DVOŘÁK, SHOSTAKOVICH & TOWER Piano Trios

Founded in 1982 by distinguished faculty members at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the Oberlin Trio has performed to enthusiastic acclaim throughout the world for more than 30 years. Since 2008, the tradition has been carried forward by pianist Haewon Song, violinist David Bowlin, and cellist Amir Eldan. Together, they have presented recitals and master classes across the United States, Korea, and China. In keeping with the ensembles commitment to educating young artists, members of the Oberlin Trio enjoy teaching at top music schools in the U.S. and abroad. 

Release date: 8th Jan 2016

SHOSTAKOVICH Chamber Symphonies (arr. Rudolf Barshai)

“The Dmitri Ensemble…[show] evident discipline and commitment…[they] succeed in making Barshai’s scored version sound alert rather than listless.” --BBC Music Magazine, June 2015 ****

“Shostakovich’s music and Rudolf Barshai’s very understanding re-imagining of it is expertly served in these superb performances, both in the technical sense and emotionally … Graham Ross and his expert colleagues make a wonderful case for these works and their outstanding performances have been captured in very fine recorded sound, produced and engineered by John Rutter.” --MusicWeb International, 18th August 2015

The Dmitri Ensemble, Graham Ross

The Dmitri Ensemble under Graham Ross performs Shostakovich's String Quartets Nos. 1, 8 and 10, re-worked as thrilling Chamber Symphonies for string orchestra by his pupil and advocate, Rudolf Barshai. Written in Dresden 1960,

Shostakovich was sent there to compose a film score but was overwhelmed by the aftermath of WWII bombings which he saw; the result was the 8th quartet.

Named after Dmitri Shostakovich, the Dmitri Ensemble is based around the central core of a string ensemble, with a special commitment to presenting both unjustly neglected and newly-penned works with an innovative approach to engaging concert programming. Under the direction of the co-founder and Principal Conductor, Graham Ross, it has worked alongside living composers and has an increasingly diverse discography.

The Ensemble’s collaborations with the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, for hm USA, include a highly-praised recording of choral works by Imogen Holst, which received both Diapason d’Or and Le Choix de France Musique awards, and which was shortlisted for a 2013 Gramophone Award and 'Lux de caelo: Music for Christmas', released in 2014, was widely praised in the national and international press, selected as Christmas Choice, BBC Music Magazine, 2014. Their latest release in a series of works for the church year, which have regularly made the Top 10 of the UK Specialist Classical Charts, is 'Ascendit Deus: Music for Ascensiontide and Pentecost' with the Choir of Clare College, released March 9th.

“The rendition as a whole is nothing if not fresh and finely poised, the band’s relatively modest forces placed in generous acoustic (St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood) without loss of clarity or focus. Indeed, the results are superb … Recommended.” --Gramophone Magazine, May 2015

SPECTACULAR

Released on separate CDs between 1998 and 2002, the selections in this triple-disc package represent the early concerto recordings Hilary Hahn made for Sony, which in turn established her reputation. Admirers who already own the original albums will find nothing new here, though Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto is now paired with Dmitry Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1, and the Violin Concerto in D major of Ludwig van Beethoven is now coupled with Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, so the original programs have been trimmed of the Serenade by Leonard Bernstein and the Violin Concerto by Edgar Meyer. 

The award-winning album of concertos by Johannes Brahms and Igor Stravinsky hasn't been changed, so it appears to be the only one in the set that didn't give the compilers second thoughts. On the one hand, Hahn's playing has been extolled for an amazing virtuoso technique and for her seriousness of purpose, which she has consistently demonstrated throughout her career.

On the other, these performances fall short of full expressiveness and dramatic power, lending credence to the idea that Hahn is a fairly cerebral musician with a perfectionist streak that keeps emotion in check. However, everyone agrees on Hahn's obvious precocity and risk-taking, which have been evident since she signed with Sony at the age of 16. These are all ambitious projects for artists of any age, and Hahn showed she was up to the challenges in each case. Listeners who are coming to Hahn for the first time should compare this set with some of her later albums to chart her artistic growth.

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7

"Bernstein conveys the harrowing wartime narrative of the Leningrad with overwhelming emotional power, dispelling any lingering doubts about the greatness of Shostakovich's work. Recorded 20 years ago, this still remains the benchmark performance." --BBC Music Magazine, December 2008

"This issue won a Grammy in 1991 and I am not surprised. The engineers have excelled in creating a wide dynamic range which encompasses the very quietest of whispers and the largest orchestral sound thrown at them – and there are some very big sounds from the full orchestra." --MusicWeb International

One of the most thrilling musical experiences of my life was seeing Leonard Bernstein and the Chicago Symphony play Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony live. As Bernstein wrung every last ounce of pathos from the slow movement, I found it incredible that anyone could ever have thought this less than great music. The ending was so loud you could hardly even hear the cymbals! Happily, every bit of that experience--including the full dynamic range--has been captured on this recording, along with a terrific First Symphony. This is one of the great ones. --David Hurwitz