L. v. BEETHOVEN – Missa Solemnis [FARAO Classics]

Ludwig van Beethoven selbst bezeichnete die Missa Solemnis als sein vollendetstes Werk, und tatsächlich zählt die Komposition bis heute zu den berühmtesten Messen dieser abendländischen Kunstgattung. Anlass zur Entstehung der Missa Solemnis lieferte Erzherzog Rudolph von Österreich, Beethovens begabter Schüler, enger Freund und finanzieller Förderer, als dieser zum Erzbischof von Olmütz ernannt werden sollte. Spontan fasste Beethoven den Beschluss eine feierliche Messe für die Inthronisation zu komponieren. Beethoven war weder religiös noch ungläubig. Er beschäftigte sich mit altägyptischen Schriften, mit der Philosophie Kants und behauptete, in der Pracht der Natur die Existenz Gottes zu erkennen. Als ein tief im kirchlichen Leben verwurzelter Mensch galt er nicht. Insofern nahm die gedankliche Auseinandersetzung mit seinem Gottesverständnis und den damit verbundenen ‚Studien’ der Theologie, Liturgie und Kirchenmusik, die Beethoven für die Komposition der Missa Solemnis als notwendig erachtete, weit mehr Zeit in Anspruch als angenommen. Beinahe vier Jahre arbeitete er an dem Werk. Sein Plan, die Feierlichkeiten der Bischofsweihe mit seiner Messe zu begleiten, ging leider nicht auf. 1823, drei Jahre nach der Inthronisierung, übergab Ludwig van Beethoven Erzbischof von Olmütz die ihm gewidmete Missa Solemnis. more info

TRONDHEIM SOLISTENE – In folk style [2L]

In Nordic Melodies we find Grieg in passionate play with folk songs. The work sparkles with harmonies and expression, developing a whole story from just a few short stanzas. The Holberg Suite, loved for its beauty and feared for its challenges, is a fusion of European musical tradition and a genuine Norwegian sound palette. The Trondheim Soloists follow up with two brilliant soloists, Emilia Amper on nyckelharpa and Gjermund Larsen on fiddle, in newly commissioned music characterized by the same energy and tenderness. Wild nature and Nordic light are essential elements of the folk style. This lies at the core of the Trondheim Soloist’s soul, a meeting between the musical playfulness and passion. more info

This Pure Audio Blu-ray is equipped with mShuttle!

OLE BULL – Violin Concertos [2L]

Ole Bull (1810-1880) was an adventurer, violin virtuoso, composer and international star who brought the name of Norway to worldwide attention. Within music and drama he was a pioneer in the development of a national identity, and on the concert stage his fabulous playing skills and intense charisma early won him the sobriquet “the Scandinavian Paganini”. Some of his most attractive tunes, as well as the rural potpourri Et Sæterbesøg have remained part of Norway’s cultural heritage; on this recording they can be heard alongside his two virtuosic violin concertos and the fiery Spanish fantasia La Verbena de San Juan. The concertos and the fantasia were rediscovered only a few years ago, and this is the first recording ever made of these attractive works. The A major Concerto was written in Italy in 1834 and boasts everything one could ever dream of when it comes to attractive tunes and giddy virtuosity. No. 2, Concerto Fantastico, lives indisputably up to its name. more info

This Pure Audio Blu-ray is equipped with mShuttle!

JIENAT – Mira

To the best of our knowledge, Jienat’s twin-disc Mira is the first release of “popular music” recorded in true 5.1 surround. It is also the first world music release on the Blu-ray format. Jienat’s center of gravity of is in the small town of Hammerfest, 3 hours by car from the North Cape. Go due North from here, and you will encounter no mainland until way on the other side of the North Pole. It is the home of Andreas Fliflet, who composes and produces the music. It is performed almost exclusively by voices and drums— sometimes heaps of them. Emotional settings range from «party!!» to «lullaby». The true sonic placement of the listener in the middle of the ensemble creates a goose-bumps-inducing prescence. Recording sessions for this disc has been made in locations ranging from the cobblestone streets of tropical Salvador de Bahia, Brazil to countryside medieval churches on the Åland Islands. But first and foremost it has been made in the Jienat base camp Joikeredet, literally 150 meters away from the Arctic Ocean. more info

EDVARD GRIEG – Piano Concerto [2L]

