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Franz Schmidt
(1874-1939)
Symphony No. 4
Intermezzo from
Notre Dame
Beethoven
Orchester Bonn
Stefan Blunier
MDG
937 1631-6
Info
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Franz Schmidt
grew up as a musical child prodigy in Pressburg, which is today's
Bratislava and the capital of Slovakia. His first piano teacher,
Theodor Leschetitzky, urgently advised him not to pursue a career
as a musician: "A man named Schmidt should not become an artist."
The Schmidts moved to Vienna, and it was here that Franz received
the training he needed at the Konservatorium der Gesellschaft der
Musikfreunde and his first job as a cellist in the Vienna Court
Opera Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. At the age of twenty-two
he composed his first symphony and was awarded the Beethoven Prize
of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. His first opera, Notre Dame,
was premiered in 1914. Hugo von Hofmannsthal was highly positive
in his evaluation of the composition: "Not too long ago I heard
an opera here by an unknown composer ... I cannot help myself; it
made a very fine impression on me."
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Christoph
Graupner (1683-1760)
Orchestral Works Vol. 3
Nova Stravaganza
Siegbert Rampe
MDG
341 1628-2
Info
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Siegbert Rampe
and his Nova Stravaganza ensemble have paid homage to Christoph
Graupner on two previous occasions, and each time these efforts
have earned the musicians the Echo Klassik prize. Graupner was one
of the leading composers of the baroque, and, to commemorate the
250th anniversary of his death, Rampe & Co. are presenting the
recording premiere of some of the few chamber works by this Hessen-Darmstadt
court musician on historical instruments.
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Philip Glass
(*1937)
How Now
Steffen Schleiermacher,
piano & organ
MDG 613 1600-2
Info
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Always the same
melody, forever the same rhythm... Philip Glass immediately sends
his audiences into a trance, and Steffen Schleiermacher is the perfect
interpreter of this composer's captivating will. This expert in
the field of twentieth-century music is now for the third time presenting
compositions by the American minimalist, and the selections from
1968 and 1969 include the famous How Now.
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Theophil
Laitenberger (1903-1996)
Organ Music
Andreas Sieling,
Organ
Wolfgang Talirz, Viola
Luca Mariani, Oboe
MDG
606 1630-2
Info
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Theophil Laitenberger
dedicated thirty years of his life to music education and church
music. It was not until his retirement years that he was able to
give free rein to his creative energy and wrote a series of organ
works including three sonatas, the Suite for Oboe and Organ, and
the Variations for Viola and Organ. The Berlin cathedral organist
Andreas Sieling has discovered these late works by Laitenberger
and is now presenting their recording premiere.
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Johann Pachelbel
(1653-1706)
Clavier Music
Vol. 2
Franz Raml,
Organ and Harpsichord
MDG
614 1553-2
Info
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Johann Pachelbel
was one of the best organists of his time. He was second to none
when it came to the creative blending of the Southern German/Italian
and Central German styles and thus of the Catholic and Protestant
liturgies. Franz Raml presents an up-to-date compositional overview
featuring organ toccatas, chorale arrangements, and suites, and
St. Peter's Church in Freiberg with its famous Silbermann organ
and a harpsichord by Tucher supply the recording's brilliant sound
color.
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