Jerusalem Quartet wins ECHO Classic Award 2009 in the category "Best chamber music recording of the year (19th century, strings)"
Their Harmonia Mundi recording of Franz Schubert's Death and the Maiden and Quartettsatz D.703 picked up the prize, which will be awarded in a televised Gala ceremony in Dresden's Semperoper, on 18 October 2009.
'Be comforted! I am not cruel; sleep in peace in my arms', murmurs Death to the Maiden in a song written in 1817, seven years before the quartet to which it gave its name and which has since become one of the pillars of the repertoire. Here is a new challenge for the members of the Jerusalem Quartet, whose most recent incursion into Romantic territory (with Dvorák's 'American' Quartet) received exceptional praise from Le Monde de la Musique for 'its virtuosity, its vitality, its energetic, buoyant phrasing'.

High Fidelity Magazine: 'The greatest piano performance of the Pictures I have ever heard, on records or off.' ClassicsToday.com 10/4. Gramophone Magazine suggests not listening to Mussorgsky first, since the sound quality is low. The performances are superb.

Menahem Pressler (Hebrew: מנחם פרסלר; born 16 December 1923 in Magdeburg) is a German-born Israeli-American pianist. Following Kristallnacht, Pressler and his immediate family fled Nazi Germany in 1939, initially to Italy, and then to Palestine.

舒伯特的《冬之旅》是在去世前一年(30岁)创作的，跟《美丽的磨坊少女》一样也是根据威廉·缪勒的诗所谱曲。由24首歌曲组成，是舒伯特毕生的呕心巨著。舒伯特形容这部作品充满忧郁、凄凉的气氛，是“一套令人颤栗的歌曲”。这部声乐套曲叙述冬天里一位失恋者的孤独旅行，充满悲凉和迷惘，却有着揪心的美。才30岁的舒伯特就写出了这样一幕人生晚景。果然第二年他就去世了，仿佛是有预感似的。
整部作品共由24首歌曲组成，歌词也是威廉·缪勒的诗作，从这些小标题以及它们的排列次序上，你或许已经可以看出个大概，这里面讲的故事，是怎样的来去、怎样的始终。旅途是怎样的孤寂、阴冷，心情是怎样的苦楚、迷惘……舒伯特的歌曲不光美在演唱，钢琴伴奏也同样重要，等于是人声和钢琴的二重奏。只有两者合作相得益彰，这部作品才能算是成功。因此许多著名的钢琴家都有过与大牌歌唱家合作此作品的录音。

在二十世纪钢琴演奏的辉煌舞台上，最受公众瞩目的也许要数钢琴家弗拉基米尔·霍罗维茨了。他那丰富的演奏技巧、铿锵有力的声音与个性化的音乐特点，使听众与评论家们将他奉为最为出色的钢琴艺术大师。此CD收录了霍洛维茨精彩演绎的舒曼的《童年情景》舒伯特《第二十一钢琴奏鸣曲》斯柯里亚宾练习曲等。

First-ever release in any format of this momentous musical event! In 1987, Vladimir Horowitz, the last of the keyboard titans of the 20th century, made a triumphant European tour, giving what turned out to be his final series of performances before an adoring public. The very last of these concerts, on June 21 in Hamburg, was recorded by the North German Radio. Apart from a single encore, no part of this valedictory concert has ever been issued before. This recording constitutes a unique souvenir of Horowitz's final public appearance, where the sense of occasion and immediacy is palpable. Horowitz included three signature works on his final program: Schumann's enchanting Scenes from Childhood (source of one of his favorite encores, the immortal Träumerei), Chopin's monumental "Heroic" Polonaise, and one of his most glittering encores, Moszkowski's Étincelles. Over a career lasting nearly seven decades, Horowitz's recordings have sold over three million units and won 25 Grammy® Awards (six for his Deutsche Grammophon titles)

