Chamber music strings

July–December 2025

• Paul Hindemith: String Quartet No. 1 in C major, Edited from Giselher Schubert's complete edition of Paul Hindemith's works, score and parts, ED 23539, €69.00, Schott, Mainz

January-June 2025

• Johann Benjamin Gross (1808-1848)Variations on a Barcarole op. 24, for 2 violins, viola and violoncello, edited by Folckert Lüken-Isberner, score, PAN 1611, € 36.00, Pan, Kassel
• Johanna Senfter: String Quartet in F sharp minor op. 28, edited by Wolfgang Birtel, score and parts, ED 21076, € 56.00, Schott, Mainz
• Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet No. 11 in C major op. 61, edited by Hartmut Schick; parts: BA 11566, € 18.95; pocket score: TP 00566, € 13.50; Bärenreiter, Prague
• Esther Klein / Michael Dartsch: Together on Strings, 23 song movements for young strings; score, EB 8982, € 29.90; violin 1 + 2, EB 8983, € 12.90; Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Joachim Raff: String Quartets Nos. 6-8 op. 192,  edited by Stefan König, study score, PB 5708, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

July-December 2024

• Bela Bartók: String Quartet No. 6edited by László Somfai with the collaboration of Zsombor Németh; set of parts, HN 1426, € 38.00; study score, HN 7426, € 17.00; G. Henle, Munich
• Robert Schumann: Concerto in A minor for violoncello and orchestra op. 129, edited by Kate Bennett Wadsworth, transcription for violoncello and string quartet, parts BA 10967, € 44.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Maurice Ravel: String Quartetedited by Peter Jost; parts, HN 962, € 33.00; study score, HN 9962, € 17.00; G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2024

• Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 3, edited by Zsombor Németh and László Somfai; parts: HN 1423, € 28.00; study score: SE 7423, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich
• Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 4, edited by Zsombor Németh and László Somfai; parts: HN 1424, € 34.00; study score: SE 7424, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich

July-December 2023

• Theodor Kirchner: Only drops. Very small pieces for string quartetedited by Wolfgang Birtel, SE 1059, Schott, Mainz
• Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 1 op. 7, edited by László Somfai; parts: HN 1421, € 24.00; study score: HN 7421, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich
• Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 2 op. 17, edited by László Somfai; parts: HN 1422, € 24.00; study score: HN 7422, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich
  >>> Review by Markus Fleck
• Giuseppe Verdi: String Quartet in E minoredited by Anselm Gerhard; parts: HN 1588, € 25.00; study score: HN 7588, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich
  >>> Review by Markus Fleck

January-June 2023

• Antonin Dvorak: String Quartet No. 12 in F major op. 96 "Amerikanisches", edited by Michael Kube; parts: BA 11538, € 14.95; study score with critical report: TP 00538, € 8.95; Bärenreiter, Prague
• Laurent Menager: Paraphrase pour cordes op. 45, for 2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass, score and parts, EM 2632, € 29.90, Merseburger, Kassel
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann
• Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber: Mensa Sonora for violin, 2 violas and basso continuo, Partitas I and II, edited by Markus Eberhardt, EW 1051, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

Chamber music with piano

July–December 2025

• Michael Töpel: Drawn. Funeral Music for Violin, Violoncello, and Piano, Score and Parts, EM 2172, €20.00, Merseburger, Kassel

January-June 2025

• Camille Saint-Saëns: Septuor in E flat major for trumpet, piano, two violins, viola, violoncello and double bass, edited by Sabina Teller Ratner, score, BA 10966, € 24.50, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Miklós Rózsa: Quintet for 2 violins, viola, violoncello and piano in F minor op. 2, score and parts, EB 9464, € 79.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

July-December 2024

• Maurice Ravel: Trio for piano, violin and violoncello, edited by Douglas Woodfull-Harris, BA 10921, € 31.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Tilman Susato: 12 easy dances for soprano recorder and piano, edited by Martin-Christoph Dieterich, published by Barbara Hintermeier, SE 1056, with audio material, Schott, Mainz

January-June 2024

• Evgeny Kissin: Piano trio op. 6, HN 1397, € 28.00, G. Henle, Munich
• Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2 G minor op. 45, edited by Fabian Kolb, HN 1545, 46.00, G. Henle, Munich
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Trios op. 70 for piano, violin and violoncello, edited by Jonathan Del Mar; score and parts, BA 10960, € 42.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

July-December 2023

• Jean Sibelius: Trio in A minor for violin, violoncello and piano (Havträsk Trio), edited by Folke Gräsbeck, Anna Pulkkis, EB 9448, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann
• Jean Sibelius: Trio in D major for violin, violoncello and piano (Korpo-Trio), edited by Folke Gräsbeck, Anna Pulkkis, EB 9449, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann
• Antonín Dvořák: Piano Quartet in E flat major op. 87, edited by Peter Jost, HN1580, € 27.00, G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2023

• Emilie Mayer: Piano trio in E flat major, for violin, violoncello and piano, edited by Katharina Sellheim, score and parts, Fue 10346, Furore Edition, Kassel
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Trios for piano, violin and violoncello op. 1, edited by Jonathan del Mar, piano score and parts, BA 10943, € 52.00, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Gabriel Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minorop. 15, edited by Fabian Kolb, HN1544, G. Henle, Munich

Chamber music wind instruments

July–December 2025

• Alexander Glazunov: Saxophone Quartet in B-flat major Op. 109, edited by the Arcis Saxophone Quartet; parts, HN 1046, $22.00; study score, HN 7046, $11.00; G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2025

• Johannes Maria Staud: Chasing clouds, dazzling blue! for brass quintet (trumpet in C, trumpet in Bb, Wagner tuba in Bb, also horn in F, trombone, tuba in F), score, EB 9575, € 47.50, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

January-June 2023

• Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite op. 11, for wind ensemble and double bass arranged by Andrew Middleton, score and parts, Musica rara MR 2306, € 45.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

Chamber music various instruments

July–December 2025

• Sergei Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes for clarinet, piano, and string quartet, Op. 34, edited by Fabian Czolbe, score and parts, HN1541, $35.00, G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2025

• Adolf Busch: Quintet in C major for flute, violin, 2 violas and violoncello, edited by Jakob Fichert, study score, PB 5590, € 29.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Swiss trios, for recorder, strings or other instruments, based on traditional melodies of the 16th-21st century, arr. by Raphael Benjamin Meyer, RM21, Basilisk Edition, Basel
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann

