The integration of music therapy into everyday clinical practice has played a major role in its development from a rather derided wellness treatment to a medically recognized therapy. It is hard to imagine neonatology, palliative medicine, oncology, neurorehabilitation and other departments without it. In Switzerland, the instrument maker and music therapist Joachim Marz at the Bellikon Rehabilitation Clinic He has been a pioneer in this field for a long time, together with his colleague Susanne Bossert. Since last year, he has continued the strongly practice-oriented specialist conferences that have become a tradition in Bellikon at Rehab Basel, now together with music therapist Mireille Lesslauer, who works there. This year's topic: "The importance and effects of interdisciplinary methods of art and music therapy", and thus the interdisciplinary cooperation between music therapy and art therapy in neurorehabilitation.

Music therapy can play to its strengths on two levels in everyday life at a rehabilitation clinic. On the one hand, it can accompany or help shape psychological processes that are indispensable when patients have to find their way back into life after accidents or health-related strokes of fate. Secondly, it can support the retraining of bodily functions in a very practical way, for example when it comes to restoring bodily symmetries after a stroke.

Zeitgeist and physical experience

At the Basel conference, discussions about the extent to which emotions are biologically predetermined showed that music psychology cannot completely escape the current, ideologically influenced debates in emotion psychology. Analogous to the rejection of biologically determined gender identities in gender research, younger female researchers advocate ideas of an exclusively culturally formed emotionality. In the lecture by Hamburg art therapist Judith Revers, the will to respect the complexity of intercultural communication processes became clear, for example in music therapy with refugees. However, there is a risk of falling back into ideas of the fundamental exotic otherness of foreign cultures that were thought to have been overcome. This is where radical left-wing concepts meet nationalistic ideas.

However, the conference in Basel also showed that music therapy in another area is moving in a direction that fortunately seems completely contrary to the zeitgeist: while current music production is becoming increasingly disembodied with digital production and the emergence of artificial intelligence instruments, this form of therapy offers exactly the opposite: special instruments that make it possible to experience sound and music in the flesh. This could be felt and heard in Basel in a workshop with monochords that you can lie on or that can be placed on your body. Vibrations are not just heard, but perceived directly through the body's resonance.

Hearing as a bridging function

The sense of hearing is the first to develop in adolescents, and it is the last to decay in the peripheral regions of death. Music therapy therefore has particular strengths, not least in the treatment of coma patients. One focus of the conference was on research in this area. Katharina Braune, a physiotherapist working at Rehab Basel, is collaborating with music therapy and nursing as part of a master's thesis to investigate the influence of the lying monochord on the consciousness of patients who are in a state of unresponsiveness or reduced consciousness as a result of severe brain injuries in several individual case studies.

Dorothea Dülberg, teaching music therapist at the German Music Therapy Society, showed how "intermedia crossovers as fluid changes of methods and media can stimulate and support transformation processes". In her workshop, she combined music, painting, poetry and movement in space to create a multidimensional tracing of inner voices.

Conference program

The composer Carl Friedrich Abel was born in Köthen 300 years ago (died in London in 1787). His father was a violinist and gambist. The latter instrument was decisive for his son's career. After an engagement at the Dresden court, Abel's circumstances from 1755 onwards are unclear. He probably left Saxony due to the turmoil of the Seven Years' War and made his way to London via France, where he enjoyed great success as a viola da gamba virtuoso from 1759. Together with Johann Sebastian Bach's youngest son, Johann Christian, he founded the successful Bach Abel Concerts. In 1782, he spent an extended period at the royal court in Potsdam. Crown Prince Frederick William, the nephew of Frederick the Great, was, like his uncle, an enthusiastic music lover, played the cello himself and was a pupil of Jean-Pierre Duport, among others. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the Prussian String Quartets K. 575, 589 and 590 for him.

