Conductors: Modestas Pitrėnas - Adrija Čepaitė
 
Starring exceptional violinist Džeraldas Bidva, three concerti by Vasks, Šenderovas and Juzeliūnas transport the listener to Lithuania in a release which coincides with the centenary of the country’s independence.

Džeraldas Bidva interprets three Baltic concerti: two for violin and orchestra, including Pēteris Vasks’ Vox amoris, and one featuring organ and violin, for which Bidva is joined by the young and talented organist Karolina Juodelytė. The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Modestas Pitrėnas and Adrija Čepaitė.

The music of Julius Juzeliūnas is steeped in Lithuanian folklore; that of Pēteris Vasks has a strong sense of nature translated into sound; and that of Anatolijus Šenderovas not only reflects dramatic experiences in Lithuania’s turbulent history, but also reveals the richly multicoloured and polyethnic soundscape of the country.

This album appears in the year marking the centenary of Lithuania’s restored independence. It celebrates the continuing tradition of musical art in the Baltic countries within the broader context of centuries-old European traditions.

Lior Shambadal, Chief Conductor of the Berliner Symphoniker, said of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra: “Top level chamber orchestras have become such a rarity in today’s world, whereas you have one and can raise its international profile even higher by presenting projects that no one else has ventured before. The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra has a glorious past, dynamic present and, I believe, will have a brilliant future”.

Džeralds Bidva - Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra - Baltic Concerti

A unique release of evocative Japanese music for the saxophone, performed by an artist who specialises in this repertoire, Masanori Oishi.
From Yuji Takahashi to Dai Fujikura, this compilation gathers together the works of seven composers from different generations. While the album allows listeners to enjoy Masanori Oishi’s rich, expressionistic abilities as he freely manipulates the sound of the saxophone, it also showcases what Japanese composers have to offer.
Highlights include music by Dai Fujikura, who has been recognised by prominent European composers including Pierre Boulez, George Benjamin and Péter Eötvös, and who has developed a progressive musical style, earning a reputation as a notable up-and-coming composer. His saxophone work SAKANA was inspired by “the light reflecting upon the body of a fish swimming around in the water.” Water is a theme which also features in Akira Nishimura’s Water Shadows, described by the composer as evoking “the sound of the qualities of water”; the piece includes a rich mid-range melody during the central section, with chords in multiphonics before and after the melody evoking the sensation of being in water. 
In contrast, the element of fire inspired Yuji Takahashi’s Embers, in which each phrase is repeated over the end of another phrase, creating an overlapping chain, eventually calming down like a flame dying out. With the deep tone of a baritone saxophone, Oishi’s interpretation of this piece is deeply meditative. Yoichi Sugiyama’s Smoking Prohibited, A Bay Street Ballade is a moving tribute to Eric Garner, drawing on an African-American spiritual song, Lay This Body Down, widely sung during the Civil War era.

Masanori Oishi - Smoke

“His pieces... will be found, upon a close examination, to be so rich in invention, taste, and learning, that... each line of them... would furnish more new ideas than can be discovered in a whole page of many other compositions” (Charles Burney on C.P.E. Bach in 1773).
For acclaimed pianist Vittorio Forte, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was a visionary who expanded the legacy of his father, J.S. Bach, offering his successors a blueprint for broadening music’s horizons. C.P.E. Bach’s music combines elements of J.S. Bach’s structural brilliance, Classical refinement, and Romantic emotional breadth, opening a door to a new musical era without turning its back on tradition. A “farewell” (Abschied) that does not deny the past, but rather draws deeply on this heritage.
This innovative and nuanced style, as heard on this recording, is characterised by rhetorical gestures including swift and frequent shifts in mood, rhythmic juxtapositions, irregular phrasing, widely-spaced melodic leaps, sighing motifs, numerous rests, false endings, and sudden injections of drama.
At the keyboard, C.P.E. Bach himself exuded both clarity and lyricism in his performances, often becoming completely absorbed during passages of improvisation. He was famed for his ability to improvise fantasias, taking detours into far-flung harmonic realms via whimsical rhythmic and structural flights of fancy. On this recording, Vittorio Forte interprets a number of Bach’s most extraordinary fantasias, alongside a selection of his rondos, which were hugely popular during the composer’s lifetime. C.P.E. Bach’s rondos are often remarkable for the recurrence of the main theme in different keys and with some development, showing a sophistication which looks forward to the works of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

ODRCD368 Vittorio Forte - Abschied

A fascinating release from Hashima, a Balkan jazz group described by Jazz Music Archives as “one of the biggest discoveries of recent years”, featuring music inspired by the famous Haywain triptych by Hieronymus Bosch.

Hailing from Belgrade, Hashima is a group which has created a genuinely unique sound derived from a wide range of influences: the band’s name derives from Japanese poetry, while its musical tastes embrace everything from Pink Floyd to jazz standards to Balkan folk.

