In Pace, Philip MOORE: Evening Prayers, TALLIS: Miserere nostri, BAIRSTOW: Blessed City

Label: Signum Classics File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: SIGCD446 Barcode: 635212044629 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal

ALSO AVAILABLE: SIGCD409 Out of Darkness ***** Choir and Organ "Simple, consoling and uplifting, this disc is a therapy session in sound" Sinfini Music

The Choir of Jesus College Cambridge

SIGCD328 War and Peace "The Jesus singers give a glowing account in this rewarding programme. Supple, sensitive direction by Mark Williams" BBC Music Magazine

SIGCD370 My Beloved's Voice "Under Mark Williams direction, the choirs make a clear elegant and focussed sound, and clarity is very much the watchword in the performances." Musicweb International

SIGCD269 Journey Into Light "It's a performance of full, rich sounds from a group who are among the unsung heroes of a collegiate choir circuit."

BBC Music Magazine

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

MOZART: String Quartets K387 & K458 (dedicated to Joseph Haydn)

Hagen Quartet String Quartet in G Major K387 'Spring' 1 1. Allegro vivace assai 8:32 2 2. Menuetto. Allegro 7:58 3 3. Andante cantabile 7:58 4 4. Molto Allegro 5:54

Label: Myrios Classics File Under: Classical/Chamber music Catalogue No: MYR017 Barcode: 4260183510178 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Hagen Quartet

String Quartet in B-flat Major K458 'The Hunt' 5 1. Allegro vivace assai 9:20 6 2. Menuetto. Moderato 4:26 7 3. Adagio 7:49 8 4. Allegro assai 6:57 ”Only the greatest musicians come this close to art’s utmost truth.“ Fono Forum 09/13 on Beethoven Op. 18/3, 18/5 & 135 (myrios classics MYR009) Vienna, 1782. Mozart had not composed a string quartet for almost ten years, a remarkably long period within such a short lifespan. The two string quartets K387 and K458 belong to the group of six so-called 'Haydn Quartets'. Mozart dedicated the work to his fatherly friend Joseph Haydn, who was in many cases also his great model. To dedicate such works to Haydn in his prime genre, testifies on the one hand to Mozart’s appreciation of his older colleague, and on the other to a high degree of self-confidence. Neither did he refrain from mentioning that these compositions were the “fruit of long and laborious task”.

After an extended tour performing Mozart quartets, the Hagen Quartet went into the recording studio for this new rendition of the two works for myrios classics. This is also the Hagen’s first recording using the ‘Paganini Quartet’ – the only complete set of Stradivarius instruments known to exist today. All four were once owned by Niccolò Paganini.

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

Suites for Viola Roland Glassl Max REGER: Suite No. 1 Op. 131d, Suite No. 2 Op. 131d, Suite No. 3 Op. 131d Adolf BUSCH: Suite in A minor Op. 16a Justus WEINREICH: Suite No. 1 in E-flat major, Suite No. 2 in F major, Suite No. 3 in G major

Label: Audite File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: AUDITE97721 Barcode: 4022143977212 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Roland Glassl [viola]

Roland Glassl, the longstanding violist of the Mandelring Quartet, presents his debut solo album performing suites for solo viola.

Bach’s works for solo string instruments were the model; the stylistic and virtuosic possibilities around 1900 the gauge: the works by Max Reger, Adolf Busch and Justus Weinreich were written between 1894 and 1925, so before the great 20th century flowering of solo and concerto repertoire for the viola. Weinreich’s suites of 1894 are the pioneers: a wonderful discovery and now available as a recording for the first time. Max Reger did not manage to write his planned fourth suite for the violist of the Busch Quartet: Adolf Busch, the leader of the ensemble, fulfilled his friend’s project by composing his own suite.

Roland Glassl has established his reputation as a soloist and chamber musician. Numerous prizes at international competitions (including first prize at Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition; first prize at Washington International Competition for Strings; winner of the first International Viola Competition Vienna) as well as 16 years of playing in the Mandelring Quartet have taken him to many of the great international concert stages and festivals. Alongside his intensive involvement with the Mandelring Quartet he has given many concerts with the Trio Charolca and has also continued performing as a soloist.

