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Play, Music! Songs from Shakespeare's Plays
Avie Records Jul 2025

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Avie Records

O Jerusalem!: City of Three Faiths / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire

CD · 1 disc

$19.99

Composer: Various
Artist: Apollo's Fire
Released: Feb 11, 2022

The crossroads of Christianity, Judaism and Islam create the backdrop to O! Jerusalem, a scintillating live recording by Apollo’s Fire that interweaves the lives and music of the peoples who have inhabited the “City on a Hill” since Biblical times. Conceived and directed by Jeanette Sorrell, Grammy Award-winning founder of Apollo’s Fire, O! Jerusalem conjures a tour of the Old City’s four quarters – Christian, Jewish, Arab and Armenian – and the confluence of the communities’ sacred and secular music from 1200 – 1650. This colorful and vibrant program – featuring musicians of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds – premiered to packed audiences in New York City, Chicago, and the ensemble’s home base of Cleveland where this recording was captured live. O! Jerusalem follows in the footsteps of Sephardic Journey (AV2361), one of ten Apollo’s Fire releases to debut in Billboard’s Classical Chart Top 10.

REVIEW:

The program is organized as a walk through the four neighborhoods of Jerusalem's Old Quarter, namely Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Armenian, concluding with a festival secular dance set in which the traditions mingle. Much of the program was recorded live in 2020, just before the pandemic shut things down; these tracks are augmented by others recorded earlier. Most or all of the music seems to have been performed by members of Apollo's Fire itself. Beyond the rather plaintive hopes for peace that it expresses, the program is both instructive and engaging.

-- AllMusicGuide.com (James Manheim)

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O Jerusalem!: City of Three Faiths / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire
Avie Records Feb 2022

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Sono Luminus

Barley Moon: Ayreheart

CD + Blu-Ray · 2 discs

$21.99

Composer: BYRD DOWLAND
Artist: Ayreheart
Released: Jun 24, 2016

The 1960s brought about radical changes both in culture and in popular music. One of the trends that came about was the British Folk Rock Movement. The musicians of this movement were often proficient performers of “early music” as well. Ayreheart aims to blend together the “art” and “folk” traditions seamlessly. The first track, “John Barleycorn,” has been recorded by several in the folk-rock movement, most memorably the group Traffic. Brian Kay is heralded as a modern-day troubadour, and performs vocals, lute, and komuz on this release. He has traveled across the United States as a solo artists, and performs with several ensembles. Lutenist and composer Ronn McFarlane is also part of this recording. The Grammy nominated artist aims to take the most popular Renaissance instrument- the lute- and make it part of today’s musical mainstream.

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Barley Moon: Ayreheart
Sono Luminus Jun 2016

2 discs

CD + Blu-Ray
$21.99

Signum Classics

The Christmas Album / Phoenix Chorale

CD · 1 disc

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50%

Composer: Traditional, Leroy Anderson, Felix Bernard, Franz Xaver Gruber, Francisco Guerrero, Gustav Holst, Or
Artist: Phoenix Chorale
Released: Sep 15, 2023

This is a Christmas album that has a sense of place; clearly identifying the Chorale as both American and from a border state with Mexico; and something for everyone whether they prefer serious or light festive fare. There is Mexican influence in the repertoire choices; which include Catalan folksongs as well as Hispanic Renaissance music. It includes a commission by Cecilia McDowall; written for Christmas 2021; new arrangements of all tracks and also some contemporary Christmas favourites such as Sleigh Ride and Jingle Bells.

This marks the Chorale’s return to recording following an 8-year hiatus; and their first album with Signum Records. “Festive repertoire plays an important role in the performance cycle of every choir; and it felt fitting to begin our journey with a Christmas recording that established a sense of place for the ensemble: we chose to record repertoire that is all American or Hispanic in origin; save for the newly-commissioned piece by Cecilia McDowall that was written to mark the centenary of our home in Phoenix; Trinity Cathedral. Our aim is to translate the warmth of Arizona into our sound; to convey the rhetoric of every text; and celebrate the good health of the American Choral Tradition.” - Christopher Gabbitas

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The Christmas Album / Phoenix Chorale
Signum Classics Sep 2023

1 disc

CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99Save 50%

Avie Records

Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire

CD · 1 disc

$19.99

Composer: TRADITONAL
Artist: Apollo's Fire, Powell, Hauck, Strauss, Apollo's Singers, Sorrell
Released: Oct 19, 2018