July-December 2024

• Josef Fiala: Divertimento in E flat major for cor anglais and string trio arranged by Michel Rosset, EW 1149, € 21.80, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg
• Franz Schubert: Arpeggione, Sonata in A minor D. 821, for cor anglais and string trio arranged by Michel Rosset, EW 1227, € 28.50, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg
• Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto in G major TWV 43:G6, for treble recorder, oboe, violin and basso continuo, edited by Klaus Hofmann, EW 1264, € 19.80, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg
• Raphael Benjamin Meyer: Advent calendar, 24 pieces for Christmas time for 1 or 2 instruments and chord accompaniment ad lib., incl. play-alongs, RM 11, Basilisk Edition, Basel
• Johann Gottlieb Graun: Trio in F major for oboe (flauto traverso, violin), violin and basso continuo, newly arranged by Klaus Hofmann, EW 1280, € 19.80, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg
• Ernst Christian Hesse (1676-1762): Concerto in B flat major à 3 for oboe (violin), viola da gamba (viola) and basso continuo, first edition by Thomas Fritzsch, EW 1284, € 17.50, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

January-June 2024

• Erich Schmid: Small house concert. Twelve pieces for various instruments and voice op. 13, texts from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn", first edition by Iris Eggenschwiler, BB 3554, Boosey & Hawkes/Bote & Bock, Berlin
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Septet in E flat op. 20, for clarinet bassoon, horn, violin, viola, violoncello and double bass, edited by Jonathan Del Mar; parts, BA 10944; study score, TP 944; Bärenreiter, Kassel
  >>> Review by Jakob Hefti

July-December 2023

• Ulrich Kaiser: 12 variations on "Happy Birthday to You" for two melody instruments, MN 510, € 14.90, Breitkopf & Härtel
• Raphael Benjamin Meyer: 12 canons for two melody instruments, RM 05, Basilisk-Edition, Basel

January-June 2023

• Neithard Bethke: Ludi Organi, Musical Travel Diary III, Booklet 4, Spiritual on Psalm 137 for tenor saxophone and organ op. 58, No. 4, EM 1938, Edition Merseburger, Kassel
• Georg Philipp Telemann, Concerto in A minor TWV 43 :a3 for treble recorder, oboe, violin and basso continuo, edited by Klaus Hofmann, EW 1253, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

String orchestra

January-June 2025

• Peter Tchaikovsky: Serenade for string orchestra in C major op. 48, Urtext edited by Tanja Geschwind, score, PB 5721, € 28.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

July-December 2024

• Edvard Grieg: From Holberg's time. Suite in Old Style, Op. 40, version for string orchestra, edited by Ernst-Günter Heinemann; score, HN 3320, €22.00; set of parts (3, 3, 2, 2, 1), HN 3322, €45.00; study score; HN 7012, €10.00; G. Henle, Munich
  >>> Review by Martin Lehmann

January-June 2024

• Peter Tchaikovsky: Serenade in C major op. 48 for string orchestra, edited by Dominik Rahmer, foreword by Alexander Komarov; score HN1550, € 26.00; parts HN 1551, € 64.00; study score HN 7551, € 12.00; G. Henle, Munich

July-December 2023

• Arnold Schönberg: Transfigured Night op. 4, version for string orchestra, study score based on the text of the Arnold Schönberg Complete Edition, UE 36 531, € 33.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2022

Chamber orchestra

January-June 2023

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: London Sketchbook 1764, Volume 1, selected and completed for chamber orchestra by Hans-Udo Kreuels, score, EW 1234, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

Plucked string orchestra

January-June 2025

• Girolamo Frescobaldi, John Dowland, Henry Purcell: Canzona prima, Lachrimae antiquae, Chaconne, for plucked string orchestra arranged by Frank Scheuerle, score, PAN ZO 1115, € 15.00, Edition Grenzland, Pan-Verlag, Basel
  >>> Review by Melina Murray and Sandra Tinner
• Antonio Lorenziti: Quartetto concertante op. 6 No. 4, for plucked string orchestra arranged by Jean-Pierre Yraéta, score, PAN ZO 1114, € 14.00, Edition Grenzland, Pan-Verlag, Basel
• Dieter Kreidler: German folk songs - heard anew, for plucked string orchestra, level of difficulty: medium, score, PAN ZO 1103, € 25.00, Edition Grenzland, Pan-Verlag, Basel

July-December 2023

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for harpsichord, flute, violin and strings in A minor BWV 1044 "Triple Concerto", edited by Dietrich Kilian, BA 5259, € 34.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2023

January-June 2023

• Marlo Strauss: Topaz for plucked string orchestra, Edition Grenzland, pan ZO 1087,Pan, Basel

Solo instrument with orchestra

January-June 2025

• Johann Benjamin Gross (1808-1848): Larghetto and Variations op. 28, for violoncello and orchestra, edited by Folckert Lüken-Isberner, score, PAN 2062, € 28.00, Pan, Kassel

July-December 2023

• Felix Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor op. 64, edited by Birgit Müller, study score, PB 5712, € 17.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 202

January-June 2023

• Carl Friedrich Abel: Sinfonia Concertante No. 1 in B flat major WKO 42 for oboe, violin, violoncello and orchestra, EW 1236, edited by Markus Möllenbeck, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

Wind orchestra

January-June 2024

• Erich Schmid: Suite No. 1 for wind orchestra and percussion op. 7, first edition by Knud Breyer, BB 3551, Boosey & Hawkes/Bote & Bock, Berlin

Orchestra

July–December 2025

• Johann Strauss: Tales from the Vienna Woods, Waltzes for Orchestra, Op. 325, edited by Fritz Racek, score, PB 5812, €39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1971/2024
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5, edited by Christian Rudolf Riedel and Nick Pfefferkorn, score, PB 5635, €222.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2025
• Richard Wagner: Lohengrin, Prelude From WWV 75, score, PB 5741, €16.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2025
• Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D major Op. 60, edited by Jonathan Del Mar, score, BA 10416, €105.00, Bärenreiter, Prague 2025
• Maurice Ravel: The Child and the Spells, Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties, edited by Jean-François Monnard, score, PB 5753, €174.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Joseph Haydn: Symphony in B flat major Hob. I:66, edited by Wolfgang Stockmeier, BA 10995, $44.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Maurice Ravel: La Valse. Poème chorégraphique, edited by Douglas Woodfull-Harris, score, BA 09043, €78.00, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 G minor, The Great G Minor Symphony for Strings and Wind Instruments with Percussion and Harp, arranged by Thomas Stapf, score, ETM 2092, €42.00, Andrea Wiegand, Manching
• Edward Elgar: Morning Song, for strings, wind instruments, and harp (piano), arranged by Christoph Wagner, score and parts, ETM 2523, €29.00, Andrea Wiegand, Manching
• Edward Elgar: Chanson de nuit, for strings and wind instruments with timpani and harp (piano), arranged by Christoph Wagner, score and parts, ETM 2513, €29.00, Andrea Wiegand, Manching