ABQ维也纳音乐厅现场演出录音。

《鳟鱼五重奏》：
一、《鳟鱼》五重奏的创作
奥地利作曲家舒伯特在他短短的一生中，曾经创作完成了许多室内乐作品。舒伯特的室内乐中，被认为艺术成就最高的是弦乐五重奏，而这首《鳟鱼》五重奏（OP．114号），则是他所有的室内乐作品中最著名、最受人喜爱的一首。这部作品旋律优美，充满明朗靓丽的光泽，洋溢着生命的无限活力，令聆听者难以忘怀。
由于作品的第四乐章是根据舒伯特创作的歌曲《鳟鱼》的主题而写成的变奏曲，所以这部作品被世人称为《鳟鱼》五重奏。《鳟鱼》五重奏写于 1819年，当时舒伯特仅仅22岁。
1819年夏天，舒伯特与著名的男中音歌唱家福格尔去奥地利北部阿尔卑斯山区的施泰尔小镇演出。福格尔的年龄已可作为舒伯特的父辈，当时享有很高的名望。但他非常欣赏还默默无闻的青年舒伯特的作品，并且不停地在各种场合演唱和介绍舒伯特的作品。两人演出时钢琴伴奏常常是年轻的舒伯特亲自担任。
停留在施泰尔期间，舒伯特应当地矿业经理、大提琴手潘加纳的委托，用他的歌曲《鳟鱼》的主题，创作一首室内乐。舒伯特常常徜徉徘徊在阿尔卑斯山区林木葱茏的山野之间，优美的景色，清新的空气，爽朗的夏日时光，为舒伯特带来了满怀的青春欢乐。这些快乐的回忆，化作新颖明丽婉转的乐思，出现在这部无比美好的钢琴五重奏中。作为抒情诗人，肖邦更多的是情感，舒伯特更多的是情趣。就情趣而言，我喜欢《鳟鱼》。
二、作品分析
第一乐 章是活泼的快板，奏鸣曲式。钢琴奏出了以分解和弦出现的引子，接着小提琴唱出了优美宁静、朴素安详的主部主题。主题稍作扩展后，钢琴奏出了颇富抒情风格的副部主部。在较严谨的展开部和再现部后，音乐以短小的尾声结束。这个乐章具有温婉明快清澈的感觉，乐思优美而浪漫。
第二乐章是行板，二段曲式。整个乐章静谧轻柔，钢琴奏出缕缕飘弥着奥国北部阿尔卑斯山岳地带气氛的歌谣风的旋律。中提琴抒情的吉普赛风格曲调交织着既温柔又忧愁的情感。二段音乐在反复后结束。这个乐章形式单纯，但相当妩媚而可爱。
第三乐章是一首谐谑曲。急速、轻快而精神充沛的主题以及弦乐与钢琴的问答显示出诙谐的情绪。中段是维也纳舞曲风的恬静而又愉快的音乐。
第四乐章是变奏曲式。脸炙人口的旋律描绘了深山溪流中自由悠游的小鳟鱼。小提琴优美的主题后，钢琴弹出第一变奏。第二变奏由中提琴主奏。第三变奏是借大提琴和大提琴演奏的浑厚的主题，沉重的音乐似乎令人感到了渔夫的脚步声。第四变奏是强大的和弦和阵阵的哀伤，好像是渔夫投网和小鳟鱼的挣扎。第五变奏大提琴奏出同情和忧伤。尾声中优美的主题再现，诉说着自由欢乐的永恒和美好终将到来。
第五乐章最快板，二段曲式。华丽而充满力感的音乐充计表现了作者在夏季愉快的旅行中明朗而宽阔的胸怀和对大自然的热爱。音乐在欢乐的情绪中结束。
这部作品有两个独特之处。通常五重奏的编制都是钢琴加上一组弦乐四重奏（即两把小提琴、一把中提琴、一把大提琴），也称为钢琴五重奏。而舒伯特的这部作品，却是由钢琴与小提琴、中提琴、大提琴、倍大提琴构成。减少了一把小提琴，增加了一把倍大提琴，使作品的低音声部浑厚、深沉。强大的低音使人倍感过瘾。特别是现代的爱乐者，有了出色的聆听器材对低频的上佳表现，加之人们对低频的偏爱，在此曲中便可尽情地享受了。这部作品的另一个独特之处是整部作品由五个乐章构成（一般为4个乐章）。全曲便形成了一首规模较大的室内乐作品。
这首《鳟鱼》篇幅将近40分钟。我把整个作品看作对溪水、鱼、渔夫以及三者关系的表现。第一、第二乐章我设想渔夫还没出现，所以是鱼与水在那样一种幽静而美丽的自然里的美妙交融。第一乐章钢琴表现的鱼的戏水，我简直能感觉到尾鳍在水中舒展和它溅起的水花在阳光下呈现出丰富的色彩。而当弦乐表现水流的交叉融合之后，钢琴反过来再表现溪水的清澈与晶莹，弦乐变成鱼儿在水中像箭一般穿梭。这种戏水的神妙只有在舒伯特音乐中才可以听到。
舒伯特的音乐常常是围绕一个极抒情的舞蹈化音型不断地通过轻重变化处理，变化出一连串精致的趣味。比如这个作品的第三、第五乐章。 我常常觉得这些自然的、不是刻意得来的趣味中有太多的神秘性。这也是舒伯特音乐中甜美的舞蹈性可以甜而不腻的真正原因。
听这部作品要注意低音的效果，注意大提琴低音提琴与钢琴的对比，别忘了舒伯特是为大提琴演奏家所作。
——文章来源网络
作品《死神与少女》赏析：
宛如一部小型的音乐戏剧：在钢琴前奏中，死神踏着沉寂的脚步走向少女。低沉的音区和阴暗的和声，是死神的写照。面对死神步步逼近的威胁，少女发出了惊叫：伴奏奏着急促的节奏，体现了少女内心的惊慌、恐惧。在她唱到“我还年轻”的时候，旋律中出现两个小二度的进行，表现了少女对死的厌恶、对生的祈求。可是，她的抗拒是微弱的。冷酷的死神接着以丧钟般同音反复的音调，唱出了诱惑她长眠的歌声，特别是最后走向低八度的主音结束，更充分体现出死神的残忍、阴险。无辜的少女不得不向死神屈服。这是一篇对死的抗议书，也反映出在舒伯特所处的时代，软弱的市民阶层尽管力图抗拒，也无法摆脱那强大的封建黑暗势力。因此，这也是一出特定时代的悲剧，仿佛是舒伯特本人一曲自传式的悲歌。
这首四重奏，D小调，D816，因第二乐章主题旋律与舒伯特1817年创作的歌曲《死神与少女》类似而具标题。作于1824-1826年，1826年2月1日在维也纳约瑟夫．巴尔特家中首演。共4个乐章：
第一乐章
1.快板，D小调，奏鸣曲式。先是第一主题群的呈示，第一主题群有AB两个主题，两个主题中都有A的主导动机。然后第二主题群呈示，第二主题形成高潮，小结尾以第二主题断续表现而成。发展部以第二主题及A动机组成，第二主题以卡农方式展开处理。再现部以第二主题中的前半部旋律始，第一主题二度再现，第二主题转为D大调，然后以第一主题部的两个主题构成尾奏。
第二乐章
2.流畅的行板，G小调，由《死神与少女》的主题、6段变奏及尾奏组成。第一变奏中，第一小提琴转为分散音，第二小提琴的旋律宛如主旋律。第二主题以下，都以相当自由的创意作成，尾奏主题由各乐器分开演奏，孕育出梦幻情趣。
第三乐章
3.谐谑曲，很快的快板，D小调。谐谑曲主部突出了切分音效果，中段则保持一种美妙的流畅。
第四乐章
4.急板，D小调，回旋曲式，其主题类似于贝多芬的《克莱采奏鸣曲》。
吉列尔斯+阿马杜斯四重奏团版（DG 2530 646）。这个版本对比钢琴，小提琴，大提琴之间轮转翻覆，把整个曲子中大量的回旋和变奏表现得十分流畅，清新，隽永，层次分明但是又能相互烘托。钢琴家吉列尔斯不管是表现极细的水花，还是爆出来的低音部都富于变化，装饰音的处理随着情绪的不同有微妙的变化。

