Antonio Vivaldi wrote most of his choral music for the all-female orphanage Ospedalle della Pietà in Venice, where he directed the musical activities for almost 40 years. Vivaldi's sacred music exudes the same spirited drive and dramatic virtuosity that have made his concertos so popular. The young women of the Pietà chosen to perform in its choir were renowned for their exceptional musical abilities and angelic voices, and their concerts quickly became a popular tourist attraction in the 18th century. It is unclear whether these girls actually performed the bass parts, though there are a few tantalizing--if unintuitive!--contemporary references to just such a practice There is no consensus on whether the lower voices were sung as written in the score--most modern renditions feature a mixed chorus--or whether they were transposed up an octave. Matthias Maute, conducting Ensemble Caprice, makes an inspired case for the latter approach--his all-female choir sounds, aptly, angelic.
L'Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac is a Benedictine monastery that was founded in 1912 in southeastern Quebec. Through their teaching, their recordings, and above all their example, the monks of Saint Benedict Abbey in Saint-Benoit-du-Lac have been, for over 80 years, staunch advocates of the Gregorian chant movement that spread from Solesmes, France in the last century. There is peacefulness to Gregorian chant that naturally brings about an inner calm that we all desire. This compilation of previously released chants iwll not only help with mind focus and meditation but will also reduce stress. Relaxation is guaranteed with this release!
One of Canada’s fastest rising and most promising young artists, 23-year-old violinist Blake Pouliot was the Grand Prize winner of the 2016 Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) Manulife Competition. Mr. Pouliot has been described by the Toronto Star as “one of those special talents that come along once in a lifetime,” and after his performance of the Korngold Violin Concerto at his OSM debut under conductor Vasily Petrenko in February 2017, he was described by Montréal’s La Presse as “Clearly. Absolutely. Undoubtedly virtuoso...” On this first album, violinist Blake Pouliot and pianist Hsin-I Huang perform works by two great French composers of the first half of the 20th century – Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy – who both wrote sonatas for violin and piano. And while both are mature and refined masterworks, they nevertheless give the musicians an opportunity to show their sensitivity and virtuosity.
New Jewish Music, Vol. 5 - Nobles, Bardanashvili, Klartag, T
Analekta
CD
$20.99Apr 10, 2026
The Azrieli Music Prizes unveil their fifth album for Analekta, celebrating excellence in music composition across four world-premiere recordings that place a spotlight on the 2024 Laureates. Jordan Nobles' kanata is a sonic and restorative reflection on place, landscape, and home inspired by his travels across Canada. Josef Bardanashvili's choral fantasy Light to My Path draws on both his Georgian choral heritage and the Book of Psalms to examine various states of belief, from doubt to ecstasy and gratitude. Yair Klartag's The Parable of the Palace explores medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides' famous parable to create a musical meditation on the limits of reason in explaining reality and our search for the divine, all sung in the original Judeo-Arabic. Closing the album is Juan Trigos' Simetrías Prehispánicas, which pays homage to the cultural history of his native Mexico, especially Aztec culture and cosmology, through fragments of original texts in Spanish and Nahuatl by 15th-century poets. Created in 2014 by Sharon Azrieli CQ for the Azrieli Foundation, the biennial Azrieli Music Prizes discover, elevate, and amplify excellence in music composition.
Les Arrivants is an ensemble composed of Amijai Ben Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud) and Hamin Honari (tombak, daf, frame drums), three musicians who moved to Montreal during the COVID-19 pandemic. The repertoire developed by "Les Arrivants'' therefore reflects their experience of adaptation, which has had a lasting impact on their artistic and social lives. It is steeped in the traditional styles that the instrumentalists have mastered over the course of their careers: Argentinean tango, classical Arabic music, traditional Persian rhythms. This album is part of the Collection du Centre des musiciens du monde, a place where professional artists from an array of musical traditions, exchange ideas and share experiences.
Leo, Sammartini, Tartini & Vivaldi: Early Italian Cello Concertos / Frey, Lapalme, Rosa Barocca
Analekta
CD
$15.99$20.99Save 25%Apr 15, 2022
By bringing four Italian cello concertos together – by Vivaldi, Leo, Sammartini, and Tartini – Elinor Frey explores the unique and captivating sound world of the violoncello family in a period when composers were writing “galant” melodies, but we still enjoy the rich harmonies and expressive counterpoint associated with Baroque music. This recording, a collaboration with the ensemble Rosa Barocca, contributes to current research on the Baroque cello by performers and musicologists and is dedicated to concertos that have sparked an interest in the smaller violoncello of the late Baroque era.
