Born in Vienna in 1943, composer, conductor and chansonnier HK Gruber sang with the Vienna Boys’ Choir before studying at the Vienna University of Music. From 1961 he played double bass in the ensemble die reihe and from 1969 to 1998 with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Gruber began his career as a singer and actor with the MOB Art & Tone ART Ensemble, which he founded in 1968. He cultivates a highly individual compositional style and his music is performed by leading artists and orchestras around the world. In 2002, he was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize, his country's most prestigious cultural accolade. In 2009 he was made an honorary member of the Wiener Konzerthaus, joining other distinguished musicians such as Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Bernstein and Claudio Abbado. On this programme, Gruber finds ideal partners for realising his distinctive musical language in pianist Frank Dupree and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

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Armande de Polignac was one of an unprecedented number of female composers emerging at the beginning of the 20th century. With training from the likes of Gabriel Fauré and Vincent d'Indy she was able to devote her life to music from an early age. From the introspective early Préludes via the luxuriant Russian-infused Échappées to the remarkable sonic realism of Cloches, these world premiere recordings reveal Armande de Polignac as one of the greatest French woman composers of her time. Her work has been largely forgotten since her death in 1962, but with today’s ever increasing interest in women composers it is becoming clear that her music is every bit as deserving of attention as contemporaries such as Ravel and the composers of Les Six.

Since its foundation in 2013, the Berlin Opera Group has made a name for itself with Berlin premieres of works such as Donizetti's Deux Hommes et une femme and Betly, as well as other operatic rarities. This album is a Deutschlandfunk Kultur recording of the June 2022 staging of Pietro Mascagni’s Zanetto at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Taking the title role is multi-award-winning mezzo-soprano Yajie Zhang, who can also be heard in the role of Ugo d’Asti in Donizett’s Dalinda (OC989), once again with the Chor und Orchester der Berliner Operngruppe conducted by Felix Krieger.

When Anton Bruckner premiered his Te Deum at the Vienna Musikverein in 1886, he later referred to it as the 'pride of my life'. This rare display of self-assurance is striking, given that Bruckner was otherwise known for his artistic self-doubt and frequently revised his compositions. But in this case, he was certain and the critics agreed: the Te Deum became one of his greatest successes, surpassing even many of his symphonies in public acclaim. Composed nearly twenty years earlier, the Mass in F minor unfolded rather differently. Commissioned by the Imperial Court Chapel in Vienna, Bruckner subjected the work to multiple revisions right up to 1893. He conducted the premiere himself and even covered the considerable costs, after the Hofkapelle had initially dismissed the Mass as 'unsingable'. Only gradually did the work establish itself in the repertoire. These live recordings were made in 2024 and 2025, bringing together an outstanding cast of highly acclaimed singers under the direction of a conductor of international standing.