In his latest portrait album, Munich composer Enjott Schneider once again reveals new and fascinating interrelationships between classical and contemporary music, and between the Western and Far Eastern traditions. Two of the works deal directly with two of the central figures in the history of Western music: Raptus. Die Freiheit des Beethoven investigates the meaning of freedom and the contrasts between the heroic style of Beethoven’s youth and the cryptic works of his later years. Mozart Ascending for Oboe and Orchestra reflects on Mozart’s unfinished Oboe Concerto KV 293 and the otherworldly nature of the Salzburg master’s genius. Far Eastern influences dominate in Yin & Yang. Concerto for Sheng and Orchestra. The soloist in this concerto for the traditional Chinese instrument is Wu Wei, a virtuoso artist who has introduced the Sheng to European audiences and to whom the work is dedicated. Innenwelten – Innerworlds presents eight symphonic interludes from Bahnwarter Thiel, Schneider’s opera based on the tragic novella by Gerhart Hauptmann. The opera’s central figure is hypersensitive and filled with inner visions, taciturn and not given to overt expression.