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

Romeo & Juliet TCHAIKOVSKY: Ouverture, BERLIOZ: Symphonie dramatique Op. 17 excerpts, PROKOFIEV: Second Suite from the ballet Op. 64b The Lovers of Verona, the Sienna legend transfigured by Shakespeare, has inspired distinguished composers like Benda, Zingarelli, Bellini, Gounod, Berlioz, TchaĂŻkovsky and Prokofiev. A final three have been overshadowed: Vaccal, Marchetti and Zandonai, long associated with or in thrall to Maria Malibran!

Here combat, tumult and love scenes blend in fortuitous harmony – a graceful dance taking precedence over the dazzling orchestral frenzy. A selection to delight the ears of all lovers of doomed romance.

Tchaikovsky: live recording, Moscow 7/1/67 Berlioz: studio recording near London, Westminster Lab June 1962 Prokofiev: live recording, Leningrad 30/12/81

Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: PRD350116 Barcode: 3149028038927 NORMAL Price Format: 1 SACD Packaging: cristal Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra / Kirill Kondrashin Choir & London Symphony Orchestra / Pierre Monteux Leningrad Philharmonic / Evgeny Mravinsky

RELEASE DATE 5TH FEBRUARY 2016

TCHAIKOVSKY, SIBELIUS: Violin Concertos SIBELIUS: Humoresques Op. 87/1&2

David O誰strakh A generous and unusual pairing of two romantic concertos in the best recordings by 'King David', playing his Stradivarius Comte de Fontana, fully animated by Gennady Rozhdestvensky, a modern conductor knowing perfectly the deep Baltic souls. dates tbc

Label: Praga Digitals File Under: Classical/Orchestral Catalogue No: PRD250325 Barcode: 3149028075021 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: cristal David O誰strakh [violin] Radio Moscow Philharmonie USSR National Orchestra Gennady Rozhdestvensky

harmonia mundi UK

Classical new releases

FEBRUARY 2015

DISTRIBUTED LABELS: ACCENT RECORDS, ACTES SUD, AGOGIQUE, ALIA VOX, AMBRONAY, APARTE, ARTE VERUM, AUDITE, BEL AIR, BELVEDERE, THE CHOIR OF KINGS COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE, CONVIVIUM, CHRISTOPHORUS, CSO RESOUND, DUCALE, EDITION CLASSICS, EVIDENCE, FLORA, FRA MUSICA, GLOSSA, harmonia mundi, HAT[NOW]ART, HERITAGE, KAMER, KML, LA DOLCE VOLTA, LA MUSICA, LES ARTS FLORISSANTS EDITIONS, LSO LIVE, MARIINSKY, MIRARE, MODE, MUSO, MYRIOS, MUSIQUES A LA CHABOTTERIE, NAÏVE, ONYX, OPELLA NOVA,, PAN CLASSICS, PARADIZO, PARATY, PHIL.HARMONIE, PRAGA DIGITALS, RADIO FRANCE, RAM, REAL COMPAÑIA ÓPERA DE CÁMARA, RCO LIVE, SFZ MUSIC, SIGNUM, STRADIVARIUS, UNITED ARCHIVES, WALHALL ETERNITY, WERGO, WIGMORE HALL LIVE, WINTER & WINTER, YSAYE

available February 12th, call-off Jan 25th 2016

‘LIVE LAUNCH’ DATES: TOWER OF LONDON – FEBRUARY 9TH / 10TH 2016

Founded in 2014 by Suzi Digby, ORA is a professional vocal ensemble made up of some of the leading singers in choral music. ORA was born out of a belief that we are in a second golden age of choral music, matching that of the Renaissance. With this in mind, the choir’s performances and recordings showcase masterpieces of Renaissance choral music alongside reflections from contemporary composers.

Suzi Digby, Founder and Artistic Director of ORA, is at the vanguard of choral music’s recent popular resurgence. Passionate about choral music in all its forms, Suzi received an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II for outstanding services to music education in 2009. Throughout her career she has pushed the boundaries of musical performance and has gained professional and critical recognition for her groundbreaking approach.