January-June 2025

• Carl Maria von Webern: Der Freischütz (Overture), Urtext edited by Frank Reinisch, score, PB 5859, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus (Overture), Urtext edited by Fritz Racek, score, PB 5830, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony in C major KV 425 (Linzer), Urtext edited by Henrik Wiese, score, PB 5537, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9, Urtext edited by Christian Rudolf Riedel, score, PB 5639, € 189.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Joseph Haydn: Symphony in B Hob. I:68edited by Wolfgang Stockmeier and Sonja Gerlach, BA 10994, € 45.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Richard Strauss: A Hero's Life op. 40, edited by Nick Pfefferkorn, score, PB 5711, € 159.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

January-June 2024

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Moorish funeral music KV 477 (original scoring, later scoring, posthumous double scoring), edited by Ulrich Konrad and H.C. Robbins Landon, BA 9189, € 29.50, Bärenreiter, Kassel

July-December 2023

• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4, study score edited by Renate Stark-Voit, UE 36 518, € 39.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2022
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 44th movement, piano reduction edited by Renate Stark-Voit, UE 38 353, € 16.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2022
• Jean Sibelius: Lemminkäinen Suite op. 22, edited by Tuija Wicklund, study score, PB 5576, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023
• Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor op. 63, edited by Tuija Wicklund, study score, PB 5695, € 18.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023
• Richard Strauss: Don Quixote op. 35, edited by Nick Pfefferkorn, PB 5719, € 98.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023
• Manuel de Falla: Noches en los Jardines de España, edited by Ullrich Scheideler, study score, PB 15154, € 19.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023
• Camille Saint-Saëns: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso op. 28, edited by Peter Jost, study score, PB 15159, € 14.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023

January-June 2023

• Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé. Fragments Symphoniques 1re Suite, edited by Jean-François Monnard, PB 5651, € 89.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023
• Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé. Fragments Symphoniques 2e Suite, edited by Jean-François Monnard, PB 5652, € 109.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2023

Basso continuo and historical improvisation

January-June 2023

• Monika Mandelartz: Greensleeves and pudding pies. Figured Bass and Historic Improvisation, 50 Pieces for 2 or more Instrumentalists, Level 1, EW 1220, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg
  >>> Review by Dominik Sackmann

 

Solo singing

July–December 2025

• Songs by European female composers for voice and piano, edited by Jan Willem Nelleke and Voices of Woman, EB 9560, €28.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich: John and Esther, Poem cycle by Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Müller, for tenor and piano, Edited by Johannes Vigfusson, first edition, score, IFTFG-04, Int. Friedrich-Theodor-Fröhlich-Gesellschaft, Brugg, happy-society.com

January-June 2025

• Neidhard Bethke: The outrageous fortune, song cycle on texts by Eva Zeller for alto and piano (organ), EM 616, € 39.00 Merseburger, Kassel
• Pauline Viardot-Garcia: Complete Spanish Songs and Duets for one or two voices and piano, edited by Miguel Lopez-Fernandez, EB 9473, € 43.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Steffen Wolf: Ways to duet singing - a German "Vaccai" for two, 24 duets after poems by Heinrich Heine for two voices and piano, EB 9388, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

July-December 2024

• Arnold Schönberg: Eight songs for one voice and piano op. 6, UE 38136, € 29.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Robert Schumann: Myrtles, Liederkreis op. 25, edited by Kazuko Ozawa; edition for medium voice, HN 1643; edition for low voice, HN 1644; € 24.00 each, G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2024

• Evgeny Kissin: Nine Songs op. 5 after poems by Boris Sandler, for voice and piano, HN 1133, € 28.00, G. Henle, Munich
• David Alagna et Frédérico Alagna : L'Andalouse, mélodie sur un poème d'Alfred de Musset, pour voix aigue et orchestre, € 20.00, Editions Symétrie, Lyon ISMN 978-0-23180427-0
• Jules Massenet : C'était dans la saison des roses, sur un texte d'Augustine-Malvina Blanchecotte, pour chant et piano, ed. par Jean-Christophe Branger, € 8.00, Editions Symétrie, Lyon ISMN 978-2-36485-120-7

July-December 2023

• Joanna Gill: A Song of Thanksgiving and Dedication, for soprano and piano, UE 21848, € 9.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Evening sounds, night songs. Songs by women composers, edited by Maria Behrendt, EB 9477, € 25.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
  >>> Review by Walter Labhart

January-June 2023

• Richard Straus: Four songs op. 36, after the text of the critical edition, edited by Andreas Pernpeintner; for high voice with piano accompaniment UE 38163; for medium voice and piano UE 38164; for low voice and piano UE 38165; € 19.95 each, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Michael Töpel: Six songs after poems by Gerhart Hauptmann, for soprano and piano, EM 615, € 15.00, Merseburger, Kassel
• OperaAria Tenor 1, lyrical, edited by Peter Anton Ling, EB 8874, € 32.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Bach/Gounod: Ave Maria, for voice and piano, original text for high voice, edited by Gérard Condé, HN 1012, G. Henle, Munich

Vocal ensemble

July-December 2023

• Johannes Brahms: Liebeslieder, waltzes for voice and piano for two hands op. 52, edited by Jakob Hauschild, ChB 16003, € 17.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johannes Brahms: Four Quartets for four voices and piano, edited by Bernd Wiechert, ChB 16002, € 16.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

January-June 2023

• Comedian Harmonists. The original 5Five original arrangements by the Comedian Harmonists, edited by Ulrich Etscheit, reconstructed by Frank Schwemmer, BE 00457, € 12.95, Bosse (Bärenreiter), Kassel

Choir

July–December 2025

• Adrian Bucher: Ten choral songs a cappella based on poems by Eichendorff and Hesse for 4-part mixed choir Self-published, www.adrianbucher.net
• Thomas-Maria Reck: Singalong Songs II, 23 new chants and groove songs, teaching materials for choir singing without sheet music, including a strategy card set and audio download, $30.00, stimmlände.com
• Zoltan Kodaly: Eight Little Duets for soprano and tenor voices and piano after the Bicinia Hungarica, Vocal score, B & H 18389, Boosey & Hawkes (Schott), London
• Pēteris Vasks: Siltums bezgalīgs/Infinite Warmth, for mixed choir SATB based on a poem by Knuts Skujenieks, C 60261, €4.50, Schott, Mainz
• Pēteris Vasks: The Fruit of Silence, Full choral score for mixed choir SATB a cappella / and piano / and string orchestra / and organ, based on a text by Mother Teresa, C 60530, $7.50, Schott, Mainz
• Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich: The First Psalm, for soloists, choir, and orchestra, edited by Johannes Vigfusson, first edition, score and parts, IFTFG-05, Int. Friedrich-Theodor-Fröhlich-Gesellschaft, Brugg, happy-society.com

