Swissdisc

Sonata, Battaglie and Lamento by the CordArte Ensemble
The Swiss label Panclassics has produced a recording of sonatas, battaglie and lamento from the collection of the bishop of Olmütz, Karl von Liechtenstein Castelcorn. Assembled between 1664 and 1695, this collection is one of the three main sources of music from the German-speaking world in the 17th century. >>>

07.10.2008

Kei Koito: «Buxtehude &…»
Among the new releases this year is an extremely interesting production by Kei Koito. She has recently recorded a triple album dedicated to Dietrich Buxtehude, as well as his predecessors and contemporaries. The organist, whose previous recordings have been regularly hailed by the critics, here signs her first contribution for the Claves label. >>>

21.03.2008

The orchestral works of Julien-François Zbinden
Many tributes were paid to Julien-François Zbinden recently, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. He had confessed to me a long time ago that his greatest joy would be to record his four symphonies, to which he has now added a Fifth Symphony, world premiered last November by the Bern Symphony Orchestra. >>>

21.03.2008

Grammont Portrait: «Klavierduo Adrienne Soós / Ivo Haag»
«Werke für Klavierduo» (works for a piano duo) contains a selection of works composed for the piano by Adrienne Soós and Ivo Haag. The Duo, which the two started in their student years, performs with technical precision, humour and artistic power. >>>

03.12.2007

Carl Maria von Weber: «Symphonies N°1 & 2»
Carl Maria von Weber’s symphonies combine melodic wealth and rhythmic swing with effective instrumentation – the works’ dramaturgy is colourfully rendered by Claus Peter Flor and the Wiener Concert-Verein. >>>

03.12.2007

The «Songe d’une Nuit d’Eté» (Midsummer Night’s Dream) by René Gerber on the Musiques Suisses Label
A few months before his death, several years after having composed his «Songe d’une Nuit d’Eté» and «Roméo et Juliette», René Gerber was planning the outlines of a third opera on the theme of Joan of Arc. However this was not to be, and René Gerber has departed this world and taken Joan of Arc and all his projects with him. >>>

12.11.2007

Zeno Gabaglio explores the cello
The slow, meditative numbers composed by Ticino-born Zeno Gabaglio plunge the listener into a deliberately mysterious atmosphere. And even more so because acoustic and electronic cello musical sounds intermingle, combined with other synthetic sounds playing in a perpetual loop. >>>

05.08.2007

Tomás Luis de Victoria: Motecta 1572
The Ensemble La Sestina, conducted by Adriano Giardina, has released its second CD comprising a convincing interpretation of motets by Tomás Luis de Victoria.
Tomás Luis de Victoria published his first collection of 33 motets for different liturgies in 1572. These pieces, many of which are less well-known than the 1585 Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae, or the Officium defunctorum published in 1605, already reveal the great polyphonic master of the end of the Renaissance. >>>

14.04.2007

Chopin, Schumann and Prokofiev with the pianist Dmytro Sukhovienko
At first glance, this recording does not seem to have much to do with Swiss music, but on examining the disc jacket, one remarks that Swiss radio’s Espace 2 played a major part in the production, that the recording was made by CD’s Audio Productions and that financial support was provided by the Fondation Langart. Three good reasons for revising one’s opinion. >>>

20.03.2007

The complete piano works of Robert Schumann on the Claves label
The dynamic record label Claves has embarked on a magnificent adventure with the publication of the complete piano works by Robert Schumann on four CDs in one fell swoop. A masterly stroke, and a remarkable success which is well worth noting. >>>

10.01.2007

Top Chors: Romansch choral music
Radio Rumantsch, as everyone knows, throws itself heart and soul into the preservation of Romansch culture. The producer Giusep G. Decurtins is also one of its fervent supporters. He has proved this more than once, and his most recent recording features choral renderings of the best-loved Rhaeto-romanic songs. >>>

18.12.2006

Conductor Marek Janowski presents his first recording with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.
A few months ago, we had the privilege of visiting the extraordinary recording studio installed by Phil Collins at Gland on the shores of Lake Geneva. We were informed that this spacious studio would without doubt be large enough to accommodate an orchestra of the size of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR). >>>

18.12.2006

Three new releases by «Musiques suisses».
One really cannot but admire the commitment of the Migros cooperative and its «Cultural percentage» to the regular publication of works by Swiss composers and interpreters. >>>

