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Ex-ABA commish Mike Storen, dad of Hannah Storm, dies at 84


Mike Storen, a former ABA commissioner and multisport marketing whiz and the father of ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, died Thursday. He was 84. Storm said her father died at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta of complications from cancer. Known for his hearty laugh and creative mind, Storen rose to executive spots in basketball, football, baseball […]




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Stock Alert: Pluristem Shares Up 24% In Premarket On FDA Clearance News

Shares of Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI) are rising over 24% in pre-market today, after the company announced that the U.S. FDA has cleared the company's Investigational New Drug or IND application for a Phase II study of its PLX cells in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS.




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Stock Alert: Applied DNA Sciences Stock Surges 94% In Premarket

Shares of Applied DNA Sciences Inc. (APDN) are soaring over 94% in pre-market today, after the company and Takis Biotech announced the production of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after DNA vaccination in animals.




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Stock Alert: Eltek Shares Up 20% On Q4 Results

Shares of Eltek Ltd. (ELTK) are rising over 20% in pre-market today, after the company reported stellar Q4 results.




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Stock Alert: Overstock.com Shares Up 24% In Premarket

Shares of Overstock.com Inc. (OSTK) are surging over 24% in pre-market today, following the company's narrower loss in Q1 and a 120% jump in April retail sales.




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Stock Alert: Medigus Stock Up 41% In Premarket

Shares of Medigus Ltd. (MDGS) are rising over 41% in pre-market today, after the company announced that Polyrizion has filed a US patent application for formulations and methods for preventing viral infections by COVID-19 virus.




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Stock Alert: SG Blocks Jumps 34% On Distribution Deal For COVID-19 Rapid Tests

Shares of SG Blocks, Inc. (SGBX), a fabricator of container-based structures, are surging almost 34 percent or $1.47 in Tuesday's morning trade at $5.80. The stock has traded in a range of $1.16 to $35.00 in the past 52 weeks.




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Stock Alert: Cloudflare Falls 14%

Cloudflare, Inc. (NET) shares are down more than 14 percent on Friday morning trade as it reported a wider net loss of $32.75 million or $0.11 per share for the first quarter, compared with loss of $17.11 million or $0.20 per share in the prior year.




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Stock Alert: Tesla Up 4% On News Of California Plant Opening

Shares of Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) are up more than 4% Friday morning.




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Stock Alert: China Rapid Finance Spikes 147%

China Rapid Finance Ltd (XRF) shares are surging on Wednesday morning trade as it announced the execution of a set of agreement with Yong Bao Two Ltd or YBT. Upon the closing, YBT will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.




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One For The History Books: 14.7% Unemployment, 20.5 Million Jobs Wiped Away

U.S. employers shed a record number of jobs in April, as the unemployment rate climbed to the highest since the Great Depression. The coronavirus crisis has locked down much of the economy.




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New Zealand Unemployment Rate Rises To 4.2%

The jobless rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday.




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Fire & Flower To Close Three Alberta Stores; Q4 Loss Widens

Canadian cannabis company Fire and Flower Holdings Corp. said Thursday that it will close three locations in Alberta under a restructuring plan, enabling it to deploy resources and allocate capital to locations with higher profit potential. The company also reported a net loss for the fourth quarter that widened from last year.




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2448 COVID-19 Deaths In 24 Hours In US; Biggest Rise This Month

The United States recorded 2,448 coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, the biggest rise this month, taking the total death toll to more than 75,000. A total of 75,670 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in the U.S., as per latest data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. This makes up nearly one third of the global cases, and more than on




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US Records Nearly 2000 Covid-19 Deaths In Past 24 Hours

After a lull in coronavirus-related death toll in the United States since the beginning of this month, the country recorded nearly 2,000 deaths in the past 24 hours. Daily death toll has been moving around 1000 since May 1, but it rose to the 2000 range for the third day in a row. On Wednesday, 1,949 people died of the killer disease in the U.S. The new surge in casualties brought the total numb




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U.S. COVID-19 Infections Rise By 200,000 In A Week To More Than 840,000

A significant surge in coronavirus-related deaths and infections was reported in the United States on Wednesday. With 2,229 casualties, the total number of deaths has risen to 46,785, according to Johns Hopkins University's latest data. With 29,304 new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. increased to 842,624.




