Stranger Things

Martin Fröst, clarinet<br/>Janine Jansen & Boris Brovtsyn, violins;<br/>Maxim Rysanov, viola; Torleif Thedéen, cello;<br/>Roland Pöntinen, piano<br/><br/>Johannes Brahms's Clarinet Quintet is core repertoire, not just for clarinettists but also in the entire chamber music genre. As such, it has been on Martin Fröst's 'to-be-recorded list' for a long time, and when he gathered a dream-team of string players for a concert in Stockholm in February 2013, it was the perfect opportunity for BIS to organize a recording session. Brahms's Quintet was written in 1891 by a composer who only a year previously had renounced composing, but whose creative urge had been reawakened by his encounter with the leading clarinettist of the time, Richard Mühlfeld. Some 120 years later, Fröst - one of today's most highly regarded musicians and the recipient of the 2014 Sonning Prize - steps into Mühlfeld's shoes, in the company of Janine Jansen, Boris Brovtsyn, Maxim Rysanov and Torleif Thedéen. As a complement to this substantial work - with a duration of almost 35 minutes - Martin Fröst has transcribed six much-loved songs by Brahms, performing them with his chamber music partner of long standing, the eminent pianist Roland Pöntinen. The songs, composed between 1866-1886, range from high lyricism (Die Mainacht) to bitter-sweet nostalgia (Wie Melodien...), via the humourous Vergebliches Ständchen. To these new recordings has been added a substantial 'bonus' - Martin Fröst's performance with Pöntinen and Thedéen of the Trio for clarinet, cello and piano, which Brahms composed for Mühlfeld in the same year as the quintet. Originally released in 2005, the recording of the Trio received a warm welcome, including an Editor's Choice in Gramophone, as well as a 'Disc of the Month' on website ClassicsToday.com.

Delius: Delius In Norway [SACD Hybrid]

Efter sina inspelningar av Tjajkovskijs och Barbers konserter, som belönades med en Diapason d'or, Editor's Choice i Gramophone och Concerto Choice i BBC Music Magazine, samt Nielsen och Sibelius, även den utsedd till Editor's Choice i Gramophone, tar sig den svensk-norske violinisten Johan Dalene an tre av de mest älskade konserterna för violin i hela repertoaren, komponerade under tre olika epoker.

Pianisten och advokaten Paul Wee har gjort inspelningar ägnade åt 1800-talets virtuosa repertoar och har fått de allra högsta lovorden från den samlade musikpressen. Han tog sig även an Beethoven, i Franz Liszts transkription av Eroica-symfonin, en inspelning som utsågs till "Editor's Choice" av Gramophone. Det var därför bara en tidsfråga innan han riktade sin uppmärksamhet mot en av pianolitteraturens största höjdpunkter: Beethovens sena sonater.

Bach: Goldberg Variations (Burkard Schliessmann) [2 SACD Hybrid]

Den här skivan gav Eric det verkliga genombrottet i hela världen. Här finns allt från svart Mississippi blues till spirituals, visor, country och till och med reggae. "Unplugged" i bästa Opus 3 tradition!

Sjostakovitj: The symphonies (Wigglesworth) [10 SACD Hybrid]