18.12.2006

Edvard Grieg, Henrik Ibsen and Lambert Wilson together in a recording by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Here we have a remarkable boxed set of three records by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Motet de Genève directed by Guillaume Tourniaire, featuring what must be described as Edvard Grieg’s major work – Peer Gynt. >>>

20.07.2006

Terpsycordes Quartett: Joseph Haydn’s String Quartets op.33
Joseph Haydn’s masterful string quartets op. 33 are surprising for their innovative power and stylistic originality – the Terpsycordes Quatuor approaches the works joyfully and with considerable poetry. >>>

07.07.2006

Ceysson – De Maistre: «Concertos for 1 and 2 harps»
Twenty-two year-old Xavier de Maistre and his compatriot Emmanuel Ceysson – impressive representatives of a younger generation of musicians for whom the harp is not incompatible with virility – have released a recording of three exciting concerts for the harp. >>>

04.07.2006

Contrabass duo Studer and Frey «zweierlei»
Does it always have to be Bottesini or Dittersdorf ?
No, it doesn’t! The contrabass conceals – or, in this case, the two contrabasses conceal – a treasure trove of notes and sounds which Daniel Studer and Peter K. Frey draw out of their instruments in these harmonious improvisations.
>>>

04.07.2006

The Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain
The young contemporary ensemble «Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain» has received a very welcome visiting card in the form of a new CD release by «Musiques Suisses» in the series «Grammont Portrait», an example of the task assigned for itself by the Consortium for the Promotion of Swiss Music. Partners in this undertaking are the Arts Council of Switzerland-Pro Helvetia, SUISA Foundation for Music, Association of Swiss Musicians, SSG SSR Idée Suisse (Swiss broadcasting Company), Federation of Migros cooperatives and the Swiss Society of Artists. >>>

20.03.2006

Joseph Haydn: «The London Trios»
Pan has just released a CD with Joseph Haydn’s four London Trios, composed for the somewhat unusual formation of two transverse flutes and violincello. >>>

26.01.2006

Beethoven by the Sine Nomine Quartet
In its «Repertoire» series, Claves presents us with a double CD containing five quartets by Beethoven: opus 59 Numbers 1, 2, 3, 74 and 95. The Sine Nomine Quartet is one of this country’s finest chamber ensembles, as eloquently proved by this double CD. >>>

16.01.2006

Three unpublished works by Arthur Honegger by the OSR
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) has also made its contribution to this commemorative year with the release of a recording containing some rarely heard works by Arthur Honegger, including Jour de Fête Suisse, Radio-Panoramique and the Song of Songs. >>>

16.01.2006

Two major works of Ernest Bloch
Schelomo, the Hebrew Rhapsody for cello and large orchestra, and Avodath Hakodesh, the Hebrew Sacred Service for baritone, solo, mixed choir and orchestra, are assembled on a single record just released by the label «Musiques suisses». >>>

01.11.2005

Dodekachordon: Swiss Renaissance music
The label Gallo has just released a CD with motets and works for the organ by three Swiss Renaissance composers. The compositions all come from the circle of Glarean, the music theoretician, and were in part composed for his work «Dodekachordon» (the twelve-key system). >>>

01.11.2005

Piano for the left hand with Antoine Rebstein
It is quite rare for a label to take the risk of producing a record consisting only of pieces for the left hand. Well, Claves has taken that risk and, thanks to the talent of the young Swiss pianist, Arthur Rebstein, that risk has paid off. >>>

01.11.2005

A portrait CD in honour of Ulrich Stranz
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Förderung schweizerischer Musik (a partnership for the promotion of Swiss music) regularly publishes recordings of Swiss performers or of works of Swiss composers. The most recent CD in this collection is devoted to Ulrich Stranz. >>>

28.07.2005

A Portrait CD for Mischa Käser
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Förderung schweizerischer Musik (a partnership for the promotion of Swiss music) has released a portrait CD devoted to Mischa Käser. Käser was born in Zurich in 1959 and studied guitar at Winterthur Conservatory. He then studied composition with Hans Ulrich Lehmann in Zurich and Roland Moser in Basel. >>>

28.07.2005

Schweizer Hornquartette, Vol. I
Migros-Kulturprozent’s label, «Musiques Suisses», has released an excellent CD with original, indeed contemporary, compositions for the horn quartet. >>>