Following the release of the award-winning Sugarloaf Mountain: An Appalachian Gathering, which was a Top 5 Billboard Classical Crossover hit, Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire present Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain. In this celebration of the American immigrant experience, fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, bagpipes and singers join with children’s voices to evoke the Celtic roots of an Appalachian Christmas. From Christmas Eve in medieval Scotland to folk carols and shape-note hymns at a toe-tapping Christmas gathering in Virginia, Apollo’s Fire follows the journeys of the Irish and Scottish settlers who bravely crossed the Atlantic, settled in the mountains and welcomed Christmas with love, singing, dancing and prayer. Acclaim for the premiere performances of this program was widespread: “The lightning strike of genius can happen, sometimes even repeatedly to those willing to earn it. Jeannette Sorrell is one such person. This show was intense, interesting, spectacularly performed, and deeply moving. If that’s not genius, I don’t know what is.” (Seen & Heard International)

REVIEWS:

Apollo’s Fire is a celebrated baroque orchestra, but their ventures into folk music are just as celebrated. This is music of and by amateurs, here arranged and performed with professional skill, but without sacrificing its vibrant folk quality to the glitz of showbiz. This recording is a must have for anyone susceptible to the allure of this tradition.

– American Record Guide

There are other ways to reveal fresh musical truths in the context of Christmas, and the determination of another early music group to do so has produced my vote for festive disc of the year. Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain from Apollo’s Fire charts the passage of Scottish and Irish immigrants to the Appalachian Mountains in the 1830s. The Baroque music group gives us sounds we don’t often associate with Bethlehem but are probably far closer to what was heard there: zingy harps, reedy winds and plenteous modality.

– Gramophone

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Christmas on Sugarloaf Mountain / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire
Avie Records Oct 2018

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Avie Records

Sugarloaf Mountain / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire

CD · 1 disc

$19.99

Composer: FOSTER NILES ROOT
Artist: Powell, Hauck, Gilmore, Stewart, Bergmann, Rene Schiffer, Kay, Apollo's Fire, Sorrell
Released: Jun 01, 2015

An award-winning program created by Apollo’s Fire’s director Jeannette Sorrell, Sugarloaf Mountain follows the joys and sorrows of Celtic immigrants who settled in Appalachia. Sparkling fiddle tunes and haunting ballads of the British Isles crossed the Atlantic during the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries and took root in the hills of Virginia. They mingled with American shape-note hymns and African spirituals, creating the soulful music known as Appalachian. Passing through love and loss, dancing and prayer, the music overflows in celebration as the people of the mountains raise their communal voices.

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Sugarloaf Mountain / Sorrell, Apollo's Fire
Avie Records Jun 2015

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Rutter: Three Musical Fables - The Reluctant Dragon, Etc.
Collegium Records Jan 2003

1 disc

CD
$12.99

A Christmas Celebration
Chandos Oct 1993

1 disc

CD
$6.99

Toccata

Brian: The Cenci / Kelleher, Millennium Sinfonia

CD · 2 discs

$26.99

Composer: Havergal Brian, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Artist: Helen Field, David Wilson-Johnson, Ingveldur Yr Jonsdottir, Stuart Kale, Justin Lavender, Jeffrey Ca
Released: May 17, 2024

The Cenci (1951–52) is Havergal Brian’s operatic realisation of Shelley’s gruesome tale of incest and parricide in Renaissance Italy. The score calls it simply an ‘Opera in Eight Scenes’, but it rarely goes in for grand tunes; instead, its dark colours reflect Shelley’s fascination with the struggle between good and evil. Stylistically, it is an unusual but highly effective hybrid: a music-drama focused on the intense delivery of Shelley’s text, with the declamatory style of the vocal lines echoing such recent oratorios as Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, and the freewheeling orchestral writing producing something of a vocal symphony.

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Brian: The Cenci / Kelleher, Millennium Sinfonia
Toccata May 2024

2 discs

CD
$26.99

Opus Arte

Wayne Mcgregor: Chroma, Infra, Limen / Royal Ballet

DVD · 1 disc

$34.99

Composer: MCGREGOR TALBOT WHITE III R
Artist: Rojo Tamara, Ga, Cervera Ricardo, Bonelli Federico
Released: Apr 26, 2011

Also available on Blu-ray

The diversity of Wayne McGregor’s astonishing talent is demonstrated through Chroma, Infra and Limen, each created for The Royal Ballet, for whom he is resident choreographer. Intimate yet universal, light yet dark, frenetic yet lyrical, McGregor pursues his passion for exploring the inner workings of the human body and mind, his many-layered and beautiful dances providing visual, sensual and kinaesthetic stimulus for the viewer.