Abel probably wrote the three-movement, approximately 20-minute Cello Concerto No. 2 in C major, composed in 1782, for Friedrich Wilhelm. However, there is no evidence of a performance by him. With two oboes, two horns and strings, the orchestration corresponds entirely to the classical model. The first movement (Allegro maestoso) is the most conventional in terms of its structure (sonata form). In contrast, the second and third movements offer surprises: in the Adagio ma non troppo (F major), the composer achieves an astonishing sound effect with the solo use of the horns. Two different versions of the third movement have survived. An Allegro in 6/8 time was replaced by a Rondeau - Tempo di Minuetto. This was possibly due to the somewhat conservative taste at the Berlin court. In addition, two of Abel's original cadenzas have been preserved in manuscript.

Abel's second cello concerto is in no way inferior to the better-known works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Joseph Haydn or Luigi Boccherini and can be regarded as a significant enrichment of the classical cello literature. With a range from C to g2, Abel skillfully exploits the possibilities of the instrument and offers the performers a rich palette of virtuoso and lyrical expression.

Bruno Delepelaire, principal cellist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, has masterfully recorded this work with the Berlin Baroque Soloists on the Hänssler classic label. It is very pleasing that both versions of the third movement can be heard. The sheet music edition by Markus Möllenbeck contains a detailed preface on the history of the concerto's composition as well as practical performance notes. The piano reduction was written by Ulrich Lüdering.

Carl Friedrich Abel: Cello Concerto No. 2 in C major, WKO 60, edited by Markus Möllenbeck, piano reduction, EW1112, € 24.80, Edition Walhall, Magdeburg

In 2016, mezzo-soprano Silke Gäng and her husband, music and theater scholar Ludovic Allenspach, gathered ideas for what they saw as an ideal and contemporary song festival. With Meike Olbrich (managing director and amateur singer), Alain Claude Sulzer (writer) and Tobias Schabenberger (pianist), they brought friends on board and founded the Basel Lied Foundation. Each member covered one aspect of the song, so to speak. Thanks to a number of patrons, various foundations and cantonal support funds, the project was put on a solid footing.

After 2019, 2021 and 2022 (2020 was canceled for known reasons), the Song Basel took place for the fourth time on April 19-23. For the second time, the spacious premises of the Don Bosco Music and Cultural Center were used. At the heart of the festival are master classes called the Lied Academy. 65 duos from all over Europe applied for this year's scholarships in a multi-stage process. In the end, 5 were awarded the scholarships. These are young musicians at the beginning of their professional careers. Each duo received four hours of highly competent tuition from the so-called "Duo in Residence", consisting of the internationally successful mezzo-soprano Angelika Kirchschlager and the renowned pianist and accompanist Malcolm Martineau. On one day, the scholarship holders attended an acting workshop with Klaus Brömmelmeier. They also received advice on career issues from Aimée Paret, who has been working as an artist consultant for some time.

The varied musical festival program consisted of a total of eight concerts. These included the world premiere of the Lied Basel commissioned composition by Stephanie Haensler and a family concert. The festival kicked off with a musical discussion concert, and the final concert by the scholarship holders took place on Sunday.

Dangerous water, dangerous ice, dangerous singing

The motto "living dangerously" was explored from various angles in a colorful supporting program. Eva Gesine Baur presented her brand new biography of Maria Callas, The voice of passion, before. The singing legend of the 20th century lived dangerously, taking full risks in every phase of her life. The "dangerous professions" of apnoea diving and singing were juxtaposed in the Lied Lab.

When asked at the opening event what "living dangerously" means to her and whether she is courageous, Angelika Kirchschlager replied: "Everyone who goes on stage lives dangerously". With a wink, she continued: "And for me, courage means singing yourself after you have explained to the students how to do it." The duo in residence performed a recital on Thursday evening. With creative intensity, Kirchschlager performed songs with a focus on German Romanticism through to Mahler, Strauss and Poulenc. Malcolm Martineau accompanied with precision and great nuance.