In 2007, conductor Rolf Gupta gave the first Norwegian performance of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the legendary Australian pianist Percy Grainger (1882-1961) as the posthumous soloist. On this recording, the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra accompanies Grainger’s original and controversial interpretation of the concerto. In addition, the violinist Øyvind Bjorå and pianolist Rex Lawson perform Grieg’s Violin Sonata in C minor. The recording also includes a handful of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, performed by the composer himself. Astonishingly, these performances have not been available to the public until now. Two different instruments have facilitated Grainger’s and Grieg’s encounters with the KSO/Gupta in modern times. Grainger plays on a form of musical time machine, the Duo-Art reproducing piano, which is something like an analogue predecessor of the computer, powered by an electric suction pump, and controlled automatically by perforated rolls of paper. Grieg, on the other hand, has been restored to life by means… more info

SARA K. – Made in the shade [Stockfisch Records]

Say it right now: This last CD is surely one of her very best, maybe it is THE best. It is certainly no less than sensational. Like good wine, this one has it all – that inner glow, that shining light that is the true sign of real art. People at Stockfisch have gone to great lengths with this production – not only achieving the optimal result once more in the art of recording, but also in terms of sheer musical finesse: sound space vast and multidimensional, exotic instruments including the harp form an ideal backdrop for the singer – with Sara sounding articulate to the highest degree, her performance mature, completely lacking any harshness whatsoever. This is passion in control. Gentlemen – get hit by that power of a heavyweight champion coming in a velvety disguise. The album’s tracks are a quite delightful mix, perfectly balanced with one song especially outstanding in its beauty: „Made in the Shade“, devoted to Sara K‘s fellow artist and kindred spirit Chris Jones who died some years ago. more info

FLUTE MYSTERY – Fred Jonny Berg [2L]

Emily Beynon, flute – Catherine Beynon, harp - Philharmonia Orchestra / Vladimir Ashkenazy

Only the full symphony orchestra can impose the true emotional dynamics of the arctic nature. Flute Mystery is a collection of five orchestral works by Norwegian composer Fred Jonny Berg. In this distinctive and dynamic surround sound recording, the Philharmonia Orchestra with Emily & Catherine Beynon as soloists on flute & harp are conducted by the legendary Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Berg’s music is often described as melodious, accessible and dramatic, yet with a highly original quality. Berg himself tries to explain: It is really as simple as it is complicated – I breathe in what life has to offer, and breathe out what I have to offer life. I have given up trying to grasp what actually happens in the process from impression to expression. more info

MOZART/GRIEG vol II – dena piano duo [2L]

Enjoy this wonderful music for two pianos from two of history’s greatest composers. Mozart was without a doubt one of Grieg’s first and foremost musical inspirations. What is special about Grieg’s adaptation of the Mozart Fantasia in C minor is that he has not reworked it in the traditional manner. Grieg’s unusual achievement lies in the fact that he has retained Mozart’s text unchanged, adding an entirely new part which is to be performed together with the original. When both parts are played, they interweave and become something entirely new. The Mozart/Grieg Fantasia for two pianos in C minor is on this album surrounded by Mozart’s famous Sonata in D for two pianos and Grieg’s only original work for two pianos, the lesser known masterpiece Old Norwegian Melody with variations. more info

THE NORDIC SOUND – 2L audiophile reference recordings [2L]

From combined musical and audiophile criteria we have compiled a collection of the most excellent and impressive recordings 2L (Lindberg Lyd) have to offer. Most tracks originate from DXD (24 BIT / 352.8 kHz), presented now in 192kHz on the Blu-ray and pure DSD on the SACD. This two-disc set contains both a Blu-ray and a hybrid SACD featuring the exact same music.

Two of the albums presented in this compilation is nominated for the GRAMMY Award “Best Surround Sound Album”. Discover what the unique Nordic Sound is all about! more info

SONaR – music by Magnar Åm [2L]

Ellen Sejersted Bødtker Hildegunn Riise / Oslo Kammersolister / Grex Vocalis

“SONaR is a sound signal sent out to create an echo from whatever it may encounter and thus reveal the unknown. I think we all send our symbolic sonars into physical and spiritual space, in a constant search for meaning. At least I do. And my life and music represent both this child’s sonars and the universe’s ever-unfolding answer.” – Magnar Åm

“The music is insistent, powerful and existential, bringing out the dramatic qualities of the instrument. In the cadenza the electric harp with all its effects carries on a dialogue with its acoustic counterpart, as if the new and the ancient world were melting together; a Mongolian shepherd’s song winds its way between the strings.” – Ellen Sejersted Bødtker more info