The Haywain by Bosch is a wildly imaginative three-panelled work full of the artist’s characteristically unflinching and riveting details. Hashima have translated this conception into a music equivalent in three movements, taking the listener from the fall of humanity into hell itself, expressed with exceptional musical flair and originality.

The Haywain Triptych is heard alongside Dance No. 3, inspired by a classical piano miniature by Serbian composer Vasilije Mokranjac and guest-starring one of the most respected contemporary free jazz trumpeters, Susana Santos Silva, and the mesmerising Iris of the Eye, all performed with a palpable sense of rapport between these musicians. As Jazz Music Archives put it, “Balkan jazz has its heroes now…”

ODRCD526  Hashima - The Haywain

Ensemble Darcos is joined by acclaimed writer José Luís Peixoto and charismatic singer Maria João for a mesmerising celebration of Portuguese culture, featuring world-premiere recordings.
 
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Darcos Season concert series, Nuno Côrte-Real, one of Portugal’s foremost composers, has brought together an exciting mix of artists in this vibrant celebration of Portuguese creativity. Côrte-Real’s new song cycle, Now Everything Changes, heard here in its world-premiere recording, ranges between folk, jazz, and contemporary styles. In March 2018, this song cycle won the prize for best work at the Premio Autores 2018 awards, given by the Portuguese Society of Authors.

José Luís Peixoto is one of Portugal's most acclaimed contemporary novelists. His work covers many genres, from narrative to theatre, from novel to poetry, and has received several Portuguese and international literary awards, such as the José Saramago Literary Award, the Libro d’Europa Literary Award and the Oceans Literature Award. His novels have been translated and published in 26 languages. 

Ensemble Darcos is one of the most prestigious Portuguese chamber groups working today. It was created in 2002 by Nuno Côrte-Real for the interpretation of the great European composers of chamber music, such as Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy, as well as the music of Côrte-Real. 

With Peixoto’s verses of great originality and depth, the vocal and improvisational vigour of Maria João, a true force of nature, and the remarkable interpretation of Ensemble Darcos, this project reveals the strength and depth of Portuguese art and culture.

ODRCD703 AGORA MUDA TUDO Now Everything Changes / Nuno Côrte-Real, Maria João, José Luís Peixoto

SALES TEXT
Cellist Beatriz Blanco and pianist Federico Bosco follow the success of their first Odradek album with Of Love and War, a sumptuous programme of music by Nadia Boulanger, Richard Strauss, Debussy, Webern, Hindemith and Fauré, featuring mezzo-soprano Solenn’ Lavanant-Linke.

Of Love and War, partly inspired by Eduardo Galeano’s novel Days and Nights of Love and War, draws parallels between the isolation and pent-up passions of wartime and the experiences of the current pandemic. Much of this repertoire was composed around the time of the First World War, but also embraces broader themes of beginnings and endings, night and day, love and loss. 

Nadia Boulanger is celebrated as a teacher of great composers, but was a composer in her own right; her Three Pieces occupy a similar soundworld to that of Debussy, whose Cello Sonata is at the heart of the programme, and Fauré, whose song Les berceaux we hear in an arrangement for cello and piano. There are works by Webern that show us ‘before and after’ his early lessons with Schoenberg: the Zwei Stücke für Cello und Klavier of 1899, written when Webern was only 16, and the Drei Kleine Stücke, Op. 11 and Cello Sonata, both dating from 1914. The album discovers a softer side to Hindemith in his richly Romantic Three Pieces, Op. 8, and the whole recital is framed by glorious songs by Strauss and Debussy, performed by Solenn’ Lavanant-Linke.

15 - NADIA BOULANGER - 3 Pieces For Cello And Piano - I. Modere

Formed in Lithuania, the Mettis Quartet celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2022 and has chosen to mark the occasion with fresh interpretations of two Beethoven quartets that bookend his career: the String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4, and the String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major, Op. 130, including the monumental 'Große Fuge', Op. 133.
Beethoven’s first set of string quartets, the six Op. 18 Quartets, were written when he was a young man and may even include material from his earliest years in Bonn. The fourth is full of purposeful energy, forthright and immediate, with a Hungarian-inspired finale that shows the influence of Haydn. 
Cut to 1825, two years before Beethoven’s death, and we find the composer in a more introspective frame of mind, wearied by deafness and the dramatic upheavals of his life, but responding by writing music of extraordinary profundity and beauty. Beethoven called the Op. 130 Quartet his “dear” quartet, but would never see it performed. In an expansive six movements, the work begins with a capricious opening movement and quicksilver scherzo, followed by a pastoral third movement and the ‘German dance’ of the fourth. Then comes the exquisite ‘Cavatina’. It is said that Beethoven was moved to tears when writing this movement: “Never did his music breathe so heartfelt an inspiration, and even the memory of this movement brought tears to his eyes”.
What follows is one of the greatest achievements in all music. Even now, the vast 'Große Fuge' sounds modern, with its jagged lines, wide leaps, dissonances, extreme contrasts of dynamic and tempo, moments of dark humour and unsettling shifts in mood. Contemporary audiences were not ready and Beethoven wrote an alternative final movement, but we hear the ‘Grand Fugue’ in all its glory, played on this recording with rigour and passion by the Mettis Quartet. The group takes its name from a Greek mythological figure known for her skill, wisdom and cunning, and these musicians bring those qualities to their interpretations of Beethoven’s music – with thrilling results.

