The tour of Paris starts with the Eiffel Tower and includes the famous landmarks of the French capital, the Churches of Notre-Dame and the Sacre Coeur, the Opera Garnier and the great river, the Seine, that runs through the city. The tour ends with a nocturnal view of Paris and an excursion to Chartres, with it's magnificent cathedral. Music for the tour is by Beethoven, who at one time seemed to hope for employment in Paris. His 'Eroica Symphony' was at first intended as a celebration of his one-time hero, Napoleon, but reflected, in the end, his disillusion when Napoleon had himself crowned as Emperor. The music used also includes Beethoven's 'Coriolanus Overture', written, not for Shakespeare's play, but for a contemporary drama by Heinrich von Collin.

RUSSIA The Places
Our visit starts in Moscow, with the Kremlin, the famous Conservatory of Music and the Tretyakov Art Gallery, with its unrivalled collection of Russian paintings. We see the splendour of some of the Metro stations in St Petersburg and much of the winter landscape in Moscow and in St Petersburg. We end with commemoration of Napoleon’s defeat in 1812 and his retreat from Moscow during a bitter winter.

The Music
Tchaikovsky’s disastrous marriage to an infatuated admirer in July 1877 ended after just a few weeks, when he left for his brother-in-law’s estate at Kamenka to escape from a wife to whom he had taken an invincible aversion. By the end of September, after attempted suicide, his marriage was at an end, and in October he left Russia to find relief in travel. In these extraordinary circumstances he nevertheless continued to work on the fourth of his six symphonies, completing it in early January 1878. Its first performance was given six weeks later in Moscow under the direction of Nikolay Rubinstein, attended by his new patroness Nadezhda von Meck, to whom it was dedicated, but in the composer’s absence.

Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: PCM Stereo 2.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 60 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

Starring Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Konstantin Krimetz, Capella Istropolitana.

A city built on an archipelago of 117 islets, Venice is remarkable in many ways. Unsullied by modern traffic, it's buildings retain much of their historic character and something of the magic of the place is reflected in this tour which visits a number of the principal sites and reflects the changing light, which casts a spell of it's own. Violinist, priest and most prolific composer, Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and spent most of his life there, associated for much of the time with the Ospedale della Pieta, a charitable institution for girls, with a strong musical tradition. The music for the tour is taken from his collection of twelve concertos, 'Il Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Inventione' (The Contest of Harmony and Invention), published in Paris in 1725.

Altissimo is proud to honor all veterans with this special compilation performed by the U.S. Military bands and choruses. The pieces featured on the album were selected for the message behind the music. Included are: Eric Ewazen's "A Hymn for the Lost and Living," which he composed as his musical response following September 11th; "That Others May Live" written by SSgt Jeremy Martin and dedicated to all of the medical workers in all branches of the U.S. Military; Gene Sheer's "American Anthem" composed to serve as a reminder of the selfless sacrifices of the men and women who fight for our nation; Robert Jager’s “Epilogue: Lest We Forget,” commissioned by Colonel Jack Grogran for the 50th Anniversary of WWII; "Gardens of Stone" by James A. Beckel, Jr. written for all fallen heroes buried at Arlington Cemetery; and "The Last Full Measure of Devotion" by Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan composed for the 1991 CBS Special "CBS All-Star Salute to Our Troops," among many other great pieces.

It was in 1747 that Johann Sebastian Bach received an invitation from King Frederic II of Prussia. Bach travelled with Wilhelm Friedmann - his eldest son - to Potsdam, where Carl Philipp Emanuel, his second eldest son, was accompanist to the king's court. This was the famous visit during which Johann Sebastian improvised a ricercar or fugue in three voices on a theme supplied by the monarch and later led him to compose the Musical Offering. This recording presents sections of Bach's Musical Offering, including the Trio Sonata, side by side with Trios by both Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philip Emanuel. The intention was to shed light on the familial character of Bach's visit to Potsdam and Berlin in 1747 and it's musical consequences. The importance of this gathering between the three most famous members of the Bach family and the impact it had on their respective lives and careers cannot be overestimated. For Johann Sebastian himself, however, this was to be brief: he died three years later in 1750.

Classical Music

Dreams, illusions, nightmares, tender and formidable images: all this can be heard on the new, third GENUIN CD by the Japanese flutist Atsuko Koga. From the first lost melodies by her fellow countryman Akira Miyoshi and the yearning musical arcs of Carl Maria von Weber to the playful, even euphoric figurations of Bohuslav Martinu, Koga and her partners succeed in taking us into ever-new musical and spiritual landscapes.

