Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen - Mozart: Symphonies V - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The artists write InchChristmas in 2020 was very still, with corona lockdown and a ban on singing. After that sobering experience, we had the idea to arrange traditional Christmas carols for two cellos. We are always surprised to discover that the earliest ones move our emotions because of their purity, their sheer energy, and their touches of elevated spirituality. Sounding like the human voice, the cello's sonority creates a space for our individual emotions. It let's us encounter these time-honored songs that are sung in the family or at church, often under difficult circumstances when humanity is under threat. Vincent Themba's congenial, well-suited, inspiring accompaniments on guitar, djembe, and double bass support and enrich our arrangements. While we were preparing this album, we realized that we were actually prolonging the legacy and work of our two respective fathers, Joseph Alfred Schlichtig and Hans Heinemann. When we were young, it was they who made it possible for us all to play Christmas music at church and in our families at home. We remember them with utter gratitude.Inch

With these concerts, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig embarks on a musical journey to the Czech Republic in memory of it's former conductor Václav Neumann. It was there that Jan Václav Voríšek was born in 1791, the year of Mozart's death, and was taken away from it by pulmonary tuberculosis at the same age as Mozart, only 34 years old. The manuscript of his D Major Symphony shares the fate of the symphonies of his friend and companion Franz Schubert and was neither printed nor performed during his lifetime. In the meantime, however, it has become his most frequently performed work! A short, late and rare happy chapter of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's moving biography is set in the capital of the Czech Republic. When he arrived in Prague in January 1787, he was quite astonished That his music met with such great enthusiasm was by no means a matter of course for Mozart. Looking back, he will describe his successes in Prague as the most beautiful moments of his life. The D Major Symphony K. 504 was premiered in Prague and opens the group of Mozart's last four symphonies.

Let's meet at the Horizon features four contemporary works. All four prominently feature the double bass, for which there is a far too limited repertoire. This album is an important contribution to the recorded bass literature. Violinist Karen Lord-Powell enjoys a varied career as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and teacher. She teaches violin, chamber music, and orchestral repertoire at the Frost School of Music, and is a member of the leadership team for the Experiential Music Curriculum, Frost's innovative approach to musicianship training. Formerly Principal Second Violin of the Louisville Orchestra, Karen's orchestral experience includes work with the Indianapolis and Houston Symphonies, and with renowned conductors such as Stephane Deneve, Mariss Jansons, and Leonard Slatkin. She has appeared as Concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Miami Bach Society, and has been a featured soloist with the Glenelg Chamber Orchestra, the Northwestern Chamber Orchestra, and in recital at the National Governor's Convention in Washington, D.C. Brian Powell is associate professor of Double Bass and String Music Education at the FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC. He is a former member of The New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also performed with the Louisville Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Florida Philharmonic, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he received recognition in several solo competitions, including his win at the Aspen Music Festival Double Bass Solo Competition.