FRANZ SCHUBERT
Schubert: Sonatas & Impromptus András Schiff (piano) [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 12/Apr/2019 ] "Schiff is a true master of the instrument and knows how to connect its resources to his individual, yet never mannered, Schubertian vision" Gramophone Editor's Choice June 2019 |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Piano Concertos András Schiff (piano), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 4/Jun/2021 ] "What he and the OAE offer is not so much to do with authenticity as with freshness and 'detoxification." Recording of the Month Gramophone July 2021 |
LEOS JANACEK
Janacek: On An Overgrown Path Camerata Zurich, Igor Karsko, Maia Brami [ ECM New Series / CD - released 12/Nov/2021 ] 'On An Overgrown Path', Leos Janacek's 15 pieces-spanning piano cycle, is here presented in a reshaped guise, arranged for string orchestra and interpreted by the Camerata Zurich under lead violinist Igor Karsko's direction. This is the premiere... |
PIER PAOLO PASOLINI
Pasolini: Land der Arbeit Christian Reiner [ ECM New Series / CD - released 11/Aug/2023 ] The Italian poet, essayist and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini was always an independent and unsparing chronicler of his time. In these texts, he tirelessly denounces social ills in his country; but his Catholic faith and the question of the art of... |
ARVO PART
Pärt: Tractus Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 10/Nov/2023 ] Tractus emphasizes Arvo Pärt compositions that blend the timbres of string orchestra and choir. New versions predominate, with focused performances from the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste's... |
MIECZYSLAW WEINBERG
Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin Solo Gidon Kremer (violin) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 4/Mar/2022 ] The three sonatas of Polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg, written in 1964, 1967 and 1979, are among the most richly creative and technically challenging 20th century works for solo violin, and their radical expressivity draws the listener in. Gidon... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Officium Jan Garbarek (soprano and tenor saxophones) / The Hilliard Ensemble [ ECM New Series / CD - released 1/Jan/1994 ] A hauntingly beautiful combination of medieval unaccompanied choral music and jazz saxophone. |
HENRY PURCELL
Purcell: Fantazias John Holloway (violin), Monika Baer (viola), Renate Steinmann (viola), Martin Zeller (violoncello) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 22/Sep/2023 ] Henry Purcell's "fantazias" are regarded as some of the finest and most intricately wrought examples of the fantasia, due to their profound embrace of counterpoint and great command of the polyphonal techniques of the time. Composed in the summer of... |
Keith Jarrett
Solo Concerts Bremen / Lausanne (LP) [ ECM Luminessence Series) / 3 LP - released 27/Oct/2023 ] Recorded March & July 1973 |
C.P.E. BACH
Bach, (C.P.E.): Württemberg Sonatas Keith Jarrett (piano) [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 11/Aug/2023 ] "Jarrett moves straight to the top of the list of interpreters on the instrument." Archive Issue of the Month Gramophone Sept 2023 |
Meredith Monk
The Recordings (13 CD Box Set) [ ECM New Series / CD Box Set - released 11/Nov/2022 ] Meredith Monk - The Recordings, a 13-CD limited box set edition compiling all Meredith Monk ECM New Series recordings to date, is issued on the occasion of the composer and singer's 80th birthday. Meredith was the first singer to have a leader-date... |
GYORGY KURTAG / ANTONIN DVORAK
Kurtag: Six Moments Musicaux / Dvorak: String Quartet op.97 Parker Quartet, Kim Kashkashian [ ECM New Series / CD - released 12/Nov/2021 ] On their ECM New series debut, the Boston-based Parker Quartet, hailed by the Washington Post for "exceptional virtuosity and imaginative interpretation," play music of György Kurtág and are joined by violist Kim Kashkashian, one of the quarter's... |
W. A. MOZART
Mozart: The Piano Sonatas Robert Levin (fortepiano, Anton Walter, 1782) [ ECM New Series / 7 CD Box Set - released 2/Sep/2022 ] BBC Music AWARD NOMINATION 2023 - INSTRUMENTAL |
GIYA KANCHELI
Kancheli: Themes From the Songbook Vida Mikneviciute (soprano), Magdalena Ceple (cello), Andrei Pushkarev (vibraphone), Kremerata Baltica, Gidon Kremer [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 19/Jan/2024 ] "Gidon Kremer has perhaps never before revealed himself as intimately and as existentially focused as on this recording", observes Wolfgang Sandner in his liner note accompanying the Latvian violinist's album Songs of Fate. Together with his... |
HENRIK ØDEGAARD