On Saturday evening, baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu performed Schubert's Winter journey on. According to Appl's biography, he benefited greatly from lessons with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, whose last pupil he was. He has a warm and powerful voice and is not afraid of dynamic extremes and unusual agogic turns. He also proved his stamina, as the concert lasted over two hours. Between the songs, actor Harald Krassnitzer read from diaries and logbooks from the failed Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition of 1872-1874. At first glance, the stories of the shipwrecked men, who lived in mortal fear for two years, did not have much in common with Schubert's song cycle, which had been published around half a century earlier, but then moving points of contact emerged time and again.

It takes a bit of courage to present Schubert songs in a pop and jazzy form at a classical music festival. The band The Erlkings did just that and met with unanimous enthusiasm from the Basel audience.

As part of the program launched last year Lied Basel donation project "Song Recitals in Times of War" four musicians from Ukraine were brought to Basel for a concert at short notice. The connection with the topic of mortal danger is obvious. (Report in the Swiss Music Newspaper about recitals in the Ukraine)

"Don't show me, but let me know"

There are many examples of master classes with renowned artists that encourage voyeurism on the part of the audience. The fact that this was not the case with Kirchschlager and Martineau is to their credit. The tone was collegial and the advice was practical and concrete. When someone arrives with a well-rehearsed song and is given various instructions on what to change vocally and interpretatively in a short space of time, it can be overwhelming. However, the scholarship holders usually reacted very calmly and professionally and were able to implement many things directly. "The song has to do something with us, not us with the song," is how Kirchschlager formulated one of her principles.

When it comes to interpretation, some people overshoot the mark and emphasize individual words onomatopoeically, for example. However, it is important to interpret the message and not individual words and this can only be done by understanding the text: "Without text, no expression," she repeated emphatically several times. Malcolm Martineau emphasized an exciting aspect: "The formation of the initial consonant always tells you what meaning you want to give the respective word." A seductive "sing along" should be avoided: "You have to resist the harmonies with the text," said Kirchschlager. The attitude of the singer is crucial. Personal consternation and self-pity should not be seen in the performer: "Don't show me, but let me know", the lecturer summed it up. You shouldn't be guided too much by moods and shouldn't take too many liberties: "Interpretation doesn't mean singing every day the way you feel."

The participants are likely to have returned home from this week with a full rucksack of experiences and have added several pieces of the puzzle to their artistic development.

Several years ago, the pianist and composer Katharina Nohl founded the platform Swiss Female Composers Festival was founded. It initiates and organizes concerts with the musicians associated with the network. Now the first publication is also on the market, the Piano Collection Vol. 1.

A number of female composers living in Switzerland submitted their compositions for solo piano, ten of which were selected and have now been published as a collection by Universal Edition Wien. Pieces by the following composers are included: Bijayashree Samal, Anastasiia Kuznetsov, Lea Gasser, Aglaia Graf, Sandra Avilova, Catherine Fearns, Ilona Raad, Olga Ponomareva, Dora Fratrić and Katharina Nohl, who also acts as editor. The idea of this Piano Collection is to make music accessible to a wide audience, i.e. the piano is played in the traditional way.

All authors of the Collection were rewarded with a Scodo voucher. Scodo is a new Universal Edition publishing toolthrough which composers can publish their works and receive 70 percent of the sales price instead of the usual 30 percent.

The publication series is to be continued this year with a new Call for Scores. This time, compositions for violin and piano are in demand.

The Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband e. V. has honored editorial excellence for the 31st time. The Best Edition Prize 2023 was awarded to:

• Alban Berg: Violin Concerto, Critical report, edited by Douglas Jarman and Regina Busch, Universal Edition, Vienna
• Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Elijah op. 70, MWV A 25, Critical Report, edited by Christian Martin Schmidt, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden
• The pearls of Cleopatra, Music title pages from 1894 to 1937 as a mirror of society, Evelyn Förster (author and editor), design and typesetting: Peter-Nils Dorén
• Gideon Klein: Sonata for piano / landscape, Performance score, Urtext edition, edited by Ondrej Pivoda, Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4, Universal Edition, Vienna
• German-Jewish songbookProject 2025 - Arche Musica, Schott Music, Mainz
• Oliver Rathkolb: Carl Orff and National Socialism, edited by Thomas Rösch, vol. II/2, Schott Music, Mainz
• Caboomba - From body to instrument, Pieces and songs for body percussion and rhythm ensemble, Andreas Gerber, Rolf Grillo, Helbling Verlag
• Luigi Nono: Il canto sospeso. Facsimile of the autograph score, ed. and with a preface by Christoph Flamm, English translation by Margit McCorkle, Schott Music, Mainz 2022

