Nigel Kennedy (piano), Nigel Kennedy (harpsichord), Rolf Bussalb (guitar), Sonja Schebeck (violin), Tomasz Kupiec (double bass), Nigel Kennedy (violin), Nigel Kennedy (viola), Beata Urbanek-Kalinowska (cello), Howard Alden (guitar), Alicja Smietana (violin)

Composers

Gershwin, George (1898-1937)
Kennedy, Nigel (b.1956)

Rolf Lislevand and Concerto Stella Matutina first worked on a project in 2011, which would result in a prosperous collaboration in concert series and now, the release of their first CD together. The album is a mix of baroque and jazz as well as improvised passages with music arranged for the 12 people orchestra by Andrea Falconieri, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Vincenzo Albrici. Bringing the elements of baroque and jazz together and developing a new kind of music by optimizing the instruments of Early Music and giving each instrument section its moment on the recording was the goal of this release. With this intimate and wel lmixed recording, the musicians did not aim to create crossover music or fit into any other genre but rather generate a sound that is a symbiosis of different musical elements.

Concerto Stella Matutina, Rolf Lislevand

Awards
Opus Klassik Awards 2019 Winner - Classical Without Borders

Composers

Foscarini, Giovanni Paolo (1600-47)
Frescobaldi, Girolamo (1583-1643)
Handel, George Frideric (1685-1759)
Vejvanovsky, Pavel Josef (1640-93)
Works

Foscarini: Pass'e mezzo e passacalli
Foscarini: Tastegiata detta la Feretti
Frescobaldi: Aria di Passacaglia
Handel: Eternal Source of Light Divine (from Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, HWV74)
Vejvanovsky: Intrada

The two-time ECHO Klassik winner Nuria Rial is not only one of the most important sopranos of early music, but has thrilled with her velvet and expressive voice also with compositions of the 20th and 21st century. For this recording she has teamed up with the 8 cellists of the Sinfonieorchester Basel.

At the center: Astor Piazzolla's famous cycle “Las Cuatro Estaciones Portenas” (The Four Seasons of the Port, meaning that of Buenos Aires), but also one of Heitor Villa-Lobos' Bach homages “Bachianas Brasileiras”, where the recorded elegiac No. 5 belongs to the most popular compositions of the Brazilian. From the Catalan home of Nuria Rial there is the legendary folk song “El Cant dels ocells” (The song of the birds). Legendary, as cellist Pablo Casals always ended his concerts with this song in exile (after the Spanish Civil War in 1936).

Another highlight is the world premiere recording of “Vocal Ice”, an impressive work by Spanish composer Bernat Vivancos.

8 Cellists of the Sinfonieorchester Basel, Nuria Rial (soprano)

Composers

Piazzólla, Astor (1921-92)
Villa-Lobos, Heitor (1887-1959)
Vivancos, Bernat (b.1973)

Works

trad.: El cant des ocells
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria (Cantilena)

A rising composer's debut release on a major label, Gjeilo's album on Decca is an important release of heavenly, bewitching, eternal new choral music for our time. Ethereal yet tangible, this is music with wide appeal; music of purity and beauty; music at once restful and uplifting.

Composer Ola Gjeilo draws on influences from his Nordic background to conjure modern choral music of exceptional beauty. Radiant vocal textures are enhanced by transcendental instrumental additions; a twinkling piano performed by Ola himself; captivating, exquisite strings; and bewitching acoustic guitar.

Ethereal yet tangible, this is music with wide appeal; music of purity and beauty; music at once restful and uplifting.

Gjeilo - pronounced “Yay-lo” - has evolved a musical style which is at once contemporary and familiar. His concentrated harmonies and rich textures combined with graceful, engaging melody, contain echoes of Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre, and the best luscious film scores.

Influenced by improvisers, along with composers such as John Adams, Desplat, Newman, Marinelli, Williams, Elgar, Vaughan-Williams and Tavener, Ola describes his music as “a lyrical mix of improvisation and classical”, and others often describe it as “cinematic… evocative, lush, story-telling…”

Composers

Gjeilo, Ola (b.1978)

Works

Gjeilo: Northern Lights
Gjeilo: Reflections
Gjeilo: Sacred Heart
Gjeilo: Sanctus: London
Gjeilo: Serenity
Gjeilo: The Crossing
Gjeilo: The Ground
Gjeilo: The Lake Isle
Gjeilo: The Spheres
Gjeilo: Tundra
Gjeilo: Ubi caritas

A beautiful new album of compositions and arrangements for choir and strings by Norwegian composer, Ola Gjeilo.