Music By Henrik Ødegaard Vox Clamantis, Jaan-Eik Tulve (conductor) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 11/Aug/2023 ] On this newest endeavour, the Vox Clamantis choir, under the direction of Jaan-Eik Tulve, turns its attention towards Norwegian composer Henrik Ødegaard with a fine-drawn programme of liturgical choral music. In a subtle sleight of hand, Ødegaard's... |
J. S. BACH
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Books 1 & 2 Andras Schiff (piano) [ ECM New Series / 4 CD Box Set - released 20/Sep/2012 ] GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Instrumental |
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
J.S. Bach: Clavichord András Schiff (clavichord) [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 27/Jan/2023 ] "As with his previous period-instrument ventures, Schiff opens up a new world and thoroughly adjusts his temperament, his 'pianism' and his artistry to it." Gramophone Editor's Choice April 2023 |
JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas (with Jorg Widmann: Intermezzi for piano) András Schiff (piano) Jörg Widmann (clarinet) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 2/Oct/2020 ] Two great artists, pianist András Schiff and composer/clarinettist Jörg Widmann, join forces for the first time on record, performing Brahms's late masterpieces, the clarinet sonatas op. 120, written in 1894. In between the sonatas Schiff plays... |
JOSEPH BRODSKY
Elegie an John Donne Christian Reiner [ ECM New Series / CD - released 25/Aug/2017 ] In the winter of 2012/13, Viennese actor and voice artist Christian Reiner attracted much acclaim for his interpretation of Friedrich Hölderlin's "Turmgedichten". "Reiner is able to coax the music out of the words", German newspaper Frankfurter... |
THOMAS ADES / ER NORGARD / HANS ABRAHAMSEN
Ades: Arcadiana / Norgard: Quartetto Breve / Abrahamsen: 10 Preludes The Danish String Quartet [ ECM New Series / CD - released 15/Apr/2016 ] "The Danish are remarkable, as ever - capable of intense blend, extreme dynamic variation (in which they seem glued together), perfect intonation even on harmonics, and constant vitality and flow" Gramophone Award Nomination 2017 - Chamber |
GIYA KANCHELI
Kancheli: Themes From the Songbook Dino Saluzzi (bandoneon), Andrei Pushkarev (vibraphone), Gidon Kremer (violin) & Jansug Kahkidze (voice/conductor) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 1/Nov/2010 ] A very special album for Giya Kancheli's 75th birthday. When starting out on his career as a creator of symphonic and chamber music, the Georgian composer also wrote much incidental music for the theatre and the cinema. Though still little-known in... |
ERKKI-SVEN TUUR
Lost Prayers Erkki Sven-Tüür [ ECM New Series / CD - released 13/Nov/2020 ] Lost Prayers is the first of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür's New Series recordings to be devoted entirely to his chamber music. Scaled-back instrumental forces, however, are no indicator of reduced expressive power, and the volatility of Tüür's... |
SNÉTBERGER / SHOSTAKOVICH / DOWLAND / BARDER
Hallgató Ferenc Snétberger and the Keller Quartett [ ECM New Series / CD - released 2/Apr/2021 ] On Hallgató, recorded live in the Grand Hall of Budapest's Liszt Academy, Ferenc Snétberger and the Keller Quartett, respectively Hungary's outstanding acoustic guitarist and its foremost string quartet, are heard together and separately in a moving... |
GEORGE I. GURDJIEFF
Sacred Hymns Keith Jarrett [ ECM New Series / CD - released 31/Dec/2008 ] The exact date on which George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was born into this world is unknown. This is fitting, for to one who spent his life trying to unravel it, such mundane details would have been unnecessary in the grander scheme of things. Born in... |
HEINER GOEBBELS
Goebbels: A House Of Call - My Imaginary Notebook Heiner Goebbels, Ensemble Modern Orchestra, Vimbayi Kaziboni [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 21/Oct/2022 ] A House of Call is a cycle of invocations, prayers, poems and songs for large orchestra. It incorporates recordings of sounds and voices from all over the world collected by Heiner Goebbels during his travels, research, and chance encounters. The... |
THOMAS TALLIS / CHRISTOPHER TYE / JOHN SHEPPARD
Audivi Vocem Hilliard Ensemble [ ECM New Series / CD - released 19/May/2008 ] Edtor's Choice Gramophone Magazine October 2008 -- "If only all history lessons were delivered as beautifully as this one." |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
Officium Novum Jan Garbarek (soprano and tenor saxophones) / The Hilliard Ensemble [ ECM New Series / CD - released 20/Sep/2010 ] "Over the immanent, limpid voices Garbarek improvises equally immaculate counter-melodies. His contributions tend to be somewhat predictable, more decoration than improvisation in the fullest sense, but his tone is so pleasing...and the melodies so... |
Jan Garbarek / The Hilliard Ensemble