"…Wayne McGregor's Infra: sumptuous beauty and shimmering possibility" The Telegraph

Chroma
Federico Bonelli, Ricardo Cervera, Tamara Rojo
Mara GaleazzI, Sarah Lamb, Steven Mcrae, Laura Morera
Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Jonathan Watkins
Edward Watson

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Daniel Capps
Music: Joby Talbot , Jack White III

Infra
Leanne Benjamin, Ricardo Cervera, Yuhui Choe
Lauren Cuthbertson, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton
Ryoichi Hirano, Paul Kay, Marianela Nuñez, Eric Underwood
Jonathan Watkins, Edward Watson
The Max Richter Quintet
Director: Jonathan Haswell
Music: Max Richter

Limen
Leanne Benjamin, Yuhui Choe, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton, Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez Leticia Stock, Akane Takada, Tristan Dyer, Paul Kay Brian Maloney, Steven Mcrae, Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Edward Watson

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Director: Barry Wordsworth
Music: Kaija Saariaho

Recorded live from the Royal Opera House
Infra: 13th & 14th November 2008
Chroma: 10th & 11th June 2010
Limen: 13th & 17th November 2009

Duration: 01:38:00
Regions: All Regions
Picture Format: 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound Type: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
Subtitles: French/German/Spanish

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Wayne Mcgregor: Chroma, Infra, Limen / Royal Ballet
Opus Arte Apr 2011

1 disc

DVD
$34.99

SHANACHIE

AUTHENTICALLY NORMAN

CD · 1 disc

$17.24

Artist: BROWN, NORMAN
Released: Mar 20, 2026

Grammy Award-winning Contemporary Jazz/R&B superstar Norman Brown has sold over 5 million albums in his extraordinary career and virtually lives at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz sales and radio charts. Having headlined with with virtually every Contemporary Jazz superstar from Boney James to Dave Koz to Gerald Albright, Norman's non-stop touring has electrified audiences from coast to coast! Authentically Norman has Norman Brown's hit-making talents on full display. Highlights include the uber-funky "Home Stretch," the romantic "Valentine," the joyful "Chillax'" and much more.

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AUTHENTICALLY NORMAN
SHANACHIE Mar 2026

1 disc

CD
$17.24

Mix & Match

Linn Records

Perfect Alibi

CD · 1 disc

$20.99

Composer: CAVALIERE BRIGATI MARTYN MC
Artist: Claire Martin
Released: Apr 29, 2014

"Presenting an eclectic variety of songs demonstrating Claire’s vocal talents Originally released in 2000, this album saw Claire Martin lead the jazz world into pop-crossover territory before Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux made this style an accepted genre. Claire Martin has been a driving force behind the UK jazz scene for the past 25 years Co-presenter, Jazz Line-Up, on BBC Radio 3 since 2000."

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Perfect Alibi
Linn Records Apr 2014

1 disc

CD
$20.99

Celebration of Christmas - Child of the Light / Ensembles of Brigham Young University
BYU Records Feb 2024

1 disc

CD
$16.99

TOMASI: Fanfares liturgiques / BRITTEN: Russian Funeral / ST
Klavier Jan 2000

1 disc

CD
$18.99

Leshnoff: Symphony No. 3; Piano Concerto / Powell, Joyce Yang, Stern, Kansas City Symphony
Reference Recordings Nov 2020

1 disc

SACD
$21.99

Avie Records

Biber: Mystery Sonatas / Alan Choo, Apollo's Fire

CD · 2 discs

$26.99

Composer: Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
Artist: Alan Choo
Released: Mar 01, 2024

"The violinist’s playing is extraordinary — as fresh and improvisatory as though he were composing each sonata on the spot, but also infused with an infectious emotional ardor." -- Cleveland Classical

The Mystery Sonatas by Austrian composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, believed to have been penned in the 1670s, remain unsurpassed for their virtuosity and extended use of scordatura, a unique tuning system that underscores different aural colours and timbres of the violin, thereby illuminating the pictorial themes of the Rosary – the processions devoted to major moments in the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary – which Biber’s work depicts.

