Schumann, Piano Concerto in A minor, op.54

Schumann dedicated his piano concerto to Ferdinand Hiller, but it was his wife Clara Schumann who premiered it on 1 January 1846 in Leipzig, thus ensuring its overwhelming success. Written after a profound study of the works of Bach, the piece bears no trace of learned polyphony or complex counterpoint. It seems to flow effortlessly, without flashy virtuosity or Beethovenian drama. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most popular piano concertos in the repertoire. Following the cycles of orchestral works by Mahler, Beethoven and Brahms, Unitel chose to honor Robert Schumann in 1984/85 with this cycle performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Schumann’s orchestral works are firmly established in the repertoire of the Vienna Philharmonic. The glowing, romantic sound of this orchestra and Leonard Bernstein’s expressive interpretation complement each other in an ideal way to produce a perfect rendering of Schumann’s symphonic oeuvre. Schumann’s four symphonies, his piano concerto, the violoncello concerto and the Manfred Overture have been filmed and recorded in the “Golden Hall” of the Vienna Musikverein, held to rank acoustically among the world’s best halls. The soloists are Justus Frantz, piano, and the cellist Mischa Maisky.

Holst, The Planets, op.32

The Philadelphia Orchestra was founded in 1900. Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985) stood at its head as principal conductor from 1936 to 1980. Continuing the work of his predecessor Leopold Stokowski, he turned the orchestra into one of the leading ensembles not only of the United States, but of the world. Under his direction, the orchestra became renowned in particular for its performances of late romantic and early 20th-century music.

Bach, Suite (Overture) No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068

In Bach’s time, the terms “suite” and “overture” were often used interchangeably. This was because the first movement of a suite was generally a French Overture and tended to dominate the entire work. Bach himself referred to his four orchestral suites as “overtures.” The four overtures which open each of Bach’s four orchestral suites are among his most majestic achievements. The custom of rounding off the grandiose Baroque overtures with a string of dances and other light pieces was perhaps suggested by popular Rococo suites of dances for chamber or keyboard instruments. A musician’s musician, an occasional firebrand and a constant paradox – Nikolaus Harnoncourt (born in 1929) is one of the most profound and intriguing conductors of our time. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, he has long since turned his attention to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and even to Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss. He spent many years as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker before founding the “Concentus Musicus Wien” with his wife Alice in 1953. It soon became one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments. In the 1970s, Harnoncourt joined forces with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to stage a series of Monteverdi operas at the Zurich Opera House. This universally acclaimed cycle contributed to a renaissance of Monteverdi’s music and set standards for early Baroque performance practice. He later began to turn his attention more and more to the music of Mozart, whom he considers “the most romantic of all composers”. Harnoncourt did not make his official debut at the Salzburg Festival until 1992. He has been conducting there regularly since then and is a sought-after guest conductor of such reputable ensembles as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Bach, Concerto for Oboe, Violin and Orchestra in D minor, BWV 1060

In spite of its popularity, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Oboe, Violin and String Orchestra in D minor BWV 1060 is actually a reconstruction, since the original version was lost. Our work was reconstructed by Max Schneider from Bach’s Concerto for two harpsichords in C minor. Besides the key change, the transcription primarily involved the transposition of both right-hand harpsichord parts to the violin and oboe respectively. The original work was possibly written in Köthen or in Bach’s early Leipzig years. Its virtuoso solo writing and three-movement fast-slow-fast structure reflect the influence of Antonio Vivaldi. In a typically Baroque manner, the tutti opening theme of the first movement provides the material out of which the episodes are spun. In the elegiac slow movement, the two solo instruments dialogue lovingly over a discreet pizzicato bass. The closing Allegro, with its aggressive jagged theme, is still more ebullient and energetic than the first movement. Nikolaus Harnoncourt was born in Berlin in 1929. His dissatisfaction with conventional interpretations of early music led him to found the Concentus Musicus with his wife Alice in 1953. The unusual, radically different musical style of the ensemble, combined with its insistence on using only historical instruments, quickly earned it a prominent reputation. Its international concert tours met with triumphal acclaim. In addition to leading his ensemble, Harnoncourt regularly conducts such prestigious orchestras as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Concertgebouw Orkest Amsterdam, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and others. Together with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, he produced a universally acclaimed cycle of operas by Mozart and Monteverdi at the Zurich Opera House.