Chamber Music & Recitals

On a previous album, the Chiaroscuro Quartet has recorded the first half of Joseph Haydn's Op. 76, including No. 3, the celebrated 'Emperor' quartet. The release has won great acclaim, with the critic in Gramophone writing: 'The Chiaroscuros' account of...

On 6 of March 2020, Bach Collegium Japan began their long-awaited 30th anniversary tour of Europe with a performance of Bach's St John Passion in Katowice, Poland. The same week Europe was becoming aware of the very stark reality of the threat posed by...

On 28th December 1995 seven violins, selected instruments created by the world's most famous violin makers, met for a high-class competition. "Who is the fairest in the land?" That was and is the question... "an audiophile celebration (Stereoplay)

Of the two large piano sonatas composed by Charles Ives, No. 2 ('the Concord Sonata') is by far the best-known, overshadowing it's sibling. The First Piano Sonata is comparably ambitious, however, and with a playing time of more than 40 minutes,...

Of all the enigmas that surround Erik Satie and his music, Vexations is probably the most enigmatic. A 'theme' in the bass, with two different harmonizations, to be played - according to an ambiguous note on the composer's autograph - 840 times. That is...

Nuno C?rte-Real (b. 1971) has been working as a composer and conductor for more than twenty years and is one of the most important figures of Portuguese contemporary music. From the beginning, he showed great independence, ignoring the prevailing musical...

Nox, the Latin word for 'night'. In the world of art, the night of Schumann's Nachtst?cke, Robert Zuidam's Nox and Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit creaks open it's doors like a haunted castle for romantic poets and composers. Night-time visions became the...

Not that a flutist would actually need to poach in foreign territories due to a lack of attractive repertoire, but the arrangements presented here, based on well-known chamber music works and songs, nevertheless make sense: they underline not only the...

Not known to many today, Svend Erik Tarp (1908-1994) was one of the most prominent Danish composers of his time, boasting a large and versatile body of work which more or less has survived in obscurity. This series now sheds new light on a selection of...

Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen is undoubtedly a rising star at the moment, following successful appearances at the Op?ra-Comique in Paris, Grand Th??tre de Gen?ve, Oper Frankfurt, Komische Oper Berlin, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. On the concert...

Nine variations by nine composers on an amateur composer's jolly little song: Gerald Finzi was invited to compose together with highly individual personalities like Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gordon Jacob, and Howard Ferguson. Along with other works by...

Nikolai Medtner's music fascinates and surprises, in the midst of what also seems to be well known. You may imagine that you have heard the melodies before, in childhood or in a dream. But, even if you haven't, it is as if you have been waiting for this...