Ars Produktion

Fukio Ensemble – Transcend (2022) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

February 11, 2024 0 Comment

With Transcend, the Fukio Quartet illustrates the experience and feeling of the global crisis that has strongly influenced their work over many months: The Corona Pandemic. Between cancelled concerts and an uncertainty if and when it will be possible for them to make music live again, this album was created. Within a transcendent time that was accompanied by open questions and vagueness. The state of limbo that in a way defines any crisis – the mood in which the next decision, the next turn, is not completely clear – represents a very essential core of the quartet’s work. Through the sound of the saxophone, they are able to transmit emotions that they cannot communicate in any other way. In the process, every little dissonance, every inner discord, every crisis is a significant part of what resonates with the recipients. It’s fukio.

Hi-Res FLAC

Florian Klaus Rumpf – A Mandolin’s Guide to Hamburg (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

February 3, 2024 0 Comment

Florian Klaus Rumpf takes us on a musical walk through his adopted country. In doing so, he acoustically stages his favorite places with works for mandolin, baroque mandolin, mandola and liuto cantabile from the most diverse cultural circles. Each of the pieces is associated with a Hamburg landmark, whose mood, statement or history is reflected in the music.

Hi-Res FLAC

Adam Fischer, Festspielorchester des Gustav Mahler Fest Kassel – Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor “Resurrection” (Live) (2020) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

February 2, 2024 0 Comment

Mahler attraction: with the “Gustav Mahler Fest Kassel” created by the then GMD Ádám Fischer, the city received another internationally important cultural attraction in addition to the art exhibition “documenta”. With the Festspielorchester, an ensemble of its own quality and characteristics was created. In addition to the concertmaster Rainer Hocke of the Vienna Philharmonic, the oboe and clarinet groups made up of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony were formed, whose instruments have special characteristics and thus a specific sound. The same applies to the horns, which play an important role at Mahler.

Hi-Res FLAC

Elena Margolina, Boris Hait – Tod – Trauer – Trost (2022) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

January 13, 2024 0 Comment

The topics of death, mourning and consolation move people more than ever. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this theme has come upon us in a cruel and numbing way. The music and lyrics of this new album from Elena Margolina and Boris Hait want to be a support for all those who are confronted with the often paralyzing reality of war in processing their grief. Music and literature have an effect on people as a contact with the beautiful, as a mediator of true values. They are thus a unique means of providing comfort, of overcoming powerlessness, of regaining hope.

Hi-Res FLAC

Elena Kuschnerova – Russian Soul (2021) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

January 11, 2024 0 Comment

Elena Kuschnerova presents piano music by the now almost forgotten Alexander Lokshin.

She couples his music on this new recording with Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No.7, the third movement of which, along with the Toccata Op.11, is known as the most relentless piece of motor music from his pen.

Kuschnerova presents piano music by the now almost forgotten Alexander Lokshin (1920-1987), whom Rudolf Barshai called one of the most important Russian composers of the 20th century.

Hi-Res FLAC

Elena Margolina – Schubert: Piano Sonatas, D. 850 & D. 958 (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

January 10, 2024 0 Comment

Pianist Elena Margolina enjoyed an excellent musical education. She completed her studies at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory with a concert diploma. In 1996 she completed her concert diploma at the Detmold Conservatory of Music with distinction. Elena Margolina is a laureate of several prestigious piano and chamber music competitions. These include the 1st prize at the V. International Schubert Piano Competition in Dortmund in 1995. The artist has successfully taught at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts, and has been active in international master classes (in Germany, Italy, South Korea, Canada, China, Albania, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Great Britain, among others). Since 2014, Elena Margolina has been a professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold. Elena Margolina completes her Schubert recordings with ARS – the two sonatas D 850 and D 958 can be heard here in a very personal interpretation.

Hi-Res FLAC

ensemble minui – Opera Suites for Nonet, Vol. 2 (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

January 9, 2024 0 Comment

Located somewhere between chamber music and orchestra, since its founding in 2016 the Carinthian-based ensemble minui has dedicated itself with elegance and finesse to the musical possibilities for large chamber music ensembles. While simple reductions of large orchestral works were initially on the programme, opera music gradually became the great passion of ensemble minui. In the arrangements of clarinettist Stefan Potzmann, the nine versatile orchestral musicians offer listeners with their second recording stylish new perspectives on three large-scale opera works, reduced to what is essential for them: the music!

