Rick Stotijn - Back to Stockhome - SUPER-AUDIO CD [Super Audio CD (SACD)]

For unalloyed dignity and composure, these performances are hard to equal.' - Gramophone, May 2011 'This is vintage Cherkassky; playing to charm the birds out of the trees' - Gramophone, March 2013 // ICA Classics offers five of the greatest pianists in legendary performances featuring concertos by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Grieg, Liszt and Tchaikovsky. Claudio Arrau, Shura Cherkassky, Georges Cziffra, Emil Gilels and Julius Katchen were all considered iconic pianists of the 20th century - here they are combined in one box set at a fantastic price.

The concerto, with it's soloist thrilling and moving an audience with the support of an orchestra, has been one of the most popular musical forms for over 300 years. Now imagine a concerto for two instruments twice the virtuosity and twice the expression! While Antonio Vivaldi was one of the first composers to investigate the possibilities of this in his more than 500 concertos, he didn't compose a single one for double bass. This recording rectifies Vivaldi's omission and offers arrangements of two of his double concertos as well as one of his best-loved arias Vedrò con mio diletto from the opera Il Giustino. A little more than century later, Giovanni Bottesini, the Paganini of the double bass, captivated first Europe and then the rest of the world, displaying a dazzling virtuosity in his numerous compositions that highlight the unique qualities of the instrument. For his second disc on the BIS tag, Rick Stotijn, a tireless advocate of his instrument and it's endless possibilities, has joined forces with his friends Johannes Rostamo, Olivier Thiery and Bram van Sambeek. Supported by Camerata RCO, a string ensemble from the Amsterdam Concertgebouworkest, they perform concertante works from these two Italian composers Doppio espressivo!

The music of Giovanni Bottesini is little played in international concert halls. He was a virtuoso on the double bass as well as a colorful composer, and a character about whom many an anecdote could be told. His compositions for double bass are now staples of the instrument's repertoire. This disc of favorite works by Bottesini features Rick Stotijn, making his debut on Channel Classics. Stotijn is currently leader of the double basses in the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. He is also guest leader of orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and the London Symphony Orchestra. The disc also features the bass player's sister mezzo-soprano Chistiane Stotijn, and orchestral support from his friends in the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.