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

Upheld by Stillness Renaissance gems and their reflections - Volume 1: Byrd

ORA

Label: harmonia mundi UK File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: HMW906102 Barcode: 3149020610220 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: O card ORA Suzi Digby OBE [Artistic Director and Conductor]

TRACKLISTING: 1. De MONTE: Super flumina Babylonis 2. BYRD Quomodo cantabimus 3-7. BYRD Mass for Five Voices: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus & Benedictus, Agnus Dei 8. Roxana PANUFNIK Kyrie after Byrd* 9. Francis POTT Laudate Dominum* 10. Alexander L'ESTRANGE Show me, deare Christ* 11. Owain PARK Upheld by stillness* 12. Charlotte BRAY Agnus Dei* 13. BYRD Ave Verum Corpus 14. Roderick WILLIAMS Ave Verum Corpus Re-imagined* *commissioned by ORA For their first recording for harmonia mundi UK new signing ORA have chosen to focus on that towering figure of the English music scene, William Byrd.

As Suzi Digby says in her introduction: "Starting the recording with an original Renaissance reflection, Byrd’s pairing of his own music to De Monte’s setting of verses from Psalm 137 - one of the most remarkable exchanges in musical history - we centre on his peerless Mass for Five Voices. We then asked Roxanna Panufnik, Francis Pott, Alexander L’Estrange, Owain Park and Charlotte Bray to set their own reactions to the individual movements and we are delighted with the varied responses we got - showing the universality of Byrd’s sacred music and its relevance to today’s musicians. We imposed no restrictions, other than length, on our chosen composers in order to gain their truest reactions. The recording closes with possibly Byrd’s most famous work, his setting of the text of Ave Verum Corpus, and we asked the multi-talented musician Roderick Williams to write a setting on the same text. I am so grateful to him, and to all the composers of these wonderful new works, and hope you will be equally entertained and enlightened."

POSTER CAMPAIGN, EXPECT TV AND RADIO COVERAGE

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

HANDEL: Imeneo HWV41 (Dublin version of 1742: Serenata ‘Hymen’)

Europa Galante Fabio Biondi

Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Opera & Vocal Catalogue No: GCD923405 Barcode: 8424562234055 2 FOR 1.5 Format: 2 CD Packaging: digipack Imeneo: Magnis Staveland [tenor] Tirinto: Ann Hallenberg [mezzo-soprano] Rosmene: Monica Piccinini [soprano] Argenio: Fabrizio Beggi [bass] Clomiri: Cristiana Arcari [soprano] Europa Galante Fabio Biondi [violin & direction]

Fabio Biondi signs his fifth release for Glossa with a vital interpretation of Handel’s late opera 'Imeneo', given in its 1742 Dublin version. If, by this date, the London public was tiring of the Italian opera in which Handel had been excelling for decades, he was still able to call upon divos and divas of the quality of La Francesina and Giovanni Battista Andreoni to perform his music.

Though not a success in its Lincoln’s Inn Fields staging in London, 'Imeneo' was directed by Handel as his only Italian work during his season in Dublin (which also saw the first performance of 'Messiah'), complete with additional arias to add to those praised in 1740 and a pruning of the libretto (which hadn’t received approval).

The revised story turns on Tirinto (Ann Hallenberg in Biondi’s modern-day production, as performed at the Handel Festival in Halle) pining for his beloved and kidnapped Rosmene (Monica Piccinini). Her liberation by Imeneo (Magnus Staveland) leads to Rosmene being required to decide which of the two Athenians to wed. 'Hymen' – as Handel’s work was known in Dublin – was the god of marriage, and so, will love overcome duty and reason or not?

Fabio Biondi, directing from the violin, brings all his experience in both Italian music and music from the 18th century in delivering a stunning vindication of an unfairly neglected Handel opera.

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

JS BACH: Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, BWV 1083 Psalm 51 VIVALDI: Nisi Dominus RV608 Psalm 126

Damien Guillon Céline Scheen Le Banquet Céleste

Label: Glossa File Under: Classical/Choral Catalogue No: GCD923701 Barcode: 8424562237018 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Damien Guillon [countertenor & direction] Céline Scheen [soprano] Le Banquet Céleste: Baptiste Lopez, Caroline Bayet [violins] Deirdre Dowling [viola] Ageet Zweistra [cello] Christian Staude [double bass] Kevin Manent [harpsichord & organ] Andre Henrich [lute]

Damien Guillon, who has been proving himself as an interpreter of the more spiritual side of Baroque music, now makes his debut on Glossa both as countertenor soloist and director.

