Ta´ mig med: Jesper Sivebæk Plays Kim Larsen Songs for Classical Guitar

CD Catalogue No: 8.226915 
UPC: 6 3694369152 6

A journey into the heart of the Danish soul.
The much-loved Danish rock musician and multi artist Kim Larsen (1945-2018) captures in music and words the Danish soul. With his 500 recorded songs and 40 albums, he is known by all Danes of all ages.

Guitarist, and head of the guitar department at The Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen, Jesper Sivebæk, had 2 heroes in his youth: Andrés Segovia and Kim Larsen – and they have followed him ever since. For more than 10 years Jesper Sivebæk has worked on the pieces on this album. With his great experience, he uses the possibilities of the guitar to the utmost, and follows the classical tradition of making instrumental versions of folk songs – as in Miguel Llobet’s arrangements of Catalan folksongs, Benjamin Britten’s English and Chinese folksongs arrangements, and Bela Bartok’s Hungarian folk songs. Sivebæk is true both to the beauty and the simplicity of Kim Larsens songs and to his instrument – the classical Spanish guitar. In these arrangements classical guitar players around the globe now have 12 new pieces to discover and put on their concert programs.

Tracks: 
Kvinde min (Lady oh lady) 
Hvis din Far gir´ dig lov (If your dad says okay)  
Joanna (Joanna)    
Masser af succes (Lots of success) 
Der er en sang (There is a song) 
Susan Himmelblå (Susan Himmelblå)     
Den lige vej (The Narrow Road) 
Om lidt (In a moment)  
Flyvere i natten (Planes in the Night)  
Himlen (Heaven)  
Kom igen (Come Again) 
Som et strejf af en dråbe (Like a touch of a raindrop) 

Music: Excerpts from: 
Kvinde min (Lady oh lady) 
Hvis din Far gir´ dig lov (If your dad says okay)  
Joanna (Joanna)    
Masser af succes (Lots of success) 
Der er en sang (There is a song) 
Den lige vej (The Narrow Road)
Som et strejf af en dråbe (Like a touch of a raindrop)

Ta´ mig med - Kim Larsen songs for classical guitar

8.226915 - Ta´ mig med: Kim Larsen songs for classical guitar

The Roots and the Flower: Counterpoint in Bloom
Schumann Opus 56 & 60 

CD Catalogue No: 6.220675 
UPC: 747313167562

Jens E. Christensen playing the historic Baroque organ in Vor Frelser Church, Copenhagen

Although Robert Schumann's public role in the nineteenth century Bach revival is less well-known than that of Felix Mendelssohn, Schumann's engagement with the music of Bach not only helped to not only establish the Myth of Bach as the progenitor of musical Romanticism, but had a deep personal influence on Schumann's 
own musical thought.  

In 1843 he and Clara rented a custom-made pedalflügel - a dreadnought of an instrument combining a combination of Friedrich Wieck's grand piano with a pedal keyboard - that enabled the Schumann's to play Bach's organ music at home. During one of his periodic bouts of depression in 1845 Schumann became gripped by what he called Fugenpassion. His obsession with Bach and the academic disciplines of counterpoint, canon, and fugue seemed to have had a benevolent effect on his mental health, so he and Clara began writing counterpoint and fugues together. Among the first results were Opp 56 and 60.

The curious name of this album references Carl Nielsen’s advice to fellow composer Ture Rangström, namely, to get down to the roots of a piece so that it would truly flower. And so following Nielsen’s advice, acclaimed organist Jens E. Christensen, a master of styles ancient and modern, dug deep to uncover the roots of Schumann’s
imagination for this truly extraordinary program, a lovingly
cultivated German-Danish, Piano-Organ, Baroque-Romantic
hybrid, that will no doubt become a perennial favorite for fans of Schumann’s most florid contrapuntal creations.