Including new arrangements of familiar Christmas carols in a beautiful and intimate setting to emulate the feeling of “Hygge”.

Ola Gjeilo (pronounced Yay-lo) is one of the most frequently performed composers in the choral world.

An accomplished pianist, improvisations over his own published choral pieces have become a trademark of his collaborations across the world.

Although Norwegian by birth, it is perhaps Ola's adopted country of America that has influenced the composer's distinctive sound world the most, evolving a style that is both contemporary and familiar; thick harmonies and rich textures recall film score - music that forms a major part of the composer's inspiration.

Composers

Gjeilo, Ola (b.1978)
Gruber, Franz Xaver (1787-1863)
Kirkpatrick, William James (1838-1921)

Works

anon.: The first Nowell
anon.: The Holly and the Ivy
Gjeilo: Across the Vast, Eternal Sky
Gjeilo: Ave Generosa
Gjeilo: Away In a Manger
Gjeilo: Coventry Carol
Gjeilo: Dawn
Gjeilo: Days of Beauty
Gjeilo: Ecce Novum
Gjeilo: First Snow
Gjeilo: Home
Gjeilo: Silent Night
Gjeilo: The First Nowell
Gjeilo: The Holly And The Ivy
Gjeilo: The Rose
Gjeilo: The Rose II
Gjeilo: Wintertide
Gruber, F: Silent Night
Kirkpatrick: Away in a Manger

Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko was born and raised in St. Petersburg. She started her musical career at the age of 15, singing in the children's choir of the Mariinsky Theatre. She completed a course as a choirmaster and then enrolled to study singing at the Hanns Eisler-Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. Between 2005 and 2007 Olga Peretyatko was a member of the opera studio at the Hamburg State Opera. Engagements at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Berlin and Munich state operas, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, La Fenice in Venice, at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, and at the Festival La Folle journée de Nantes followed.

Olga Peretyatko gained international attention as Stravinsky's Rossignol in the acclaimed Robert Le Page production premiered at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2010, followed by performances in Toronto, New York, Lyon and Amsterdam. She achieved great success in her role debuts as Adina in L'elisir d'amore in Lille, as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Teatro Massimo Palermo, as Gilda in Rigoletto at La Fenice in Venice, as well as at the Festival Avenches.

Recently, Olga Peretyatko debuted successfully as Giulietta (I Capuleti e I Montecchi) in Lyon and Paris. In Lausanne she made her debut in the title role of Handel's Alcina, and in Amsterdam her role debut as Fiorilla (ll Turco in Italia). Substituting for a colleague at the last minute, her performance of Adina in L'elisir d'amore during the Pfingstfestspiele in Baden-Baden was highly acclaimed by the media and the public, as was her debut Lucia di Lammermoor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She also received the highest acclaim at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro as Matilde di Shabran in summer 2012 which will be released on DVD.

Besides her opera career she continuously gives recitals and concerts throughout Europe. In 2015 Olga Peretyatko will debut as Violetta in La Traviata at the Opéra Lausanne, followed by a new production of the same title at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden.

Olga Peretyatko (soprano)
NDR Sinfonieorcheste

Composers

Acqua, Eva dell' (1860-1930)
Alabiev, Alexander (1787-1851)
Alyabyev, Alexander Alexandrov (1787-1851)
Arditi, Luigi (1822-1903)
Bellini, Vincenzo (1801-35)
Bizet, Georges (1838-75)
Gounod, Charles François (1818-93)
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio (1792-1868)
Strauss, Johann (1825-99)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)
Works

Acqua: La Villanelle
Alabiev: Solovej moj (The Nightingale)
Arditi: Il Bacio
Bellini: Qui la voce sua soave...Vien, diletto (from I Puritani)
Bellini: Son vergin vezzosa (from I Puritani)
Bizet: Vasco da Gama: Ouvre ton coeur
Gounod: Ö légère hirondelle (from Mireille)
Mozart: Ah se in ciel, benigne stelle, K538
Mozart: Deh vieni, non tardar (from Le nozze di Figaro)
Mozart: Non mi dir (from Don Giovanni)
Rossini: Le nozze di Teti - cantata : 9. Aria: Ah non potrian resistere
Strauss, J, II: Spiel' ich die Unschuld vom Lande from Die Fledermaus

After the success of the award winning album Russian Lights (2017), internationally acclaimed soprano, Olga Peretyatko, returns with her stunning new album Mozart+

Mozart+ is a selection of some of Mozart's most beautiful concert and opera arias exceptionally performed by Peretyatko and the Sinfonieorchester Basel under the baton of Ivor Bolton.

