Jan Vogler / Mira Wang / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Peter Oundjian DOUBLE CONCERTOS

On 11 May 2018, German cellist Jan Vogler will release his new CD with Sony Classical: Together with violinist Mira Wang and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Peter Oundjian they have recorded double concertos by Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Rihm and John Harbison.

Through Jan Vogler’s initiative two renowned contemporary composers – American John Harbison and German Wolfgang Rihm – were each to compose a work for violin, violoncello and orchestra, which will now be released as world premiere recording.
Both pieces – Wolfgang Rihm’s “Duo Concerto” as well as John Harbison’s “Double Concerto” – were premiered by Jan Vogler and his wife, violinist Mira Wang in the USA.

Jan Vogler and Mira Wang about this new recording:
"Brahms’ singular master work stood alone for over a century, without notable challenge by new compositions for the same unique instrumentation. We are happy and proud to have helped to bring two beautiful and strong double concertos to life. Wolfgang Rihm’s virtuous double concerto in one movement and John Harbison‘s poetic and symphonic work are framing Brahms’ double concerto on this CD. For us it feels like a completed circle, from the first idea through the creations and premieres, to the presentation on this recording."

Elina Vähälä / Niek De Groot DUOS FOR VIOLIN AND DOUBLE BASS

Dutch double bassist Niek de Groot is one of today's leading soloists. Originally a trumpet-player he started playing the double-bass at 18. Within an unusually short time he became principal bass with several European ensembles, including a 10 year tenure as first solo-bass with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

After his formal studies he further developed his skills at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada. Niek's playing has benefited a great deal also from attending masterclasses with eminent cellists Frans Helmerson, Lluìs Claret, Laurence Lesser and in collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, György Sebök and Mstislav Rostropovich. 

Since 2006 Niek de Groot has dedicated himself entirely to chamber music and solo performances. He performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician at the best known concerthalls and music festivals. A new well received solo CD for NIMBUS was released in 2015. The first volume of the Hoffmeister solo-quartets and Rossini sonatas for BIS-records was released in 2017. The second volume will arrive later in 2018. A new recording with contemporary violin/bass Duos for AUDITE is on the market since February 2018.  His repertoire includes a great deal of contemporary music and he has worked closely with composers such as Kurtág, Stockhausen, Saariaho, Vasks and Gubaidulina.

​For this recording, Finnish violinist Elina Vähälä and Dutch double bass player Niek de Groot have chosen and performed seven pieces, composed by six Europeans and one Korean. When a violin and a double bass come together, two sound spheres collide: particularly in recent times, many renowned composers have been inspired to create highly original realisations of such encounters.

Huelgas Ensemble / Minguet Quartett WOLFGANG RHIM Et Lux

'Et Lux' is an alluring and timeless work for vocal ensemble and string quartet by leading German composer Wolfgang Rihm, here receiving its first recording.

The hour-long piece is dedicated to The Hilliard Ensemble and the Arditti Quartet who gave the world premiere in Cologne in November 2009 and its UK premiere later that month at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. This pairing of a vocal group and a string quartet specializing in early music and contemporary music respectively is replicated by the artists on this ECM disc - the Cologne-based Minguet Quartett and the Belgian early music group, the Huelgas Ensemble whose founder, Paul van Nevel, conducts the recording.
'Et Lux' emerges as if from centuries ago, and reflects upon the musical processes that have shaped it, including the ritual of the requiem: "What we have is not music remembered but music remembering." It incorporates text fragments of the Latin Requiem Mass, which appear as components of a progressively realized whole. "Great significance is displayed by the reappearance of specific groups of words, for example 'et lux perpetua luceat' (and let perpetual light shine upon them). Through circling reflection the comforting yet disturbing meaning of the words may become perceptible."
Reviewing the premiere performance the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised the work's interwoven musical and linguistic elements while the Daily Telegraph said of its UK premiere: "Beautifully paced and very moving". 'Et Lux' was recorded in February 2014 in Antwerp. The CD booklet includes an introductory statement by Wolfgang Rihm, and liner notes by Paul Griffiths and Wolfgang Schreiber.