Recorded in DXD audio format (Digital eXtreme Definition),
352.8 kHz/24 or 32bit. by producer Preben Iwan, www.timbremusic.dk

“This album is dedicated to the memory of my life companion, Henrik Sten Møller” - Jens E. Christensen

Music:
Excerpts from:

Studie op. 56 No. 1 C Major (Nicht zu schnell)
Fuge op. 60 No. 1 (Langsam)
Studie op. 56 No. 2 A Minor (Mit innigem Ausdruck)
Studie op. 56 No. 3 E Major (Andantino)
Fuge op. 60 No. 3 (Mit sanften Stimmen)
Studie op. 56 No. 4 A-flat Major (Innig)
Studie op. 56 No. 5 B Minor (Nicht zu schnell)
Fuge op. 60 No. 6 (Mässig, nach und nach schneller)

THE ROOTS AND THE FLOWER - COUNTERPOINT IN BLOOM - SCHUMANN OP. 56 AND 60

6.220675 - Schumann: The Roots and the Flower: Counterpoint in Bloom

For most of the 20th century, the two giants of Hungarian music were Bartók and
Kodály. Following his explosion on the international scene in the mid-60s, György
Ligeti, a student of Kodály, was added to that list. Kodály was one of the most significant
early figures in the field of ethnomusicology. He also composed prolifically
for choirs. All of the Kodály works on this program were influenced by folk music
and chart the composer’s development from the world of late romanticism to the
mini-cantata Mátrai képek (Mátra pictures), including a shimmering performance of
Esti Dal (Evening Song), his most beloved choral work.
Most of music that Ligeti composed for a cappella choir was written in the mid-
50s while still in Budapest. Alongside numerous folk song arrangements, like
Mátraszentimrei Dalok, were pieces like Éjszaka – Reggel (Night – Morning)
which were already pushing the sonic boundaries with clusters and onomatopoeic
sounds. Ligeti’s mature style can be heard in the shimmering and justifiably
famous Lux Aeterna while the late Drei Phantasien (on texts by Friedrich Hölderlin)
described by Ligeti himself as “emotional, «onomatopoeic», overwrought, 16-voiced
pieces (not micropolyphonic!)” is an example of his late Post-Modernist style.

Music:
From: Lux Aetrna: Choral Works by Ligeti and Kodaly
OUR Recording CD: 6.220676 
UPC: 747313167661

György Ligeti:
Reggel (Morning)
Három hordó (Three Barrels)Mátraszentimrei Dalok (1955)
Igaz szerelem (True Love) Mátraszentimrei Dalok (1955)
Gomb, gomb (Pom-pom)
Wenn aus der Ferne (If from afar) Drei Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin (1982)
Abendphantasie (Evening Reverie) Drei Phantasien nach Friedrich Hölderlin (1982)

Zoltán Kodály:
Esti Dal (Evening Song) (1938)
Mátrai képek (Matra Pictures) (1931)

György Ligeti:
Lux Aeterna

Lux Aeterna

6.220676 - Lux Aeterna

“To entertain, to enrich, and to disturb, not necessarily in that order.”

With his characteristic wit and quirkiness, Grammy-nominated Danish composer Poul Ruders has summed up his mission as a composer as being “To entertain, to enrich, and to disturb, not necessarily in that order.” Born in Ringsted, Denmark in 1949, Ruders achieved international fame with his opera The Handmaid‘s Tale (1996-98),
a work whose aching tenderness, grotesque irony, despair and timeliness has established a permanent place in the repertoire. 
Ruders’ own intuitive development as a composer has enabled him to create works which manage to be strikingly modern, yet avoiding any the clichés of European modernism, but above all, imbued with the
power to speak to the emotions of an audience. The current program features works spanning 30 years, beginning with the elliptical Throne (1989) for clarinet and piano and two major chamber works, the Clarinet Quintet and Piano Quartet, dating from 2014 and 2016 respectively.

The Rudersdal Chamber Players, founded in 2017 by violinist Christine Pryn, are the ideal interpreters for Ruders
stylistically fluid scores, finding the classical “roots” in works like the Clarinet Quintet (beautifully performed by Jonas Frølund, one of the most talented clarinet players of his generation in the world today) as well as the surprising intimacy of the Piano Quartet. www.rudersdalchamberplayers.com

Music: Excerpts from:
Clarinet Quintet (2014)
Avanti all Breve 
Adagio Sognante 

Throne (1988)

Piano Quartet (2016)
Awakening
Innocent
Sprightly

Live video of Piano Quartet from opening concert of Sound Ways Festival in Skt. Petersborg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IPeKS3MfbA

POUL RUDERS - RUDERSDAL CHAMBER PLAYERS

6.220680 - Poul Ruders: Chamber Works

The repertoire for OUR Recordings new release FOUR NORDIC
SONGS TO OUR WORLD was carefully chosen by Danish-born Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and writer Birgitte Grimstad, the daughter of Danish tenor Axel Schiøtz. The poems are a reflection and commentary on the current situation in the world with all its wars, greed and climate change as well as offering alternative perspectives to the younger generation for the future. Birgitte’s interpretations speak with the compassion and authority of a woman who lived through many of the world’s most turbulent period with a voice so strong that you cannot help but listen and reflect!

