Tea for two: A Selection of European Delicacies

The details are unclear, but one thing is certain: our couple loves classical music. This recording tells a love story with a happy ending, through a number of short but elegant compositions. Even small-scale works can be great in their own way and, compiled in such a creative manner and performed by such excellent musicians, they offer the listener an hour of sheer amazement and amusement.

From Jacques Ibert's Divertissement for chamber orchestra (when the couple first meet), via Anton Heberle's Concerto in G major (the wedding music) through to Peter Heidrich's Variations on Happy Birthday (the happy ending and final celebration), the orchestra accompanies the couple not only when they indulge their liking of tea during their honeymoon, but adding music from all eras as a backdrop to their relationship.

Since its establishment in 1935, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana has enjoyed a status as one of Switzerland's best-known orchestras, working regularly with renowned conductors and prestigious soloists.

On this recording, the ensemble is conducted by the English conductor Howard Griffiths, who has guest conducted many leading orchestras worldwide and is currently GMD of the Brandenburg State Orchestra. The soloists are Maurice Steger (recorder), who was hailed in The Independent newspaper as "the world's leading recorder virtuoso", and the pianist Davide Cabassi, finalist at the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.