January-June 2025

• Martin Wistinghausen: The thunderstorm for mixed choir a cappella, EM 519, € 19.00, Merseburger, Kassel
• Arnd-Dieter Ubben: Six praise and thanksgiving motets for six-part choir a cappella, EM 520, € 22.00, Merseburger, Kassel
• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Lauda Sion MWV A 24, for solo choir and orchestra, edited by Clemens Harasim, score, PB 5648, € 53.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Kuhnau: How beautifully the morning star shines, Cantata after Psalm 98, edited by David Erler, score, PB 5844, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Kuhnau: Sing unto the Lord a new song Cantata for Christmas Day, edited by David Erler, score, PB 5678, € 42.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat in D major BWV 243 with interludes for performance at Christmas timefor soloists, choir and orchestra, edited by David Erler, score, PB 5733, € 28.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Jean Sibelius: Six songs for female voices a cappella, score, ChB 5390, € 8.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Uli Führe: The Nöck. Six two-part children's choir songs based on texts by James Krüss with piano accompaniment, (Der Kinderchor 13), Order No. 523, € 9.90, Fidula, Emmelshausen
• Tjark Baumann: Stimmbilder 2 with drawings by Eleonore Gerhaher, 20 picture cards for choir, singing and voice training lessons, order no. 945, € 24.90, Fidula, Emmelshausen

July-December 2024

• Frank Martin: Messe pour double Chœur a cappellaedited by Michael Ostrzyga, score, BA 11315, € 13.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel
  >>> Review by Markus Utz
• Tjark Baumann : Magnificatfor mixed choir (SSAM), soloists and piano, piano score, completed and arranged by Johannes Gessner, order no. 334, € 29.90, Fidula, Emmelshausen
• Arvo Pärt: Our Father for mixed choir and piano, UE 38005, € 8.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
  >>> Review by Markus Utz
• Richard Strauss: Two songs after texts by Adolf Friedrich von Schack (Heimkehr op. 15.5; Wie sollen wir geheim sie halten, op. 19,4) for eight-part mixed choir transcribed by Clytus Gottwald, UE 36724, € 12.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Genesis: Invisible Touch, for mixed choir arr. by Andreas Warschkow, Bosse Hits a cappella, BE00678, € 5.25, Bosse (Bärenreiter), Kassel

January-June 2024

• Yves Castagnet : L'Invitation au voyage, mélodie pour chœur et piano sur le poème de Charles Baudelaire, € 10.00, Editions Symétrie, Lyon ISMN 978-2-36485-137-5
• Dominique Vellard : Trois Motets pour voix d'hommes, solistes et ensemble vocal, € 20.00, Editions Symétrie, Lyon ISMN 978-2-36485-238-9
• Karl Jenkins: One World, for soli, choir SATB and orchestra, piano reduction, BH 14036, Boosey & Hawkes, London(Schott)
• Lucy Walker: Away in a manger, for SATB (with divisi) a cappella, Boosey & Hawkes, London(Schott)
• Lucy Walker: My heart, O God, for SATB (with divisi) a cappella, Boosey & Hawkes, London(Schott)
• Swiss Choral Music, for mixed choir a cappella, edited by Johannes Meister and Parrick Secchiari, C 2.305, with or without CD Carus, Stuttgart
  >>> Review by Markus Utz
• Gabriel Fauré: Pavane op. 50, arrangement for choir SATB and piano four hands by Pierre Albert Kopff and Kathrin Schweizer, score, C 10.402/10, € 12.00, Carus, Stuttgart
• Giacomo Puccini. I figli d'Italia bella "Cessato il suon dell'armi", for tenor solo, choir and orchestra, edited by Virgilio Bernardoni, score, C 56.151, € 27.00, Carus, Stuttgart
• Hermann Suter: Le Laudi di San Francesco d'Assisi (Canticle of the Sun) op. 25, chamber version by Urs Stäuble for 4 soli choir, children's voices, organ, timpani, glockenspiel, tam-tam and string quintet, score, Hug Musikverlage, Zurich
• Arvo Pärt: O Holy Father Nicholas, for mixed choir a cappella, UE38 114, € 13.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
  >>> Review by Markus Utz
• Henrike Thies-Gebauer: The Disciple, Musical on the story of Mary Magdalene for one to three-part choir, soloists, piano, bass, percussion and guitar ad. Lib. Score, ZE 2283, € 19.90, Zebe, Berlin
• LOTTE & Max Giesinger: Here's to what's still to come, for mixed choir arranged by Oliver Gies, Series: Made for choir!, BE 655, Bosse, Kassel
• Danger Dan: Good news, for mixed choir arranged by Oliver Gies, Series: Made for choir!, BE 670, Bosse, Kassel
• John Farnham: You're the Voice, arranged for mixed choir by Oliver Gies, Series: Made for choir!, BE 673, Bosse, Kassel
• Maybebop: Dat du min Leevsten büst, for mixed choir arranged by Oliver Gies, Series: Made for choir!, BE 674, Bosse, Kassel
• Alois Leenders: Missa Vivaldi, Missa brevis to "The Four Seasons" for choir SATB and piano, order no. 225, Fidula, Emmelshausen
• Stefan Lindner: Springtime Songs, Five countries, five languages: European Spring Suite for mixed choir SAM, percussion and piano, with audio QR codes, order no. 219, Fidula, Emmelshausen