A life-long activist, Birgitte Grimstad has become a fixture at Nordic marches for peace and justice, woman’s rights and climate movements. She is an icon as a folk and protest singer and was one of the organizers of the Nordic Women’s Peace Marches in Copenhagen, Paris 1981, Stockholm, Moscow and Minsk, 1982 and in 1983 Oslo, New York and Washington D.C. where the group also participated in a commemoration of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington. Most recently, she participated in the 2018 Nordic Peace March: Neighbors as friends - not enemies! traveling from Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia.

Michala Petri and Lars Hannibal have played together as a Duo since 1992, and this year they are celebrating their 30th anniversary with more than 2000 concerts around the world as the Petri/Hannibal Duo. The songs are arranged by Petri and Hannibal. 

Live videos of the four songs will be available together with an interview in Danish with Birgitte Grimstad following the release of this Digital EP.

Recorded April 19th 2022 in Copenhagen. Producer: Mette Due.

Music: Excerpts from:

Mitt Eget Land (My Own Country)
Hymne til Natten (Hymn to Night)
Kringsatt av Fiender (Surrounded by Enemies)
Verdens Undergang Har Ingen Sang (The End of the World has No Song)

FOUR NORDIC SONGS TO THE WORLD

9.70893 - Four Nordic Songs to our World - Promo

DANISH AND FAROESE RECORDER CONCERTOS
Catalogue No: 6.220609 
UPC: 747313160969

A disc that NO fan of contemporary music or Michala Petri will want to

Throughout her extraordinary career, Michala Petri has embraced the entirety of the recorder’s repertoire, from
the Baroque to the 21st century. Yet, her great mission has been to bring her simple instrument into the modern
concert hall as a solo instrument in front of the symphony orchestra. Danish and Faroese Recorder Concertos
is the latest installment in Michala’s ongoing “Concerto Project”, (previous releases include Chinese Recorder
Concertos (6.220603), English Recorder Concertos (6.220606) and the Grammy-nominated Movements
(6.220531)), presenting new works especially composed for her, from an international roster of some of the greatest
contemporary composers. For this latest installment, she turns her attention to the works of her native Denmark.
For most of the 20th century, Danish music was somewhat isolated from the innovations happening on the
continent, but beginning in the 1960s, young composers began to experiment and explore, and in the following
decades, created their own distinctively modern Danish style. The three works featured here provide just a sample
of the rich and colorful diversity of Danish and Faroese contemporary music; from the late Thomas Koppel’s tender,
tonally-centered Moonchild’s Dream, to Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, the dean of Danish composers, and his
darkly humorous Chacun Son Son, to the vigorous and atmospheric 20-minute bird-cadenza for recorder and
orchestra, Territorial Songs, by the internationally acclaimed Faroese composer Sunleif Rasmussen.

Music: Excerpts from:
Thomas Koppel: Moonchild’s Dream
Concerto for recorder and orchestra (1990-91)
I. Largo Fluente - A tempo fluente -
III. Prestissimo - Liberamente - Prestissimo -

Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Chacun Son Son
Concerto for recorder and orchestra (2014) *

Sunleif Rasmussen: Territorial Songs
Concerto for recorder and orchestra (2009) *
II. Misterioso
V. Leggiero

Danish And Faroese Concertos

Who can resist the casual, seductive, ingenious and multilayered music of Brazil?  A country of continental dimensions where all of Europe could fit within her borders! But size isn’t everything! From the lithesome, musical elegance of the choro to the hypnotic sensuality of the Bossa nova, and a kaleidoscope of subtle rhythms wrapped in sophisticated jazz harmonies, the sound of Brazilian music is unforgettable, unmistakable, and best summed up by the Portuguese word “saudade,” which mingles yearning, sadness and memory.