Singaporean violinist Alan Choo, the vibrant leader of acclaimed baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire, headlines a dynamic and descriptive recording of the Mystery Sonatas, enhancing the scordatura with six different violins that require 15 individual tunings. He explains, “The use of a unique scordatura tuning for each sonata means that a violinist needs to use multiple violins if performing several of the pieces in the same week – each violin kept at the tuning of its respective sonata. Otherwise, the constant re-tuning of a violin would destabilize its tuning. I used a total of six violins in this recording. The personality of each instrument shines through.”

Joined by a chamber ensemble of his Apollo’s Fire colleagues, including founding director Jeannette Sorrell on harpsichord, Choo navigates Biber’s extended techniques with aplomb and devotion to the 15 programmatic sonatas which are compiled into three cycles – the Joyful Mysteries (the Angel Gabriel delivers the news to Mary that she will be the mother of the Messiah), Sorrowful Mysteries (Jesus’ agony, knowing he is about to be betrayed) and Glorious Mysteries (the Resurrection of Christ and his ascent to heaven) – and are crowned by the timeless finale, Passacaglia for solo violin.

REVIEWS:

[The Mystery Sonatas'] extraordinary technical challenges include Biber’s requirement that the soloist play violins with strings “mis-tuned” (scordatura) from the normal G-D-A-E pitches for 13 of the 15 sonatas, creating different resonances in the instrument for expressive purposes. For somber subjects like “The Agony in the Garden,” the open strings play A-flat – E-flat – G – D, clashing pitches “evoking a sense of struggle,” as Choo writes. For triumphant subjects like “The Ascension,” the open strings are tuned to create a “glorious” C-Major chord. For the recording, Choo has used a total of six instruments to avoid constant retuning that would be destabilizing.

The violinist’s playing is extraordinary — as fresh and improvisatory as though he were composing each sonata on the spot, but also infused with an infectious emotional ardor.

An important aspect of this recording project is the realization of the basso continuo line, which could — as on other recordings — simply be chorded by organ or harpsichord. Never one to pass up the opportunity to tell a vivid story, Sorrell writes, "as a continuo player myself, I have always felt that the extraordinarily imaginative writing in Biber’s masterpiece calls for an imaginative and colorful approach to the accompaniment."

Thus Choo’s superb supporting cast includes harpsichord (Sorrell), chamber organ (Peter Bennett), cello and viola da gamba (René Schiffer), archlute and Baroque guitar (Brian Kay), theorbo (William Sims), triple harp (Anna O’Connell), and viola da gamba and lirone (Kivie Cahn-Lipman). There’s even a bit of percussion (Brian Kay) to accompany the Aria Tubicinum in “The Ascension.” Used judiciously and only rarely all together, they add texture and depth to the sonatas.

Even if you’re not into Roman Catholic mysticism, this recording should be treasured by fans of early Baroque music.

-- ClevelandClassical

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Biber: Mystery Sonatas / Alan Choo, Apollo's Fire
Avie Records Mar 2024

2 discs

CD
$26.99

Avie Records

Sephardic Journey: Wanderings of the Spanish Jews / Apollo's Fire

CD · 1 disc

$19.99

Composer: TRADITIONAL HEBREO SORRELL
Artist: Strauss, Snaidas, Sulayman, Powell, Kay, Apollo's Fire, Sorrell
Released: Feb 01, 2016

Cast out of Jerusalem, cast out of Spain. The Spanish Jews in their travels absorbed the colorful musical accents of Italy, Turkey and North Africa, including exotic percussion. Apollo’s Fire’s musical journey interweaves Sephardic folk song with the Monteverdi-like Hebrew choral work of Salamone Rossi – the Songs of Solomon. The daily rhythms of life – love, rejection, feasting and celebration – culminate in the mystical prayers of Shabbat.

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Sephardic Journey: Wanderings of the Spanish Jews / Apollo's Fire
Avie Records Feb 2016

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Naxos

American Classics - McKay: Violin Concerto, Etc

CD · 1 disc

$19.99

Composer: MCKAY
Artist: John Mclaugh, Brian, Williams, Ludmilla, Reagin, Kovaleva
Released: Jan 18, 2005

We start with a pretty conventional three-movement, neo-Romantic Violin Concerto, written in 1940. The conductor’s program notes equate it with Bruch, but it’s not that old fashioned; there are hints of Bloch as well. Still, I find the opening Allegro too predictable and, at 14 minutes, too long. The Bruch connection could be some actual quotations in the violin part, but there are also some original ideas presented. McKay’s music is strongest, and most original, in his slow movements; he had a gift for the long melody and knew exactly what to do with one. Right from the opening note, the Andante quasi adagio rings true. Even the solo part changes instantly: the ultra-conventional figurations and filigree of the first movement give way to a soaring, wide-ranging line, which shares and exchanges ideas with solo woodwinds. Did the soloist feel the same way? His earlier cadenzas sound uncommitted; now he is all heart and beauty. A happy, lively finale also makes more use of winds than did the opening movement, and the solo line becomes more brilliant. One can’t help liking it.