06 - Ludwig Van Beethoven - String Quartet No 13 In B - Flat Major, Op. 130 - II Presto

In his debut album, "Iberian Impressions", Portuguese pianist Paulo Oliveira navigates a journey through Iberian piano music, showcasing the works of Spanish and Portuguese composers who have had a profound impact on his musical life.
"Iberian Impressions" starts and ends with two works that act as foundations for the entire programme: the Sonatinas by Armando José Fernandes and Xavier Montsalvatge. In a freer style, the suites by Isaac Albéniz ('España') and José Vianna da Motta ('Cenas Portuguesas') represent explorations of images, landscapes, dances or scenes typical of Spanish and Portuguese life. With two composers from each country, Paulo Oliveira felt the programme needed something to link them, to create a bridge between the two cultures, and believes that there is nobody better than Pedro Blanco to represent the fusion between Spanish and Portuguese piano music. Pedro Blanco was born in Spain but moved to Portugal and carried out important cultural exchanges between the two countries, contributing enormously to a contemporary cultural Iberianism. Pedro Blanco’s three pieces included on this album, from his 'Castilla Op. 16', 'Heures Romantiques Op. 6' and 'Galanias Op. 10', are all dedicated to Portuguese artists. 
Paulo Oliveira has long felt a special affinity with this repertoire: his last piano teacher, Sequeira Costa, was a great interpreter of Iberian piano music, and his very personal approach to performing this music had a profound impact on Paulo Oliveira’s interpretations, as heard on this album.

07 - Isaac Albéniz - España, Op. 165 - IV. Serenata

06 - Isaac Albéniz - España, Op. 165 - III. Malaguena

05 - Isaac Albéniz - España, Op. 165 - II. Tango

21 Arno Babajanyan - Six Pictures - VI

20 Arno Babajanyan - Six Pictures - V

19 Arno Babajanyan - Six Pictures - IV

17 Arno Babajanyan - Six Pictures - II

15 Arno Babajanyan - Danza di Vagharshapat

14 Arno Babajanyan - Impromptu

13 Arno Babajanyan - Elegy

Vittorio Forte continues his voyage of discovery through unusual and unjustly neglected piano repertoire with The Muse, an album devoted to the music of Nikolai Medtner. 

Forte immersed himself in Medtner’s music during the lockdowns of 2020, finding both solace and joy in getting to know this unfamiliar but exceptional music. The Muse takes its name from one of Medtner’s songs to words by Pushkin, and this release concludes with Forte’s own transcription of this piece. 

Medtner stands alongside Rachmaninov and Scriabin as among the foremost Russian composers of his time. Like them, Medtner’s output grew out of his formidable abilities as a pianist and thorough understanding of the instrument’s expressive range. Even so, he did not indulge in virtuosity for the sake of showmanship, but produced highly complex scores as a means of articulating his very particular vision. 
The release begins with Medtner’s Forgotten Melodies, Op. 38. The opening theme of the nostalgic ‘Sonata reminiscenza’ is used by Medtner to unify the other movements, especially the concluding ‘Alla reminiscenza’, and between these pieces comes a series of songs and dances of varying moods. Each of Medtner’s Four Lyrical Fragments Op. 23 occupies a distinct, often poignantly beautiful soundworld, representing another remarkable instance of the breadth of his invention. 
At the heart of the album we hear Medtner’s Skazki or Fairy Tales, Op. 51, which are remarkably fine and deserving of a much wider audience. On hearing the pieces at a private performance, Rachmaninov praised the Skazki, declaring that ‘Kolya’ was peerless in his ability to tell tales in music. Both Medtner and Rachmaninov composed a setting of Pushkin’s ‘Muza’ dedicated to the Armenian writer and activist Marietta Shaginyan. Medtner responds to Pushkin’s paean to the beloved muse with a fluid melody and delicious harmonies, which have been elaborated and enriched in Vittorio Forte’s transcription.

18. Nikolay Medtner - 6 Fairy Tales, Op. 51 - VI. Allegro Vivace Sempre Al Rigore Di Tempo

Cellist Péter Somodari and pianist Nicolas Costantinou present Hedra, an album that takes the listener through key repertoire for cello and piano, from sonatas by Beethoven and Debussy and individual pieces by Fauré to a world-premiere recording of the Cello Sonata No. 1 by contemporary Greek Cypriot composer Contantinou Y. Stylianou. 