The leading recorder-player for decades, Michala Petri returns to take us on a new musical journey to Terra do Brasil through the music of Jobim, Nazareth, Gismonti, Villa-Lobos, Hermeto Pascoal and others. Joining her are two exciting musicians in their fields: the young guitarist and composer Daniel Murray and award winning percussionist/composer Marilyn Mazur. A natural guitar prodigy, Murray has established himself at a young age as both a masterful interpreter of the music of Tom Jobim and as a leading voice in the contemporary Brazil-ian music scene. Marilyn Mazur has received numerous jazz awards, toured for several years with Miles Davis and has a vast experience in many musical fields. With her exceptional listening abilities, and inventive use of percussion she colors the music in soundscapes, ranging from subtle shades to high energy, matching the two other instruments perfectly.

Music:
Excerpts from:
Paulo Bellinati (b.1950) - Jongo 
Antonio Carlos Jobim (1925-1994) - Olha Maria (Amparo)	
Egberto Gismonti (b.1947) - 9: Karatê		 
Egberto Gismonti (b.1947) - A Fala da Paixão (Passion talk)  
Ernesto Nazareth (1863-1934) - 6: Fon-Fon

Brazilian Landscapes

6.220618 - Brazilian Landscapes

All good musical duos are conversations, and when Lars Hannibal and Michala Petri play together, 
they create an extraordinary, intimate space where you want to sit on the edge of your chair and listen more attentively as each next exchange provides endless moments of sonic joy to delight your ears!

From their first concert in the Monastery La Cartuja de la Sierra in Andalusia, Spain in the summer 1992, they have toured throughout Europe, North and Central America and Asia, giving more than 1.500 concerts from a repertoire spanning from the late renaissance and early baroque, the classical and romantic periods, to contemporary music written especially for them. 

In celebration of their 25th Anniversary, Michala and Hannibal have selected a very special program of some of the pieces they have have played live so many times – to share that intimate “fleeting moment” they have perfected in the live performances. Featuring musical sketches and character pieces by Carl Nielsen, Edvard Grieg, Edouard Lalo, Asger Lund-Christiansen, Lars Hannibal and a new arrangement of an ancient Chinese melody, “Garden Party” perfectly captures the spirit of  “Conversation, Companionship and Communication” that has defined their quarter-century long musical partnership.

You are cordially invited to join the party!

Music:
Excerpts from:

Carl Nielsen : Humoresque bagatelles  op. 11
Hallo, Hallo! 
A Short Slow Waltz

Edouard Lalo: Fantasie Norvégienne (1878): Allegro Presto 

Asger Lund Christiansen : Garden Party (for recorder and guitar)( 1993) (written for M. Petri and L. Hannibal) (1927-1998)                          
The Lark 

Lars Hannibal:  Sunset Dance 

Edvard Grieg: Elve's Dance, Op.12 No.4 

Ancient Chinese Melody: Ge Xie Mei Ling 

Carl Nielsen: Humoresque Bagatelles  Op. 11: The Musical Clock

Garden Party

6.220619 - Garden Party

The Danish composer Axel Borup-Jørgensen (1924-2012) was one of the 20th century’s great Scandinavian “silent individualists.” Born in Denmark and raised in Sweden, he was largely self-taught as a composer, emerging on the international spotlight in 1965 when his Nordic Summer Pastoral won first prize in the competition for a short orchestral work held by Danmarks Radio. While the avant-garde of the sixties exerted a strong influence on Borup-Jørgensen's sound world, he always followed his own intuition and obeyed his extraordinary sense of organizing sound combined with a passionate, almost mystical regard for nature. Borup-Jørgensen's music exists on the margins of silence, punctuated with searing dramatic eruptions, all of which can be heard in his orchestral masterpiece Marin (1970).  Borup-Jørgensen massive ‘sea symphony’ exists in its own unique world of sound - sometimes in as many as 55 separate voices -  and is one of the most challenging and meticulously detailed orchestral textures  ever set to paper.

Such visceral music demands visual expression and as part of this very special DVD/SACD release, Lückow Film, and an international team of animators directed by Morten Bartholdy bring Borup-Jørgensen's musical world to life.

Also included is the new film AXEL - a portrait of both the composer, and of mid-century Danish modernism featuring interviews with other composers, colleagues and friends, as well as excerpts from recent live performances of the music by Axel Borup-Jørgensen.

