On 7 August, Divine Art is delighted to present Made in Germany from the Texas-based Olmos Ensemble, the first in an exciting series of albums catalogued by country, presenting rarely performed and unrecorded works for mixed chamber instrumentation. Originally formed by the principal players of the San Antonio Symphony, Olmos Ensemble has established itself as one of the premier chamber music organizations in Texas and features leading musicians from across the United States. Made in Germany will be released as the ensemble opens its 32nd season.

Each album in the series will feature works of varied instrumentation, creating a unique collection of recorded chamber repertoire that only an ensemble like Olmos—through its remarkable access to top musicians around the United States—could bring together. The ensemble’s concert programming has won acclaim for its focus on showcasing neglected works by female composers, and Olmos is pleased to extend this commitment to its recordings, with each album in the series featuring works by women composers, including many premieres.

Made in Germany features three composers of German origin: Richard Strauss, Rudolf Tillmetz, and Ruth Schonthal. The album includes the first recording of László Varga’s highly regarded arrangement of Strauss’s Don Quixote for six instruments: clarinet, French horn, violin, viola, cello, and piano. This arrangement includes every core member of Olmos Ensemble except the flutist. As the original primary voices in the larger orchestral work (all except piano), these six instruments work exceptionally well together in recreating the thrilling tale of Don Quixote.

Also included is the first professional recording of Rudolf Tillmetz’s chamber work Nocturne for Flute, Horn, and Piano, Op. 31. One of the few Romantic-era trios for this unusual instrumentation, the piece reflects the salon music tradition of late nineteenth-century Germany, emphasizing lyrical writing and equal interplay between instruments. Although not widely known, it is a valuable contribution to the flute and horn chamber music repertoire.

German-born Jewish composer Ruth Schonthal fled Nazi persecution early in her life, first moving to Mexico and later to America to study with Paul Hindemith. Completing the album is a rare recording of her late-career Theme and Variations for Solo Flute, which distills her lifelong commitment to melodic expressiveness and emotional narrative into a distinctive work for solo flute.

Future albums in this series will focus on the Czech Republic, the United States, Italy, and Austria.

“We are excited to record music that has never before been paired together on an album and present to the classical music-loving public a unique set of all-encompassing recordings that will range from solo works through nonets and possibly larger. With the group consisting of people living in entirely different parts of the US, Olmos Ensemble is unique in its ability to maintain 31 (and soon 32) seasons of existence, all while presenting lesser-known works in addition to insightful interpretations of the great standards.”

The members of Olmos Ensemble featured on this recording are Mark Teplitsky, Artistic Director, Assistant Principal Flute of the Naples Philharmonic and formerly Second Flute of the Houston Symphony; Eric Gratz, violinist, soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician, and Artistic Director of the American Chamber Music Society in Chicago; Ilya Shterenberg, Acting Principal Clarinet of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Principal Clarinet with several orchestras across the United States; Julian Schwarz, cellist, first-prize winner of the inaugural Schoenfeld International Competition (2013) and a founding member of the Frisson Ensemble; Jeff Garza, Principal Horn of the Oregon Symphony and the Bellingham Festival of Music; Colin Brookes, a founding member of the award-winning Ulysses Quartet and an acclaimed soloist; and Elizabeth Dorman, pianist, soloist, chamber musician, regular guest keyboard player with the San Francisco Symphony, and faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.