Miguel Ortega - Canciones Del Recuerdo - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

World premiere recordings of beguiling flute sonatas written on the cusp of the early-Romantic era in Germany.Almost completely forgotten in our own time, Johann Christian Friedrich Schneider (1786-1853) once enjoyed substantial fame as a pianist, composer, teacher and musical organiser. He was born in 1786, 16 years after Beethoven, in the same year as Weber and the Brothers Grimm, and received his first musical education from his father. His talent was evident from an early age, as he learnt the piano and several other instruments. Breitkopf & Hartel published his Op.1, a set of piano sonatas, in 1804; he went to study in Leipzig, where he became organist of the Thomaskirche, and settled there for his 20s, giving the local premiere of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto in 1811. A standard German work of reference from 1838 cites Schneider 'among the living German masters of music'. From the evidence of these four sonatas for flute and piano, it is hard to see why his name should have so comprehensively vanished from view. Schneider composed the first of them, his Op.18, in 1808, and it follows the same Classical exemplar as Beethoven's first eight violin sonatas, and all of Mozart's in being written for a pianist with an accompanying melody instrument rather than the other way around. Over the course of the following three sonatas, the flautist becomes more independent, and his Op.61 Sonata of 1827 requires a virtuoso. Schneider wrote the first three sonatas in a four-movement form, breaking ground in this way by elevating the flute sonata from it's previous association with pretty variation sets and pot-pourris of operatic themes. This originality extends to the finales of all four sonatas - notably the Second, which is cast in G minor against the prevailing G major tonality (foreshadowing in this way the 'Italian' Symphony of Mendelssohn). In his booklet essay for thi

On the 20th of August 2022, the centenary of the passing of Felipe Pedrell transpired-an occasion marking the solemn remembrance of the esteemed progenitor of Spanish musical nationalism. The catalogue of musical compositions by Pedrell, established in 1977, comprises a total of 231 titles. However, it encompasses more than five hundred works when considering revisions and reinterpretations of certain compositions. In the catalogue of his works, there is a notable emphasis on his interest in art song with accompaniment, serving as the foundation for his musical creations and a key element in his nationalist ideology. His initial compositions for voice and piano date back to 1857, where he endeavours to distance himself from the prevailing trends in Spanish music during his era and align with European musical styles. He achieves this by utilizing texts from Germanic poets associated with the early Romantic period, such as Heine and Uhland, while also drawing influence from the Italian operatic tradition. Expanding his list of authors, he incorporates the works of his contemporaries from France, Catalonia, and the rest of Spain, being the first Spaniard to title his collections of songs and melodies with the German word Lieder, starting from 1871. The Pedrell songs are marked by enormous contrast, and all closely related to the text's message. The voice and piano accompaniment are superbly treated, and some songs exhibit exotic influences (Arab), at times mysterious and at others romantic. Undoubtedly, a work worthy of being among the most important lyrical repertoire.

Miguel Bose's new album entitled, Sereno, features 11 tracks of acoustic and electonric music. Featuring the Mana's Alex Gonzales on the track InchSerenoInch.