As Borup-Jørgensen himself once said: ‘To compose is not to do what one can; if anything good is to come out of it, one must surpass oneself’ – all of the contributors to this special DVD/SACD release of Marin have surpassed every expectation and limitation!

Music:
Excerpts from:
Marin. Op. 60 (1963-1970) Danish National Symphony Orchestra.

music for percussion + viola. Op. 18 (1955-56)	
Tim Frederiksen, viola. Percurama Percussion Ensemble.	

Für Cembalo und Orgel. Op. 133.2 (1989)	
Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord. Jens E. Christensen, organ 

Nachstück. Op. 118.1 for tenor recorder (1987)	
Elisabet Selin, recorder 

winter pieces. Op. 30b for piano (1959)	
Erik Kaltoft, piano 

Coast of Sirens. Op. 100 for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, guitar, piano, percussion + multivoice tape (1983-85)	
Århus Sinfonietta. Conductor Søren Kinch Hansen

MARIN

2.110426 -- Marin - A Portrait of Borup-Jørgensen

For their latest release, the Grammy-nominated, ECHO Award-winning Danish National Vocal Ensemble under the direction of Marcus Creed have selected a program showcasing the works of two less familiar 20th-century masters: Frank Martin and Bohuslav Martinů. Beyond the similarity of their surnames, there is little in common between the two men. For Swiss-born Martin, his musical breakthrough came early in life when he heard a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. His musical language draws on a wide variety of influences, including Renaissance polyphony, Hindemithian extended tonality and traces of Schoenberg’s twelve-tone system, but above all, Bach. In contrast, the urbane, cosmopolitan Martinů was a stylistic butterfly and a bit of a late bloomer. One can easily hear traces of impressionism and Stravinskian neoclassicism throughout his mature style, but in his finest moments, Martinů embraces the love of folklore that inspired his elder countryman, Leoš Janáček.

The centerpiece of this album is Martin's towering masterwork, the Mass for Double Choir. Originally completed in 1926, Martin did not allow the work to be performed until 1963. After its premiere, he explained: ‘I felt that a personal expression of religious belief should remain secret and hidden from public opinion.’ Thankfully Martin decided to share his secret; his Mass has become one of the 20th century’s most powerful works composed for a cappella choir.

Music:
Excerpts from:

Frank Martin: Mass for two four-part choirs:
Kyrie 
Credo  
Sanctus 

Bohuslav Martinu: Four Songs of the Virgin Mary:
The Annunciation 

Frank Martin: Songs of Ariel:
Where the bees sucks  

Bohuslav Martinů: Romance from the Dandelions 	
Romance from the Dandelions < 11:50

The Secret Mass

6.220671 - The Secret Mass

A Uniquely Danish Four Seasons
DR VokalEnsemblet• Bo Holten, Music DIrector

Following a series of military and economic defeats in the early 19th century, an enterprising group of teachers, pastors and writers set about to revive the Danish national spirit. Out of this environment the unique Danish tradition of the "folkehøjskole" (“Folk High School”) was born. The lofty goal of these institutions was to provide life-long popular education, a sense of national pride and civic responsibility for the common person. The movement's chief architect, the poet, philosopher, and pastor, N. F. S. Grundtvig knew full well the value of singing for creating a sense of community, so naturally, a new demand for Danish songs was created. In 1894, the first Højskolesangbogen (High School Songbook) was published. A substantial revised edition was published in 1922, including many melodies by the famous composer Carl Nielsen. Today the collection includes 572 songs with 2.4 million copies sold and is the most popular songbook in the country to this day.

The natural choice for performing this Treasury of Danish Song is, the internationally acclaimed Danish National Vocal Ensemble, the elite choir of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). With two Grammy nominations and the prestigious German ECHO Award for the CD The Nightingale, (recorded with recorder virtuoso Michala Petri), the French Diapason d´Or de l´année, in addition to a host of other national and international accolades, their luminous sound provides the perfect frame for these simple, heartfelt expressions of the Danish soul.

