It is time to look back at the last year and make a check of what was achieved, what went well, and what did not. Overall, I am quite satisfied by the quality of the output, even if that meant releasing less new editions overall.
Ending the third year of professional production—that is, finding a reliable house style; a good, personal, and unique design language; and a sustainable workflow—finally brought me to a couple of big realisations.
- Pedagogical arrangements and urtext editions of useful pieces (e.g., those found in texts already in use, such as the Suzuki method) kept being reasonably successful and in demand in the digital market.
- Critical editions of completely unknown repertoire drew almost zero interest from the performers and teachers’ market, and absolutely zero interest from those who purchase digital copies (most of them!)
What was the point of keeping up with the printing, then? Finding the proper market, of course, which required a painful amount of effort. Once the plug with the higher education and library market was established, though, orders began to flow, slowly and steadily. Normally, the process required sending a few free copies to these distributors, waiting for their response, and then setting up a contract with each one of them.
A big news—which consolidated during the Summer—consisted in getting back home all of my printed stock. It was unsustainable to have all my scores in a place where I could not access them quickly and where the increasing amount of incoming orders would cause troubles to other people. Now we manage everything from home: from research and engraving, to receiving the printed copies; from stocking up the proper packing and shipping material—a most fascinating topic, if you would like me to delve deeper into this—to actually shipping the scores away. This required (boring) phone calls with couriers, setting up special accounts on their websites, and more.
For now, Europe is reliably covered, and I hope to be able to set up a direct online shop during this year, even though I have been procrastinating that because of the lack of interest from individual musicians.
For the first time since I started, I had to order “reprints” (or restocks) of sold-out items. Obviously, I am not talking about those titles which were printed in 100–150 units back in 2023, as those stocks are still quite healthy. Some of those printed in 10–15 units, though, received enough demand to require a reprint. Printing prices saw an increase in 2025, requiring even more care. Hopefully, they will stay stable in 2026.
To my greatest surprise, the most requested printed score of 2025 was—hold for it!—the Two Quartets for 2 Violins, Viola, and Violoncello Obbligato, Op. 12, by J. J. F. Dotzauer.
Several things can be improved this year, namely:
- Think twice before delegating. Be sure you can trust those you have in front of you. This is a double-edged sword, though, because, without trust, we humans do not function. It still seems that, besides developing a good sense of smell for crooked people, it will keep working as follows: trust, hit the wall, break relationship, start again.
- Finding 2–3 couriers one can rely upon 100% of the times for any destination, including overseas (USA, Australia, etc.). For now, I am reasonably happy with what I have, but the current system is not free of uncomfortable pain points.
- Optimising storage. For the time being, we are packing every score that is not already shrink-wrapped by itself into paper wraps to protect them from those small silver insects so glutton of books. This will work assuming the new prints and reprint runs are under a certain quantity, but it cannot last.
As you can see, being a small publisher (or a small anything, for what matters) requires a lot more careful planning than if one could skip this middle ground. If you have a business that rose quickly enough to skip this step, then there is only to be spoilt for choice. Until then, though, it’s daily planning and management. And you know what? I like it much more because it feels authentic, personal, and it allows keeping money a bit in the background.
Let’s now quickly go through what was released during 2025.
1
Last year saw the addition of a new “protected” composer among those ASE is taking care of. Joining Dotzauer, Piatti, and Kummer is now another member of the Dresden Cello School: Carl Eduard Schuberth. You can read extensively about this news in the March 2025 newsletter. The first piece, published in late February and coinciding with Schuberth’s birthday, was his Souvenir de la Hollande, Op. 3, in its version for cello and piano. Here are a few links for your enjoyment:
- interview with Mr. Michel Schuberth (direct descendant);
- deep dive on the edition;
- listen to how this piece sounds on YouTube;
- digital copy (alternative link);
- Printed copy available on-demand, just write me directly.
2
The Dotzauer Project got a new entry, thanks to the invaluable contribution of my good friend Yuriy Leonovich. The Six Exercises for cello solo, Op. 116, were thus published.
- Listen to Yuriy’s performance on No. 6 on YouTube;
- Read the deep dive;
- Find the digital edition here (or here);
- Contact me for the printed edition
3-5
In late June, two new versions of Schuberth’s Souvenir de la Hollande were released, one for cello and orchestra, and one for cello and strings (with optional double bass). Additionally, the orchestral part set was released for print-on-demand for interested orchestras. This was a massive endeavour, and I am delighted I could pull it off.
6
After close to two years of hard work studying the only surviving source and rebuilding it into a complete score, the Sonata for Piano and Cello by Gaetano Donizetti finally saw the light of day. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Fabrizio Capitanio, who also composed the missing cello part for most of the third movement, alongside providing the historical and analytical introduction to the edition.
You can listen to it here, and get your digital copy here (or here, same price, different payment methods). The printed copy is available on demand, just contact me.
7
An edition I am most proud of, then, marked the beginning of my work on Dotzauer’s Violoncello School, Op. 65. Four editions will revolve around it, and this was the first one, covering its first appendix. Twenty-four two-octave scales and fifty duets for two cellos constitute possibly the biggest volume I have ever published. If I am judging things right, the textbook will be ever larger. Stay tuned for that.
Here are five videos where you can listen to as many duets (No 22; No 26; No 28; No 30; No 47), and you can get your digital copy here (or here). Contact me for the printed edition.
Revised and printed titles
1. Dotzauer – Twelve Pieces for Two Cellos, Op. 156
Listen to it, read the deep dive, contact me for the physical book (or go here for the digital copy).
2. Dotzauer – Twenty-four Exercises for Two Cellos, Op. 159
The last of the five books for two cellos, possibly the most graduated one in terms of difficulty. Listen to it; read the analysis, contact me for the hard copy (or grab the digital one).
3. Dotzauer – Six Waltzes for Piano Four-hands, Op. 17
Listen to an example, read the story behind these pieces, and write me for the book (or get the PDF here).
4. Piatti – A Farewell for Voice and Piano
Listen to how it sounds (here’s the one with cello for comparison), read the story common to both versions, and contact me for the newly released book (or find the PDF here).
Bottom Line
With just seven new editions and four reviewed and printed, 2025 could look like a pretty disappointing year. Compared to 2024 when 26 new editions were published and 6 reviewed, it would be a natural thing to believe. This year’s editions, though, were much larger in scope and sheer size. Preparing them for print and actually follow the whole process required an insane amount of time which, forcedly, prevented me from creating more. In truth, there were several editions that had to be prepared for events scheduled for 2026 and which, therefore, could not be released.
Being unable to manage any of my editions during the summer, then, was a major setback, and a heavy burden to my mental health. For a moment, I really thought about abandoning all this, but I am truly happy that, in the end, I did not.
Surrendering would have been too easy, right? And besides:
Defeat is not an option!
Onward to a 2026 full of new and updated creations! I look forward to having you beside me during my travels, and I will make sure to make them as entertaining and exciting as possible!
Thank you for your support!
You can join my mailing list here to get weekly gifts and promotions, browse my catalogue here, and contact me to check what is available in printed format. My YouTube channel, finally, contains video renditions of most of my editions.
I wish you a marvellous New Year in music, health, and joy!
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