The Special prize of the jury goes this year to the Ipipapa project, which supplements sheet music with a phonetic transcription that can be read worldwide and offers audio material and other aids

Caboomba

From a Swiss perspective, the award for the teaching material by Andreas Gerber, rhythm teacher in Liestal, and Rolf Grillo is particularly noteworthy. Caboomba is a tried-and-tested concept for moving music and rhythm lessons with children, young people and adults. The jury justified its decision as follows: "The book Caboomba  from Helbing Verlag is a great mixture of building instructions for percussion instruments, body percussion and practical applications of the various components. It offers beginners an easy way to quickly achieve musical success. In combination with the contents of the accompanying app, every music enthusiast will quickly find their way around."

"As you know, I carry a deep sadness in my heart; it has to break out here and there in notes." With these words, Franz Liszt himself provided the key to understanding his late piano works in a letter in 1883, which dispense with any virtuoso flourish and instead explore the limits of tonality. His contemporaries only shook their heads in disapproval. Even Richard Wagner spoke of "germinating madness" and "dissonance", which he could not get anything out of. And as late as 1976, Klaus Wolters, in his comprehensive Handbook of piano literature stated that this music was neither suitable for teaching nor for concerts: "Nothing more of the brilliant firebrand, just dull, joyless, shadowy shapes ..." This assessment has changed considerably in recent decades. Nowadays, these works are admired for their radical simplicity and bold harmonies and are increasingly finding their way onto the podium.

The Bärenreiter publishing house has now published some of these piano pieces from the years 1880 to 1885 in an anthology. Among them is the incredibly sombre Unstern! the mysterious Nuages gris and At the grave of Richard Wagnera work that also exists in a chamber music arrangement. Also included are the two versions of the rarely performed Romance oubliée and - last but not least - The mourning gondolaalso in both versions. The second version of the latter is one of the few more extensive works and impresses with its subtle structure, which culminates in a dramatic outburst. This piece in particular can be wonderfully combined in a recital with earlier works by Liszt, such as the Sonata in B minor.

In the foreword to this new edition, editor Michael Kube provides a great deal of interesting information about the genesis of the individual pieces. And in the detailed notes on interpretation, Steffen Schleiermacher, a pianist who has obviously grown fond of this music, gives his opinion. His instructions may sometimes be a little personal. But they are certainly welcome as suggestions.

Incidentally, Béla Bartók was one of the first to really take Liszt's late works seriously and appreciate them. In general, he was convinced "that Liszt's significance for the further development of music was greater than Wagner's".

Franz Liszt: Piano Pieces from the Years 1880-1885, edited by Michael Kube, BA 10871, € 20.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel  

In front of me is a beautifully illustrated folder filled with six colorful, humorously drawn booklets that invite children to discover them. The two harpists Franziska Brunner and Sabine Moser are experienced teachers. Their school encourages active exploration of the harp and creates a connection between music and life. The authors have succeeded in creating an extremely well thought-out structure from the ground up, i.e. not only introducing harp technique, but also incorporating all aspects of music at the same time. There are suggestions for improvisation, pictures inspire you to tell stories, exercises are combined with associations, music theory is introduced in a very playful way, there is plenty of room for imagination and finally there are carefully selected beautiful songs. A teaching aid full of special ideas - a rainbow of possibilities.

