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Passacaille Records

Passacaille is an independent label for classical music. www.passacaille.be

Passacaille records
MUSURGIA BVBA
Tel +32 492 951505
BTW BE 0443 895 061
www.passacaille.be
[email protected]

07/10/2025

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢 explains one of the tracks from 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒆 – 𝑨 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 1729 and why it holds particular significance:

« I love in a special way the prayer from Act 3 of Leonardo Vinci’s Massimiano, Nume che fulgido. Here the composer shows his ability to master the feelings of the audience: for a few minutes you get completely raptured by the voice, and Giuseppina Bridelli was excellent in conveying the ideas we discussed together, bringing to the audience all the nuances of such a delicious galant song. You really fly high, towards that mysterious « Shining light in heaven » the lyrics speak about. »

06/10/2025

Episode 1 of the podcast focuses on 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅, Frederic Rzewski’s nine-hour piano cycle composed between 1995 and 2003. The work consists of 65 pieces combining narrative, improvisation, and political reflection, with references to jazz, folk music, and literature from Tolstoy to Gogol.
Pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞, a longtime collaborator of Rzewski, performs the cycle, bringing insight into its structure, style, and expressive range. Musicologist 𝐌𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐬 provides commentary on its significance in contemporary piano repertoire.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xhsCYs037WgRQXWdDO3xo?si=2EC0ULD1T1-vS7eA4Yr3uA&nd=1&dlsi=6f26714a6bef44d7

03/10/2025

The new triple digital album 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒆 – 𝑨 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 1729 by 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 under the direction of 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢 from Passacaille Records is now available for streaming on your favorite platforms.
https://orcd.co/qeykekd

Tragedie Cristiane – A Theatrical Experiment from 1729 by Stile Galante under the direction of Stefano Aresi. In 1729, nobleman and poet Annibale Marchese (1686–1753) published Tragedie Cristiane, a remarkable collection of ten Italian-language plays. Drawing on the influences of Racine, Corneille, Voltaire, and classical tradition, these innovative dramas are deeply rooted in Jesuit theatrical practices. To realise his vision, Marchese enlisted ten of the most accomplished composers of his time, masters of the so-called Neapolitan School. Their strophic arias, often featuring obbligato harpsichord, vividly reflect each composer’s unique style. This recording also includes previously unknown instrumental dances from contemporary Jesuit stage productions.

Stile Galante, directed by Stefano Aresi, is a Dutch-Italian cultural project devoted to Italian music of the 18th century, started in 2010. The project aims to merge academic research and performance, and focuses on vocal music. By devoting their attention to usually ignored or misunderstood repertoire, the ensemble brings back pages of rare beauty and inspires musicians and audience alike to get in touch with musical languages and tastes today often forcibly adapted to unhistorical expectations.

02/10/2025

Fantastic first review from Deutschlandfunk of Frederic Rzewski: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅, performed by pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞. This monumental nine-hour cycle, composed between 1995 and 2003, is conceived as a “novel for piano” — blending storytelling, improvisation, political reflection, and virtuosity across 65 pieces. Vandewalle, a close collaborator of Rzewski, brings deep insight and authenticity to this landmark work.

From Passacaille Records’ latest edition.

Listen here https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/spielweisen-100.html

02/10/2025

Do composer attributions influence performance?

Performing a fifteenth-century chanson requires more than technical skill: musicians must interpret notation that often conceals as much as it reveals. Beyond rhythm, text placement, and counterpoint, knowing the name of the composer—when research allows us to identify it—can shape how a work is approached.

In episode 49 of Leuven Chansonnier in Perspective, Anna Danilevskaia, artistic director of Sollazzo Ensemble, reflects on how composer attributions may (or may not) affect performance practice.

From 10 October, Sollazzo Ensemble (under the direction of Anna Danilevskaia) will also bring the manuscript’s music to life in the immersive installation rondeau / forty-nine* at Museum M Leuven, part of the exhibition The Pursuit of Knowledge. Don’t miss this unique encounter between research, performance, and heritage.

More information about the exhibition? Visit https://www.alamirefoundation.org/en/outreach/the-pursuit-of-knowledge/.