Having learned the fundamentals of music from his father, Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter taught himself the piano and had already given public concerts before entering the Moscow Conservatory in 1937. While still a student, Richter won first prize at the All-Union Contest of Performers of 1945. His playing earned him considerable renown, and by the time of his graduation in 1947 he had devoted fans. In 1949 he garnered the coveted Stalin Prize. Richter gave the 1942 premiere of Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 6 -- the composer's first work in that form for years, and the first one he did not premiere himself. This resulted in wild acclaim for both performer and composer. Thereafter, Richter was a great proponent of Prokofiev's music, premiering also the Seventh and the Ninth Sonatas, the latter of which is dedicated to him. Though word of Richter's excellence (and occasional poor-quality recordings) had spread outside of Russia, his foreign engagements were limited to Eastern Bloc countries (and, in one case, China) where Soviet officials felt there was reduced risk of defection. However, his 1958 performance of Prokofiev's Fifth Piano Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra (on tour in Leningrad) generated such excitement that he was finally permitted to tour the United States, further bolstering his reputation as a virtuoso. Engagements in all of world's musical centers followed. Richter was known as a pianist of transcendent abilities, particularly adept at highlighting the nuances of different styles. Though his interests focused primarily on music of Beethoven, and Prokofiev, he was also highly regarded for his Schubert, Schumann, Bach, Debussy, and Ravel; and in the early 1960s he made a memorable recording of Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto with the composer conducting. Richter did not favor studio recordings; therefore, most of his recordings are from live performances. Many of them, particularly those from Soviet concerts, suffer from indifferent sound quality and excessive audience noise, but his playing had an electric quality that transcended these handicaps. The pianist earned a reputation for being difficult and aloof. He was notoriously apt to cancel performances on whims, or arrive late without explanation or apology. However, those who heard him were rarely disappointed. He preferred intimate concert settings over big auditoriums, and thus returned many times to the Aldeburgh and Spoleto Festivals. He was the centerpiece of the F tes Musicales, held annually beginning in 1964 at Grange de Meslay, near Tours. Among his greatest recordings are his Schubert sonatas, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev concertos, Liszt concertos (these have the benefits of first-rate sound), and his Schumann. He has also served as a chamber musician and accompanist, playing piano duets with Britten, and accompanying Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, among others. ~ All Music Guide, Rovi