Peretyatko has performed in some of the worlds most prestigious opera houses and concert halls including the Vienna State opera, Zurich opera House and the Berlin State Opera

The album also includes superb arias from operas by Tommaso Traetta, Giovanni Paisiello and Vicente Martín y Sole

Olga Peretyatko (soprano)
Sinfonieorchester Basel, Ivor Bolton

Composers

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Paisiello, Giovanni (1741-1816)
Soler, Vincente Martin y (1754-1806)
Traetta, Tommaso (1727-79)

Works

Mozart: Chi sà, chi sà qual sia, K582
Mozart: E Susanna non vien! … Dove sono i bei momenti (from Le nozze di Figaro)
Mozart: Martern aller Arten (from Die Entführung aus dem Serail)
Mozart: Non più di fiori (from La clemenza di Tito)
Mozart: Or sai chi l'onore (from Don Giovanni)
Mozart: Traurigkeit (from Die Entführung aus dem Serail)
Mozart: Vado, ma dove? oh Dei!, K583
Mozart: Welcher Wechsel (from Die Entführung aus dem Serail)
Paisiello: Giusto ciel, che conoscete (from Il barbiere di Siviglia)
Soler, V M: Infelice ad ogni istante (from Il burbero di buon cuore)
Traetta: Finito è il mio tormento (from Antigona)
Traetta: Io resto sempre 'n piangero (from Antigono)
Traetta: Ombra cara, amorosa (from Antigona)

On her new album “Russian Light”, Olga Peretyatko presents favourite arias and songs from her homeland Russia - by Glinka, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Many of them are well known (Rachmaninov's Vocalise) but there are also unknown rare jewels on the album like the songs from Rachmaninov or the opera arias by Shostakovich. She teamed with the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the best orchestras in Russia, and excellent for this kind of repertoire with conductor Dimitry Liss, specialist for this repertoire.

The main focus of “Russian Light” falls on excerpts from operas that have left a deep imprint on Russia's national music. Among these are Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila as well as Rimsky-Korsakov's The Golden Cockerel, The Snow Maiden and The Tsar's Bride. The latter piece represents a personal triumph for Ms Peretyatko, for she sang the role of Marfa under Daniel Barenboim to open the 2013 season at the Berlin State Opera. With her silvery timbre and solid mastery of coloratura she thrilled not only the audience but the critic of Der Tagespiegel: “Olga Peretyatko projects Marfa as a being so delicate and other-worldly that it strikes the knowledgeable listener to the core.”

Awards
Presto Editor's Choice June 2017
Opus Klassik Awards 2018 Winner - Solo Recording (Opera Arias)

Composers

Glinka, Mikhail Ivanovich (1804-57)
Rachmaninov, Sergey Vassilievich (1873-1943)
Rimsky Korsakov, Nikolay Andreyevich (1844-1908)
Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-75)
Stravinsky, Igor Feodorovich (1882-1971)
Works

Glinka: Grustno mne, roditel' dorogoy! (from Ruslan and Lyudmila)
Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Rachmaninov: How fair this spot, Op. 21 No. 7
Rachmaninov: Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne, Op. 4 No. 4
Rachmaninov: Spring torrents, Op. 14 No.11
Rachmaninov: Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
Rimsky Korsakov: Eastern Song: Enslaved by the rose, the nightingale Op. 2 No. 2
Rimsky Korsakov: Hymn to the Sun
Rimsky Korsakov: Le Coq d'Or
Rimsky Korsakov: Lullaby of Volkhova (from Sadko)
Rimsky Korsakov: Marfa's Scene & Aria: In Novgorod from The Tsar's Bride
Rimsky Korsakov: Plenivshis rozoj, solovey, Op. 2 No. 2
Rimsky Korsakov: Sadko (opera)
Rimsky Korsakov: Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden)
Rimsky Korsakov: Snow Maiden's aria (from The Snow Maiden)
Rimsky Korsakov: The Tsar's Bride
Shostakovich: Chasy na ploshchadi zazhglis (from Cheryomushki)
Shostakovich: Moscow-Cheryomushki, Op. 105
Shostakovich: Ya v shkolu kogda-to khodila (from Cheryomushki)
Stravinsky: Nightingale's Song (from The Nightingale)