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Cresco Labs Q4 Loss Widens; Terminates Acquisition Of Tryke Companies

Cresco Labs Inc. on Monday reported a net loss for the fourth quarter that widened from last year as higher costs and expenses offset strong revenue growth.




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Ethos Cannabis To Buy Seven Medical Marijuana Dispensaries From 4Front Ventures

Ethos Cannabis, a Pennsylvania-based multi-state cannabis operator, said it has agreed to acquire the rights to seven medical marijuana dispensaries in Maryland and Pennsylvania from 4Front Ventures Corp. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.




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E. W. Scripps Q1 Loss Widens, Revenue Up 47.5% - Quick Facts

E W Scripps Co. (SSP) on Friday reported net loss for the first quarter of $11.8 million or $0.15 per share, wider than net loss of $6.8 million or $0.08 per share. The company noted that its first-quarter financial results were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.




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CAC 40 Rises On Trade Talk Hopes

French stocks rose on Friday after reports suggested that trade negotiators from the United States and China will hold a phone call as early as next week to assess progress in implementing a Phase 1 trade deal signed in January.




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Swiss Market Ends Higher For 4th Straight Session

The Switzerland Stock market ended modestly higher on Friday, extending gains to a fourth straight session, reacting positively to news about reopening of businesses in several parts across the world.




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CAC 40 Rises In Cautious Trade

French stocks rose on Thursday as China exports data for April exceeded expectations and bleak U.S. data released overnight prompted calls for more government spending.




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CAC 40 Rallies As Countries Ease Lockdowns

French stocks rallied on Tuesday after Italy, Spain and France have all recorded their lowest daily spike in fatalities to date.




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CAC 40 Slides On Growth Worries

French stocks were moving lower on Wednesday as European business data disappointed and several Federal Reserve officials warned of more damage to the economy from the coronavirus.




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Rose Liberto, North Carolina Nurse, Dies At 64 Of COVID-19

NPR's Scott Simon remembers Rose Liberto, a nurse at Atrium Health North East Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., who died of COVID-19. She was 64.




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Hong Kong Bourse Likely To Reclaim 24,000-Point Mark

The Hong Kong stock market on Thursday snapped the two-day winning streak in which it had gathered more than 520 points or 2.2 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 23,980-point plateau and it's called to open higher on Friday.




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Sensex Drops 145 Points; Nifty At 9,235

Indian shares opened a tad lower on Thursday, with rising U.S.-China tensions and mixed Chinese data weighing on sentiment.




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Sensex Down 240 Points In Early Trade; Nifty At 9,150

Indian shares opened lower on Wednesday as investors react to the latest developments related to earnings and the coronavirus crisis.




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WAGNER, R.: Organ Transcriptions (H. Albrecht) (OC1874)




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 6 (fragment) / Piano Concerto, WoO 4 (S.-M. Vetter, Hamburg Symphony, Ruzicka) (OC1710)




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EÖTVÖS, P.: Tri sestry (Three Sisters) [Opera] (Chenez, David DQ Lee, Egorov, Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, D.R. Davies, N. Petersen) (OC986)




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MATHIAS, W.: Choral Music - A May Magnificat / Learsongs / Riddles (St. John's Voices, The Gentlemen of St. John's, G. Walker) (8.574162)

William Mathias wrote some of the most imaginative, communicative and joyful choral music of the mid-to late 20th century. These qualities are perhaps most clearly represented in his substantial catalogue of works for choir and, in particular, his settings of sacred texts, notably the invigorating A Babe is Born and the hauntingly beautiful Ave verum corpus, one of his last compositions. This selection also includes the both serious and entertaining sequence of Riddles and the rapt, ecstatic A May Magnificat. More Mathias choral music can be heard on 8.573523.