Locomotiv-Musik 2: A Musical Train Ride

A Musical Zoo with Ashley Riches and Joseph Middleton is a veritable tour de force, featuring compositions spanning nearly 160 years, from Schubert’s ‘The Trout’ to Shostakovich’s ‘Once there lived a cockroach’ and four languages (German, French, Russian and English). A strong representation of the German Lieder tradition (Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Brahms and Richard Strauss) is balanced by the French mélodie (Fauré, Ravel) and English lyricism (Ireland, Howells). We humans seem to have an endless fascination with the animal kingdom, and animals have proved an inspiration for artists, composers, and writers alike. This recital demonstrates what a rich seam this has proved for a diverse range of composers. Ashley Riches comments: ‘The text [of a song] may outline to us what we see. But the flutterings of Schubert’s Birds, the flicking antennae of Shostakovich’s Cockroach, the rush of notes with which Ravel’s Peacock spreads its tail – these are movements and energies accessible to music alone.’

To conclude 2004 releases SteepleChase is proud to introduce a debut album by composer / pianist Ms. Sila Cevikce. Sila was born in Ankara, Turkey and has lived in the past 10 years in USA. She studied jazz composition and performance at the Berklee College of Music and University of South Florida. When she embarked on her professional career in NYC several years ago, her enormous talent was immediately recognized. Sila has since established herself as a respected and admired member of the highly competitive New York jazz scene. “… a bright and adventurous talent with much to offer as writer and performer.” (Mark Gardner)

Two great organists on two famous organs - and then Bach! Leo van Doeselaar and Erin Wiersinga approach the Saxon master in an interesting and original way, and the fact that the two titular organists at their Martinikerk in Groningen have at their disposal one of the most important baroque organs from the workshop of the jubilarian Arp Schnitgers makes this new publication a current as well as exciting experience. Arrangements are on the program. And arrangements of arrangements, because Bach himself was not afraid to adapt his own works and those of his colleagues for his own purposes. The famous prelude to the Partita in E major for solo violin thus turned into a festive cantata overture- including timpani and trumpets. This baroque splendor of sound almost calls for implementation on the Great Organ of the Martinikerk, which houses Schnitger's only surviving, powerful 32' principal register in the mighty pedal towers. Four handed, both titularists present the monumental opening chorus of the cantata "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott," whose strict contrapuntal structure is most advantageously accentuated in Sybolt de Jong's arrangement. Gustav Leonhardt's harpsichord version of the famous Ciaccona for solo violin, which Doeselaar extends on the one-manual baroque choir organ, is a perfect example of this. Vivaldi's lively Concerto in B minor for four violins reshaped Bach for four harpsichords. Wiersinga plays Guy Bovet's organ version of this unusual transcription- and thus shows not least the outstanding quality of an instrument whose beginnings date back to the middle of the 15th century.

A New England Requiem joins traditional Latin mass text and poems by Dickinson, Hawthorne, Longfellow, and Sigourney. Additional works by Perkins set familiar sacred texts in a cappella and orchestral arrangements. Composer and Connecticut native Scott Perkins enjoys a multifaceted career as composer, scholar and professor. He received his PhD in composition from the Eastman School of Music, he is currently Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, Sacramento. “Perfectly Orchestrated… Haunting… A remarkable and welcome musical surprise.” (Washington Times)

This second disc with the Choir of the Queen's College Oxford is centered around the concept of "revelation", both divine revelation (particularly the apocalyptic visions fo the book of Revelation) and revelatory visions of earth and heaven. The bulk of the pieces on the recording are inspired by the extraordinary visions of John, the writer of th eBook of Revelation, describing the ravaging of the world through divine judgement, the battles between good and evil, and the world's eventual remaking as "a new heaven and a new earth" in which death and suffering are no more. The album features three new commissions, by Phillip Cooke, Toby Young and Marco Galvani, who was a final-year student at queen's at the time of recording.

Who is Nikolai Korndorf? Have no fear, if the name is unfamiliar to you at present the ensuing popularity (which I’m sure this disc will attract) will have it tripping off the tongue as readily as Gorecki, Part, Schnittke or Tavener. For the uninitiated (and that included myself prior to hearing this release) Korndorf was born in Moscow in 1947 and started out as an 'avant-garde' composer, but (and here’s where he shares similarities with the names listed above) he suddenly changed to a more tonal, simple and above all spiritual style in the early 1980s. In 1991 he moved to Vancouver, Canada, and since then his music has been steadily gaining admirers and exponents in the West.

