KATHARINA KONRADI, soprano & DANIEL HEIDE , piano

FRANZ LISZT  · Un Cycle Imaginaire

SIBYLLE MAHNI, horn & HANSJACOB STAEMMLER, piano

TRANSFORMATIONS · Hindemith · Vignery · Messiaens

Sibylle Mahni: For me, the period in which these three sonatas were composed plays a central role. That is also the reason why I had the idea of bringing this combination of works together on a single CD.

 In Jane Vignery’s sonata in particular, I hear so much of the grief, despair and, ultimately, helplessness inevitably triggered by the terrible events of the Second World War in Europe.

That period was certainly one of the greatest times of transformation in history. Fortunately, transformation was achieved; otherwise, Europe would probably have become something quite different from what we know today… and, on the whole, I still like what it has become! .......

Hansjacob Staemmler: Most of all, it makes me think of a somewhat whimsical, incidental detail from Hindemith’s alto horn sonata: a short poem – of his own pen – which appears between the intermezzo-like third movement and the frenetic fourth movement and is meant to be recited: “Das Posthorn”.

 Several lines in the poem can offer food for thought. Images associated with the horn (the horn as a hunting instrument and the historical post horn as a signal of arrival) lead us to reflect on the consequences of technological transformation through the ages.......The fourth movement puts this insight into practice: the hectic piano playing represents “the new”, whereas the horn part symbolises “the old”.
Hindemith’s poem exudes a certain nostalgia, a longing for “the good old days”. Nostalgia is often a by-product of transformation.

(Excerpt from the liner notes of the soloists)

DIGITAL RELEASE 26 JUNE 2026

SCHAGHAJEGH NOSRATI , piano

CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN  · Grande Sonate · Symphonie pour Piano Seul  ·  Barcarolle

CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN - a stunning outsider

"For 20 years, I have been studying the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan, and I continue to feel a strong connection to this composer.

After numerous public performances of his Grande Sonate ‘Les Quatre Âges’ and the Symphonie pour piano seul, the time now seemed ripe to record those two works, along with the enchanting Barcarolle Op. 65 No. 6, which is an example of Alkan‘s talent not only for large-scale works but also for musical miniatures.....

Fortunately, Alkan is gradually enjoying greater popularity than he did two decades ago, at least among performers and lovers of Romantic piano music.

Nevertheless, his works rarely appear on concert programmes, which is truly regrettable, as this music speaks to audiences so directly and vividly, especially when performed live. Alkan published the Grande Sonate in 1847 and dedicated it to his father.

At first glance, it appears
to be a homage to the sonata genre we know so well from the Viennese Classical tradition, but on closer inspection, it proves to be highly experimental and innovative.......

The Symphonie pour piano seul was published in 1857 as part of Twelve Studies in all minor keys (Douze études dans tous les tons mineurs). Although it is embedded in a cycle of etudes, the Symphonie is clearly designated as such and is therefore usually performed as a separate work in four movements. Similar to the Grande Sonate, the individual movements are in different keys......."
(excerpts from the liner notes by Schaghajegh Nosrati)

CD RELEASE / DIGITAL RELEASE 24 APRIL 2026

GABRIEL ADORJÁN, soloist and leader · bayerische kammerphilharmomie

MIECZYSŁAW WEINBERG  · chamber symphonies I & II, concertino for violin

 A companion and friend of Dmitri Shostakovich
1919-1996

"The unique magic of Mieczysław Weinberg’s music is not easy to describe. Closely interwoven with his biography, which bore the painful marks of the upheavals of the 20th century, his compositions emerged as a musical reflection of his life.

And yet, they resist clear-cut interpretations: Weinberg’s music is too complex and ambiguous, as technically demanding as it is fascinating. At times, contradictions become audible—for instance, when Weinberg, in his darkest hours, finds a musical language that expresses lightness and joy.

Such is the case in his Concertino Op. 42, composed in the summer of 1948, when the ever-growing antisemitism of the Stalinist regime, clearly palpable since the end of the war, began to affect Weinberg’s life directly.
At the same time, in the spring of 1948, the music scene came under the grip of government censorship as part of a propaganda campaign. At its center stood Weinberg’s close friend Dmitri Shostakovich...

In March 1948, in an attempt to deflect suspicion, Weinberg wrote one of the obligatory and painful self-denunciations, acknowledging his “mistakes” and pledging to adapt his style to official expectations. As if to underscore these statements, he composed his Sinfonietta No. 1 Op. 41 around the same time—a work that stands out in Weinberg’s oeuvre for its straightforwardness and simplicity.

Yet only a few months later, in June 1948, Weinberg composed the Concertino, Op. 42. Unlike the Sinfonietta, however, this composition can by no means be called a strategic work of political calculation....." (Excerpt from the liner notes by Verena Mogl)

BUY THIS RELEASE

CD RELEASE / DIGITAL RELEASE 20 MARCH 2026

PLEYEL QUARTETT KÖLN & HELGA LÖHRER, cello
(on period instruments)

AUGUST KLUGHARDT · String quintet op. 62  · String quartet op. 61

A Friend of the late Romantic Period

Born on 30th November 1847 in Köthen, August Klughardt’s love of music was instilled early on through his father, a viola player. According to Klughardt’s biographer Leopold Gerlach Gottfried Klughardt was a keen and able amateur in a “Privatkapelle” enhanced by members of Köthen‘s Court Orchestra.

It comes therefore as a surprise to learn that young August only started regular piano lessons from the age of ten.

Following the family’s move to the residency town of Dessau in 1863 which had developed into a city of musical reknown thanks to the good offices of Friedrich Schneider (1786 – 1853), Klughardt’s musical development took on a steeper trajectory. Taught by the best musicians the city had to offer, both in music theory and practice, the foundations were laid for a broad spectrum of musical activity.

Performing on the piano, composing and conducting played equal parts in his musical personality from his final days at school continuing throughout his life. . .

 However, few had the honour. Yet August Klughardt was one of the lucky ones. Joachim’s avoidance of favouritism is shown by the example of Max Bruch, a friend of his, yet whose works were not among those chosen.
(Excerpt from the line notes by Andreas Gerhardus)

DIGITAL RELEASE ONLY  13 FEBRUARY 2026