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MAGNARD, A.: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 (Freiburg Philharmonic, Bollon) (8.574083)

The tragic death of Albéric Magnard, killed defending his home against German troops in 1914, brought a premature end to the composer’s life but not before he had completed four powerfully expressive symphonies (the Third and Fourth are on 8.574082). Symphony No. 1, with its strangely beautiful chorale, was first performed in 1893 but was then not heard again for a century. Symphony No. 2 caused a scandal at its premiere due to its length and complexity, but in its revised version offers radiant serenity and a dazzling confidence that reveals Magnard’s true compositional voice.




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LISZT, F.: Later Piano Music (Historical Hungarian Portraits) (Jandó) (Liszt Complete Piano Music, Vol. 54) (8.574059)




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CIMAROSA, D.: Overtures, Vol. 6 (Czech Chamber Philharmonic, Pardubice, Patrick Gallois) (8.574046)

Domenico Cimarosa’s operas were remarkably successful, being staged and re-staged in opera houses all over Europe. Success in his home town of Naples led to court appointments and royal commissions, including his best-known work Il matrimonio segreto (‘The Secret Marriage’) composed for Austrian emperor Leopold II. Other hits include L’impegno superato (‘The Broken Engagement’), an instant success and soon to become one of the most frequently performed of Cimarosa’s comic works, and Penelope that was produced as far away as London in 1817. The Cantata per Ferdinando IV was, however, written as an act of repentance, Cimarosa having made the mistake of backing the failed republican government in 1799.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: König Stephan / Leonore Prohaska (excerpts) (The Key Ensemble, Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574042)

Aside from his only opera Fidelio, Beethoven’s general link with the theatre in Vienna came about largely with incidental music or songs to be inserted into the works of other composers—insertion arias. König Stephan was written to celebrate the politically significant opening of a new theatre in Pest, its triumphant mood honouring the ruling Austrian Emperor. Standard-bearer of female heroism Leonore Prohaska is commemorated with a Soldier’s Chorus and a Romance with harp accompaniment. In Friedrich von Matthisson’s poem Opferlied (‘Sacrificial Song’), a young man prays to Zeus to bestow upon him beauty and goodness in youth and old age. Two of Beethoven’s four settings are heard on this wide-ranging programme.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Fugues and Rarities for String Quartet (Fine Arts Quartet) (8.574051)

The string quartets of Beethoven are among the greatest works of their kind, but he composed other works for quartet which have been neglected. This album is dedicated to these intriguing rarities. Alongside the wild and monumental Grosse Fuge, in many ways the culmination of Beethoven’s achievements in the string quartet genre, this recording further displays his mastery of counterpoint by bringing to light brilliant yet forgotten original versions of his quartets Op. 18, No. 1 and Op. 131, plus six virtually unknown miniatures, including his Preludes and Fugues.




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Wind Concertos - BOTTI, S. / TURNER, J.L. / GRYC, S.M. (Heavy Weather) (Koffman, Mendoker, M. Goldberg, Hartt Wind Ensemble, Adsit) (8.574087)

The Hartt School Wind Ensemble presents recent concertante works by three contemporary American composers—demonstrating once more the versatility of the ensemble, heard here in conjunction with soloists. Susan Botti’s sull’ala is inspired by flight, expressed in rhythm, harmony and texture, while Jess Langston Turner describes powerful meteorological phenomena in Heavy Weather. In Guignol, Stephen Michael Gryc conjures witty banter and frenetic action from his puppet hero.




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Vocal Recital: Sternberg, Deborah - SIMPSON, A.E. / KITCHEN, E. / THIBAUDEAU, G. (Birds of Love and Prey) (8.579064)

Soprano Deborah Sternberg brings together three song cycles themed on birds, each with its own unique flavour and expressive vocabulary. Andrew Earle Simpson’s eloquent skills as a composer and pianist are united in Birds of Love and Prey, in which both antique and modern textual sources contrast songbirds and predators in a variety of ways. Eric Kitchen uses transcriptions of actual birdsong in The Olney Avian Verse of William Cowper, while Gabriel Thibaudeau’s Cycle Avicellus portrays birds within landscapes using a language of modern impressionism.