Snitte
1 Op 'n Klein Blou Ghoen
2 Die Taal Van My Hart
3 Liewe Maan
4 Dagreis Vir 'n Mens
5 Summertime
6 F.A.K.Keurspel
7 Trippe Trappe Trone
8 Sad Lisa
9 Hillbrow
10 Stormy Weather
11 Ons Kan Lat Le
12 When You Call Me Sweetheart
13 Brille En Pille Blues
14 Cry If You Want To
15 Die Vlam

Two CDS filled with the best-loved numbers from opera - and filled with the passion, tragedy, joy and laughter that define this most thrilling of musical genres. Aria, duet, trio, chorus, overture … Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet … Callas, Dessay, Gheorghiu, Domingo, Carreras, Alagna, Villazón … and so much more.

Luciano Pavarotti (Tenor), Dame Joan Sutherland (Soprano), Renata Tebaldi (Soprano), Huguette Tourangeau (Mezzo-Soprano), Chorus Pro Arte Lausanne Du Brassus (Chorus), Radio Suisse Romande Chorus (Chorus), The London Opera Chorus (Chorus), Sherrill Milnes (Baritone), London Symphony Chorus (Chorus), Lucia Popp (Soprano), Tom Krause (Baritone), Mirella Freni (Soprano), José van Dam (Bass), Marilyn Horne (Mezzo-Soprano), Wiener Opernchor (Chorus), Franco Corelli (Tenor), Jane Berbié (Mezzo-Soprano), Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano), Carlo Bergonzi (Tenor), Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Chorus), The John Alldis Choir (Chorus)

Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, London Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, The National Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Haydn Orchestra, Wiener Philhar, Lamberto Gardelli, Richard Bonynge, Fausto Cleva, Silvio Varviso, István Kertész, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Henry Lewis, Lorin Maazel, Sir John Pritchard, Zubin Mehta

Composers

Bellini, Vincenzo (1801-35)
Bizet, Georges (1838-75)
Catalani, Alfredo (1854-93)
Delibes, Clémont Philibert Léo (1836-91)
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-91)
Offenbach, Jacques (1819-80)
Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria (1858-1924)
Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio (1792-1868)
Saint-Saëns, Charles Camille (1835-1921)
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813-1901)

Decca, the opera company, presents a premium collection of the 100 most beautiful operatic moments - from arias and choruses, to overtures and marches.

With a world-beating roster of opera singers including Luciano Pavarotti, Renee Fleming and Jonas Kaufmann, Decca Classics has always invested infinite energy and enormous care on its productions, blending the greatest casts with experienced opera orchestras and great conductors. The result of this mix of world-beating artists, unrivalled technical skill and know-how is an opera catalogue of matchless artistry and superb sound.

Marc Grauwels (flute)
Walloon Chamber Orchestra, Georges Dumortier

Composers

Borne, François (1840-1920)
Chopin, Frédéric François (1810-49)
Fobbes, Robert (b.1939)
Gluck, Christoph Willibald (1714-87)
Gretry, André Ernest Modeste (1741-1813)
Rossini, Gioacchino Antonio (1792-1868)

Works

Borne: Fantaisie Brillante sur des airs de Carmen
Chopin: Variations on Rossini's 'Non piu mesta' in E major
Fobbes: Fantasy of Mozart's Magic Flute
Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits (from Orfeo ed Euridice)
Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
Gretry: Flute Concerto in C major
Rossini: Sonata a quattro No. 4 in B flat major

Claire Rutter, Tom Randle & Markus Eiche
Highcliffe Junior Choir (Director: Mary Denniss), Bournemouth Symphony Youth Chorus (Director: Andrew Knights) & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (Director: Greg Beardsell), Marin Alsop

Composers

Orff, Carl (1895-1982)

Works

Orff: Carmina Burana

Christiane Oelze (soprano), David Kübler (tenor), Simon Keenlyside (baritone)
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Knabenchor Berlin, Christian Thielemann

Composers

Orff, Carl (1895-1982)
Works

Orff: Carmina Burana
Orff: Carmina Burana: O Fortuna