Focusing on the child and its world of experience also led to the idea of aligning the harp school with the annual cycle. Each booklet, divided into learning units of six to eight weeks, has a seasonal focus, which is reflected in the improvisations and the choice of songs. If a child starts playing the harp in the new school year, they will go through summer, fall, winter and spring and should be able to master the first four to five booklets within a year. The booklets are only eight pages thick and can therefore be mastered quite quickly. This has a very motivating effect on the children, as they have the impression that they are progressing quickly.

I find it striking how airy the pages are designed, not at all overcrowded and yet there is space for everything essential.

Teachers can use this teaching aid as a varied source of inspiration for freer lessons, while at the same time it meets the objectives of Curriculum 21. As music theory is constantly integrated, it is also the starting point for games, discoveries and creation. A conscious decision was made not to fill the teaching material with lots of pieces. This gives children and teachers the opportunity to add or replace songs themselves as required. If the concept of seasonal booklets would be a hindrance for slower children, the teacher would of course have to be freer with the school. The school is primarily aimed at children between first and fourth grade.

It is very pleasing that after the huge response to the first volume, a sequel with a further seven booklets will soon be published. Once again, the design has been tested by harp teachers in lessons over a long period of time, and changes and suggestions have been incorporated. This future teaching aid is also a joint effort in many respects with the following content: great songs, intervals and triads including their inversions, arpeggios, scales, harmonics, triplets and sixteenths, improvising on tonics and dominants, extended note reading, keys and parts.

The Harp School Rainbow is a contemporary, educational enrichment that I can only recommend.

Franziska Brunner and Sabine Moser: Harp School Rainbow, booklets 1-6, illustrated by Ruth Cortinas, 80 p., additional material online, Fr. 34.80, kontakt@cordialharfenspiel.ch, ISBN 978-3-7252-1045-9

The revival of Othmar Schoeck's last opera Dürande Castle at the Stadttheater Bern by conductor Mario Venzago and musicologist Thomas Gartmann has once again reminded us that the Swiss music scene could - or should - pay more attention to its most important opera composer of the first half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, however, it was not Armin Rüeger who turned the Eichendorff text into a libretto, but, after his refusal, the Nazi German Hermann Burte. Rüeger's three libretti for Schoeck, Don Ranudo, Venus and Massimilla Doniprovided a reliable basis for the setting, even if the composer already had some passages from the concept "in the pot" and had to ask for the text to be supplied as quickly as possible.

Excerpts from letters written by Rüeger and Schoeck, as well as contributions from authors of the following generation, provide a clearer picture of the contours of the pharmacist from Bischofszell, who was also active as a graphic artist, and his friendship with the composer, which lasted over fifty years, and complement Chris Walton's major biography of Schoeck (Atlantis 1994) in a sympathetic way. Attractively illustrated with sketches, paintings and photos, this, together with the book accompanying the 2021 festival, could be the start of a meaningful series of publications on the subject of Othmar Schoeck.

Drama and Opera. Armin Rüeger - Librettist and Friend of Othmar Schoeck, book accompanying the Othmar Schoeck Festival 2022, edited by Alvaro Schoeck and Chris Walton, 156 p., Fr. 15.00, Müsigricht, Steinen 2022, ISBN 978-3-9525658-0-3

Schwyzer Heft 113 pursues various objectives: The centerpiece is the annotated edition of ten letters containing Joseph Joachim Raff's reports from two trips to Switzerland (1867) and the southern German Alps (1873). This enabled the Schwyzer Hefte to cooperate with the Raff Society - on the occasion of the 200th birthday of its namesake - without having to forego a minimum of local color. At the same time, this has provided a platform for the publication of a previously unknown part of Raff's extensive correspondence, which is kept in the Bavarian State Library in Munich. In addition, the two editors and the editor take the opportunity to draw attention to those works by Raff which have Swiss in their title.

In all of this, it remains unclear whether the composer did not rather use such geographical titles to facilitate the saleability of his works by knowing how to profit from his rather coincidental birthplace in times of increasing tourism in Switzerland. An overview of the development of the Alpine country of Switzerland as a tourist destination by the historian Joseph Jung, intended as a contextualization, turns out to be the focal point of the entire publication, to which Raff, with his reference to Switzerland in letters and compositions, is no more than a case study, albeit a particularly complex one.