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SKORYK, M.: Violin Concertos (Complete), Vol. 1 - Nos. 1-4 (Bielow, Ukraine National Symphony, Sirenko) (8.574088)

Myroslav Skoryk, a postgraduate student of Dmitry Kabalevsky, is one of Ukraine’s leading composers and teachers. His works range from opera and ballet, a symphonic transcription of Paganini’s 24 Caprices, and his cycle of nine Violin Concertos written over a 45-year span. They draw on elements of Carpathian folklore and are saturated in expressive dialogues, lyricism and elegy while also exuding powerful intensity. Skoryk’s sensual writing is frequently contrasted with syncopated motifs, cadenzas, fugal episodes and march rhythms. This is the first of two volumes.




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SKALKOTTAS, N.: Sinfonietta / Classical Symphony / 4 Images / Ancient Greek March (The Neoclassical Skalkottas) (Athens State Orchestra, Tsialis) (8.574154)

Despite his tragically short life, Nikos Skalkottas has now become recognised as one of the most important Greek composers of the 20th century. The modernist style of his earlier period is balanced by the four important mature neoclassical works presented here. Both the Sinfonietta and the Classical Symphony are expressions of the deep regard Skalkottas had for traditional forms blended with his unique musical language. Skalkottas was a violinist with the Athens State Orchestra, who are honouring his memory with this and future recordings of his works.




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MORLACCHI, F.: Tebaldo e Isolina [Opera] (1825 Dresden version) (Polverelli, Pastrana, Giustiniani, Baglietto, Vlad, Virtuosi Brunensis, Fogliani) (8.660471-72)

Francesco Morlacchi was a native of Perugia, but early success led him to become music director of the Dresden Opera where he remained for the rest of his life despite having an opportunity to succeed Rossini in Naples in 1822. He did make tours to Italy however, and Tebaldo e Isolina received its triumphant premiere in Venice, becoming the most successful of all his operas. Morlacchi’s gifts as a lyricist and for characterisation are heard here at their best, with showpiece arias and duets in a version of the Romeo and Juliet story that ends in happiness and the victory of reason over vengeance.




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MAYR, J.S.: Mass in E-Flat Major (Szczepańska, Krödel, M. Schäfer, Ochoa, Simon Mayr Choir, Concerto de Bassus, Hauk) (8.574057)

Mayr’s great Mass in E flat major is a late work, largely composed in 1843. It conforms to the prevailing Italian messa concertata tradition with its clear divisions into distinct vocal numbers, as opposed to the symphonic Mass which held sway north of the Alps. In this reconstruction and musical revival, Mayr’s imposing, tonally consonant and expressive setting can be heard in all its grandeur and eloquence. With its striking vocal solos and choruses, and characteristically songlike instrumental roles, Mayr contributed a late pinnacle in the long history of this form of the Mass.




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MALIPIERO, G.F.: Symphony No. 6 / Ritrovari / Serenata mattutina / 5 Studi (Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Iorio) (8.574173)

The unconventional structure of Gian Francesco Malipiero’s music takes us on a journey through unexpected, sometimes incredibly beautiful vistas. The Sixth Symphony is a rich and songful celebration of string sonorities and moods, while the heroic Ritrovari and evocative Serenata mattutina display Malipiero’s expertise in writing for unusual chamber ensembles. The Cinque studi, heard here in their premiere recording, demonstrate an astonishing range of contrasting moods—a kaleidoscopic sonic tour with no more than a small orchestra, which juxtaposes orchestral strings with a wind group of a single flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon and two horns, and a percussion group of cymbal, bass drum, tambourine, celesta and piano.