The Suite on 16th-Century Hymn Tunes (an homage to one Louis Bourgeois) relapses into convention, recalling Vaughan Williams without matching him. It was written for organ in 1945, scored for strings shortly thereafter, and rescored for two string orchestras in 1962, the version heard here. A celesta joins in the fourth (Choeur céleste) of five movements; the work’s slow movement, it again stands out. A cogent listener (she doesn’t like being identified as my wife) thought the piece might be William Boyce, and English for sure. The Sinfonietta (1942) is a surprise: romantic excess has abdicated in favor of sharp, clean harmonies and rhythms. McKay has jumped a musical generation in the two years since the Violin Concerto; he seems as much at home in what was a very modern idiom for its day as he was in the earlier style. An Allegro . . . con brio (he writes verbose movement indications) has bite and wit; the Moderato pastorale makes varying use of a ripe oboe tune, enriching a nearly 10-minute movement at every turn. The colorfully scored finale, Allegro . . . molto, is brilliant fun.

Song over the Great Plains (1953) is a serious 14-minute tone poem, looking backward to Howard Hanson from McKay’s days at the Eastman School. Rich, mildly dissonant harmonies and heavy-duty scoring dominate, as trombones prevail. There is an occasional piano obbligato, played by Ludmilla Kovaleva, which serves primarily as respite from the tense atmosphere. The whole is not quite convincing, running just a touch too close to Hollywood. On another day, I might fall for it. All the performances are expert and seem sympathetic; the recordings are satisfactory.

James H. North, FANFARE

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American Classics - McKay: Violin Concerto, Etc
Naxos Jan 2005

1 disc

CD
$19.99

Opus Arte

Wayne Mcgregor: Chroma, Infra, Limen / Royal Ballet [blu-ray]

Blu-Ray · 1 disc

$39.99

Composer: MCGREGOR TALBOT WHITE III R
Artist: Morer, Mcrae Steven, Lamb Sarah, Rojo Tamara Galeazzi Mara, Cervera Ricardo, Chroma Bonelli Federico
Released: Apr 26, 2011

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

The diversity of Wayne McGregor’s astonishing talent is demonstrated through Chroma, Infra and Limen, each created for The Royal Ballet, for whom he is resident choreographer. Intimate yet universal, light yet dark, frenetic yet lyrical, McGregor pursues his passion for exploring the inner workings of the human body and mind, his many-layered and beautiful dances providing visual, sensual and kinaesthetic stimulus for the viewer.

"…Wayne McGregor's Infra: sumptuous beauty and shimmering possibility" The Telegraph

Chroma
Federico Bonelli, Ricardo Cervera, Tamara Rojo
Mara GaleazzI, Sarah Lamb, Steven Mcrae, Laura Morera
Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Jonathan Watkins
Edward Watson

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Daniel Capps
Music: Joby Talbot , Jack White III

Infra
Leanne Benjamin, Ricardo Cervera, Yuhui Choe
Lauren Cuthbertson, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton
Ryoichi Hirano, Paul Kay, Marianela Nuñez, Eric Underwood
Jonathan Watkins, Edward Watson
The Max Richter Quintet
Director: Jonathan Haswell
Music: Max Richter

Limen
Leanne Benjamin, Yuhui Choe, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton, Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez Leticia Stock, Akane Takada, Tristan Dyer, Paul Kay Brian Maloney, Steven Mcrae, Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Edward Watson

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Director: Barry Wordsworth
Music: Kaija Saariaho

Recorded live from the Royal Opera House
Infra: 13th & 14th November 2008
Chroma: 10th & 11th June 2010
Limen: 13th & 17th November 2009

Duration: 01:38:00
Regions: All Regions
Picture Format: 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound Type: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
Subtitles: French/German/Spanish

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Wayne Mcgregor: Chroma, Infra, Limen / Royal Ballet [blu-ray]
Opus Arte Apr 2011

1 disc

Blu-Ray
$39.99