In a fascinating pairing of Bach and Vivaldi psalm settings, 'Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden' and 'Nisi Dominus', Guillon directs his ensemble Le Banquet Céleste, with which he recently made his debut in Avignon, conducting 'Acis and Galatea'.

Whilst he was Konzertmeister in Weimar, Bach was entrusted with transcribing scores by Vivaldi brought back from Amsterdam, thereby a fascination ensued, especially with Vivaldi's concertos.

As is pointed out by Stefano Russomanno in his booklet essay, Vivaldi would have employed the concerto logic also in his sacred vocal works, such as the early 'Nisi Dominus' recorded here. It was however a Neapolitan composer from the next generation, GB Pergolesi, whose music Bach turned to as the basis for a setting of Psalm 51, 'Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden'. The result was a magisterially rendered reworking – in parody form – of Pergolesi’s theatrical (and catholic) Stabat Mater, adjusted by Bach to accommodate the different demands of the German Protestant text.

The warmth of Guillon’s countertenor finds an ideal match in the soprano Céline Scheen, another fabulous singer of Baroque music, whose vocal agility and purity has been entrancing audiences across Europe.

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

FORQUERAY: Pieces de viole

Each appearance of Atsushi Sakai and Christophe Rousset leaves an unforgettable memory with those who have had the good fortune to hear them commune on stage. Long-standing partners, they now join together for the first time on disc for a composer they worship: the mysterious Antoine Forqueray. Born in 1672 in Paris, he was, with Marin Marais, one of the greatest gambists of all time. Famed for his virtuosic improvisations, he published none of his 300-odd pieces and died in 1745 in Mantes where he had moved in 1731, after having suffered serious financial setbacks, especially in the course of Law’s bankruptcy. Aside from a few handwritten pieces copied in the collections of other composers, Forqueray’s pieces have been lost.

The release of the 'Pièces de viole', to which the present recording is devoted, is thus the sole important testimony to his oeuvre.

Label: Aparté File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: AP122 Barcode: 3149028077520 MID Price Format: 3 CD Packaging: digipack Atsushi Sakai [bass viol after Nicolas Bertrand Paris 1705 – François Bodart à Chastre 1988] Marion Martineau [bass viole after Michel Collichon Paris 1693, Judith Kraft à Paris 2008] Christophe Rousset [harpsichord after Ioannes Ruckers Anvers 1624, Marc Ducornet & Emmanuel Danset à Paris 1993]

CD1: Quatrième Suite: 1. La Marella 2. La Clément 3. Sarabande. La D’Aubonne 4. La Bournonville 5. La Sainscy 6. Le Carillon de Passy - La Latour Deuxième Suite: 7. La Bouron 8. La Mandoline 9. La Dubreuil 10. La Leclair 11. Chaconne. La Buisson CD2: Troisième Suite: 1. La Ferrand 2. La Régente 3. La Tronchin 4. La Angrave 5. La Du Vaucel 6. La Eynaud 7. Chaconne. La Morangis ou la Plissay Première Suite: 8. La La Borde 9. La Forqueray 10. La Cottin 11. La Bellemont 12. La Portugaise 13. La Couperin CD3: Cinquième Suite: 1. La Rameau 2. La Guignon 3. Sarabande. La Léon 4. La Boisson 5. La Montigni 6. La Silva 7. Jupiter Atsushi Sakai studied cello with Christophe Coin and is often to be found as a continuo player in ensembles such as Les Talens Lyriques and Le Concert d'Astrée, with which he has performed in a large number of concerts and recordings.

He is co-founder of Sit Fast (consort of viols) and the Quatuor Cambini-Paris.

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

L'Arpa Barberini Music for harp and soprano in Early Baroque Rome A painting by Giovanni Lanfranco (c. 1630) at the Palazzo Barbarini in Rome shows Venus playing on a wonderful Baroque harp. This harp – owned by Cardinal Maffeo Barbarini, the later Pope Urban VII – still exists. It is an extraodinary instrument, not only from an optical but also from a musical point of view: the strings are arranged in three rows, which enables chromatic playing in all keys. This is the Arpa Barberini, which can be visited at the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali in Rome today, a testament to musical performance at the court of the Barberini during the first half of the 17th century.

