John Finucane / Elisaveta Blumina FRENCH HOLIDAYS

Feather-light music played as light as a feather: this is John Finucane’s first GENUIN release in a nutshell. He joins on the recording with piano partner Elisaveta Blumina, who has already appeared on three CDs with the Leipzig label. In this exquisite combination of French Romanticism and Post-Romanticism, the virtuoso Irish clarinetist does not betray the slightest hint that he is performing some of the most challenging pieces written for his instrument. Works by Debussy, Françaix, Saint-Saëns, and Widor are played with such joy and naturalness that we feel transported to the world of Paul Verlaine or Marcel Proust.

John Finucane / Elisaveta Blumina IRISH HOLIDAYS

Ireland is not only the green island, but also the land of legends and singers. All this is reflected on the second Genuin Classics CD by the Irish clarinetist John Finucane. The exceptional wind player brings together music from his homeland from 1911 to the present day. Without exception, these are genuine discoveries, and not only because of the world premiere recordings and works written for John Finucane. Even in the most modern of times, the magic of the past is still alive, and contemporary musical language is inspired by the spirit of the Irish harpists: from Stanford to Bax, from Ferguson to Trimble. An Irish blessing!

Tillmann Höfs / Akiko Nikami AIR

For more than thirty years there had not been an individual prizewinner in the discipline of horn at the German Music Competition, that is, until Tillmann Höfs came from Hamburg in 2017. He won the hearts of the audience and literally blew the jury against the wall. His qualities, technical superiority, and great musical genius also distinguish his GENUIN debut CD, which was produced in the Primavera series in cooperation with the German Music Council. Höfs shows the entire breadth of his youthful, slim yet festive horn playing with works by Richard Strauss, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paul Hindemith and Jörg Widmann. Outstanding repertoire and interpretation!

Matthias Roth MIROIRS

The two composers on this Genuin Classics recording represent their country as figureheads of colour and sound: The Pole Karol Szymanowski and the Frenchman Maurice Ravel. The Swiss pianist Matthias Roth has put together an exquisite programme for his GENUIN debut CD, which he has recorded with a crystal-clear sound and lively articulation that is unrivaled in terms of quality. You don't know what to admire more: the great works of Ravel that one knows well but experiences anew, or the unexplored beauty of Szymanowski's works, which are worth the exciting voyage of discovery in every moment!

Aris Quartett SHOSTAKOVICH - SCHUBERT

The Aris Quartett, one of the most exciting ensembles on the international scene, won several ARD awards in 2016. The second GENUIN CD confirms the amount of publicity the quartet has received. Two existential chamber music works can be found there, which in their unconditionality and unheard-of expressiveness demand everything from the listener. The Aris Quartett plays Shostakovich's famous 8th string quartet and Schubert's Death and the Maiden with an uncompromising style that pulls you out of your chair: spooky nocturnal pieces, deeply sad lamentation and a demonic dance macabre – world class!