07.06.2005

Who’s afraid of Tromba marina?
Tromba marina, trumscheit, trompet violin, Mary’s trumpet, or nun’s violin are different names of the instrument that is placed centre-stage on this CD. Even more than its appearance, it is the instrument’s sound that makes it so peculiar. Although it is a string instrument, it sounds like a trumpet. The reason for this is its asymmetrical shoe-shaped bridge. >>>

07.06.2005

Frank Martin: Golgotha, Oratorium for Soli, Choir, Orchestra and Organ
In co-production with Swiss Radio DRS 2, Musiques Suisses has released a recording of “Golgotha”, Frank Martin’s two-part Passion Oratorium. The double CD is a live recording of a concert held on 1 April 2004 at the KKL Lucerne in the context of the Lucerne Festival. >>>

31.01.2005

Swiss Music for Flute and Piano
Musiques Suisses, the Migros Cooperative’s CD label, has released a recording of mid-20th century music for flute and piano by Swiss composers. The recording documents the diversity of the era’s composers and, through a superb choice of musicians, excellently illustrates the different musical currents that existed in Switzerland in the first half of the last century. >>>

31.01.2005

« O Dulcis Amor »: Seventeenth century women composers
This original release from Ramée is a magnificent performance, inviting the listener on a poetic journey, an enchanting reverie. The recording has been produced with great care and attention, and is accompanied by a comprehensive and remarkably well written booklet. >>>

31.01.2005

Antonio Vivaldi : « Le Quattro Stagioni »; Giovanni Guido : « Le Quattro Stagioni dell’Anno »
Of all classical works, “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi holds the record for the number of releases, even if some of them are hardly worthy of the listener’s attention. With this new release, distributed by the Swiss recording company Musicora, Federico Guglielmo offers the public a new version, or re-reading, using a large quantity of solo wind instruments (recorders, oboes, horns and bassoons) and paying scrupulous attention to the score and the rules of musical practice. >>>

27.01.2005

The Piano Works of GROCK
FESAM (the European Music Fund) made a significant financial contribution to the realisation of a film archive on the great clown Adrien Wettach, better known as GROCK. The contribution was possible because GROCK’s original piano music had to be specially recorded for the occasion. That has now been done thanks to the production company Mesch & Ugge and, above all, to the talent of the pianist Viktoria Roubtsova. >>>

29.11.2004

The Enchanted Flute revisited by jazz musicians George Gruntz and Peter O. Chotjewitz
The SUISA Foundation for Music, and the fund for orchestra materials which it generously supports, have provided substantial financing for the production – in English – of a jazz version of The Enchanted Flute. The première was held in the beautiful church in Saanen, during the 2003 Festival of Gstaad. >>>

29.11.2004

A Young Piano Trio Plays Swiss Compositions
The newly created with Angela Golubeva, violin, Sebastian Singer, violoncello and Martin Lucas Staub, piano, has recorded three interesting and very different piano trios by Swiss composers: Les Litaniae – Tone Poems op. 70 by Paul Juon (1872-1940) in the composer’s own re-worked version from 1929 (the first version was composed in 1918 and is considered missing). The CD also contains some popular Irish melodies composed by Frank Martin (1890 – 1974) in 1925. >>>

22.10.2004

Carl Greith : «Der Heilige Gallus»
The name Carl Greith only means something to a small circle of connoisseurs. The Swiss composer has now been rescued from oblivion by the Migros cooperative which is giving us the opportunity to rediscover one of his works in its «Musiques Suisses» phonogram series. >>>

18.05.2004

Brennan - Doran – Héral : «Triangulation»
It's been almost ten years since the release of the first recording by Irish-born Swiss-residing John Wolf Brennan and Christy Doran which explored their Irish roots and many varied paths they have taken since. On this recording they are joined by the French percussion shaman Patrick Héral. >>>

01.04.2004

Johann Melchior Dreyer: a wonderful discovery
With their interpretation of the works of Johann Melchior Dreyer (1747-1824), the Thurgauer Kammerchor and the Thurgauer Barockensemble are inviting us to share a wonderful discovery. >>>