July-December 2023

• Music for the Spirit. Chorbuch zu Pfingsten & anderen Anlässen, edited by Stephen Harrap, ChB 5384, € 26.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
  >>> Review by Markus Utz
• Give peace! Choir book for the German Youth Choir Festival "Pueri Cantores" 2023 in Münster, ChB 5385, € 17.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Kuhnau: Christ lag in Todes-Banden, Cantata for Easter, for soloists (choir) and orchestra, edited by David Erler, PB 32034, € 24.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Johann Kuhnau: Decorate the festival with May, Cantata for the Feast of Pentecost, for soloists, choir and orchestra, edited by David Erler, PB 32117, € 39.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Franz Schubert: Mass in E flat D 950, edited by Rudolf Faber; score: BA 5576, € 95.00; piano reduction by Andreas Köhs: 5576-90, € 14.50; Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Camille Saint-Saëns: Super flumina Babylonis, edited by Christina M. Stahl; score: BA 11305, € 24.95; piano reduction by the composer: 11305-90, € 7.95; Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Camille Saint-Saëns: By the rivers of Babylonfor alto solo, choir and piano, edited by Christina M. Stahl; score: BA 11309, € 9.95; choral score: 11309-91, € 5.95; Bärenreiter, Kassel
• The Wayfaring Stranger, for mixed choir SATB arr. by Martin Kirchhübel, Bosse Hits a cappella, BE 787, Bosse, Kassel
• Meat Loaf: I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that), for mixed choir SMezATB + soli arr. by Agnes Hassler, Bosse Hits a cappella, BE 785, Bosse, Kassel
• The new choir book (S)SAB / SABT a cappellaedited by Christopher Miltenberger and Ulrike Wenckebach, ED 23412, € 32.50, Schott, Mainz
• Christmas music, choral movements of the 16th and 17th centuries for four voices for recorders, violas da gamba, other melody instruments or mixed choir, edited by Manfred Harras, RM 01, Basilisk Edition, Basel
• Christmas chorales, 5-part choral movements from the 16th and 17th centuries for recorders, violas da gamba, other melody instruments or mixed choir, edited by Manfred Harras, RM 31, Basilisk Edition, Basel
• Sting: Why should I cry for you, for mixed choir a cappalla arr. by Martin Kirchhübel, Bosse A-cappella-Hits, BE 788, € 5.25, Bosse, Kassel
• Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem, edited by Michael Struck and Michael Musgrave, study score, HN 9029, € 20.00, G. Henle, Munich

January-June 2023

• Gustav Mahler: Don't look into my songs! from "Fünf Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert", for twelve-part choir a cappella arranged by Lukas Haselböck, Chrpartitur UE 38138, € 10.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Gustav Mahler: Ich atmet' einen linden Duft, from "Fünf Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert", for twelve-part choir a cappella arranged by Lukas Haselböck, Chrpartitur UE 38139, € 9.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Gustav Mahler: I am lost to the world, from "Fünf Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert", for twelve-part choir a cappella arranged by Lukas Haselböck, chrpartitur UE 38140, € 11.50, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Gustav Mahler: At Midnight, from "Fünf Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert", for twelve-part choir a cappella arranged by Lukas Haselböck, Chrpartitur UE 38141, € 11.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Gustav Mahler: Do you love beauty, from "Fünf Lieder nach Texten von Friedrich Rückert", for twelve-part choir a cappella arranged by Lukas Haselböck, Chrpartitur UE 38142, € 8.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Richard Strauss: Three songs (Nachtgang, Ich trage meine Minne, Madrigal) for five-part choir transcribed by Clytus Gottwald, UE 36990, € 12.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Joanna Gill: A Hymn to the Father, for mixed choir, violin solo and violoncello solo, UE 21845, € 4.95, Universal Edition, Vienna
• George Arthur: Simple Gifts, for two-part upper voice choir with piano accompaniment, UE 21844, € 3.93, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Johann Sebastian Bach: St. John Passion, version II "O man, weep" (1725) BWV 245.2, edited by Manuel Bärwald; score: BA 5938, € 85.00; piano reduction: BA 5938-90, € 15.95; Bärenreiter, Kassel
• Leokadiya Kashperova: Evening & Night, for female choir SSAA a cappella, BH 13990, € 17.00, Boosey & Hawkes (Schott), London
• Johannes Brahms: Triumphlied op. 55, edited by Johannes Behr and Ulrich Tadday, , study score, HN 9030, G. Henle, Munich
• Marin Wistinghausen: Time is of the essence, pass away! for choir, theorbo, violone, (tuba) organ, score, EM 1034, Edition Merseburger, Kassel

School music

July–December 2025

• Henrike Thies-Gebauer: Elli and the Tower, Musical for one- to two-part choir, soloists and piano, bass, percussion, soprano recorder, guitar ad lib., score, ZE 2286, €19.90, Zebe, Berlin

January-June 2025

• Jörg Sommerfeld / Felix Janosa: Sounds Good. The art of pedagogical arranging. The practice book for schools, music schools, music clubs and ensembles, EB 9411, € 49.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• Uli Führe: The Nöck. Six two-part children's choir songs based on texts by James Krüss with piano accompaniment, (Der Kinderchor 13), Order No. 523, € 9.90, Fidula, Emmelshausen

January-June 2024

• Meowowow, 33 Katzenmusiken und Hundegesänge, themed songbooks edited by Katharina Holzmeister, order no. 076, Fidual, Emmelshausen
• Sami Kajtazaj: Our favorite stories, with cool songs to sing along to, illustrated by Anna Stawarz, Edition Hug GH 11819, Hug Music Publishers, Zurich

Songbooks

July–December 2025

• Martin Kuhnle: The Backpack Guitar, Learning & Playbook, all verses with chords, D 827, $19.80, Dux, Manching
• Martin Kuhnle: The Backpack Ukulele, Learning & Playbook, all verses with chords, D 828, $19.80, Dux, Manching

January-June 2023

• Songs for everyone, 60 songs for everyone who likes to sing, lyric book with accordion, edited by Manfred Rehm, D 809, Edition Dux, Manching
• Songs for everyone, 60 songs for everyone who likes to sing, lyric book, edited by Manfred Rehm, D 808, Edition Dux, Manching

 

"Not a second of idleness" can be found in Dieter Ammann's works, said his famous, now sadly deceased composer colleague Wolfgang Rihm. The fact is that the creations of the composer from Aargau, who teaches composition at the Lucerne University of Music, are extremely well received by audiences. His piano concerto Gran Toccata, which he worked on for several years, has already been performed worldwide with great success - also thanks to the phenomenal interpretation by Andreas Haefliger - and his viola concerto no templates also has a great chance of becoming a repertoire piece.

However, Ammann has become particularly well-known in the last decade with four works for large orchestra, in chronological order these are Boost (PREMIERE 2002), Core (PREMIERE 2002), Turn (UA 2010) and glow (PREMIERE 2016). The first three were commissioned by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival, glow The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and the Bern Symphony Orchestra will perform together.

Improvisational habitus and meticulous care

Their captivating effect is based on several factors: on the one hand, you can sense Ammann's past as a jazz musician and improviser. Although the four pieces do not contain any improvised or aleatoric passages, but on the contrary are "worked out" down to the smallest detail, they have a rhythmic groove that constantly maintains the tension. Pierre Boulez characterized them as follows: "Ammann's orchestral works form a synthesis of seemingly improvisational habitus and meticulous care in their elaboration." This way of working makes him one of the "slowest" composers among his contemporaries. Ammann writes that composing also means "enduring the contradiction of being a seeker in a world whose creator you are at the same time". On the other hand, the works are very varied and sensual, as Ammann exploits all the possibilities of a modern orchestra in his orchestration, with percussion often featuring prominently.