The word ‘hedra’ (Greek: ἕδρα) refers to any side or face of a three-dimensional geometric shape. Any given face is not only connected to its neighbours, but together they contribute to and are part of the final shape. Similarly, every musical masterpiece is interconnected with those that follow, as it inevitably contributed to their formation, and this is reflected in the relationship between the works gathered together on this release. Beethoven pioneered the modern cello sonata, and from first to last his five cello sonatas chart a huge development in the genre. The Fourth, as recorded on this album, spans dark chromaticism, improvisatory freedom and extrovert exuberance in a manner that paved the way for later composers. 

Fauré’s amiable Sicilienne was composed as part of the incidental music for Molière's play, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, while his Élégie was originally conceived as the slow movement of an abandoned cello sonata. The Élégie was described by composer Patrick Castillo as honouring “grief as a multifaceted thing”, relating it to this album’s theme. Written late in his life while he struggled with illness and the impact of the First World War, Debussy’s Cello Sonata is founded on principles inherited from Beethoven and his contemporaries; Debussy said that his sonatas were composed “in the old supple forms (without the bombast of modern sonatas)”, and that the Cello Sonata is “almost Classical in the best sense of the word”.  

Stylianou’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major is a further continuation of the question of the sonata form and whether it is still relevant today. The work was composed during spring 2020 and in the words of the composer: “I decided to channel all the fear and frustration of the pandemic in creating a work that deals with those aforementioned questions but in a personal way. It would be impossible to avoid feelings of that period seeping into the work, but at the same time, I wanted it to be a creation in pursuit of inner balance, which is after all what the sonata form is meant to be. Whatever the opposition of two musical ideas (or more) might be, in the end, it must find a resolution of some sort.”

Péter Somodari and Nicolas Costantinou have been performing together since their student days. Currently serving as the principal cellist of both the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Péter Somodari has collaborated with such artists as Leonidas Kavakos, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Alexei Lubimov, Truls Mørk, Miklós Perényi, Boris Pergamenschikow, Christian Tetzlaff, Tabea Zimmermann, composer György Kurtág, and the Toyota Orchestra. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna

A regular collaborator with Odradek Records, Steinway Artist Nicolas Costantinou has a doctorate from the Royal College of Music in London and is renowned for impressing audiences with his daring selection of repertoire old and new. Costantinou has previously recorded the music of Constantinos Y. Stylianou on the Odradek releases Metavasis and Past Forward. Stylianou studied and now lives in London, and his music has been performed by the Philharmonia, Bruckner Symphony Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra and the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, in prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, St David's Hall in Cardiff, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, ORF concert hall in Vienna, Megaron Concert Hall in Athens, the UNESCO Headquarters and the Cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides in Paris.

Gabriel Faure - Sicilienne, Op. 78

06 - Isaac Albeniz - Asturias (from Suite Espanola Op. 47)

Visions and Ecstasies: Classical and folk music of Ireland is an exploration of Irish music and poetry that marks the debut album of Irish-American soprano Francesca Federico ÓMurchú, hailed by Opera News as having a voice of “such strong presence and beauty of tone that she left one longing for more.” 
Visions and Ecstasies highlights Irish music-making from its roots as an aurally-transmitted art form, honouring the melodic and linguistic complexities that illustrate both the beauty and the brutality of the country’s collective experience through centuries. 
The album combines art songs by Joan Trimble, Roger Quilter, Peter Warlock, Rebecca Clarke and Andrew Synott, alongside Irish folk songs sung in their original language. The album aims to articulate the linguistic and cultural links between these two seemingly disparate genres, and provide a snapshot of Ireland’s incredibly rich cultural heritage.
Francesca’s study of this repertoire began when she was selected as a Fulbright scholar to Ireland, and completed an arts residency at the Irish World Academy in Limerick under the mentorship of Irish folk legend Iarla Ó Lionáird, who first suggested she record an album of this unique music. She is joined by violinists Laura Lutzke and Ben Russell, cellist Clarice Jensen and pianist Dan Franklin Smith.

Visions and Ecstasies - Classical & Folk Songs of Ireland - 01 - Traditional (Arr. Michele Deiana and Francesca Federico O Murchu) - Bruach na carraige baine

Simon Gaudenz conducts the Jenaer Philharmonie in the culmination of their series of recordings of the complete Mahler Symphonies, interspersed with world-premiere recordings of pieces by Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini that reflect each symphony and pay homage to Mahler’s soundworld. This fifth volume features Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 as well as his last, incomplete Symphony No. 10, as well as works by Scartazzini that bookend and illuminate both Mahler’s last musical gasp, and the spectrum of Mahler’s symphonic output.