Hi-Res FLAC

Emma Black, Ilia Korol, Peter Trefflinger, Euène Michelangeli – The Privileged Oboe (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

January 8, 2024 0 Comment

Of the six works recorded here by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach and G.F. Telemann (father, son and godfather), only two of them were specifically composed for the oboe, namely the g-minor sonata by C.P.E. Bach and the a-minor sonata by Telemann. However, as Emma Black proves on this new release, each of these works translates beautifully to the oboe. Australian born Emma Black is the principal oboist with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble (Thomas Hengelbrock) and principal and soloist with the Wiener Akademie (Vienna) and Le Concert de la Loge (Paris). With all of these orchestras she has performed in all the major European festivals and can be heard in numerous album and radio recordings.

Hi-Res FLAC

Emili Brugalla – Goyescas (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 44,1 kHz]

January 8, 2024 0 Comment

“I feel Catalan through and through, but in my music I want to express what I feel, what I admire and what attracts me, be it Andalusian or Chinese.” Enrique Granados. “I hope that this album will allow a deeper understanding of the Goyescas, drawing not only the most common images of Spanish folklore such as the sevillanas or the bullfighters, but also a more complete picture of a diverse country. It was the inspiration for an artist like Goya who was at once deeply local and universal. It is this fascinating mixture of tradition and modernity, of Spain and Europe, that Granados liked and loved in his illustrious predecessor.” Enrique Granados

Hi-Res FLAC

Emily Hoile – Ballade (2021) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

January 7, 2024 0 Comment

With her first solo album, Emily Hoile would like to present works rarely heard on the harp until now. She takes great joy in arranging compositions for keyboard instruments and thus expanding the repertoire available to the harp: J.S. Bach’s Toccata in C minor and D. Scarlatti’s Sonata K.135 in E major make their debut on the harp with this release. The transcription of the Ballade by Claude Debussy is meant to underline the great importance that Paris had for harp music at the turn of the century. These arrangements are framed by two magnificent original compositions for the instrument: the surprisingly rarely played Harp Sonata by Casella and the Fantasy by Zabel inspired by Gounod’s Faust.

Hi-Res FLAC

Duo Minerva – Hymne à l‘amour (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

December 30, 2023 0 Comment

With their new CD “Hymne à l’amour” the Duo Minerva shows once again how exciting and multifaceted classical music can sound. The arrangements made with great artistry, their virtuosity and their exceptionally emotional musical style breathe fresh life into often heard works. With a lot of playfulness, the well-rehearsed duo moves between a wide variety of genres and combines classical masterpieces with contemporary avant-garde, folk music and a pinch of the yet unheard of on the subject of love – completely in Duo Minerva style.

Hi-Res FLAC

Duo Praxedis – Piazzolla: Works for Harp & Piano (2021) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

December 29, 2023 0 Comment

Astor Piazzolla is probably the best known composer of “Nuevo Tango” – that exciting combination of passion and melancholy, of Tango Argentino and classical music. Duo Praxedis also represents an “exciting combination” (quote International Piano Magazine) with it’s equally rare and tonally highly exciting instrumentation of harp and piano. The masculine-muscular aura of the concert grand piano in constant interplay with the feminine-sensual sound of the harp seem to be made for this music – a hitherto unheard-of tango experience, which you will not want to miss once you have heard the unique sound of Duo Praxedis!

Hi-Res FLAC

Dudaite Duet – Inseparable (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

December 27, 2023 0 Comment

One of the many fascinating aspects of music is its versatility. From deep melancholy and sadness to cheerful verve and joy, from tranquil idyll to dramatic impetus, it measures every conceivable state of mind. The present, very personal recording of the Lithuanian female musician duet – Ieva and Marija Dudaite – proves this. In this impressive recording, they present a program that has matured over 10 years of making music together – a captivating musical scenario with surprising twists and turns, immortal melodies, and great seriousness and warmth. It combines works by Ieva Dudaite, role exchanges (the pianist sings), four-hand piano playing, their own aria arrangements and a piano sonata by Lithuanian composer Jurgis Kubilius dedicated to Ieva Dudaite.

Hi-Res FLAC

Duo Natalia – Magical Russia (2020) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

December 26, 2023 0 Comment

The violinist Natalia van der Mersch, née Steurer, comes from Essen/Germany. Her extraordinary musical talent was recognized and encouraged early on by important violin teachers. The Russian violin pedagogue Zakhar Bron, who is sought after worldwide, accepted her into his master class in Lübeck. She was then invited by the famous Russian violin virtuoso Igor Oistrakh to his newly founded master class at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where she completed her soloist training with the concert exam with great distinction.