Although this richly illustrated and informative volume - more than just a "booklet" - would have deserved critical editing, it represents a further milestone in the development of research into Joachim Raff, the composer so important for the understanding of 19th century music.

Severin Kolb, Franziska Gallusser, Lion Gallusser, Joseph Jung, Heinrich Aerni: Unterwegs mit Joachim Raff im Alpenraum, Schwyzer Heft Vol. 113, 137 p., Fr. 25.00, Kulturkommission Kanton Schwyz, 2022, ISBN 978-3-909102-75-4

The Duo Praxedis is here to stay. Harpist Praxedis Hug-Rütti and her daughter, pianist Praxedis Geneviève Hug, have been performing together for years and continue to surprise with original recordings. Just think of the Piazzolla double CD or the grand duet with original works for harp and piano, also a double album.

In fact, the harp has always flourished as an instrument, for example at royal courts and in the salons of the 19th century. Or with the French, when Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel set off into new, "liberated" worlds of sound. The duo combination of harp and piano was also celebrated in the concert hall, for example with the pianist Carl Czerny (1791-1857) and the harpist Elias Parish Alvars (1808-1849), who was the "Liszt of the harp" for Berlioz.

Researching interesting but forgotten literature for their duo is part of the job for these two passionate musicians. On their current CD, for example, you can hear a Grand Duo du Couronnement by Henri Herz (1806-1888) or listen to the Six Nocturnes by Charles Oberthür (1819-1895). In these trouvailles, the pianist knows how to subtly hold back the sound in order to give the harp its acoustic space.

However, this CD also documents three of the commissioned works that Duo Praxedis regularly gives to renowned Swiss composers. In 2018, the stylistically very accomplished and versatile Rudolf Lutz La Folia for the duo, whereby, in his own words, he "meanders through the most diverse stylistic countries". Lutz skillfully combines Renaissance elements, romantic sounds, tango and jazz variations to create a varied but coherent piece.

Coucher du soleil (2016) is the title of the work that Rolf Urs Ringger dedicated to Duo Praxedis at an advanced age. He was inspired by Marc Chagall's painting Sunset inspire. In no other piece on this CD is the dialog between piano and harp explored as masterfully as here. Ringger's use of the pedalized bass register of the grand piano is particularly striking, lending the delicate harp an original aura of sound.

Xavier Dayer, the youngest composer in the group, is also known for his subtle sense of sound. For Duo Praxedis, he has varied a melody from the popular polyphonic songs of the French province of Béarn. Here, the two musicians reveal their perfected sound balance, their subtle ear for each other and their delicate virtuosity.

Duo Praxedis: Signature. Praxedis Hug-Rütti, harp; Praxedis Geneviève Hug, piano. Ars Production ARS 38 628

The Swiss-French Wind ensemble Astera consists of Coline Richard (flute), Yann Thenet (oboe), Gabriel Potier (horn), Moritz Roelcke (clarinet) and Jeremy Bager (bassoon), who are all former students of the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne. They came together from all over Europe straight after their studies to form this ensemble and cultivate their shared passion for chamber music. Their different personal experiences have enriched their cohesion, their sound and their musical affinity within the wind quintet.

They are members of or work with renowned orchestras such as the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig or the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

According to Andreas Sundén, chairman of the jury and principal clarinettist of the Swedish Radio Orchestra, "the sound of this ensemble is refined and precise. With a balanced energy, convincing both as a group and individually, their playing is characterized by reflection and a deep expression for the composer."

Held every four years, the Carl Nielsen Chamber Music Competition is aimed at young string quartets and wind quintets. After a video pre-selection, it goes through three rounds; from a large repertoire, the ensembles also present a commissioned work that was composed especially for the competition.