Music:
Excerpts from:

***Spring***
Vandring i skoven  
Den blå anemone  
***Summer***
Hvor sødt i sommer-aftenstunden  
Stille, hjerte, sol går ned  
***Autumn***
Septembers himmel er så blå  
Sig nærmer tiden  
***Winter***
Det er hvidt herude  
Sneﬂokke kommer vrimlende

Årstiderne

Årstiderne - 28 Danske Sange

8.226911 - Årstiderne (The Four Seasons)

6.220672 - Floating Islands: Guitar Music by Axel Borup-Jørgensen
Frederik Munk Larsen, Guitar

Axel Borup-Jørgensen was by any definition, a singular figure in Danish music. Despite several major successes, he remained somewhat of a beloved outsider, embracing the modernist ideal throughout his career. Yet, there is an organic lyricism in his music which has been identified as uniquely “Scandinavian" in nature. The guitar provided Borup-Jørgensen with an ideal medium for musical expression offering both an intimacy and an ephemerality that complimented his increasingly inward-looking aesthetic. 

The current program, meticulously played by Frederik Munk Larsen provides an overview of the composer’s guitar music, from his first major composition, the dramatic and gestural Praeambula, Op. 72, (1974-1976) to the late, aphoristic cycle floating islands, Op. 169, 
(2002), unique in the instrument’s literature for being composed entirely in harmonics.

Borup-Jørgensen worked closely with musicians at every phase – from pre-compositional strategies to performance - among them, guitarist Frederik Munk Larsen, whose extraordinary virtuosity and attention to the most fragile nuance, draw out the deep melancholy and organic beauty of this fearsomely difficult music. There is little 
doubt that this new recording will become an extraordinarily important document of 20th Century Guitar music.

Music: 
Excerpts from:
Tristrophoni 1  
Tristrophoni 3

Prembula  

für gitarre 

morceaux 2
morceaux 3 

floating Islands

Floating Islands: Guitar Music by Axel Borup-Jørgensen

6.220672 - Floating Islands: Guitar Music by Axel Borup-Jørgensen

The late 17th and early 18th centuries were the Golden Age of the Recorder. Played by amateurs and professional and admire by musical connoisseurs, the recorder was everywhere. From Italy to England, the greatest composers of the day were writing hundreds of masterworks to meet the public’s demand! Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a scrappy group of colonists were carving a new nation out of the wilderness… 
But where were the recorders??? It is one of the great ironies of the recorder’s long history,  that despite being ubiquitous in nearly every American public music school program, few composers ever explored writing for it. In order to set this egregious state of affairs to right, Michala Petri, the first Lady of the Recorder, invited four American composers to make their own discovery of just what an Old World Recorder can do!
For the newest installment of her ground-breaking Concerto Project, four works have been specially commissioned to showcase the sound of the modern recorder, including the late Steven Stucky’s thoroughly contemporary  Etudes, Roberto Sierra’s Latin-tinged Prelude, Habanera and Perpetual Motion, Harpsichord virtuoso Antony Newman’s Neo-Baroque Recorder Concerto, and Sean Hickey’s boldly-wrought A Pacifying Weapon.

Music:
Excerpts from:

Roberto Sierra: Prelude, Habanera and Perpetual Motion 	
I. Prelude
II. Habanera

Steven Stucky: Etudes:
I. Scales		 
III. Arpeggios	

Anthony Newman: Concerto for recorder, harpsichord & strings (2016):
I. Toccata 	 
III. Lament	
IV. Furie 

Sean Hickey: A Pacifying Weapon (2015)
I.				-
III.

American Recorder Concertos

8.226912 - American Recorder Concertos

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685 - 1731)

6 Sonatas for recorder (originally for flute), harpsichord and viola da gamba 

BWV 1030 - 1035 Michala Petri recorder • Hille Perl viola da gamba • Mahan Esfahani harpsichord

8.220673
747313167364

Unlike the other landmark collections that came from Bach’s pen, the six flute sonatas all appear to have been "one-offs" with no particular plan for publication as a set. Further, in contrast to the collections for solo strings, Bach's chamber music for flute was written comparatively late in his career, the earliest, the Sonata in E minor BWV1034, probably a product of Bach’s early Leipzig years (mid-1720s) and the latest, the Sonata in E major for flute and continuo BWV1035, is believed to have been written during the last 
decade of composer’s life for Frederick the Great. 

