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25th Anniversary Cobra Records
Producer’s Choice Vol. 1

The Beginning of 25 Years of Cobra Records

In 1999, the idea arose to start our own label, one that had distinctly different rules than those in effect at the time and that would, above all, give more voice to the musicians’ artistic freedom. The programming wasn’t determined by the label, but by the musicians’ explicit wishes. The name Cobra was chosen in resemblance to the painters’ group Cobra (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam), which rebelled against the established order almost 100 years ago. But Cobra also represents a snake that weaves its way through everything.

In 2000, we presented our first album with the then-promising Osiris Trio. The repertoire choice wasn’t very common, as Messiaen’s “Quator pour la fin du Temps” wasn’t exactly a commercial choice. But the musicians and we agreed that this repertoire deserved to be done justice with a sublime release. The album received rave reviews across the board, leaving us wanting more.

A Friendly, High-Quality Label

Our label’s content became increasingly recognizable. All productions increasingly became a storytelling album, much more than a collection of beautiful/well-performed repertoire. Word got around, and more musicians spontaneously reached out.

The musicians submitted projects that they were deeply motivated to release. This artistic freedom resulted in a great match with Cobra Records, and we received many rave reviews. We quickly became known as a friendly, high-quality label.

Selection 1 between 2007 and 2017 (DSD64)

The recordings on this compilation album are a selection of projects recorded in DSD64 from 2007 onward. The transition to the highest recording quality available at the time was in line with our philosophy of dedicating ourselves to the highest possible quality in all aspects of our projects. (From 2017 onward, this would become DSD256).

This selection is highly personal. Often, these tracks evoke memories that unfolded during the sessions, but above all, they evoke the beauty of the performances. Many albums mark the beginning of long-term collaborations with musicians, while others yielded a fine debut that led to opportunities with major labels. We can still be proud of both. I encourage listeners to listen to these tracks with an open mind, savor the beautiful sounds, and, above all, discover the fascinating story behind each release. You’ll undoubtedly discover gems that will pique your interest in the entire accompanying album.

For true high-end enthusiasts, I recommend the PureDSD release on nativeDSD.com.

Tracklist of this Compilation with links to the original complete albums:
01. Dimitri Ferschtman, Mila Baslawskaja
COBRA0023 Again, as before (Pjottr Tchaikowsky)
02. Osiris Trio
COBRA0025 Piano Trio in E minor: IV. Andante moderato (quasi tempo di marcia) – Allegretto scherzando – Meno mosso – Allegro – Moderato (Antonin Dvořák)
03. Trio Suleika
COBRA0034 Trio pour violon, violoncelle et piano: II. Pantoum -Assez vif
(Maurice Ravel)
 04. Cuarteto Quiroga
COBRA0035 Sonnets et Rondeaux: IV.Rondeau -Allegro (Giovanni Sollima)
 05. Música Temprana
COBRA0036 Songs and dances from Trujillo, Peru – Tonada La Lata
06. Cuarteto Quiroga
COBRA0037 Streichquartett D-Dur (1897): IV.Allegro
07. Hannes Minnaar
COBRA0038 Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen (Johan Sebastian Bach)
08. Philippe Graffin, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Ari Rasilainen
COBRA0041 Violin Concerto op. 13, MV 63 – III. Allegro Vivace (Tauno Marttinen)
09. Sirius Saxophone Quartet
COBRA0042 Quartetto Nr.1 – 1.Allegro con brio (Carlos Micháns)
10. Música Temprana
COBRA0044 Gozos a Nuestra Senora de la Antigua (Juan Bautista Comes)
11. Philippe Graffin, Brabants Orkest
COBRA0046 Violin Concerto no.3 in G major K216: II.Adagio (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
 12. Cuarteto Quiroga
COBRA0048 String quartet op.51 nr1: II. Poco Adagio (Johannes Brahms)
13. Winds Unlimited
COBRA0049 Le Nozze di Figaro – VI. Susanna or via sortite (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Georg Kasper Sartorius)
 14. Música Temprana
COBRA0051 Sonata III á 2 con órgano – III. Largo (Anonymous)
15. Lisa Jacobs & The String Soloists
COBRA0054 Locatelli Violin Concerto No I – 3. Allegro (Pietro Antonio Locatelli)
16. Chen Halevi, Noam Greenberg
COBRA0057 Sonata in F minor op. 120/1: II.Andante un poco Adagio (Johannes Brahms)
 17. Mengjie Han
COBRA0058 Iberia – El Puerto (Isaac Albéniz)

I wish you much listening pleasure!

Tom Peeters