6 MONOLOGUES FROM JEDERMANN &

6 ORGELSONATAS

Denmark’s leading composer of sacred music Bernhard Lewkovitch dedicated the 6 Partitas and the 12 Chorales recorded here for Royal Danish Brass. One of the most prominent ensembles of Denmark Royal Danish Brass has a long standing collaboration with Lewkovitch, which culminates in this brilliant CD of strong spirituality.

For this recording project, the fearless French musical collective ensemble 0 (pronounced “zero”) began a new kind of collaboration with the Swiss percussion ensemble Eklekto and Gamelan Oksitan- this last the traditional Javanese ensemble of gongs and metallophones based in France. Their transcultural bridge has foundations that go back to Claude Debussy’s fascination with the radiant tones of gamelan music that he heard at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Yet neither Debussy nor many other sympathetic composers who followed actually composed for those instruments. They faced challenges of different tuning systems, intricacies of unfamiliar instruments, the weight of another classical tradition, but perhaps no obstacle greater than the cultural gulf of that colonial era. It was not until the 1970s that non-Indonesian composers began to bridge that divide, none more committed than the American composer Lou Harrison. Compositions by Harrison are paired here with works by Larry Polansky, Petar Klanac, Billy Martin, and Roland Dahinden. The diversity of approaches represented on this collection provides a glimpse towards a vibrant future, a future that Lou Harrison helped create.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Led by the excellent and award-winning mandolinist Anna Torge, the ensemble on this album is dedicated to the small but exquisite legacy of a musician about whom, apart from his name and the key dates of his life, almost nothing is known - Abbate Ranieri Capponi (1680-1744). And even this incredibly modest proof of existence would have disappeared if his brother Ruberto Capponi, after Abbate's death in Florence, had not printed twelve of his sonate da camera for several instruments and dedicated them to the Archbishop of Cologne Clemens August. And so, in the endless expanse of history, the delicate traces of a man were preserved. He was clearly well versed in the instrumental forms of his time and had mastered the art of intellectual entertainment, as Anna Torge and her colleagues from Continuo enjoyably demonstrate with six of Capponi's delightful chamber sonatas.

Eugene Ysaÿe was considered to be one of the world's best violinists and was mentioned in one breath alongside such celebrities as Paganini, Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski. In the 1920's was when Ysaÿe wrote his best-known violin masterworks, the echoes of his fascination with impressionism and symbolism. "I allowed free improvisation to reign. Each sonata constitutes a kind of little poeme where I abandoned the violin to it's fantasies. I wanted to associate musical interest with grand qualities of true virtuosity". - Ysaÿe

The versatile French conductor and violinist Remy Ballot, following his recent chamber music recordings, now presents a milestone in music history for solo violin: the Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27, by the Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye. Ysaye composed these sonatas for six outstanding violinists who were at the peak of their artistry in the 1920s. They form a kind of visionary synthesis of the achievements of Bach and Paganini and the spectrum of Romantic violin music and the French schools from Franck to Debussy. Together with his wife Iris Ballot, the second CD of the album features the Sonata for Two Violins, a work that remains widely underrated to this day, uniting within itself the full abundance of all musical currents present at the time (1915) during a period of transition.

On his new release 6 String Theory, Ritenour is among twenty legendary world class guitarists who guest on the recording, produced with John Burk of Concord Records. Joining him in this tribute to the guitar, the all-star line-up includes: George Benson, BB King, Slash, Steve Lukather, John Scofield, Robert Cray and Vince Gill among many other superstars. Blending rock, blues, jazz, acoustic, country and classical, they come together for a seamless project that promises to take the listener on a musical journey and exploration of the guitar.

Louis Glass was a contemporary of Carl Nielsen, however his musical ideals were of the late-Romantic idiom. Like Nielsen he composed six symphonies, but as a composer he was a dreamer and his lush, brilliantly orchestrated works hark back to a time when modernism had no influence. This is the first complete recording of the six symphonies which were played frequently in Denmark, but vanished into the mist of a forgotten world. The splendid Bulgarian orchestra easily identifies with Glass’ musical sound world, stretching back and absorbing the style of the early Richard Strauss. These symphonies were recorded between October 1999 and August 2000, and feature the Plodiv Philharmonic led by renowned conductor Nayden Todorov.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The most famous tenor celebrates not only his 60th birthday, but also 40 years of an exceptionally rich and varied, and remarkably generous career. A career spent off the beaten track, constantly regenerated, and showing an insatiable curiosity, a temperament, and an extraordinary vocal timbre. Roberto Alagna captivates audiences everywhere. Here he presents a program that is very much in his own image: showing a contagious passion, an insatiable appetite for the exploration of different repertoires and styles, ranging from opera - French, Italian and Neapolitan, German, Polish and Russian - to Italian and French songs, and crossover music with some surprises up his sleeve.

An excellent ragtime pianist and wonderful arranger, Claude Bolling invented crossover and composed many memorable film soundtracks. Today he’s an unavoidable figure in jazz history, with a big band that has been touring the world since 1956 with a hot swing that has made him an icon. He retired from the scene in 2014, but his hugely successful Big Band continues, with the Master watching over its destiny. The band is now led by Vincent Cordelette, whose initiative led to this album which he produced himself: all the titles are big band standards composed by Bolling, often played but never recorded until now. Claude Bolling’s “guys”, as he affectionately calls them, pay him a great tribute with their playing in this demonstration of the power in the swing machine known as the CBBB! Patrick FReMEAUX

European jazz at it's best, recorded at the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre to celebrate Jesper Lundgaard's 60th birthday!