Remember me, my dear [ ECM New Series / CD - released 18/Oct/2019 ] 25 years on from the release of Officium, the groundbreaking alliance of Jan Garbarek and The Hilliard Ensemble, comes Remember me, my dear, recorded during the final tour the group made in October 2014. The program is emblematic of the range of... |
ANONYMOUS / CAMPION / BANKS / PICFORTH
Amores Pasados John Potter (voice) Anna maria Friman (voice) Ariel Abramovich (lute) Jacob Heringman (lute) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 26/Jul/2015 ] For this innovative attempt to bridge the gap between art song and pop song, John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin fame), Sting and Genesis-keyboardist Tony Banks were commissioned to write new lute songs. "Asking a rock music composer to set existing... |
SAMUEL BARBER / BELA BARTOK
Barber / Bartok: Piano Concertos Keith Jarrett (piano) / Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, New Japan Philharmonic, Kazuyoshi Akiyama & Dennis Russell Davies [ ECM New Series / CD - released 10/Jun/2015 ] For much of the 1980s, Keith Jarrett balanced his improvisational activities with performances of classical music and contemporary composition. On this disc, with concert recordings from 1984 and 1985, he is heard playing Samuel Barber's Piano... |
J. S. BACH
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book I Keith Jarrett (piano) [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 14/Jun/2019 ] "These are performances in which tempos, phrasing, articulation and the execution of ornaments are convincing," wrote Gramophone of Jarrett's first recorded account of The Well-Tempered Clavier. "Both instrument and performer serve as unobtrusive... |
MORTON FELDMAN / JOHN CAGE / ERIK SATIE
Rothko Chapel Kim Kashkashian (viola) / Houston Chamber Choir, Robert Simpson, with Sarah Rothenberg (piano) & Steven Schick (percussion) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 25/Oct/2015 ] "The Houston choir's singing is warm and percussionist Steven Schick creates a great sense of space and ritual." The Guardian |
VALENTIN SILVESTROV
Silvestrov: Maidan Kyiv Chamber Choir, Mykola Hobdych [ ECM New Series / CD - released 30/Sep/2022 ] With Maidan, Valentin Silvestrov continues his longstanding association with ECM and this time presents a programme of choir music that is as timely as it is dear to the Ukrainian composer's heart. Like the albums Sacred Songs and Sacred Works,... |
ARVO PART
Symphony No. 4 / Kanon Pokajanen Los Angeles Philharmonic / Esa-Pekka Salonen [ ECM New Series / CD - released 16/Sep/2010 ] "Arvo Part evokes symphonic serenity for the City Of Angels" (William Dart NZ Herald) |
GAVIN BRYARS
Bryars: The Fifth Century PRISM Quartet [ ECM New Series / CD - released 18/Nov/2016 ] "Is this a must-have? If you have any interest in contemporary music, it's certainly worth investigating. I, for one, am going to spend more time with the music of Gavin Bryars." Green Man Review |
BARTÓK / CASKEN / BEETHOVEN
Bartók / Casken / Beethoven Thomas Zehetmair, Ruth Killius, Royal Northern Sinfonia [ ECM New Series / CD - released 17/Feb/2023 ] This powerful New Series album represents "a résumé and a departure" for Thomas Zehetmair, a summing up of his work with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. In his years as Music Director of the British chamber orchestra, Zehetmair was noted both for... |
BEETHOVEN / BRUCKNER / HARTMANN / HOLLIGER
Beethoven Bruckner Hartmann Holliger Zehetmair Quartett [ ECM New Series / 2 CD - released 22/Aug/2014 ] The Zehetmair Quartett, one of the most exciting and accomplished string quartets of our time, plays a programme of characteristically broad reach. This double album begins with Beethoven's highly-concentrated opus 135, and concludes with Heinz... |
MATHIAS DUPLESSY
El último aliento Zsófia Boros (classical guitar) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 14/Apr/2023 ] The focus of Zsófia Boros's third recording for ECM's New Series is split two-ways, with one spotlight turned towards contemporary compositions from Argentina and the other on the multiple-idioms spanning music of French composer Mathias Duplessy.... |
MESSIAEN / RAVEL / FAURE
Plainte Calme Alexander Lonquich (piano) [ ECM New Series / CD - released 12/Apr/2008 ] "It doesn't take long to become enchanted with the music-making of pianist Alexander Lonquich" (American Record guide) |
GIDEON LEWENSOHN
Odradek Quartet / Piano Quintet / Postludes for Piano Alexander Lonquich (piano) / Auryn Quartett [ ECM New Series / CD - released 1/Jan/2002 ] "The music's manner is often haunting, eloquent, the dedicated performers recorded with appropriate warmth. The booklet notes by Raymond Monelle will make you think, too, acknowledging Lewensohn's elusiveness, and helping to explain the ways in which... |