26.03.2004

Giuliano Sommerhalder will represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Competition «Young Musicians 2004»
On February 8th 2004 the Swiss heat for the Eurovision Competition «Young Musicians 2004» took place in Lugano. Among the four young musical talents who took part in the Swiss heat, the jury elected the 19-year old Giuliano Sommerhalder as winner. >>>

09.02.2004

Pianist Beatrice Berrut interprets Beethoven, Schumann and Liszt
To start the year, producer Amie Accord has released a wonderful album. The CD contains major works like «Sonate opus 31 N° 3» by Ludwig van Beethoven, «Fantaisie opus 17 en do majeur» by Robert Schumann and «Vallée d’Obermann», that most formidable work drawn from Franz Liszt’s «Années de Pèlerinage en Suisse». >>>

04.02.2004

VDE-GALLO publishes three records of works by René Gerber
René Gerber is generally held to be the most French of Swiss composers. Three new records devoted to his works released by VDE-Gallo prove this true once again. >>>

20.01.2004

Reto Parolari has been awarded the 2004 SUISA Foundation for Music Prize
On Saturday, October 18th, 2003, in the context of the 12th International Festival for Light Music in Winterthur, the SUISA Foundation for Music will award its 2004 Prize endowed with CHF 10'000 to the Winterthur publisher Reto Parolari. >>>

20.10.2003

12th Eurovision Young Musician Competition
The final of the 12th Eurovision Young Musician Competition will be held from 20 - 27 May 2004 in the Konzertsaal of Lucerne's Culture and Congress Center. It is one of Europe's most important competitions for young musical talent and is funded jointly by all of Europe's public sector television broadcasters. >>>

28.08.2003

A Reference Book of Women Conductors
In the professional area of orchestral conducting, women are, with 0-5%, still extremely underrepresented. The German Archive Woman & Music is going to publish a Reference Book of Women Conductors both as hardback and as a website version. >>>

13.05.2003

Fritz Voegelin – a portrait
As part of the series «Musiques suisses» and «Grammont Portrait», a CD of works by the Swiss composer Fritz Voegelin (*1943) has been brought out in collaboration with Swiss Radio (DRS). The five works, with their completely different instrumentations, all date from the period 1993-2000, a very stressful time for the composer both personally and musically. >>>

11.07.2002

Klaus Huber: «Schwarzerde»
As part of the «Musikszene Schweiz» series a double CD of Klaus Huber's stage work «Schwarzerde» has been brought out in collaboration with Swiss Radio DRS and Basel Theatre. The libretto is by Michael Schindhelm and uses poems and prose texts by Ossip Mandelstam.
>>>

04.06.2002

Urs Joseph Flury: «Vineta, Cellokonzert, Sinfonietta»
The label «Musikszene Schweiz» has brought out a CD of three orchestral works by the Solothurn composer Urs Joseph Flury, born 1941. This recording allows us to discover a composer whose works have in recent years unfortunately been underperformed. >>>

04.06.2002

«Canzon del Principe» - musical Naples in 1600
Published by Divox in co-production with Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and WDR, «Canzon del Principe» comprises works from the famous manuscript of Luigi Rossi, preserved in the British Library under catalogue reference MS Add. 30491. >>>

01.03.2002

CD Portrait – Rolf Urs Ringger
The label «Musikszene Schweiz» has portrayed the Swiss composer Rolf Urs Ringger in a new release. The CD consists of an aria for soprano, an orchestra piece, a string quartet and various piano pieces which together illustrate different aspects of Rolf Urs Ringger's work. >>>

01.09.2001

Solo-CD: Walter Grimmer
Works by Jacques Wildberger, Pascal Dusapin, Hans Ulrich Lehmann, Klaus Huber and Isang Yun. >>>

01.09.2001

Adolf Brunner: «The Passion according to St. Mark»
The Passion according to St. Mark, by the Swiss composer Adolf Brunner (1901 - 1992), has been released in the «Musikszene Schweiz» collection. The fact that the composer himself was involved in all stages of the work and of its recording – in 1985, during his lifetime – adds special significance to the new release. >>>

02.05.2001

Romantic Switzerland
Up until the 18th Century, for want of patrons of the arts in its royal houses and princely courts, Switzerland was a relatively under-developed area, musically-speaking. Towards the end of the 18th Century, however, Switzerland had become an attractive stage for theatrical, literary and musical works. >>>

03.04.2001