Mahler’s symphonies represent an extraordinary body of work, and it is fascinating to hear them contrasted and commented upon by a new piece specially created to shed light on or pay tribute to that symphony. Since 2018, Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini has been Composer-in-Residence with the Jenaer Philharmonie, in which role he has been writing these new companion pieces to each of Mahler’s symphonies, which are being performed in Jena as a cycle in chronological order. 

This collaboration over a period of seven years is remarkable in many respects. Now that the end of the cycle has been reached, there are ten new works, each of which can be performed individually or in groups before the Mahler symphonies, but also as full-length concert works. Scartazzini has been passionately committed to the task from the beginning, especially as Mahler's music is particularly close to his heart: "I have a deep love for the work of Gustav Mahler; his symphonies have been my musical companions for many years, and every time I hear them again I am moved by the sheer abundance of inspiration and emotionality," he wrote at the start of the cycle. 

The title of Scartazzini’s Torso reflects the incomplete nature of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony, and it offers both introduction and conclusion to the remaining movement of Mahler’s work. The other Scartazzini pieces on this recording are paired with Mahler’s symphonies, drawing upon key themes from those works in a way that tells the story of their progression, using exceptional colouristic effects – including, in Spiriti, the ‘Nicophone’, a new metal instrument whose immense colour spectrum ranges from long-reverberating metallic tones to sounds reminiscent of those from early electronic studios. The delicate, fragile sounds form a deliberate contrast to the powerful first movement of Mahler’s Third.

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 05 - G. Mahler - Symphony No.1 - IV, Stürmisch bewegt

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 06 - G. Mahler - Symphony No.10 - I, Andante

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 09 - A. Scartazzini - Spiriti

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 07 - A. Scartazzini - Torso

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 10 - A. Scartazzini - Incantesimo

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 04 - G. Mahler - Symphony No.1 - III, Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 12 - A. Scartazzini - Omen

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 08 - A. Scartazzini - Epitaph

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 16 - A. Scartazzini - Einkehr

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 11 - A. Scartazzini - Einklang

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 14 - A. Scartazzini - Anima

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 13 - A. Scartazzini - Orkus

Mahler & Scartazzini Complete Symphonies, Vol. 5 - 15 - A. Scartazzini - Enigma

Join acclaimed wind quintet Carion as they dance with the devil in their second Odradek CD: Mephisto. Carion have ventured beyond their usual repertoire to interpret colourful, contrasting and virtuosic pieces. They explore the darker, mysterious side of Mozart in his Serenade for Winds in C minor; toy with the unique colours of the wind quintet in witty arrangements of Shostakovich’s stage and film music; explore mephistophelian connections in Bartók’s renderings of tunes from Transylvania; and pay tribute to the great virtuosos of the past, Paganini and Liszt, with two brand-new arrangements. Their playing captures the mystique of those original works whilst opening up new horizons for the wind quintet.

Legend has it that the bourgeoisie regularly fainted at concerts given by the great Niccolò Paganini; his apparently super-human technique prompted a long-held myth that he had sold his soul to the devil. Liszt first heard Paganini performing in Paris in 1832, and was transfixed by his jaw-dropping virtuosity and use of innovative aural devices. The influence of this experience on Liszt was profound, and his Grandes Études de Paganini, heard here arranged for wind quintet, were inspired by Paganini’s devilishly difficulty violin caprices.

Mozart’s Serenade for Winds, K388, is sometimes known as ‘Nacht Musique’ because of its enigmatic – and at times serene – nature. Mozart relished exploring the different textural permutations available to him with wind instruments, blending or accentuating their contrasting sonorities.

In Bartok’s Romanian Dances the composer uses his encyclopaedic knowledge of folk music to create a series of vivid, energetic movements, while Shostakovich’s film music and ballet scores represent a lighter side to a composer known for his searing symphonies and quartets. The ‘Romance’ from The Gadfly in particular is a rare instance of uncomplicated tenderness in Shostakovich’s music.

Carion’s debut album on Odradek, Nielsen’s Footsteps, has been widely critically acclaimed, the ensemble’s performance earning a five-star review from BBC Music Magazine. The CD was one of the top classical releases of 2015 on iTunes, and was hailed by ArtsDesk as “the best wind quintet disc in years”.

09 - Dimitri Shostakovich - Tahiti Trot

Disc 3 - 03 - Frederic Chopin - Sonata For Piano And Cello In G Minor Op. 65 III. Largo

Koum Tara is a meeting of four musical worlds centered around a common project, created and directed by pianist-composer Karim Maurice: traditional chaâbi music, classical string quartet, contemporary music, and jazz. The raw material was extracted from the traditional repertoire of Algerian singer Sid Ahmed Belksier.

These themes were worked, distorted, reharmonized and restructured to create a hybrid, cross-cultural style. As part of the writing process, these musicians brought their own identity and their specific know-how to each piece. This has been a cultural meeting of minds, resulting in a unique musical texture. Chaâbi’s traditional poetry and love songs are blended with the tradition of the Western string quartet, jazz improvisation and electronic music, creating a fusion of styles and genres within each piece.

