Equal parts poet and virtuoso, Paul Lewis has made unforgettable recordings of Schubert’s late piano sonatas, Wanderer-Fantasie, Moments musicaux, and both books of Impromptus. Assembled together for the first time, these readings are among the modern milestones in the entire Schubert catalogue.
From his Poème d’un jour to the testamentary L’Horizon chimérique, the genre of the mélodie accompanied the composer’s life like a kind of personal journal. Dreams, nostalgia, reflections or mirages…find their expression in this music that encompasses the myriad landscapes of the soul.
The present selection of masterpieces from that fruitful period has been recorded on a splendid three-manual Hass harpsichord (1740): Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue, and three more English Suites. Benjamin Alard has also invited baritone Marc Mauillon to join him for a secular cantata that is as rarely heard as it is unique in Bach’s œuvre: Amore traditore. All told, a multifaceted programme that leaves nothing to be desired!
It is paired with two other works that are very much its equals in stature. Both the dazzling study of instrumental sonorities that is at the core of Métaboles and the rarely heard First Symphony are enhanced by the selfsame attention to detail—and by the sumptuous colour palette of the storied Luxembourg orchestra.
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After her acclaimed recordings of music by Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Berg, the violinist has partnered with Alexander Melnikov (piano) and her brother Boris Faust (viola) as they invite us to discover some beguiling examples of Britten’s chamber music.
DIAPASON D’OR ARTE
Each volume in the series will also feature a cantata by one of Bach’s most notable contemporaries (here, a work by Johann Kuhnau). A unique opportunity to better understand the imprint of Bach’s time on his music and to hear what made his voice, always so personal and so original, stand out.
Classical Album of the Week / THE TIMES *****
It was in Rome, where he resided between 1707 and 1710, that the young musical genius composed these dazzling psalm settings. Highlighting this composer’s masterful blend of profound spirituality and vibrant theatricality, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and the RIAS Kammerchor, along with the luminous Carolyn Sampson in the Laudate pueri, deliver a wonderfully fresh listening experience.
In a reading at once brilliant and moving, the two performers join forces to bring out all the poetry, tenderness, gaiety, and inexhaustible invention of this astonishing collection. This journey into a world at the juncture of the waning Grand Siècle and the dawning age of the Enlightenment marks Pierre Gallon’s first solo project for harmonia mundi.
Traversing through some of the most poignant moments in the Ring cycle, Tristan und Isolde, and Parsifal, Lugansky the virtuoso poet of the keyboard honours the profoundly human dimension of Wagner’s iconic legacy, which encompasses love, betrayal, sacrifice, and the quest for the absolute…
The sought-after tenor was acclaimed as Pedrillo in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio, conducted by René Jacobs (2015), and, more recently, as the Evangelist in Pygmalion’s recording of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, led by Raphaël Pichon (2022). In the coming weeks, we proudly welcome Julian Prégardien to harmonia mundi for his solo recital projects: a partnership that will launch with Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, in the company of another mainstay of our label: Kristian Bezuidenhout, performing on a magnificent fortepiano by Christoph Kern, modelled on an original by Conrad Graf. Recorded in co-production with the SWR.
To commemorate the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death, harmonia mundi has two forthcoming releases recorded on keyboard instruments dating from the composer’s lifetime. First up is a choice selection of his song cycles (L’Horizon chimérique, La Bonne Chanson, and more) performed by Stéphane Degout and Alain Planès. This will be followed by Aline Piboule’s recording of Nocturnes and Barcarolles, to complement her live recital programme titled Fauré ou Le Dernier amour, featuring French author Pascal Quignard as narrator and touring throughout France.
Forthcoming recordings from harmonia mundi
Among the notable titles being released this summer, a new cross-generational challenge for William Christie, who has rekindled one of his earliest musical passions: Gaspard Le Roux’s music for two harpsichords, seconded by his brilliant young recital partner Justin Taylor. The latest from La Rêveuse also marks a return to its roots with a recording devoted entirely to the music of Marin Marais. With a pair of new releases, Jean-Guihen Queyras is the featured attraction in the cello concertos by C.P.E. Bach and Antonín Kraft and on his new recording of J.S. Bach’s complete Cello Suites…
To explore the release programme, visit here!
Over the past few years, harmonia mundi has established a close partnership with the Museum of Music housed at the Paris Philharmonie. Under the umbrella of the Stradivari collection, outstanding performers are invited to discover and play on the museum’s priceless instruments, lovingly restored and maintained by a team of curators and conservators. Each release in the series is conceived as an encounter between the instrument and the performer, featuring the repertoire perfectly suited to both. This partnership has already borne exceptional fruit, as you may sample for yourself here or by visiting the Paris Philharmonie’s website.
Fall of 2023 was notable for a recording that holds special import for the performers, for harmonia mundi… and for all Raphaël Pichon fans, without a doubt. Four years after taking part in Romeo Castellucci’s acclaimed staging of the Requiem at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the musicians of Pygmalion were keen to capture their reading of Mozart’s unfinished masterpiece in the studio. This endeavor, which is both collective and very personal, leans on our own perception of death and our environment, paradoxically allowing the score to regain a universality that transcends styles, eras, and genres.
Following several years of worldwide touring with Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Rosas dance company, Jean-Guihen Queyras returned to the recording studio to deliver a second reading of J.S. Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello. Sixteen years after his first, unforgettable recording of these same suites, the cellist felt compelled to revisit this inexhaustible musical source, which was also the subject of his recent book, Bach: Les Suites en partage (conversations avec Emmanuel Reibel). Album release scheduled for fall 2024.
No less than 18 new releases are announced in Dolby Atmos format on the label in 2024. Find the complete list of releases in this format in our Topics.
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…