On the present CD, this important instrument features in musical repertoire of the same place and time. The Italian soprano Roberta Invernizzi sings arias and scenes from monodic composers, who were connected with the Barberini court; Margret Köll accompanies on a copy of the Arpa Barberini, built in 2007 by Eric Kleinmann, and also plays solo pieces by other Roman composers.

Label: Accent Records File Under: Classical/Secular Vocal music Catalogue No: ACC24310 Barcode: 4015023243101 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Margret Köll [baroque harp] Roberta Invernizzi [soprano]*

KAPSBERGER: Toccata seconda arpeggiata ROSSI: Hor che l´oscuro manto * ORAZIO: Spera mi disse amore * GUAGLIATI: Toccata dell´Ottavo Tuono from 'Il Transilvano di G. D iruta' FRESCOBALDI: Se l’aura spira tutta vezzosa (instr.)

ORAZIO: Sospiri che uscite dall´arso mio sen * FRESCOBALDI: Fantasia ORAZIO: Dolce frutto Amor compose * ANON: Madre non mi far monaca * FRESCOBALDI: Parte sopra Lamonicha ANON: Balletto from Chigi Manuscript ORAZIO: Perché cor mio * FRESCOBALDI: Toccata Ottava di durezze e ligature, Canzona ROSSI: Passacaille del Seigr. Louigi ORAZIO: Alma che ti sollevi * FRESCOBALDI: Corrente Quinta ROSSI: Mio ben, teco il tormento più (Lamento di Euridice) * Also available: ACC 24192 L´Arpa di Partenope, Works by Trabaci, Gesualdo et al.

Margret Köll [Arpa Doppia]

RELEASE DATE 12TH FEBRUARY 2016

Bach on the Marimba Trio SR9 Founded in 2010 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, the trio SR9 was born out of a friendship between Alexander Esperet, Nicolas Cousin and Paul Changarnier. SR9 won First Prize at the International Percussion Trio Competition in Luxembourg in 2012, as well as the Audience Award and Interpretation Award for Jean Batigne’s work, 'Parcours'. Their concerts include repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach [which they have toured extensively in France] to contemporary music.

The combination of Johann Sebastian Bach and the marimba may seem daring to some, and yet… Bach was very interested in the development and integration of new instruments, notably the birth of the pianoforte, which offered new means of expression. Bach also cultivated the art of transcription, adapting his own works and those of other composers to other instruments.

The works in this programme are connected to each other by the Perpetual Canon from 'Das Musikalische Opfer', which is presented in different forms. It is both a tribute to this absolute masterpiece of Bach as well as an opportunity to discover the endless harmonic possibilities made possible by the use of three marimbas:

Label: NAÏVE File Under: Classical/Instrumental Catalogue No: V5426 Barcode: 822186054260 NORMAL Price Format: 1 CD Packaging: digipack Trio SR9

Das Musikalische Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon per tonos I, Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011: Prelude Trio Sonata No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 526: Vivace, Trio Sonata No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 526: Largo Trio Sonata No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 526: Allegro, Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003: Grave French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815: Allemande, French Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 815: Courante Das Musikalische Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon per tonos II, Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002: Sarabande French Suite No. 3 in B Minor, BWV 814: Menuet, English Suite No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 807: Bourrée 1 & 2 English Suite No. 6 in D Minor, BWV 811: Gigue, Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848: I. Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major, BWV 848: II, Das Musikalische Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon per tonos III. Trio Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, BWV 528: Adagio, Vivace, Trio Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, BWV 528: Andante Trio Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, BWV 528: Un Poco Allegro, Das Musikalische Opfer, BWV 1079: Canon per tonos IV. "the SR9 Trio gives a new interpretation of baroque music with the rich and warm sounds of an instrument with endless harmonic possibilities." LES INFORMATIONS DIEPPOISES - SUR DES AIRS DE BACH (21/08/2013) "Three years of work were needed for Bach on the marimba: each rhythm, colour and nuance were the fruits of passionate research. The gamble was worth it, as the Cantor's music has never sounded like that!"

TÉLÉRAMA - JUDITH CHAINE (12/07/2014)