SERGEI RACHMANINOV
Tchaikovsky: Liturgy of St John Chrysostom Latvian Radio Choir, Sigvards Klava [ Ondine / CD - released 20/Jan/2020 ] "The atmosphere and context - music as extraordinary religious expression - is magisterially conveyed here by a choir on top form, with sound engineering that captures them perfectly...In addition the choir's diction is superb." Gramophone |
HUMMEL / MOZART / WINTER / ROSSINI
Bassoon Concertos Jaakko Luoma (bassoon), Tapiola Sinfonietta, Janne Nisonen (Concertmaster) [ Ondine / CD - released 19/Jul/2019 ] As an instrument, the bassoon has had a remarkable history. Beginning with its Renaissance ancestry as the dulcian, it developed during the Baroque period into an almost indispensable part of the ensemble. Antonio Vivaldi recognized the versatility... |
SCHUMANN / BACH
Schumann: Adventlied & Ballade vom Pagen und der Königstochter & JS Bach: Cantata BWV 105 Helsinki Baroque Orchestra & Estonian Philharmonic Chamber, Aapo Hakkinen [ Ondine / CD - released 11/May/2019 ] Helsinki Baroque Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir led by Aapo Häkkinen join their forces together with an impressive vocal cast, Carolyn Sampson, Benno Schachtner, Werner Güra, Jonathan Sells and Cornelius Uhle, in this unique... |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Quartet in G Minor (orch. Schoenberg) Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Jaime Martín [ Ondine / CD - released 13/Apr/2019 ] "Jaime Martin revels in these marvellously lurid sonorities, pushing the woodwinds to the fore, and generally eliciting incisive, articulate playing from the Gävle orchestra." Gramophone |
ERKKI-SVEN TUUR
Tuur: Illuminatio / Whistles and Whispers from Uluru / Symphony No 8 Lawrence Power (viola), Genevieve Lacey (recorders) / Tapiola Sinfonietta, Olari Elts [ Ondine / CD - released 16/Feb/2019 ] "Brought vividly to life under fellow Estonian, conductor Olari Elts all three works share a kinship in dynamic, flowing structures generated from often small motifs, lush with post-Romantic, post-serial chromaticism." BBC Music |
WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI
Lutosławski: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4; Jeux vénitiens Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu [ Ondine SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 12/Feb/2019 ] "All are played with searing energy by the Finnish Radio Symphony orchestra under the lucid baton of their chief conductor, Hannu Lintu, in equally successful performances…Captured in brilliant sound" BBC Award Finalist 2020 |
BERND ALOIS ZIMMERMANN
Zimmermann: Violin Concerto, Photoptosis, Die Soldaten Vocal Symphony Leila Josefowicz (violin), Anu Komsi (soprano), Jeni Packalen (soprano), Hilary Summers (contralto), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu [ Ondine / CD - released 8/Feb/2019 ] "An outstanding release, in terms both of music and performance and, indeed, recorded sound." MusicWeb |
ARMAS JARNEFELT
MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Jarnefelt: Song of the Scarlet Flower [Full score to the 1919 film] Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Jaakko Kuusisto [ Ondine / 2 CD - released 11/Jan/2019 ] "This is lushly orchestrated music with dramatic flourishes that occasionally paint quite an emotional picture" BBC Music |
HEINO ELLER
Heino Eller: Violin Concerto / Symphony No 2 / etc Baiba Skride (violin) / Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Olari Elts [ Ondine / CD - released 9/Nov/2018 ] "Estonian composer Heino Eller was a wonderful orchestrator, as revealed in these beautiful, if slightly forgettable, works. Skride, Elts and co, however, give the strongest advocacy for them with terrific playing" BBC Music |
ANDREJS SELICKIS
Selickis: Paradisus vocis Latvian Radio Choir, Sinfonietta Riga, Sigvards Klava [ Ondine / CD - released 9/Nov/2018 ] "the Latvian Radio Choir produce their renowned, seemingly effortless sound, honed by Kļava for the last quarter of a century, to great effect, while the disc as a whole offers the listener something of a meditative experience.." Choir & Organ |
EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA
Rautavaara: Works for Cello and Piano Tanja Tetzlaff (cello) Gunilla Süssmann (piano) [ Ondine / CD - released 1/Nov/2018 ] The passing of Einojuhani Rautavaara in 2016, one of the most performed Finnish composers after Sibelius, left a deep void in the field of Finnish contemporary music. This new album by cellist Tanja Tetzlaff and pianist Gunilla Süssmann includes... |
MAGNUS LINDBERG
Lindberg: Tempus Fugit / Violin Concerto No 2 Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin) / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu [ Ondine SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 14/Sep/2018 ] "Under Hannu Lintu, the Finish Radio Symphony Orchestra plays with such clarity and insight that is feels like a beautifully balanced clockwork mechanism - albeit one with a mightily exuberant spirit." The Strad |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 5 'Emperor' Lars Vogt (piano/conductor) / Royal Northern Sinfonia [ Ondine / CD - released 1/Jul/2018 ] "Vogt's playing in the slow movement [of the Emperor] is suitably rapt, and the whole performance radiates that sense of well-being which the piece demands" BBC Music |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3 Sirkka-Liisa Kaakinen-Pilch (violin) Tuija Hakkila (piano) [ Ondine / CD - released 13/Apr/2018 ] "The recording is clear, bright and resonant, and the inclusion of a song arrangement associated with each sonata's genesis provides additional interest and relevance" The Strad |
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Debussy: Preludes / Children's Corner Paavali Jumppanen (piano) [ Ondine / 2 CD - released 12/Jan/2018 ] "This is not the sort of music-making that immediately grabs you…But after listening to only a few bars, it becomes difficult to imagine how it could be played any other way. (Gramophone) |
OLLI VIRTAPERKO
Olli Virtaperko: Romer's Gap Joonatan Rautiola (knifonium), Joonatan Rautiola (baritone saxophone), Perttu Kivilaakso (amplified cello) / Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Ville Matvejeff [ Ondine / CD - released 13/Dec/2017 ] "Amplified cello and orchestra sounds iffy on paper, but in practice there's something rather striking about this rock-meets-classical concerto" BBC Music |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin Christian Tetzlaff (violin) [ Ondine / 2 CD - released 8/Sep/2017 ] "His tonal palette is richly chromatic, and when the violin sound turns from the earthly to the ethereal, the effect is almost that of a philosophical discourse between body and soul" BBC Music Five Stars |
JEAN SIBELIUS
Sibelius: Tapiola / En Saga / Eight Songs Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano) / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor) [ Ondine SACD / Hybrid SACD - released 24/Aug/2017 ] "Lintu's Tapiola does indeed settle into one of the finest performances on record, reconciling the obvious with the mysterious...Again, [En Saga] is a superb performance: rich down below, perky up top, full of delectable solos" Gramophone |
LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Triple Concerto / Piano Concerto No 3 Lars Vogt (piano/conductor) / Royal Northern Sinfonia [ Ondine / CD - released 22/Aug/2017 ] "Vogt and the Tetzlaff siblings approach the Allegro [of the Triple] with warmth and a bristling energy…The crucial opening [of the C minor Concerto] just misses utter serenity here, but a devilish Rondo is pure delight." BBC Music |
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 Olli Mustonen (piano) / Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu [ Ondine / CD - released 6/Jul/2017 ] "The performance does include a spectacular Toccata at its centre, and the Larghetto has grandiosity" International Piano |