Of course, very different music has left its mark on Ammann's work; one is momentarily reminded of John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Mark-Anthony Turnages Three Screaming PopesGyörgy Kurtág's Stele or even Alexander Mossolov's Iron foundryi; some of the harmonies and timbres are reminiscent of works by French Impressionists or Olivier Messiaen. Ammann's music is not epigonal, however, but has its own personal signature. It is pleasing that he completely dispenses with quotations, which seem almost unavoidable with other composers at the moment.

Opulent in sound and played with brilliance

Naxos will release a CD of orchestral music by Ammann in 2023 (including Core, Turn and Boost) in outstanding, live-recorded interpretations by the Basel Sinfonietta under Baldur Brönnimann. The fact that the Schweizer Fonogramm label has now released these three works, supplemented by glowin studio recordings with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under the direction of Jonathan Nott, who is familiar with Ammann's music, can be described as a stroke of luck. On the one hand, we now have two different recordings of some of the most interesting recent orchestral works composed in Switzerland; on the other hand, the new recording, opulent in sound and played with the greatest brilliance, is a real pleasure to listen to. The CD can be warmly recommended!

Dieter Ammann: glut, music for orchestra. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Jonathan Nott, conductor. Swiss Fonogram, SF0020

This LP almost makes you feel a little nostalgic. The agility of this bass playing, the nimble and at times wild actionism, a gesture of departure as we know it from the London free jazz scene, often tamed by structure that comes from new music. That was the 70s.

The British double bass player Barry Guy, who has lived in Switzerland with his wife, violinist Maya Homburger, for a long time, has performed in several scenes, including baroque music. He has performed in Donaueschingen several times. And here everything comes together in a unique way. The one-and-a-half LP (with A, B and C sides) has a few surprises in store.

Only Iannis Xenakis' Theraps has become a classic with its bruitistic and playful power. The other four composers, although they are all still alive, have faded somewhat into the background; it is worth rediscovering them. They knew how to use Guy's improvisational and theatrical qualities in a variety of ways: Bernard Rands, for example, with Memo or John Anthony Celona with Voicings. The voice of the double bass player joins in, whispering and whistling. The Italian Luca Lombardi has composed a political Essay with a quote from Paul Dessau, and the South Tyrolean Hubert Stuppner wrote with Expressions a rondo for a clown - which is wonderfully illustrated with photos in this LP edition: Here, the bass is playing away with itself from the tape - a fine example of the exuberant vitality that instrumental theater still possessed in those years.

Is that a thing of the past? In any case, it takes a virtuoso like Barry Guy, who incidentally has also created magnificent score graphics. Anaclasis from 2002, the only own and more recent work, realized here with his bass colleague Stefano Scodanibbio, is one of them: it opens up a rich playing field for the two musicians.

Barry Guy Plays. Luca Lombardi, Hubert Stuppner, Iannis Xenakis, Bernard Rands, John Anthony Celona and Barry Guy. Barry Guy, double bass. Maya Recordings MLP 2401

"Memory is something we performers don't like to talk about - mainly because we're afraid of losing it." This is what the Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt once said. The fact that professionals can play by heart for hours on end, usually without making mistakes, is basically a miracle. In fact, our brain memory is as fascinating as it is almost impossible to penetrate. Beyond the extremely complex and as yet barely researched interplay of hundreds of trillions of synapses, this also applies to the topic of "music and memory". Although it is immediately obvious, it is still difficult to grasp.

Music and memory by Melanie Unseld is a study book. The professor, who teaches in Vienna, aims to provide an overview of musicological perspectives on a subject that has been significantly promoted by cultural studies, for example by Jan Assmann's book The cultural memory. Identities therefore play a role, for example, where the subconsciously anchored Marseillaise or other hymns create national awareness. Other areas of research include aspects of canon formation and reception research. Why are some things remembered and why not? Why have these or those composers and far fewer female composers prevailed? Unseld naturally also touches on monument preservation and politics with such questions. She mentions, for example, the temporary ban on the Marseillaisewhich, due to its revolutionary potential, was to disappear from memory for a time, just like some works by Russian composers that were banned under Joseph Stalin.

It is not always easy to follow Unseld. She changes perspectives in minute detail. From the absolutely important role of music in the lifelong formative teenage years, she jumps to music didactics, dementia research or a falsifying memory that is commonplace in biographies. As if that were not enough, memories also play a role in the aesthetics of composition. Composers recall predecessors by quoting them. And: sonata form, variation movements, verses and choruses make it clear that music almost always plays on the keyboard of memory. Unseld sums up this particular narrow approach by writing about the experience of time: "Music can deal with time in three ways. It can construct time (through rhythms or the course of form, through composition), imagine time (for example with historical performance practice or music historiography) and make time perceptible (for example through the correlation to the heartbeat or when time passes while practicing or attending a concert)."

For the time being, it is impossible to foresee where this complex field of research will lead. It is nice that Unseld's excellently edited book moves away from cool formalism towards a more human approach to music. In the end, however, it cannot be overlooked that memory is (so far) difficult to grasp and is often very different from person to person. In this respect, music in turn has to do with memory, because both areas seem like a pudding that cannot be nailed to the wall.

Melanie Unseld: Music and Memory - A Study Book, 298 p., € 29.90, Rombach Wissenschaft, Baden-Baden 2025, ISBN 978-3-96821-886-1  

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt celebrated his 90th birthday this September. He himself says of his style, which emerged in the late 1980s: "Tintinnabulation is an area I sometimes delve into when I'm looking for answers - in my life, my music, my work. (...) The complex and multi-layered only confuses me, and I have to search for unity ..."

Two of his most recent choral works are the German Our Father and the motet O Holy Father Nicholas. He wrote the latter for the rededication of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the National Shrine at Ground Zero in New York, which was destroyed on September 11, 2001. A sonorous, enriching ten minutes in typical Pärt a cappella style. The Our Father on the other hand, is rather atypical for him, but no less impressive. In addition to the previous versions for voice and piano and for choir, piano and string orchestra, Universal Edition Wien has now published this new version for choir and piano, which can also be performed by amateur choirs.

Arvo Pärt: Our Father, for mixed choir and piano, UE 38005, € 8.95, Universal Edition, Vienna

Id.: O Holy Father Nicholas, for mixed choir a cappella, UE 38114, € 13.95

 

For a century and a half, the magazine Music & Liturgy as the most important organ of Catholic church music in German-speaking Switzerland, reports on church music and its developments. It sheds light on everyday musical practice in liturgy and sacred concerts from various perspectives.