It is a piece of wonderful music that still surprises in several ways today. First of all, this nocturne sounds nothing like the Dvořák, whom we think we know from his all-too-present American period. The genesis alone makes one curious. The movement originally comes from an early string quartet in E minor (1869/70). It was then incorporated (with extended instrumentation) into the String Quintet in G major op. 77 (here already with double bass), was removed again - and finally took on a life of its own as the Nocturne in B major with a revised second part.

The movement also leaves a lot of scope for the interpreter. Even an initial overview of the available recordings reveals an astonishing result: the Nachtstück, with its total of 51 bars, can be played very quickly and fluently in under six minutes or celebrated almost standing still in over nine minutes. As always, the truth lies in the middle, whereby the flow of the 12/8 time signature should be maintained. Even if the violoncello plays for what feels like an eternity on the fifth F sharp This movement has it all, is challenging and will make the auditorium revel, whether in a simple chamber music setting or more palatable with a choral ensemble. The five crosses may seem daunting at first, but they create a sound effect of enchanting luminosity.

The current Bärenreiter edition can draw on a newly discovered engraver's model of the piece and thus corrects some readings. Above all, however, the edition (score and a string section 4-4-3-2-1) is very clean, clear and beautifully set. A worthwhile addition to the repertoire.

Antonín Dvořák: Nocturne for string orchestra in B major op. 40, edited by Jonáš Hájek, score and set of parts BA 11564, € 29.50, Bärenreiter, Prague  

Jewish music has a rich history spanning over 3000 years. It has been significantly shaped by the diaspora, life as a religious minority in different countries, and the resulting incorporation of a wide variety of national musical styles and practices.

With the Hebrew choir book Berlin-based choral conductor and arranger Ohad Stolarz has now published a remarkable collection with a high repertoire value with Breitkopf und Härtel. In two volumes, he presents sacred, paraliturgical and secular classics from the core repertoire of Israeli cultural history. His colorful arrangements for a cappella choir are easy to perform and perfectly capture the mood of the songs. An informative preface, singable transliterations of the Hebrew texts, translations, pronunciation aids and detailed introductions to the works in the appendix make the Hebrew choir book a real recommendation.

Hebräisches Chorbuch for mixed choir a cappella, edited by Ohad Stolarz; Volume 1: Sacred repertoire, ChB 5375; Volume 2: Secular repertoire, ChB 5376, € 19.90 each; Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2022

It's Rachmaninov time, as his 150th birthday is being celebrated everywhere. The Russian composer spent several years of his exile on Lake Lucerne in the Villa Senar, which is currently being renovated and will then be opened to the public. All the more reason for the Basel Symphony Orchestra to present two of his important works on CD.

This is also made possible by the successful Swiss label Prospero, run by Martin Korn. The following were recorded Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini op. 43 and the Piano Concerto No. 3 op. 30 at the Stadtcasino Basel. A Swiss production that has it all, also thanks to the excellent pianist Irina Georgieva. The Romanian has had close ties with Basel for years, having studied here with Rudolf Buchbinder. Her piano playing is phenomenal, delicate, always wonderfully audible and never "thick", not even in Rachmaninov's chordal force. She already shows this calling card in the Paganini Variations, which she performs in a chamber music style with a gentle touch and wonderful phrasing. The Basel Symphony Orchestra under Sascha Goetzel provides attentive and restrained accompaniment. It begins with the orchestra's introduction of the theme with short, soft accents, an ideal preparation for the pianist's interpretation. This puts the listener in the mood for the 3rd Piano Concerto, the second work on the CD program, right from the start.

In this piano concerto, Rachmaninov is more diverse in his instrumentation, more varied and less concerned with pure effect than in the second. And it is precisely here that one is amazed at what the Basel Symphony Orchestra, this time under the direction of Pablo Gonzáles, has to offer in terms of audibility, subtlety of sound and finesse. A red carpet for Irina Georgieva, who masters the extraordinarily difficult piano part as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Only in the spectacular finale would one wish for a little more courage to make a grand, sweeping gesture.

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Irina Georgieva, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Sascha Goetzel/Pablo Gonzáles. Prospero Records Prosp0025