The publication of this anniversary box set celebrating 60 years of Musiques Nouvelles, a true collector's item, brings the 30-year collection of Cypres to a close in the most beautiful way. The 45 masterpieces recorded here reflect the beautiful aesthetic plurality of the creative music composed in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles during the decade 2012-2022. They are added to the 25 compositions of the previous box set released by Cypres in 2012 for the 50th anniversary of Musiques Nouvelles. These 12 albums constitute a shimmering and radiant sound showcase of musical creation through 70 composers whose works constitute an exceptional musical heritage testifying to the extraordinary vitality of creative music in French-speaking Belgium. Share our taste for exploration and let us invite you on a prodigious journey through 45 unique and hospitable soundscapes, 45 universes with subtle lights.

In 21 the Airmen of Note proudly celebrated their 6th Anniversary. Rooted in the tradition of Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Orchestra, this remarkable band has captivated audiences around the globe since 195. This album chronicles the musical journey of this great ensemble over the past six decades. This is a fantastic assortment of jazz tunes played by the best musicians in the world. (Altissimo)

Classical Music

Tenor saxophonist's quartet w. David Kikoski on piano, Buster Williams on bass and Billy Hart on drums, recorded Feb. 27 & Dec. 31, 1987.

2021 release. The defining blues voice of his generation releases the eagerly-anticipated follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut, 2019's Kingfish. 662 (the area code of his Clarksdale stomping grounds) is a powerful and personal album, a fiery coming-of-age record. The lyrics reflect Ingram's newfound maturity and how your roots inspire where you're heading. Musically, the record delivers a heaping helping of the deep, visceral Ingram guitar magic his fans love, fueling a combustible mix of molten blues rock, down home shuffles and soulful grooves.

Soprano and producer Andrea Chudak has been interpreting Ave Maria settings for over 15 years. During this time, a large collection of more than 200 compositions from all eras of music history was created; composers even wrote new works for her and dedicated them to her. In any case, the compilation of 68 selected Ave Maria presented is a spotlight-like overview of a repertoire that is hard to grasp in its entirety, from Gregorian chant to arrangements by successful alley-makers and ambiguous salon pieces to occasional works by composers who succeed in other genres and contemporary pieces for today’s liturgical practice. With these new compositions, the millennium-old tradition is given new facets that open up very individual interpretations.

Classical Music

In her intriguing new album, viola da gambist Johanna Rose places a prelude by Sainte-Colombe (father) in front of the six movement Bach suite in D minor, and finished the D major Bach suite with a chaconne by Sainte-Colombe. The third 'suite' is an all family affair with music by both father and son, fashioned into a suite by Rose.

Tomas Fujiwara - "7 Poets Trio" - Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Tomeka Reid (cello)

Harry Christophers has been at the forefront of choral music for the last 45 years and this album, in celebration of his 70th birthday, demonstrates the breadth of his musical passions and the wealth of repertoire he has recorded over the years. Featuring 39 tracks hand-picked by the conductor, the works on this collection document Harry Christophers' life in music-from his early years as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, through his time at Magdalen College, Oxford, and subsequent founding of The Sixteen, to more recent years as Artistic Director of America's renowned Handel and Haydn Society. This collection charts his discovery as a boy of Purcell and Poulenc to his enduring love for the music of Victoria and Handel and his celebrated partnership with James MacMillan. Each track holds special significance and the stories behind the choices are documented in notes especially written by Harry Christophers for this album.

Principal cast: Mildred Natwick (Ida); Hans Conried (Harry); Lillian Roth (Gert); Gil Lamb (Walter); Lillian Hayman (Melba); Lucie Lancaster (Eunice); Goldye Shaw (Fritzi); Dorthea Freitag (Lorraine); Joey Faye (Detective Callahan); Henrietta Jacobson (Grandmother); Coley Worth (Officer Kowalski); Tommy Breslin (Eddie).

Music composed by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb.

Vocalist/guitarist shows new facets in his blues talents, inc. his skills at smooth-swinging T-Bone-esque guitar, feat. Ken Saydak, Harlan Terson, Kenny Smith + 2 songs w. guitarist Dave Specter.

70TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT: ORCHESTRAL WORKS

'72 Angels is a large-scale work for mixed choir and saxophone quartet. It is structured as seventy-two prelude-evocations and an epilogue. Each prelude sets to music one of the seventy- two names derived from an esoteric interpretation of Exodus 14:19-21. Angelic beings, spiritual guides, higher energies or messengers are a common theme throughout many belief systems in human history. My intention in 72 Angels was to focus on what the religious, spiritual, esoteric and mythological traditions of different cultures have in common. I would like to focus on what unites us through shared connections. These seventy-two evocations celebrate all angels in their multifaceted variations... My hope is that every listener or musician will adopt his or her own personal interpretation' - Lera Auerbach. The voices of the Netherlands Chamber Choir, directed by Peter Dijkstra, bring these angels to life here, accompanied by the Rasch�r Saxophone Quartet.