From the very beginning, St Petersburg - the gloriously petrified vision of Tsar Peter the Great, was a city of art and music. The highest paid employee in the Tsarist palace was a violinist from Nuremberg: Anton Ferdinand Titz. He dedicated his life to chamber music. Decades later Alexander Glazunov made big sensation as a young composing daredevil. During his magnificent 1st symphony he also wrote the 5 Novellettes, op.15. The witty, energetic set of masterpieces is full of technical refinements and glamorous esprit, but also filled with deep emotional devotion. Russian chamber music triumphed in Tchaikovsky's successful quartet debut and finally caught up with the musical capitals of Europe. With its latest CD, the casalQuartett presents known and newly discovered gems from the musical treasure chest of Old Russia.