At a time when humanity, respect for cultures, and tolerance are seen as much-needed values for building a better world, this performance offers a musical universe in which each person brings his or her identity, cultural heritage and originality to sing universal love.
 
Karim Maurice is a French pianist-composer-arranger. His Karim Maurice Project was named “Revelation 2008” at the Jazz Festival of Ramatuelle. In 2013 he won the SACEM Autoproduction Award, and was named Best Composer at the international “Made in New York Jazz Competition” in 2015.
 
Gaël Rassaert is the laureate of several chamber music competitions and enjoys an international career as a chamber musician. He is a regular guest of the Lyon National Orchestra, the Radio-France Orchestra and the Lyon National Opera. He is part of Portugal’s Darcos Ensemble, directed by composer Nuno Côrte-Real (heard on Odradek Records album ‘Mirror of the Soul’, ODRCD336). Today he devotes a large part of his activity to the artistic direction of the conductor-free La Camerata string ensemble, which he founded in March 2004. La Camerata has established itself as an important player in the musical landscape. Comprising 20 musicians from Lyon, La Camerata embraces repertoire ranging from Schoenberg, Bartók, Britten, and Shostakovich, to traditional music (Algeria, Argentina, Chile), jazz, and contemporary music.

08 - Ya Ladra

07 - M'shet Lya

06 - Ya Taleb

05 - Ya Kalek Lechia

04 - Koum Tara

03 - Mazel Khatmi

01 - Alik Belana

05 - Anatolijus Senderovas - Concerto For Violin And Chamber Orchestra

04 - Julius Juzeliunas-Concerto Per Organo Violino Orchestra D Aschi-III Finale-Allegro Con Brio

03 - Julius Juzeliunas-Concerto Per Organo Violino Orchestra D Aschi-II Passacaglia-Andantino Quieto

02 - Julius Juzeliunas - Concerto Per Organo Violino Orchestra D Aschi - I Allegro Sostenuto

01 - Peteris Vasks - Vox Amoris

05 - Yuji Takahashi - Embers (2009) For Baritone Saxophone

04 - Dai Fujikura - SAKANA (2008) For Tenor Saxophone

03 - Akira Nishimura - Water Shadows (2011) For Alto Saxophone

02 - Kenji Sakai - Initial S (2010) For Alto Saxophone

01 - Toshio Hosokawa - Spell Song (2015) For Soprano Saxophone

Following the success of her Odradek debut, Splinters, pianist Mariann Marczi pays tribute to the genius of Schubert.

With his Moments musicaux, Schubert set the standard for a whole genre: dancing, evocative miniatures, each offering a brief snapshot of some vignette or character, like a succession of colourful pictures in a slide show. Like Schubert, Hüttenbrenner studied with Salieri and was influenced by Beethoven; the theme from the slow movement of his String Quartet No. 1 is audibly related to the Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Schubert particularly loved that symphony, but chose his friend’s theme as the basis for his set of Variations on a theme by Hüttenbrenner.
 
Hungarian pianist Mariann Marczi relishes approaching Schubert’s music from different perspectives, ranging from Baroque nuances in some of Schubert’s Moments musicaux, to glorious Romanticism which anticipates Schumann’s music. Alongside Schubert’s captivating Moments musicaux and inventive Variations, we hear the contagious Grazer Waltzer. Schumann’s Waldszenen or Forest Scenes complete the release, taking the listener on an intriguing journey from idyllic pastoral landscapes to darker, more mysterious terrain.

09 - Robert Schumann - Waldszenen Op. 82 - I. Eintritt

05 - Rondo In D Minor Wq 614 H 290

04 - Fantasia In A Major Wq 587 H 278

03 - Rondo In A Minor Wq 565 H 262

02 - Fantasia In C Major Wq 596 H 284

01 - Rondo In E Minor Wq 66 H 272 Abschied Von Meinem Silbermannischen Claviere

05 - The Haywain Triptych - III - Satantango

04 - The Haywain Triptych - II - The Haywain

03 - The Haywain Triptych - I - Ray Of The Microcosm

02 - Iris Of The Eye

01 - Dance No.3

05 - Quando Me Esperas

04 - Coitadinha

03 - Ondas Na Praia

02 -  De Pressao Em Pressao

01 - Agora Muda Tudo

Colourful arrangements for organ and percussion of glorious music by Ravel, J.S. Bach, Saint-Saëns and Mussorgsky, performed by Spanish organist Daniel Oyarzabal on the majestic León Cathedral organ.

The organ of León Cathedral in Spain is celebrated for its rich range of sounds, which are showcased by Daniel Oyarzabal in the variety of works selected for this release. He is joined by percussionists Juanjo Guillem and Joan Castelló, who add rhythmic emphasis and additional colour to these arrangements made by Oyarzabal himself. 