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Lute Duo Music (Two Lutes with Grace - Plectrum Lute Duos of the Late 15th Century) (Lewon, Kieffer) (8.573854)

The plectrum lute duo was one of the most popular ensembles for professional instrumentalists in late 15th-century Western Europe. This recording presents for the first time the bulk of a surviving repertoire that can arguably be considered for the lute duo, performed on two equal plectrum lutes or with a combination of lute and gittern—a smaller member of the lute family. The album, inspired by the Ferrarese virtuoso Pietrobono dal Chitarino (c. 1417–1497), acclaimed in his lifetime as ‘the foremost lutenist in the world’, includes the earliest printed lute duos by Francesco Spinacino and Joan Ambrosio Dalza and the two-voice instrumental works by Johannes Tinctoris. The often highly ornamented instrumental duos are mostly reworkings of songs, some of which are given here in a performance with the singer Grace Newcombe to provide the context for the lute arrangements that follow.




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HANDSOME HARPSICHORD - Best Loved Classical Harpsichord Music (8.578184)

While the keyboards of the piano and harpsichord are similar, their playing techniques are quite different. The strings of the harpsichord are plucked with a quill rather than struck with a hammer, so every nuance of phrasing is down to the subtle touch of the player. There is something special about hearing music on the instrument for which it was originally written, and this programme treats us to dances from England with Byrd and Purcell, Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, and elaborate and descriptive French works by Couperin and Rameau, whose Les Sauvages was inspired by Native American chieftains who danced for king Louis XV.




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Guitar Recital: Park, Ji Hyung - ALBÉNIZ, I. / BROUWER, L. / CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO, M. / SCARLATTI, D. / TAKEMITSU, Toru / THIELEMANS, T. (8.574140)

Ji Hyung Park has won numerous prestigious competitions, with the 7th Changsha International Guitar Competition in 2018 his most recent triumph. The diverse selection of music performed in this programme features three virtuoso sonatas by Scarlatti, the world premiere recording of Leo Brouwer’s evocation of ancient Greek culture Las Cíclades arcaicas, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonata ‘Omaggio a Boccherini’ in its original, pre-Segovia manuscript form, Takemitsu’s final work In the Woods and rare selections from Albéniz’s masterpiece Iberia. The programme ends with a colourful arrangement of Toots Thielemans’ gorgeous Bluesette.




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GÓRECKI, H.M.: String Quartets (Complete), Vol. 2 - No. 3 / Sonata for 2 Violins (Tippett Quartet) (8.574110)

The Sonata for Two Violins is one of Henryk Górecki’s earliest acknowledged works—its contrasts, instrumental rivalries and sophisticated technique a worthy rounding-off of his formative period. The Third String Quartet with its evocative subtitle ‘…songs are sung’ represents a culmination of Górecki’s preoccupations with elaborate and emotive melodic shapes and closely intertwined harmonies, its final minutes recalling the beauty and poignancy of the composer’s Third Symphony (Naxos 8.550822). The First and Second String Quartets can be heard on Naxos 8.573919, ‘a recording deserving of the very highest recommendation’ (Gramophone).




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FARRENC, L.: Symphony No. 1 / Overtures Nos. 1-2 / Grand Variations on a theme by Count Gallenberg (J. Muller, Solistes Européens, Luxembourg, König) (8.574094)

Louise Farrenc was renowned in her lifetime as a pianist, composer and teacher, but it is only recently that her compositions have emerged from many years of neglect. Symphony No. 1 in C minor—cast in the German tradition—is an exceptionally accomplished work, finely orchestrated, lyrical and fiery, and a substantial contribution to the canon. The Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg is a showcase for virtuosic elegance, and the two overtures demonstrate real theatrical drama—Overture No. 2 was admired by no less a figure than Hector Berlioz.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Ruinen von Athen (Die) (The Ruins of Athens) (Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574076)

Die Ruinen von Athen (‘The Ruins of Athens’) was composed to celebrate the opening of the new German theatre in Pest in 1812. Designed to accompany the play of that name by August von Kotzebue, its incidental music is substantial enough to form a kind of one-act Singspiel and is full of attractive arias, duets and choruses and includes the famous Turkish March. Though the work’s theme was rooted in Greek mythology, in reality it was explicitly political in nature, celebrating Pest as ‘the new Athens’. This is the first ever recording of the work with full narration.