A hybrid work situated somewhere between oratorio, ode and serenata, L’Allegro… is undoubtedly one of Handel’s most mysterious works, but also his most inspired! With their accustomed poetry, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants offer us the chance to rediscover this masterpiece, in which the composer transforms metaphysics into painting and ideas into pure emotions.
The Bolero, performed on the instruments of the period, regains all its original colour and restores the scoring that later tradition had inexplicably discarded: the use of two tabors (“tambours,” subsequently replaced by a side drum) and the castanets.
As for Ravel’s first operatic effort, entrusted to such an ideal cast (Isabelle Druet, Julien Behr, Loïc Félix, Thomas Dolié, and Jean Teitgen), it gains an irresistible vitality fuelled by the composer’s infectious comic force.
Between his youthful piano trios and the prodigious late works of a mature composer represented by his Violin Sonata in A major and Quintet in F minor, this 2-CD set honouring César Franck highlights a fundamental turning point in the history of French chamber music. Offering an echo of Franck’s composition for the same forces, Louis Vierne’s deeply moving Quintet completes the programme that gives each member of the Trio Wanderer and their partners—Catherine Montier (second violin) and Christophe Gaugué (viola)—ample occasion to shine.
Choral singing enjoys astonishing vitality in the United States of America. Alongside Bernstein’s prodigious Chichester Psalms, Barber’s Two Choruses, and Erb’s much-loved arrangement of Shenandoah, Graham Ross and the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge introduce us to the colourful works of the younger generation of composers on the other side of the Atlantic.
Raphaël Pichon conducts The Marriage of Figaro at the Salzburg Festival 2023
Partnered by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for this new production directed by Martin Kušej, the principal cast includes Sabine Devieilhe, Lea Desandre, Adriana González, Krzysztof Bączyk, and Andrè Schuen.
Performances will take place on July 27 and 30, and on August 5, 11, 15, 17, 20, and 28.
To learn more about this production, click here.
Samuel Hasselhorn and Ammiel Bushakevitz will be in recital on 14 October 2023 at the Salle Cortot in Paris to perform Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, just weeks after the release of their recording of this masterpiece, availble on 22 September 2023.
This first volume sets the tone for a major series of releases, continuing each year through 2028, that will mark the bicentenary of Schubert’s death—a fascinating journey through the immense corpus of the composer’s lieder.
Ligeti’s interest in sonorities and instrumental timbres is well known. François-Xavier Roth and the musicians of Les Siècles, themselves true alchemists of sounds and colours, recorded shimmering interpretations of these three works in 2016, displaying unprecedented clarity and naturalness, and also tremendous humour. They have been superbly remastered for this reissue.
Paul Lewis, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth, Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov, Gustavo Gimeno, Pygmalion and Raphaël Pichon have been invited this year to perform at the Royal Albert Hall and we are very proud to announce it.
The tickets for the BBC Proms 2023 are on sale now and can be booked here
The artist returns to this one-of-a-kind instrument some 12 months following the release of his recording of Book One of The Well-Tempered Clavier, enthusiastically received by the critics (Diapason d’or, Gramophone magazine’s Editor’s Choice, etc.). Future volumes are also in the process of being recorded, each of them performed on one of several extraordinary instruments…
Forthcoming releases:
VOL. 9: KÖTHEN, THE YEARS OF happiness
VOL. 10: CLAVIERÜBUNG, VOLUMES I AND II
VOL. 11: THE MUSIC LIBRARY OF ANNA MAGDALENA
The Art of Fugue at the centre of the harmonia mundi catalogue
One of the most enigmatic works in Bach’s entire output has given rise to a number of recorded versions and interpretations. A few weeks before a new reading joins this list, here is an overview.
Notated on four staves, as though intended for some unspecified set of instruments (or even voices? or keyboard?), these thirteen erudite contrapuncti, four canons, and an unfinished triple fugue—incorporating the letters of Bach’s name—are often considered to be his musical testament. Shrouded in myths traceable to the work’s origins. The Art of Fugue is a puzzle for the performers and for the listeners alike. And yet, between a solo harpsichord, a consort of viols, a chamber orchestra, and the unexpected threesome of Les inAttendu, several solutions present themselves. Simply enter the words “art of fugue” into the search field to discover the four versions released by harmonia mundi… in anticipation of a fifth, entrusted to the intrepid musicians of the Cuarteto Casals.
Available June 9
J.S. BACH, THE ART OF FUGUE / CUARTETO CASALS (HMM 902717)
Is it possible to rediscover the Bolero? When the piece recovers its original garment, complete with period drums and castanets, the answer is yes! As for that Hour, championed by an outstanding cast consisting entirely of native French-speakers: its caustic comedy remains quintessentially Spanish! This release follows four earlier Ravel albums emblematic of the meticulous work by Les Siècles under the baton of François-Xavier Roth—a genuine quest whose aim is well worth mentioning: to perform the most famous works of symphonic repertoire on the instruments for which the music was written, to follow as closely as possible the intentions of the composer, and, whenever possible, to use the original scores.
Release date: 16 June 2023
In 1727, having just become a naturalised British subject, Handel was commissioned to write a set of anthems for the coronation of George II. Since he could hardly have expected ever to see a more majestic occasion, the composer took full advantage of it to put on a musical firework display of unprecedented splendour. The RIAS Kammerchor and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin give thrilling accounts of these flamboyant works – some of which are still used today at each new coronation!
Available 28 April 2023
No less than 17 new releases and a minimum of 12 remasterings are announced in Dolby Atmos format on the label in 2023. Find the complete list of releases in this format in our Topics.
No less than eleven new harmonia mundi releases await you between April and June. Those wishing to celebrate the coronation of Charles III will be able to count on the famous “Zadok the Priest” from the Coronation Anthems by the RIAS Kammerchor (28 April). Alexander Melnikov renews (and amplifies) his exploits as a ‘multi-instrumentalist’ with no less than seven keyboards which, from the clavichord to the Steinway, from the harpsichord to the pianoforte, host seven Fantasias spanning three centuries! (28 April). Gustavo Gimeno offers us a new reading of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria at the head of the Orchestre philharmonique du Luxembourg (14 April). In May, the Trio Wanderer presents a monograph dedicated to César Franck and Louis Vierne. In June, several masterpieces as you have never heard them before: Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony by the Freiburger Barockorchester (Pablo Heras-Casado), L’Heure espagnole and the Bolero by Les Siècles, L’Art de la Fugue brilliantly adapted for string quartet by Les Casals…
All the news of the semester: click here.
Isabelle Faust is no ordinary violinist: her approach to exploring the repertoire created for her instrument is as demanding as it is methodical, an activity that continues in the recording studio where several projects are underway. Earlier this year, she could be heard at Europe’s finest venues, performing Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante with Antoine Tamestit and John Eliot Gardiner; come autumn, she is featured on two recordings destined to make their mark.
This August will see the release of an album of concertos by the “Paganini of the eighteenth century,” the great Pietro Antonio Locatelli, which reunites her with her partners from Il Giardino Armonico, led by Giovanni Antonini… Two months later will find her in a simpler setting as a solo violinist for an album of unaccompanied works by French, Italian, and German composers. The prospect of two dazzling projects well worth the wait!
Available 25 August and 20 October, respectively.
Now 65, the label cultivates an insolent youth. Exploring new repertoires, broadening our horizons, developing young talent and constantly striving for excellence: this is harmonia mundi’s motto. We are demanding, passionate and proud of our independence. This is our story…