Hi-Res FLAC

Christoph Hartmann, Matthias Racz, Anna Kirichenko – Françaix, Schnyder & Others: Chamber Music (2022) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

December 19, 2023 0 Comment

The present release is a showcase of chamber music for oboe, bassoon, and piano by Jean Francaix, Daniel Schnyder, Francis Poulenc, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Christoph Hartmann began his career as an orchestral musician in 1991 with the Stuttgart Philharmonic, and the following year moved to Berlin. A teacher since 1993 in the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Orchestra Academy, in 1999 Hartmann, together with colleagues, founded the Landsberger Sommermusiken (Landsberg Summer Music), out of which evolved the Ensemble Berlin. Matthias Racz serves as Principal Bassoon for Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra since 2003, Principal Bassoon for Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Professor at Hochschule for Music and Theatre in Zurich, & artistic director for bassoon for The Muri Competition in Muri, Switzerland. Anna Kirichenko studied piano and composition at the Neshdanova University in her home town of Odessa, Ukraine. She continued her studies in piano with Professor Hans Leygraf at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Since her debut with the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, she has worked in close collaboration with orchestras throughout Russia and Ukraine.

Hi-Res FLAC

Bárbara Barradas, Ensemble Darcos – Nuno Côrte-Real: Tremor (2021) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

December 5, 2023 0 Comment

Under the aegis of the Great Lisbon Earthquake, we are brought a brief cycle of songs: Tremor. Nuno Côrte-Real takes a historic event with intellectual, philosophical and social repercussions at the world level, and proposes a journey through time. Leaving from contemporary Lisbon and travelling through the imaginary of the 1755 earthquake, the map that guides us is the poetry of Pedro Mexia. These are songs designed for a female voice, the soprano Bárbara Barradas, who gives both a body and a voice to Lisbon as it shakes and undulates to the greater and lesser tremors of the earth, attempting to cope with the devastation that these ripples may bring.

Hi-Res FLAC

ardeTrio – Tango Concertante, Vol. 1 (2021) [FLAC 24bit, 48 kHz]

December 3, 2023 0 Comment

An album on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Astor Piazzolla. The arde Trio offers two world premieres on its debut release: Fresh and new arrangements by Omar Massa, which are congenially embodied by the unusual instrumentation of the arde Trio, allow not only the great “classics” of Tango Nuevo music to resound anew on this album, but also the new compositions of Omar Massa, who leads Tango Nuevo into the 21st century and is described by the press as the secret successor of the great Astor Piazzolla. Experience a fascinating journey through time!

Hi-Res FLAC

Aram Amatuni, Igor Tchetuev – Poulenc, Janáček & Rachmaninoff: Chamber Works (2023) [FLAC 24 bit, 96 kHz]

December 3, 2023 0 Comment

Poulenc’s Cello Sonata is technically demanding for every cellist. Since he had a great affinity for woodwind instruments, his notation is not really tailored to the requirements of a string instrument. He himself was aware of this fact, so he sought expert advice on the composition from the famous cellist Pierre Fournier, who was also the dedicatee and soloist of the premiere in 1948. “Everything we see, hear and touch is connected with feeling.” This is how Leoš Janáček defined his artistic attitude, from which an idiosyncratic musical language emerged that was hardly comparable to other models or traditions of his time. Pohádka means – translated from Czech – “fairy tale”. The model is a fairy tale written by the Russian romantic Wassiliy Shukovskj (1783–1852) about the love of a prince for a princess. This choice of topic shows Janáček’s enthusiasm for Russian culture.

Hi-Res FLAC

Anne Battegay – The Essential Hebrew Violin (2022) [FLAC 24 bit, 48 kHz]

December 3, 2023 0 Comment

Indigo is the sixth colour in the rainbow and stands for truth; to live in harmony with oneself and everything as well as for intuition, inspiration and imagination. Thus, the colour symbolises the expansion of consciousness, holistic thinking and recognising connections between inner and outer influences. The trumpeter Georges Soyka therefore chose it as the title for his recording.

Hi-Res FLAC

Anna Naomi Schultsz, Gérard Wyss – Mouvements (2021) [FLAC 24bit, 96 kHz]

December 3, 2023 0 Comment

The four works that this album brings together are among the most beautiful of the French repertoire for violin. In the last decades of the 19th century, a new kind of music emerged in France that revisited French culture and tradition. For until then, the German classics and romantics had dominated the concert halls of France. Works by French composers were rarely performed. Saint-Saëns recalled in retrospect, “It was not long ago […] when […] the name of a French composer, a living one at that, was enough to scare the whole world away.” The lost Franco-Prussian War of 1870 was the impetus for a new orientation. Now the “Grande Nation” had to prove itself anew and find a new self-image. People looked back to their own traditions and wanted to revive French music. To this end, several composers founded the “Société nationale de musique”. Among the founding members were Camille Saint-Saëns, César Franck and Gabriel Fauré. Under the motto “Ars gallica,” this society was to promote and disseminate French music. It was to be music that combined German profundity with French charm and esprit.