“Piano trios have often been formed by a threesome of like-minded soloists: the fabled ‘Million Dollar Trio’ of Heifetz, Rubinstein and Piatigorsky springs to mind. The present ensemble, founded in 2009, belongs decidedly to this illustrious line. The three trios were recorded in Nimbus’s hall at Wyastone Leys, a most vivid acoustic that brings the three players straight into one’s living room.” (The Strad) Trio Shaham Erez Wallfisch was founded in 2009 and comprises three of the finest international instrumentalists performing today. Playing chamber music together at the Pablo Casals Prades Festival Hagai Shaham and Raphael Wallfisch recognised an immediate musical synergy. Arnon Erez joined them for trio concerts in Lucerne and the Netherlands later that year and the Trio Shaham Erez Wallfisch was established. Since 2009 the Trio have performed, broadcast and recorded widely throughout Europe and Israel, giving concerts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, France, Israel and Spain. For this new release, they have chosen chamber works by Dvorak, Grieg, and Schumann.

The roots of traditional Balkan music go back all the way to the ancient Greek civilization. In the two millennia since, it has been influenced both by the East and the West, being the crossroad where the two meet and mingle. Despite this, traditional Balkan music has managed to sustain an original sound and spirit due to the rhythms and melodies which remain closely linked with performing practices and traditions. The lyrics, the melodies, the rhythm of this folk tradition which is very much alive, continue to pulse and are as vibrant as ever, constantly creating new forms and shapes. This ensures an ever changing beauty of Balkan music style and the many ways it can be played. This release presents authentic folk music performed over time by both professionals and amateurs. In just a few verses, they weave stories about past times and traditions, when man lived as one with nature, admired the power of thunder and yearned for nature’s strength and beauty. The times when you could hear the song of the birds before the dawn chasing away the night remind us of a life as it was meant to be for our grandparents and their grandparents, a life which our children and grandchildren might also aspire to.

When we use the terms "Greek traditional," "Grek folk," or "Greek demotic" music today, we mean songs and tunes coming from the past, from areas that were home to Christian farmers, shepherds and sailors during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. Mostly- though not exclusively- Greek speaking, these populations lived, as was normal then, in close proximity with other ethnic, linguistic, or religious groups. In these areas, some of which now form modern-day Greece, the oral tradition of folk song and ecclesiastical music were the only available forms of musical expression. This album is the highly anticipated re-release of the 1980 album of the same name, extended with tracks licensed from the Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association. Domna Samiou (1928-2012) was a charismatic and multifaceted personality who dedicated her life to a quest which is now synonymous with her name: the preservation, dissemination and teaching of Greek traditional "folk" music.

Folk traditions in dance and music still held a strong position in Bulgaria of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The Bulgarian style of singing conquered the world music and Rock scene in the 70s and 80s. The particular song style and the uneven bars of the dance music fascinated listeners all over the world. The recordings on this classical LP, now made available on CD were made at the time (1965) when tradition was still strong and new means of recording, together with radio broadcasts and television had entered the scene.

While there are many recordings by brass ensembles which reflect modern jazz-influenced ideas, this one is distinctively "classical". More the better, for there is no other context that would do justice to Russian nationalistic music, its folk melodies and emphasis on brass and percussive sounds. This recording by the Fine Arts Brass Ensemble knows exactly what it is setting out to do, and it accomplishes that. These are interesting arrangements, holding to the original character of the pieces, slightly lighter and more buoyant. Yet, Russian is Russian. The 'Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla' starts the disc with familiar melodic fanfare, while the Sextet for Brass by Böhme contains extremely lyrical passages, reminding one of the beautiful, plaintive qualities available from the trumpet.
The boldest work on the disc is a transcription for brass quintet of the piano work, 'Pictures at an Exhibition' by Modest Mussorgsky. The Ensemble catches the mood of each of the shorter pieces with great flair and cleverness. The playing is all virtuosic and deft, never heavy. This is a new light to shed upon traditionally heavy music, yet without loss of color, integrity, or mood.