What began in 1876 as a paper called Choir guard began years later under the title Catholic church music and later Singing and making music in church services finally to Music & Liturgya magazine that covers a broad spectrum of church music life and creativity beyond the choral world. Since the beginning of this year, it is no longer in print, but as an online platform.

On March 14, 2026, a festive ceremony will take place at 1.30 pm in the Einsiedeln monastery church with three choirs and instrumental music. At the same time, three important figures in church music in Switzerland, Father Theo Flury, Abbot Urban Federer and Martin Hobi, will be honored for their outstanding commitment to church music with an Orlando di Lasso and Ambrosius Medal respectively. The general public is also cordially invited to this ceremony.

musicandliturgy.ch

From Stefan Muhmenthaler to Jakob Steiner: for each year, Ueli Steingruber has portrayed a personality who was awarded first prize in the Swiss Youth Music Competition (SJMW) between 1976 and 2025. The color or black and white photographs show them in an everyday situation today. The aim is to take a look at the big picture, at the consistency of the competition for 50 years: "Like a reliably nourishing river, it runs through the biographies of the Swiss music world and feeds it with motivated young talent." This is how Michael Eidenbenz praises the SJMW in the introductory text.

The volume, beautifully designed under the direction of Valérie Probst, invites you to look, read and reflect on the nature of music again and again.

50 - Swiss Youth Music Competition 1975 to 2025, published by the Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation, 120 p., Fr. 35.00, ISBN 978-3-033-11409-8, info@sjmw.ch

The well-known guitarist David Russell described José Tomás (1934-2001) from the Spanish coastal town of Alicante as the most influential guitar teacher of the late 20th century. Tomás was not only a gifted guitarist and teacher, but also a diligent arranger of Renaissance, Baroque and other music. Pedro Jesús Gómez, like Russell a former student of Tomás, has now published a carefully compiled collection of transcriptions by the Iberian maestro with Editions Chanterelle.

The first focus is on 16th and 17th century lute music, with John Dowland featuring particularly prominently. With Couperin and Purcell it is then the harpsichord, with Bach's E minor suite BWV 996 the legendary lute piano, which is played on the guitar strings. From Haydn to the 20th century, there is arranged piano music by "classics" of the guitar repertoire such as Albéniz and Granados, but also by other greats of the (late) Romantic period such as Tchaikovsky and Ravel.

Tomás played mainly on an eight-string Ramirez guitar made especially for him, with which he could also play the low notes of a polychoral Renaissance or Baroque lute. His arrangements were also tailored to this instrument. Editor Gómez meticulously documents deviations from Tomás' manuscripts. In most of the pieces, one string is retuned (F sharp instead of G, D instead of E, even G instead of A). There are practically no gaps in the fingerings. The commentary is in English and Spanish. Anyone who enjoys interpreting lute and piano music on the guitar will be well served by this anthology.

The José Tomás Guitar Anthology, Arrangements for Guitar solo by José Tomás, ed. by Pedro Jesús Gómez, ECH 2725, € 22.50, Editions Chanterelle (Schott), Mainz

Ingo Bredenbach, the organist at Tübingen's Stiftskirche, makes it possible to Johann Sebastian Bach's piano lessons deep insights into his compositional development. The focus is on the works for keyboard instruments that accompanied the entire development of Bach's creativity, from his self-study to his main activity as the most important organ teacher of his era. Bredenbach's starting point are the copies of two organ works by Jan Adam Reincken and Dieterich Buxtehude, which he studied to acquire knowledge of harmony and some contrapuntal licenses. During the first half of his life, Bach enriched this basic knowledge of North German music by studying Italian music, especially the Italian concerto, in order to later pass on his experiences to his numerous apprentices. Bredenbach's study traces Bach's musical career in detail as a lifelong lesson, from learning to teaching.

The strengths of this practice-based study lie in the analytical details that an organist who wants to improvise in Bach's style must "grasp". More problematic is the sometimes selective consideration of existing literature. Sometimes insights are proclaimed that have long since been published elsewhere. The author lacked the organizing hand of a master like Bach, which would have helped him to consistently implement a clear concept from the wealth of complex information in the book in such a way that the fundamental is separated from the details and the important from the trivial. Nevertheless, if you want to learn something essential about Bach's music, you would be well advised to take Bredenbach's book, which is well worth reading, and the sheet music of all the works discussed.

Ingo Bredenbach: Johann Sebastian Bach's piano lessons. Bach as a learner and teacher, 519 p., € 59.00, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2024, ISBN 978- 3-7618- 2617-1

 

The Geneva-born composer Gasparo Fritz (1716-1783) became particularly well known for his chamber music. He came from a musical dynasty, received a profound musical education and studied the violin in Italy with Giovanni Battista Somis, a pupil of Arcangelo Corelli. It can be said that the author's Italian influence is also clearly audible in his style and is evident in the melodic design and structural clarity of his works.

Published by Michael Biehl and Claire Genewein in collaboration with Peter Schmid, the VI Sonata a Violino o Flauto Traversiere solo col Basso op. 2 are among the composer's most outstanding works. Players have the choice between violin and flute as solo instruments. In some passages, alternative versions are given depending on the instrument.

Character

Nicola Schneider explains in the preface that the concept of a musical rococo undoubtedly applies to these sonatas. They often manifest a form of elegance that is considered characteristic of the transitional phase to the Classical period. Baroque formal rigor is combined with gallant lines, clear melodies and dialogic interplay. The flute is often led in a lively musical dialog with the bass voice with a distinctly fine feeling for cantabile lines, for example in the Andante in the 1st Sonata.

All of Gasparo Fritz's sonatas display galant elements, for example in ornamentation, lightness, dance-like rhythms and a certain grace. In addition, colorfulness is created by the numerous written-out ornaments as well as a longer composed cadenza in the Adagio of the 2nd sonata. The rapid changes of affect and the varied articulation often have the narrative effect of a story with many facets. The movement models are mostly in three movements and sometimes lead to a playful final movement with virtuoso variations, such as in the 4th sonata.

Echoes

Two significant parallels to other flute sonatas that last for several bars are striking: The first bars of the Andante from the 4th sonata are similar to the opening theme of Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata in B minor BWV 1030 and in the cantabile Largo of the 2nd sonata there is an audible echo of the Siciliano from the Flute Sonata in E flat major BWV 1031 attributed to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

Source situation

The first publication of these sonatas to feature a suspended continuo was the work by Frank Martin. Michael Biehl's intention with his continuo realization is to give a wider audience the opportunity to interpret the work and points out that this is only one possibility and that the figures could not have been written by Gaspard Fritz, but by his editor, as no autograph of the sonatas exists.