In honor of OUR Recordings' 40th Release, Michala Petri could scarcely choose a more exciting program than a return visit to Bach’s Flute Sonatas; Michala’s famous 1992 recording with Keith Jarrett has long since attained legendary status.  Just as her collaboration with Jarrett unveiled a 'new-born' approach to Bach, this new recording is likewise revelatory and… transcendent. Joining Michala on this journey is an early music dream team: harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, rightly regarded as one of the fiercest of the younger generation of clavecinistes, playing his new Jukka Ollikka harpsichord, and Hille Perl, one of the world’s leading and most beloved viola da gambists rounding out the continuo unit. 
As we’ve come to expect from OUR Recordings, the sonics and packaging are as extraordinary as the performances thanks to the Wizard of Sound, Preben Iwan and booklet notes by Mahan Esfahani. This new recording of the Bach “Flute” Sonatas is destined to become a reference edition for these famous works.

Music:
Excerpts from:

Sonata b-minor BWV 1030 for alto recorder, obligato harpsichord and viola da gamba: Andante 

Sonata E flat Major BWV 1031 for tenor recorder, obligato harpsichord and viola da gamba: Siciliano 

Sonata F-Major BWV 1035 for alto recorder and Basso continuo (original key E-Major): Allegro 

Sonata g-minor BWV 1034 for alto recorder and Basso continuo (original key e-minor): Andante

Sonata G Major BWV 1032 for tenor recorder, obligato harpsichord and viola da gamba (original key A-Major): Allegro

Sonata F-Major BWV 1035 for alto recorder and Basso continuo (original key E-Major): Siciliano

Sonata E flat Major BWV 1031 for tenor recorder, obligato harpsichord and viola da gamba: Allegro

Johann Sebastian Bach - 6 Sonatas for recorder - harpsichord and viola da gamba

6.220673 - Bach: The Six Sonatas for Recorder

[BLUE]
Compositions and Arrangements by Lars Hannibal

8.226914
UPC: 63694369427

In releasing an album entirely of his own music, Guitarist, Lutenist and composer Lars Hannibal reflected upon an extraordinary – and somewhat unorthodox musical career. While studying classical guitar and lute with the great masters of the art, Hannibal lived a rich double life playing in a variety of bands and creative ensembles in artistic foment of ‘60s and ‘70s Counter Cultural Århus. It was during this time that Hannibal began finding his own creative voice, exploring the exciting intersections between Baroque and Classical form, the direct earnest expression of Danish folk music, the ear-pleasing appeal of popular song and the expressive possibilities of modal jazz.

Hannibal has also found great joy in arranging music for the different ensemble she’s performed with, resulting in hundreds of arrangements for various instrumental combinations with guitar. Finally, as one of the most active musicians in Denmark, Hannibal has been a champion of living composer, including many of Denmark’s finest, including Jørgen Jersild, Palle Mikkelborg, Herman D. Koppel, Thomas Koppel and Vagn Holmboe.

When assembling this program, it was only natural that Hannibal would draw on both his original works and his arrangements of Danish song. As a special treat,

Hannibal, ever the mutli-faceted musician, the Neo-Classic composer, the pop songsmith, the faithful arranger of Danish folk song also takes pride in being Hannibal the Poppa, with his daughters, Agnete and Amalie and his life-long musical companion, his former wife Michala Petri joining him on his musical journey!

Music: Selections from:		
Evening in the Garden	
Autumn Rain (quartet)	
Sunset Dance		
Springtime Sun (quartet)	
BLUE on a Ground
Thomas Laub: Det er hvidt herude (It is white out here)
Carl Nielsen: Underlige Aftenlufte (Wond’rous air of evening)
C.E.F. Weyse: Natten er så stille	 (Quiet is the night) (guitar solo)

BLUE

8.226914 - [BLUE]: Compositions and Arrangements by Lars Hannibal

For over a decade, the recorder has been a central instrument in the works of Faroese composer Sunleif Rasmussen. Beginning with his expansive concerto for recorders and large orchestra, Territorial Songs (2008-09), Rasmussen sought to redefine the recorder's persona and possibilities, freeing it from its historic associations with the music of the Renaissance and Baroque. In this mission, the composer has been excep[tionally fortunate to have as muse and musical partner one of the greatest performers of the instrument of our time, Michala Petri. 