Charles Richard-Hamelin continues his exploration of the works of Chopin, combining them with rare Spanish works composed at the turn of the 19th century. Frederic Chopin, Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados were all virtuoso pianists whose music is characterized by rich melody, refined harmony and fantasy. The pieces that make up this program echo each other by interweaving poetry and dance through both familiar and obscure melodies.
After recording the sonatas for violin and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven, a triptych that won numerous awards, including the Juno for Classical Album of the Year - Small Ensemble (2022) and an ADISQ award, Andrew Wan and Charles Richard-Hamelin continue their fruitful collaboration by performing the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Robert Schumann (1810-1856). A perfect work to highlight the complicity that has developed between the concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the pianist who won the silver medal at the 2015 Frédéric Chopin International Piano Competition.
Jacques Hetu was a firmly established musical figurehead in Canada when he was commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to write the Symphony No. 5. As a student of Clermont Pepin in Montreal and later of Henri Dutilleux and Olivier Messiaen in Paris, his tonal language bridged the Atlantic, making his choice of eluard - one of France's most celebrated poets (and Resistance members) - a natural one. Three short weeks before the symphony's premiere in 2010, Hetu passed away. Alexander Shelley brings this work back to life surrounded by two great Canadian orchestras, Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra and l'Orchestre symphonique de Quebec, and a choir, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
The guitar duo of Adam Cicchillitti and Steve Cowan presents a new album of their original arrangements of 19th and 20th century piano repertoire. Lyrique features the works of Edvard Grieg, Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, Germaine Tailleferre, John Cage, and Federico Mompou. Though varied in style, these pieces invite listeners into a rich and multifaceted dialogue with the concept of 'lyrical' in instrumental music. The guitar's rich tonal palette and nuanced capacity for expression brings new life to these iconic works.
Argentina built a national identity of an indisputable force that beats to the rhythm of tango. Among the pillars that wrote its history, Astor Piazzolla, who imposed himself with a brutal energy, breaking all sorts of barriers. Celebrated Argentine composer, pianist Gustavo Beytelmann is one of the most significant contributors to the evolution of the tango. Beytelmann frequented all legends of Argentine music. He lived in Buenos Aires, the vibrant city of yesteryear when everything seemed possible. In this album, he is accompanied by Juan Sebastian Delgado and Krystina Marcoux on cello, marimba and vibraphone. In Gustavos’s exquisite writing, instruments rarely associated with tango come together as one, giving character, finesse and meaning to each note. Eso es nuevo, tango nuevo.
Virtuoso jazz bassist, Carl Mayotte is a musician, arranger, composer and producer. His first album Fantosme, co-produced with Michel Cusson, allowed him to be named the Jazz Revelation by Radio-Canada in 2020 and to be nominated at the Gala de l'ADISQ 2020 in the in the category Jazz Album of the year. Now teaming up with Analekta, this prolific musician is releasing his third album, in which he explores jazz fusion and world music. He writes: “I am happy and honored to finally present my new album Escale. As its title says, this album is a musical journey that differs from my usual musical universe and it was composed in a different way too. Improvisation and instinct taking the place of reflection and hours of doubts that usually inhabit my composition techniques.”
How to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ensemble La Pietà? The answer came naturally to Angèle Dubeau: through music! For the occasion, she proposed an album entirely conceived, performed, and composed by women. The result is an album filled with the joy of exchanging through the medium of creation with the women composers gathered here. This album witnesses Angèle Dubeau's virtuosity and confirms her immense talent for creating programs that are off the beaten path, while being as innovative as they are accessible.
REVIEW:
This Canadian group, led by Dubeau, always delivers the goods, with accessible and wide-ranging programmes. Marking 25 years, Elle brings together works by women composers both familiar and unsung, from Hildegard to Isobel Waller-Bridge. Very fine playing.
Following her passion for seeking out rare musical gems, Angèle Dubeau presents Portrait: Alex Baranowski, the 6th opus in her series of albums dedicated to contemporary composers, which began in 2008 with Portrait: Philip Glass. A successful young composer based in London, multiple award winner and graduate of Paul McCartney's LIPA, Alex Baranowski offers beautiful and generous music, rich in sound atmospheres. Under the breathtaking interpretations of Angèle Dubeau and her remarkable ensemble, La Pietà, these works reveals wonderfully expressive and sensitive writing for the violin. The album includes several key works from Baranowski's repertoire as well as three previously unreleased pieces, including Wiosna, a commission that the composer describes as one of his most intimate works.
