Ensemble K, Ensemble Sequenza 9.3, Simone Menezes – Metanoia (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 96 kHz]

Ensemble K, Ensemble Sequenza 9.3, Simone Menezes – Metanoia (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 96 kHz]

The concept of metanoia – that, which goes beyond thought – most commonly describes a change in the way of seeing and thinking about things. With this recording, italo-brazilian conductor Simone Menezes and her chamber orchestra “K”, together with the choir “Sequenza 9.3”, go on a musical journey to find moments of metanoia in the lives and works of composers such as Giacomo Puccini, Arvo Pärt, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Alexander Borodin as well as Johann Sebastian Bach.

Chen Xue-Hong – Chopin: Piano Works (Live) (2019) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Chen Xue-Hong – Chopin: Piano Works (Live) (2019) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Born in 1999 in the Chinese province of Gansu, Chen Xue-Hong was quickly selected as part of the training program for the most talented students at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Zhang Xinning, Wei Danwen, and Du Taihang. He has won several national and international competitions as a young pianist, including the Chopin Competition in Beijing, the Astana Competition, the Horowitz Competition, and the St. Petersburg Competition. He has also already given numerous concerts in China as well as at prestigious venues in Europe and the United States. As a pianist of rare musical integrity and concentration, with a unique blend of depth and exceptional technical facilities, Chen Xue-Hong is currently studying in Beijing while pursuing his promising career as a concert soloist. Frédéric Chopin is one of Chen Xue-Hong’s favorite composers. He loves both the brilliant musician and the personality of his compositions. This recording was realized by Accentus Music in partnership with the Académie France-Chine. The academy was launched in 2018 by the outstanding pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei with the support of Cartier. The purpose of the academy is to promote music education and training, to encourage the emergence of highly talented young artists and to foster cultural exchange between Europe and China.

Chen Yunjie – Scriabin: Works for Piano (Live) (2019) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Chen Yunjie – Scriabin: Works for Piano (Live) (2019) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Yunjie Chen was born in Jiaxing city (Zhejiang province, China). Displaying extraordinary talent at a young age, Chen Yunjie’s gifts were nurtured at the Shanghai Music Conservatory. Chen Yunjie subsequently earned degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard School and Cleveland Institute of Music. His mentors include You Dachun, Shao Dan, Wu Ying , Phillip Kawin, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Matti Raekallio and Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Chen Yunjie won first prize in the national piano competition of China at the age of twelve. He then won the China international piano competition in 1994. During his studies in the United States, he won prizes in many important International piano competitions such as Santander in Spain; Cincinnati, Cleveland, YCA, Gina Bachuer in the States; Long-Thibaud in France; Isang Yun and Seoul in Korea. He is Professor of Piano of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing where he became in 2011 the youngest piano faculty teacher. This recording was realized by Accentus Music in partnership with the Académie France-Chine. The academy was launched in 2018 by the outstanding pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei with the support of Cartier. The purpose of the academy is to promote music education and training, to encourage the emergence of highly talented young artists and to foster cultural exchange between Europe and China.

Bamberger Symphoniker – Liebestod – Wagner | Mahler | Strauss (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

Bamberger Symphoniker – Liebestod – Wagner | Mahler | Strauss (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

The music of Wagner, Mahler and Strauss is very close to the heart of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and also a little in their blood, as the multiple award-winning recordings of Mahler 4 with Jakub Hrůša and Mahler 9 with Herbert Blomstedt impressively testify. With this concept album they deal with the subject of death, which Jakub Hrůša by no means understands only as a moment full of despair and tragedy. Rather, he sees in death an element “that gives meaning to our lives.” And it is precisely this idea that the orchestra and its principal conductor convey with their interpretation of four key works by Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. The result a kind of dialogue between the composers, who build on each other historically and stylistically. A dialogue that, says Hrůša, “enchants our ears and touches our hearts.”