The current project represents an overview of works composed from 2009 to 2020. All are scores featuring the recorder in a solo role, an instrument possessing strong historic associations with the music of the Renaissance and the Baroque as well as with bird song and the natural world. Each piece was also written for the composer's music, the recorder virtuoso Michala Petri, so however abstract or "esoteric" its realization in live performance was never in doubt. 

Music: Excerpts from:
FLOW for recorder and string trio (2012) (world premiere recording)
1 Allegro 
2 Tranquillo  
3 Rondeau 

4 “I” for recorder and chamber choir (2011) 
Danish National Vocal Ensemble/Stephen Layton

5 SORROW AND JOY FANTASY for recorder solo (2011) (world premiere recording) 

6 WINTER ECHOES for recorder & 13 solo strings (2014)
Lapland Chamber Orchestra/Clemens Schuldt

TERRITORIAL SONGS: Concerto for recorder & orchestra (2009)
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra; Henrik Vagn Christensen (Conductor)
7 Leggiero
9 Espressivo
11 Leggiero

Territorial Songs

6.220674  - Sunleif Rasmussen: Territorial Songs

After 30 years, and more than 70 international releases with recording companies like Philips/Polygram, RCA/BMG, and EMI, the Danish classical artists, recorder player Michala Petri and guitarist/lute player Lars Hannibal launched their own recording label, OUR Recordings on the first of November, 2006!

As the name suggests, their releases were intended to be mostly recordings featuring Michala Petri and/or Lars Hannibal. The idea was to have the full artistic and creative freedom and responsibility to record what they felt was necessary and consistent with their desire to explore new challenges.

In 2022 the Petri/Hannibal Duo celebrate their 30th Anniversary.

Future plans will also include collaborations with gifted young Danish artists, ensembles and even composers to help them release their “Dream Projects” to an international audience. 

To date, OUR Recordings has released 48 critically acclaimed recordings,and has earned international recognition, including the ECHO KLASSIK Award, and OPUS KLASSIK Award (Germany), four Grammy nominations (US) a Gramophone Award nomination (UK), Diapason d´Or de l´année 2015 (France) ICMA 2016 Award and ICMA 2017 and 2019 nomination (International Classic Music Award) Danish Music Award (P2 Prize) 2016 and 2019 for Best Danish Release, 2021 “Listeners Prize” as Best Release,  and 3 Danish Music Award nominations, FMA Award 2016, Gold and 2 Silver Global Music Awards, and several Editor Choice in Gramophone and CD of the Month in BBC Music Magazine.

Several ambitious cycles have already captivated collectors and critics alike, including the East Meets West series and Michala Petri's ongoing campaign to expand her instrument's modern concerto literature with Recorder Concertos from various countries as well as works for recorder and choir. Also the series with music by late Danish composer Axel Borup-Jørgensen and the releases with Danish National Vocal Ensemble has been receiving overwhelming response.

Upcoming releases include:

Poul Ruders: Harpsichord Concerto with Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord, and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leif Segerstam.

Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du Temp, with the four solo players from Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Christina Åstrand, violin. Johnny Teyssier, clarinet, Henrik Dam Thomsen, cello and Per Salo, piano). 

Olivier Messiaen Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus with Kristoffer Hyldig, piano.

Lars Hannibal: Tang Dynasty Poems, with Stephen Yeseta, countertenor, Lars Hannibal, guitar, Gert Mortensen, percussion, Xu Ziling, erhu and Michala Petri, recorder.  

Baroque Masterworks for Recorder, Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord, featuring the Petri/Perl/Efsahani Trio Michala Petri, (Michala on recorder, Hille Perl, viola da gamba, and Mahan Esfahani, harpsichord).

J.S.Bach: The 6 Cello Suites in new arrangements by Michala Petri. The sheet music will also be published and available for purchase!

ALL albums will be available on all major streaming platforms and in Dolby Atmos!

The “OUR Recordings Sound” has been developed in close collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Preben Iwan, (www.timbremusic.dk)  and are available in nearly every resolution, including  DXD audio format (Digital eXtreme Definition), 352.8 kHz/32bit.

OUR Recordings cover art and graphics are made by CEZBP. Lise Mierca, webmaster (lm@pixelpost.dk).

OUR Recordings is distributed globally by NAXOS (www.naxos.com).

OUR Recordings

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