Jeanne Golan IT TAKES ONE TO TANGO

 

IT TAKES ONE TO TANGO

 

Maia Cabeza FOLK ROOTS

FOLK ROOTS

Hila Baggio / Jerusalem Quartet THE YIDDISH CABARET

By juxtaposing Leonid Desyatnikov’s contemporary song settings of Yiddish texts (offering a glimpse into Jewish life in Warsaw during the Weimar Republic) with a pair of chamber works by Schulhoff and Korngold, which also date from this troubled period between the wars, the present recording highlights the fascinating crosspollination then taking place in the music of Eastern and Western Europe.

With soprano Hila Baggio as their featured soloist, members of the Jerusalem Quartet bid us “come to the cabaret” to savour a whole range of stylistic approaches and emotional experiences of the rarest kind.

Ragazze Quartet ČESKO

On Cesko we go on a musical journey across Europe to the extraordinary land of Bohemia (popularly known as Cesko, though officially the word actually means Czech), the homeland of two composers we have come to love so much. It doesn’t seem to matter that we hardly know their country: the indescribable energy ofthe music, with its folk melodies and harmonies, revealing the essence of a nation steeped in a deep cultural history, takes us there instantly. These composers are the much celebrated and revered Antonín Dvo?ák, along with the younger and lesser-known Erwin Schulhoff, whose life and career was tragically cut short by the Nazi regime. Both were masters in harnessing the old to the new, fusing a rich musical heritage with the influence of new worlds. Their works take us through the full range of emotions, from the tranquil to the fiery, from the elated to the melancholic. A reflection of human life.

Marion Rampal / Quatuor Manfred / Raphaël Imbert BYE-BYE BERLIN

Bye bye… or Berlin for ever? Throughout the 1920s all eyes were turned towards Berlin. Driven by a collective energy, artists of all persuasions (writers, painters, architects, filmmakers and composers) there established the principles of ‘New Objectivity’, which saw the city become the very epitome of modernity, at the same time as following in the footsteps of other great cities worldwide, not least New York, the birthplace of jazz. Life in Berlin was not the stuff of romance however: strikes, poverty, repression, the rise of Nazism… The post-war social context contributed to the craze that swept the capital for cabaret, a kind of safety valve that allowed for a moral and social release. 

It is this ephemeral, underground world of ‘Great Berlin’ as depicted in ‘The Blue Angel’ that Marion Rampal and the Quatuor Manfred invite us to rediscover here, in collaboration with saxophonist Raphaël Imbert: a liberal burst of freedom and humanity delivered with passion.

EnAccord String Quartet CAPRICCIO

The string quartet repertoire is an unending voyage of discovery and exploration. The great masterpieces of the repertoire conceal unknown jewels in their shadow; these latter works, however, seldom find their way onto a concert programme. This recording introduces our listeners to our first and highly personal anthology of splendidly varied and short pieces for string quartet. We hope you enjoy them - because there are many more such works still to be discovered and enjoyed. 

“Our CD is a collection of short stories: each piece has its own structure and mood, its own individual world. Schulhoff’s five pieces, each with its own individual character, are perfect examples of this.”
Rosalinde Kluck - alt violin

“The Lekeu piece was a real discovery. Splendid music with great depth. But what a tragedy! How many more masterpieces could Lekeu have composed, if he hadn’t died at such a young age?”
Maike Reisener - cello

“It was an immense pleasure to get to grips with these small masterpieces. Puccini’s Crisantemi is possibly the best of them for me personally. It’s like a scene from one of his operas, with so much emotion and so atmospheric. And of course I’m pleased that there’s also an important work by a Belgian composer on the CD as well…”
Helena Druwé - violin

“To make this CD was a really intriguing experience. I think it’s so amazing to have so many different styles on one CD, because you get to hear all of the different things that our quartet can do. For me, one of the best things in the CD is the Mendelssohn piece, with its warm and impassioned introduction.”
Ilka van der Plas - violin