The lavish edition published by Schmid & Genewein in Zurich is based on the original print with an upper part and a figured bass, which is kept in the Zentralbibliothek Zürich, and also adopts its dynamic indications. It includes as scores the upper part with the continuo set out by Michael Biehl and, in accordance with the original, the upper part with figured bass, in two copies for the convenience of performers. A detailed critical report with numerous notes on the sonatas rounds off this new edition, which is successful in every respect.

Gasparo Fritz: VI Sonate a Violino o Flauto Traversiere solo col Basso, edited by Michael Biehl and Claire Genewein, SG010, Fr. 54.00, Schmid & Genewein, Zurich

 

 

Some people say that heavy metal is close to classical music. Well, that probably varies from case to case. In any case, virtuosity on the instrument or in the voice can be found in quite a few metal bands. What's more, many of the musicians in this sometimes amusing scene have undergone professional training.

Keyboardist Thomas Hiebaum sees himself as the composer of the Aargau symphonic metal band Deep Sun, which has now been in existence for almost 20 years. On their new album, the quintet mixes Storyteller all kinds of things together. Here the typically distorted metal guitar with its hard rhythmic riffs and the drum set with its fast bass attacks. Then there are the dense keyboard sounds, often reminiscent of a string orchestra, and the high soprano voice of Debora Lavagnolo, always moving in sustained melodies.

Lavagnolo writes the lyrics himself. They are about mysticism, about - as the song descriptions say - the "triumph of rebirth", about "stories from the forests or from the lakes" or about the "irrefutable strength of women". One suspects that a certain pathos, which is probably inscribed in symphonic metal, is not far away and it is also redeemed in the form of dense sound clusters, which are also heavily built up with a lot of reverb and compression. So: there are many virtuoso interludes from the guitarist and the drummer; also many episodes to sing along to and invitations to sway with a "feel-good factor". But at some point you think: a little less of everything would probably have done in the end.

Deep Sun: Storyteller. Power Blast Records

The chords that follow each other so regularly seem familiar and yet they are not, especially not in their sequence. They go through the minutes, changing constantly, sometimes more, sometimes less, but not for the sake of complacent nuance. Sometimes the sounds get stuck in time, sometimes they surprise us with twists and turns, then they remain constant again; meandering and moving forward are no longer opposites. Et cetera. Something similar could be said about many pieces by Aarau composer Jürg Frey, such as the second album of piano music recorded by Dutch pianist Reinier van Houdt (Composer, alone; Elsewhere Music, 3 CDs).

But the human voice adds a different quality: something warm, slightly unstable, more lively. The brilliant London vocal ensemble Exaudi, founded in 2002 and specializing in new music, has now recorded six of Frey's works. Most of them date from the past decade and yet, despite their stylistic uniformity, they show diversity. For example in the choice of texts, which range from a poem of his own to Far Eastern poetry and Emily Dickinson. The harmonic and vocal color changes with each piece. Some movements are as bright as day, others shadowy, even allowing for a certain dimness. Sometimes they are sounds that seep only faintly into the ear, but unfold their gentle brilliance there. A minimum of emphasis, which rarely arises, has a great effect. Yes, even a certain spirituality can be felt at times, as a focus on a point outside. And incidentally, it becomes clear how far these outwardly inconspicuous sounds have come: They are not only heard in London, but also in Montreal, New York, Tokyo and wherever else: the lowly, solitary, solitary becomes - once again - cosmopolitan.

Jürg Frey: Voices. Exaudi Vocal Ensemble; conducted by James Weeks. New Records

 

The time has truly come to take another look at Sofia Gubaidulina, who died in March. She has found her permanent place in the imaginary museum of music history. But too often Gubaidulina's biography and aesthetics have been reduced to rather simple denominators: the composer who suffered under Russian censorship, the religious brooder and - from the point of view of the progressive parties - the traditional composer who did not embrace progressive compositional techniques from 1950 onwards.

The new Naxos CD Figures of Time paints a different picture. Gubaidulina's 30-minute orchestral work of the same name is just as captivating with its enormous tension and progressiveness as the following piano concerto Introit with a brilliant Alice Di Piazza at the keys. There is no ornamentation or unnecessary gimmickry. Thinned-out, quiet chamber music or solo passages are followed by brusque, expressive orchestral discharges - without giving the impression that the thread has been lost. The words that Gubaidulina herself found are always comprehensible: "There are composers who build their works very consciously, whereas I count myself among those who tend to 'breed' their works. And that is why the entire world I have recorded forms the roots of a tree, as it were, and the work that grows out of it its branches and leaves."

Catchy jazz rhythms, including walking bass, characterize the fun, originally created in 1976. Revue Music for Orchestra and Jazz Band. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek here, not at all the work of a "religious ponderer", but of an unexpectedly open, thoroughly humorous composer. It is true that Gubaidulina's wink with subversive jazz from the West was not at all well received in the Soviet Union - and the empathy of the sensitive conductor Titus Engel, who leads an outstanding Basel Sinfonietta with the participation of the NDR Big Band, is always in tune. In short: a production well worth listening to. On top of that, with many a gain in knowledge!

Figures of Time. Works by Sofia Gubaidulina. Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Big Band; Alice Di Piazza, piano; Titus Engel, conductor. Naxos 8.551487

From 1778 to 1790, the Bohemian cellist Anton (or Antonín) Kraft was first cellist in the chapel at the court of Prince Nikolaus Esterházy (1714-1790), where Joseph Haydn also worked. Kraft took composition lessons from him from time to time and it can be assumed that Haydn composed his great second cello concerto in D major for Kraft. It was even mistakenly attributed to him at times.

The cello plays the central role in Kraft's compositional oeuvre. Edition Walhall has now republished his two surviving cello concertos. Both are in the key of C major and are roughly the same length, lasting between 20 and 23 minutes.

The first concerto follows Haydn's orchestration in solo concertos with 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings. The solo part is demanding, but is written in a grateful and balanced manner (range C-g2). The second concerto op. 4 has an almost Beethovenian orchestral size: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings. The cello part is virtuosic and full of technical difficulties (range C-h2), comparable to the solo cello part in Beethoven's Triple Concerto.

In both editions, the extensive preface provides information about the sources and contextualizes the concertos in the musical field of tension between Haydn and Beethoven. It is to be hoped that these editions will lead to both works being studied more often at music academies and thus performed more frequently.

Anton Kraft: Concerto No. 1 in C major "Seydl", edited by Max Möllenbeck; score, EW 996, € 43.50; piano reduction, EW 1157, € 24.80; Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

Id.: Concerto No. 2 in C major op. 4; score, EW 1031, € 49.80; piano reduction, EW 1273, € 28.50