Given the 'romantic' nature of these two sonatas, Saint-Saëns could have been forgiven for producing two-piano versions that treated the originals as bases for his own imaginings. In fact, as far as a fourth party can judge, he has been scrupulous in respecting the composers' intentions. Wherever either piano is playing on it's own, it plays the original text. Beyond that, of course, are the host of more complex textures where Saint-Saëns has felt free to add notes for extra emphasis. Perhaps the most satisfying admixture of color comes in the Chopin Funeral March, where extra low octaves in the bass boom like the beating of a bass drum. But throughout, the relative, new-found simplicity of each piano part allows performers to phrase more subtly. No doubt Liszt had these points in mind when he considered making such a transcription of his sonata, alas never realized. But he greatly admired Saint-Saëns as both composer and pianist, and one cannot but imagine he would have approved his fine arrangement. (Roger Nichols)

Shostakovich was no child prodigy - he began piano lessons at nine - but success as a composer came early when his First Symphony, written as a graduation piece, was acclaimed in Leningrad at the premiere in May 1926. That said, there is some fine chamber music in Shostakovich's student output. Much of the Two Pieces for String Octet Op. 11 actually predates the First Symphony Op. 10, remarkably assured for an eighteen year-old. The Two Pieces for String Quartet on the other hand did not surface at all until 1984! Dedicated to the J. Vuillaume Quartet they give us the suggestion of a Shostakovich quartet sound circa 1931 - seven years before the real thing. The original stimulus to compose a piano quintet came from musicians of the Beethoven Quartet who had asked him for something they could all play together. But Shostakovich must have relished the technical challenge of a medium which few twentieth century composers had been prepared to tackle because of it's peculiar problems of balance and texture. The composer himself gave the first performance with the Beethoven Quartet in Moscow on 23 November 1940. And, utterly non-ideological as it was and is, the music won him a Stalin Prize. Shostakovich was one of the most important and prolific writer of string quartets in the 20th century. His String Quartet No. 8 comes from an important period in his personal as well as his artistic life. Musically it comes from the same period as his widely acknowledged masterpiece, the Tenth Symphony. Dissident writers have claimed it represents the composer himself - a lost voice in a cruel world.

Greece is the holiday destination of choice for millions of people who find themselves captivated by this beautiful Mediterranean country's landscapes, coastlines, food, culture and music. But Greek music is more than just the soundtrack to fond holiday memories. Traditional Greek music has it's roots in antiquity, and is the result of influences from the crossroads of southern Europe and Asia. Arc Music's Discover Music From Greece is a 25-track curated collection drawn from it's vast, superb catalog of authentic Greek music in all it's traditional and modern stylistic, instrumental and regional variety. Features music by renowned composers Mikis Theodorakis and Michalis Terzis, as well as a diverse line up of top performers including Glykeria and The Athenians.

Emerging around the beginning of the 19th century, Gypsy brass bands developed from Turkish military bands.; The performing ensemble on this release, Fanfara din Cozmesti, is one of the most well known Romanian Gypsy brass bands performing today.; This release includes an extensive booklet with information about the fifteen band members and each of the songs on the album.

Much has been said and written about the origins and first appearances of the Gypsies. Their first documented existence in Europe dates back to the early fifteenth century and most scholars agree that they originally came from Northern India. This is based on the resemblance of their Romany language to certain languages in Northern India. Apparently, the Gypsies migrated into Persia in the 11th century and further into South East Europe around the beginning of the 14th century and from there into Western Europe. Today, Gypsies live all over the world, including North and South America and even Australia. As many Gypsies worked as musicians or entertainers, they had a considerable impact on the music of the countries in which they lived- their own particular musical style often combined with the folk music of a particular country, thus preserving the traditions over centuries. The so-called Gypsy repertoire can be described as a blend of Russian, Hungarian and Romanian influences but on the other hand the Roma have contributed their own style to many areas of music and influenced other artists in their music, such as Bizet, Brahms and Dvorak, to name but a few. In this compilation, a variety of Gypsy music has been included, from purely traditional to modern, including soloists who excel with their instruments, small Gypsy ensembles, large Gypsy brass bands, some of the greatest Gypsy singers and composers as well as travelling Egyptian Gypsies, recorded on location.