Franz Liszt was a composer who constantly revisited and reimagined his own works, leaving behind multiple versions that reveal his evolving artistry. His 12 Grandes Études (S. 137), later transformed into the Études d’exécution transcendante (S. 139), exemplify this creative process. Originating from his earlier Étude en douze exercices (1826), these studies chart Liszt’s growth from prodigy to visionary, pushing pianistic and harmonic boundaries. Far beyond displays of technique, these Études embody a fusion of profound musical thought and extreme technical demands—one reason they remain rarely recorded. This new recording, the first ever on a historical instrument, brings fresh insight into one of Liszt’s most daring achievements.

Booklet: EN, DE, FR

Conversations and music lasting into the early morning hours: this is likely how one must imagine the evening of August 17, 1722, at the residence of Rudolf Franz Erwein von Schönborn in Wiesentheid Castle.

“They remained until five o’clock in the morning and then departed,” the count reported the next day to his brother, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, who had sent him his court musicians. They came from Italy, and had among them the outstanding oboist Giovanni Benedetto Platti.

Together with Clara Blessing, her ensemble recreates this special evening of music-making among friends (Unter Freunden) with Italian-German masterworks of the eighteenth century

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Spiegelungen brings together Bach’s Musical Offering, Viktor Kalabis’ Canonic Inventions, and Isang Yun’s Royal Theme in a striking dialogue across time and culture. At the heart lies the canon: for Bach, a demonstration of contrapuntal mastery; for Kalabis, a modern exploration of invention and expressive freedom; for Yun, a meditation shaped by Taoist philosophy and Korean sonorities, refracted through the European tradition. NeoBarock performs on period instruments, creating a vibrant sound world where intellectual rigor meets poetic resonance. By placing them in dialogue, NeoBarock invites listeners to hear timeless ideas mirrored and transformed — a resonance between past and present that illuminates both.

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The famous alto solo cantatas by J. S. Bach not only display an extraordinary musical variety, but also place the highest demands on the virtuosity of the singing voice. Nowadays, these cantatas are mostly performed by countertenors. The exceptional alto Seda Amir-Karayan is bucking this trend. She is accompanied by the young baroque orchestra Camerata Vivaldiana under the direction of Fritz Krämer. And as a further speciality, she combines this magnificent figural music with the ancient, simple a cappella church chants from her Armenian homeland, which on the one hand form a captivating contrast, but at the same time show an astonishing closeness to the cantatas of the Thomaskantor in their spiritual content.

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As the composer of over 500 revolutionary keyboard sonatas, Domenico Scarlatti is rightfully regarded as a towering figure in 18th-century Spanish music. His close ties to the Spanish Court granted him a wide network of influence among contemporary composers, while his innovative integration of Spanish folk elements played a crucial role in shaping the distinctive keyboard style of the era. However, the prominence of Scarlatti has unfortunately overshadowed the remarkable work of his contemporaries and immediate successors, whose compositions blend Italian, French, and Spanish traditions in unique ways. From Nebra’s recently discovered Sinfonías to the enigmatic sonorities of Albero’s Recercatas and the folkloric character of Máximo López’s Variations on the Spanish fandango, this project explores the rich diversity of 18th-century Spanish keyboard music and sheds light on an often-neglected chapter of the harpsichord repertoire.

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With their new album Generations, Aleksandra and Alexander Grychtolik present prominent ‘influencers’ of keyboard music who shaped the transition from the galant style to the classical period. This journey begins with Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who composed works for two harpsichords in the footsteps of their father, Johann Sebastian Bach, and continues through their half-brother Johann Christian Bach to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, widely regarded as the inventor of four-handed playing and deeply inspired by the music of the Bach sons.

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A once abandoned Passion project by J. S. Bach? Harpsichordist and conductor Alexander Grychtolik, together with the Il Gardellino Orchestra, embarks on a captivating artistic experiment with this presentation of the Passion Oratorio BWV Anh. 169. The starting point for the partial reconstruction attempt and the completion of the work is the surviving libretto by the poet Picander from 1725. This unique endeavor draws the audience into a profound exploration of human empathy with the poignant suffering of Jesus and sheds light on a passion aesthetic we had not seen previously in Bach’s repertoire.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE

Lyrics: DE, EN

The catalogue of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works comprises 1128 numbers. However, he actually composed more than that. Many compositions have, unfortunately, not survived to the present day. Some works, moreover, have reached us incomplete, either because the composer himself did not finish them or because part of the manuscript has been lost.

In this recording, Lorenzo Ghielmi has taken on the challenging task of completing Bach’s organ works that have reached us as fragments. While he recognizes the inimitable nature of such a supreme artist, he has strived to stay true to Bach’s style. Through this endeavor, Ghielmi offers us the possibility to explore largely forgotten pages of Bach’s musical legacy and experience the magic of these incomplete compositions brought to life.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE, IT

Lyrics: EN, IT

It is no secret that twentieth century composers revered Bach for his contrapuntal genius. Anton Webern said himself: “You find everything in Bach: the development of cyclic forms, the conquest of the realm of tonality—the attempt at a summation of the highest order.”

By presenting Bach and Webern side by side, the Richter Ensemble strives to highlight hidden connections between the two composers. The program begins with Bach’s final work, The Art of Fugue, where Bach is at the apogee of his career. Bach displays his mastery of counterpoint in each fugue while expressing starkly different human emotions from ecstasy to absolute desperation, with succinctness and purpose.

In the works for string quartet that span his career, Anton Webern utilizes the same traditional contrapuntal techniques that with the utmost concision grasp toward the ideal. Although inarguably modern in a style that stretches from free atonality to dodecaphonic, the expression is just as varied and powerful.

By interpreting these works on gut strings, the Richter Ensemble enables a new perspective, innovative experiences and a unique soundscape.

Booklet: EN, DE, FR