J.S. Bach was a master of organ music, and we hear his Sinfonia from Wir danken dir, Gott, Cantata BWV 29 as originally arranged by Marcel Dupré, alongside Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 in Bach’s own arrangement of his Cantata BWV 140. There are also transcriptions of some of the most beloved works in the repertoire: Mussorgsky’s vivid Pictures at an Exhibition, the irresistible Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns, the Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov, and Ravel’s hypnotic Bolero. It is fascinating to hear how the stops of this famous organ replicate the colourful orchestration of these composers. There is also the chance to hear more rarely-performed music by 20th-century Spanish composer Jesús Guridi with his critically-acclaimed work, The Homestead.

10 - Johann Sebastian Bach - Wachet Auf Ruft Uns Die Stimme BWV 645 (arr. J. S. Bach)

Artur Pizarro performs Francis Poulenc’s Piano Concerto with Bamberger Symphoniker directed by Thomas Rösner, alongside Poulenc’s Sinfonietta and two rare, glittering gems from Charles Koechlin. This release is a coproduction with Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Following the success of Artur Pizarro’s recordings of Rachmaninoff’s Complete Piano Music on Odradek, hailed in Gramophone as “courageous and poetic” and praised by BBC Music Magazine for his “dazzling finger dexterity”, the “poet amongst pianists” returns with Poulenc’s Piano Concerto. The last of Poulenc’s concertos, this work is jaunty and playful whilst exuding an irresistible Romanticism. Poulenc’s Sinfonietta is a full-scale symphony in all but name, its self-deprecating title a reflection of the composer’s sense of humour and the work’s colourful, urbane character. 

Charles Koechlin is best known for his vast orchestral Jungle Book cycle, but was a prolific composer of tone poems on an array of themes. Both Vers la voûte étoilée, Op. 129 and Sur les flots lointains, Op. 130 date from 1933, and both were published posthumously in 1996. Vers la voûte étoilée (‘Towards the vault of stars’) creates a sense of awe and mystery, reflecting Koechlin’s early ambition to become an astronomer. In the elegiac Sur les flots lointains (’On the distant waves’), Koechlin makes use of a melody composed by American composer, Catherine Murphy Urner.

The Bamberger Symphoniker has caught the world’s attention as an orchestra of depth and imagination, its BBC Proms 2019 performance praised in The Times as “stunning… idiomatic, impassioned, blazing with energy and power… virtuosically played, and enthrallingly pictorial.” The orchestra is directed on this album by the prolific and versatile Viennese conductor, Thomas Rösner.

05 - Francis Poulenc Piano Concerto In C - Sharp Minor FP 146 - 1. Allegretto

In these moments of seclusion and self-isolation, the Benedictines of Jouques open the doors of their cloister and invite us to reconnect with our essence, in communion with each other in prayer through the Gregorian Chants.

Gregorian is a monodic sung prayer originating in the 8th century and sung by the Sisters exactly as it has been uninterruptedly for centuries. These chants awaken us to the most intimate, profound parts of our being. We wish for you to find peace, consolation, hope, and a sense of communion even while the current circumstances prevent us from gathering.

Ad Matutinum - 04 Hymnus - Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium 1

Pianist Javier Negrín and conductor Thomas Rösner return to Odradek in the company of the Beethoven Philharmonie, soprano Chen Reiss, tenor Jan Petryka and baritone Paul Armin Edelmann, to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year with a sumptuous album of rarely heard works. The collection opens with Beethoven’s ‘terzetto’, Tremate, empi, tremate, and ends with the Piano Concerto arrangement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. These frame Mozart’s concert aria for soprano, piano and orchestra, Ch’io mi scordi di te? K. 505. The album title, Voices, alludes not only to the vocal works featured on the album, but to the singing quality of Beethoven’s melodic lines in the Concerto.

Chen Reiss, who is at the heart of Mozart’s Ch’io mi scordi di te? as well as Beethoven’s terzetto, is a rising star of the opera world, praised by Opera News, USA for her “immaculately produced and enticing tone matched by superb musicianship”. Mozart wrote this concert aria for himself and the soprano Nancy Storace, who had played Susanna in his opera, The Marriage of Figaro. For this recording, Chen Reiss is paired with pianist Javier Negrín, who has enjoyed considerable acclaim for his solo Odradek releases, such as his Granados and Mompou album, Traces, “played with elegance, beauty and affection” (BBC Music Magazine). The release was also praised in Gramophone: “… pointed and sensitively shaped reading… Negrín assiduously weaves the numerous tempo shifts, dynamic outbursts and reiterations of earlier themes into a fluid, fulfilling whole”, and by The Arts Desk: “Negrín understands the need for understatement, for restraint. The eighth variation may induce tears, so beautifully does Negrín handle it.” Javier Negrín brings these qualities to this interpretation of Beethoven’s piano transcription of the Violin Concerto, a version he describes in the album booklet as “totally idiomatic”, adding: “To me, this music speaks about reconciliation and acceptance; it has a very serene beauty and purity of sentiment.”