Discover more on alamire.tv.

01/10/2025

On his new Passacaille Records release, Frederic Rzewski: 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒔, pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞 highlights another favorite moment from the cycle:
“Book 4 is called Peace Dances. The first two of them, which are a form of unity — first slow and then very fast — are the heart of the entire Nanosonatas. The intellectual brilliancy of Books 1 to 3 suddenly changes, and there is a call for peace. From that point on, the Nanosonatas change course a bit and become somewhat more reflective.”

30/09/2025

The cover of our newest releases, 𝗖𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝟲𝟱:𝟰𝟭‘‘ – 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲, 𝗣𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰 & 𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲 by 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗻 and 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲, has been inspired by Jean Cocteau. Cocteau was a French artist, writer and filmmaker known for his playful, imaginative sketches. His drawings, full of lightness and spontaneity, really capture the spirit of Satie, Poulenc and Cage, music that moves between elegance, wit and experimentation. We loved how his visual poetry felt like a perfect match for the sound world of this album.

26/09/2025

From his recording of Frederic Rzewski: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅, pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞 shares the music most dear to him:

“The music which is most dear to me is Book 2, called Tracks. This is the first music by Rzewski I played and premiered as a young pianist. At the time of the premiere, no one knew that in its final form The Road would end up being a 10-hour piece. Book 2 is a set of variations, but the theme is played only at the end, so the music becomes even more meaningful when one listens a second time.”

24/09/2025

From his newest album on Passacaille Records, Frederic Rzewski: 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒔, pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞 shares one of his favorite tracks:
“I love Nanosonata No. 12 (from Book 2). It is one of the best tunes Rzewski wrote, a humorous, happy, upbeat and catchy tune which is a real joy to play. It also exists in a version for violin and piano. This music is typical for the Nanosonatas, which are short, brilliant and quite often very energetic.”
Let us know what you think!

23/09/2025

For our new album 𝗖𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝟲𝟱:𝟰𝟭‘‘ – 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲, 𝗣𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰 & 𝗖𝗮𝗴𝗲 , we invited the artists to share their favorite track and tell us why it resonates with them.

This week, soprano 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗻 reveals her choice:

As a singer, I’m drawn to Sonnekus for its raw, folk-like vocal quality and the freedom it offers through silence. It feels deeply personal, unfolding like speech yet grounded in musical instinct. The space Cage gives between sounds invites presence, allowing the voice to breathe, pause, and simply be—a liberating experience.

19/09/2025

Available now: the physical album on the Passacaille Records website.
A cornerstone of contemporary piano, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅 is Frederic Rzewski’s monumental cycle, spanning nearly nine hours and composed between 1995 and 2003. Conceived as a “novel for piano,” it weaves storytelling, improvisation, political thought, and virtuosic display across 65 pieces. Drawing on influences from jazz and folk to Tolstoy and Gogol, Rzewski charts a musical journey as unpredictable and vivid as life itself.
Pianist 𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞, a close collaborator of Rzewski and dedicated to many of his works, delivers an interpretation informed by years of artistic exchange. His performance captures the full breadth of Rzewski’s vision, making it intimate, daring, and deeply human.
https://passacaille.be/fr/produit/frederic-rzewski-the-road/

17/09/2025

𝐃𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞 brings Rzewski’s 𝑵𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒔 to life on Passacaille Records, short, intense, and full of unexpected detail.
Composed between 2006 and 2010, Frederic Rzewski’s Nanosonatas are 56 brief piano pieces across eight books. After the expansive The Road, these works focus on concision and the poetics of incompletion, offering fleeting glimpses of larger ideas, like a Tolstoy character sketched in a few lines.
The cycle is rich in variety: echoes of Scarlatti, Schumann, Shostakovich, folk tunes, protest songs, and even boxing gestures create a vivid, unpredictable sound world. Embracing imperfection, the Nanosonatas reflect on time, memory, and fragility.
Rzewski saw them as part of a living keyboard tradition. Pianist Daan Vandewalle’s performance, shaped by years of collaboration with the composer, captures both their intimate nuance and radical spirit.

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