Various Artists - Lieder & Ballads - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Symphonies Nos. 23 and 24 were written in 1764 for performance before Prince Nikolaus at Eisenstadt, where the Esteráhzy palace boasted a reception hall that could have held some four hundred people, although such numbers would not have been present at w hat was a purely domestic entertainment for the Prince, members of his family and entourage, and his guests. These symphonies form part of a group of eight symphonies written in 1764 and 1765. Symphony No. 23 in G major opens with a triple time Allegro, a lively and cheerful movement. It is followed by a slow movement scored for strings. To this the use of suspensions adds an element of poignancy, as the momentary discords are resolved. The Menuet is a canon between upper and lower parts, with a Trio that has motivic connections with the Menuet that frames it. The last movement makes use of dynamic contrasts, ending with a reduction of volume, instead of the expected emphatic conclusion. In Symphony No.24 in D major Haydn shows once more his ability to produce, even at this early stage of his career as a composer, music of infinite variety and invention, within existing formal limitations. The opening Allegro makes initial use of the wind and string timbres available in a sonata-allegro movement that has it's moments of stronger feeling in the central development. The slow movement makes use of the flute in apart apparently written for the Esterházy flautist Franz Sigl, for whom Haydn also wrote a flute concerto, now lost. Here he exploits the abilities of the player, allowing him a brief cadenza. The following Menuet is repeated after a Trio in which the flute again has apart to play. The two oboes of the orchestra return for a final movement of dramatic contrasts. Symphony No. 61 in D major belongs to a slightly later period of Haydn's life. It was written in 1776, at a time when Prince Nikolaus Esterházy's interest

The present features a selection of Lieder by composer Joachim Raff. InchDespite the abundance and the high quality of Joachim Raff's songs, this part of his composition is little known and documented - in contrast to his instrumental works, which are recorded several times. Raff's songwriting is still hardly a subject of music-historical research. We very much hope and wish that this recording, which consists exclusively of premieres, can interest somebody in Raff's songs - so that we more often can find them in concerts!Inch (Hedayet Jonas Djeddikar & Johannes Wedeking)

Karl Marx has said very little about music; from a Marxist point of view this could be explained by the fact that, since he spent most of his adult life in poverty in London, he had no opportunity to experience music. However, this has not prevented composers, especially in the last hundred years, from making him their subject or using his thoughts. For the Marx Year 2019 some current examples of the musical engagement with Marx are presented here. Birmingham Contemporary Music Group is one of the world's foremost new music ensembles. Over three decades, BCMG has developed the music of today for the audiences of tomorrow. The ensemble has commissioned over 175 pieces of music from the world's finest composers and emerging international talent. Many of the works have been commissioned through it's innovative pioneering Sound Investment crowd-funding scheme to which over 500 donors have contributed more than £300,000; many of these works have subsequently found their way into worldwide repertoire.