Beethoven’s operatic output has been neglected compared with his instrumental and choral works, so it is a treat to hear the rare gem, Tremate, empi, tremate, written when he was being taught by Antonio Salieri. As Thomas Rösner explains in the album booklet: “To me, this terzetto seems like an anticipation of the trio between Leonore, Florestan and Pizarro in Fidelio... Beethoven was clearly aware of the high quality of this trio, since it is the only one of these study works that he has completely orchestrated and had performed in concerts at least twice during his lifetime. It seems all the more important to me to raise awareness of this wonderful work.” This recording features tenor Jan Petryka and baritone Paul Armin Edelmann alongside Chen Reiss and the Beethoven Philharmonie, an Austrian ensemble created for and specialising in performances of this repertoire.

Praise for Thomas Rösner’s direction of Couleurs (Poulenc and Koechlin) on Odradek: “Rösner’s focus on the phrase is inerrant and the musicians respond with gorgeously contoured shapes that never miss their mark” (Gramophone).

05 - Ludwig Van Beethoven - Piano Concerto In D Major, Op 61a - I Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Odradek Records is a democratic classical cooperative, non-profit and artist-controlled label and concert association, promoting new artists and fresh repertoire.

Entrance to our roster is through anonymous demo.

Our dream is utopian: to separate music-making from markets and create a just system of pure artistic meritocracy.


Odradek Records is not just a new record label. Odradek Records is the first wedge of a larger project, proposing a new way to produce and enjoy classical music. We think that the current model undermines the true essence and significance of music. We think that a model centered on just a few big names, the great concert halls, a limited repertoire that is necessarily restricted by the bonds of popularity--a model that makes its selection of new young performers from the anti-musical system of competitions, the success of which is often obtained through extravagant histrionics rather than the correctness or subtlety of interpretation--and finally, a model that is subject to the exploitation of the marketplace, and which obliges the majority of musicians to pay enormous sums to record CDs, for which the profits then go largely to the record company, thus depriving many very worthy but not wealthy musicians from the possibility of recording--is not only a model that is far from art, but is a model that even itself is in crisis. 

Ideally, music just as other primary goods, should not fall subject to the markets. We know that in a strict sense, this is utopian, but it is precisely this tension towards an unreachable utopia that guides our project.

Odradek Records is a non-profit seeking label. Once production and distribution expenses are recuperated, all of our proceeds go directly to the artist. Odradek Records selects its artists solely through the criterion of utmost quality of the recording and the interest of the proposed program. We don’t want to exclude, but rather include: we are not interested if you have won important competitions or not, neither if you have performed in important halls or signed with major labels. We are not interested in your age or where you come from. The only thing that interests us is whether you play your instrument to a very high and professional level. With us you can record Chopin, but you can also record: Berio, Scelsi, Copland, Carter, Webern, Schoenberg, Ligeti, Kurtag, Ives, and many others.

Our recording studio avails itself of the greatest technical instruments available today.

The distribution of our CDs is guided by an innovative criterion of transparency and flexibility in setting prices.
The rights of the composers and of the artist are protected by Creative Commons copyright (sometimes referred to as “copyleft” policy) because we want to render legal and free all those things that almost everybody already illegally does anyway.

We consider that the distribution of our music is not a one way street, but instead a dialogue. Only the presence of an active public gives true life to an artistic product. Write us. In the comments section you can leave opinions, suggestions, and criticisms of our music and our project. If you want to you can sign up as a “Friend of Project Odradek”, indicating your name, your profession, where you are from, and why you support Project Odradek. Send us your thoughts on the state of music, culture, and the arts: we’ll publish them on our blog.

If you like us, help us spread the word by linking to us from your blogs, sites, and through your social networks.

Odradek Records does not only produce CDs. We are convinced that the truest fruition of music happens in live concerts. For this reason we organize itinerant music festivals, moving from city to city, to promote our disks and music.

And finally, a word about our name: we borrow it from Kafka. Like the worried family man in Kafka’s tale, we are also worried. We are worried that music might become always more and more an odradek, an indefinable and incomprehensible being, whose voice sounds falsely, like the voice of one who is “without lungs”, a being without form, disturbingly replicating that which was once alive, that can plastically become whatever is wished for by those who posses the instruments of power and control. We wish for the cage-like railing surrounding the man of Kafka’s drawing to become instead an instrument to play - we would like to transform our prison into our liberty. 

We would like to restore music to its true role, that of artwork, and restore musical interpretation to its true function, the only one that opens itself towards the possibility of a future: that of a field of research.

Welcome to Project Odradek.

Odradek Records

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