Sharing the same title, and possibly general sentiments, Korndorf’s three orchestral Hymns would appear to constitute a cycle but, as Korndorf himself has said, he prefers that they should not be performed or considered as such. However, this debut disc offers us Hymns II and III, though I would strongly echo the composer’s wishes and urge listeners to program a suitable break before moving from Hymn II to III. In terms of musical style the works presented on this disc share much in common with Gorecki’s Third Symphony – slow moving, seamless textures, minimal material, peaking climaxes and, in Hymn III, an ethereal, wordless soprano part. If anything Korndorf’s music is even more static than either Gorecki or Part, and generally the impression is of vertical rather than linear movement – walls of ‘bell-like’ pulsating chords dominate and seem to suggest a kind of ‘summoning prelude’ to a great event – Korndorf himself would suggest perhaps the dawning of a new spiritual age.

Hymn III was composed in response to a commission by the Kohler-Osbahr Foundation for a piece in honour of Gustav Mahler, and there are certainly Mahlerian echoes to be found here – not least the off-stage trumpets heard at the beginning and the high sustained string texture which recall the First Symphony. Generally speaking, if you have enjoyed the sound world of Gorecki and Part then you will probably enjoy discovering Korndorf too. As for the performances, the BBC Symphony Orchestra play this music with great conviction and the soprano solo in Hymn III is beautifully delivered by Catherine Bott.

-- Michael Stewart, Gramophone

Here, pianist Joanne Chang performs a group of her favorite works. All are done from the perspective of Joanne as a New Yorker. Described for her captivating and poetic musical interpretations, Malaysian pianist, Joanne Chang has performed and taught internationally in Asia, North America, and Europe. Joanne has been featured on WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase (New York), WFMT’s Fiesta Latin America (Chicago), International Menuhin Music Academy (Switzerland), BFM’s Front Row Podcast (Kuala Lumpur), Indiana University’s Latin American Music Center (Bloomington), Sphinx Connect (Detroit), and the National Youth Orchestra of China (Beijing), among others. As a pedagogue, Joanne is faculty member at the Indiana University Young Pianists Academy and Camp Encore/Coda (Maine). She also held teaching positions at Indiana University and Florida State University. At IU, Joanne served as Associate Instructor in Piano and program assistant to the Secondary Piano and Accompanying Departments. Joanne is president/founder of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Collegiate Chapter at IU, established Fall 2019.

The follow-up set to the 2002 homage to Evans and Hall, Timeline (SteepleChase SCCD 31538) continues to illustrate the astonishing empathy and interplay between Abercrombie and LaVerne and to concentrate on conveying the spirit of the Evans/Hall sound. “… Abercrombie and LaVerne bring their own values and sensibilities to bear throughout the set… ” (Jim Ferguson, JazzTimes)

There is a surprise here. After the folksy charm of Alfvén and Grieg, the familiar strains of Sibelius, the salon sentimentality of Järnefelt, and the muscular drive of Nielsen, we meet a totally fascinating composer from Iceland in the person of Jon Lief s, who had a whole disc devoted to his extraordinary music in the last issue. Geysir, like much of Liefs's mature work, starts in darkness, and works its way up to a vast climax in an idiom consisting almost entirely of primal, organ-like, parallel fifths, before subsiding into darkness. Amidst all of this charm and frivolity, it comes as something of a shock, but it is typical of Salonen, one of our most talented young conductors, to include it. His devotion to contemporary music of all sorts makes this a collection of uncommon interest, and sets it well above the ordinary for this sort of thing. All of the performances are excellent, as is the sound. Recommended, therefore, with enthusiasm despite the inevitable duplications of repertoire.

– David Hurwitz, FANFARE

A padlás

Classical Music

This album presents a diverse selection of world premieres commissioned by the award-winning guitarist, Gabriel Bianco, from composers who have lived and worked in his native Paris. These range from the swirling Spanish motifs in Matthieu Stefanelli's Ellipsis for four guitars, featuring the Quatuor eclisses, to Camille Pepin's hypnotic Autumn Rhythm and Thomas Viloteau's festive A Night in Bastille - just a few of the highlights in this programme of new guitar music from the City of Light.

Here is an unusual military band CD. The 37 selections are divided into Marches by the US Marine Band and the US Army Band, Americana by the US Navy Band and Sea Chanters chorus, the USAF Band and Singing Sergeants and the US Army Band and Chorus, Family, Ceremonial where the US Coast Guard Band is added and finally a section called Bugle Calls where all the famous calls are recorded including Reveille, First Call, Assembly, Attention, Tattoo and Taps. The Marches include all the most popular ones, while Americana includes The Liberty Fanfare, Amazing Grace, God Bless the USA and America the Beautiful, among others. The section called Ceremonial includes everything from the National Anthem to the US Public Health Service March.

Percussionist extraordinaire Joby Burgess returns with his fifth album on Signum Records, "A Percussionist's Songbook" - a collection of specially commissioned 'songs without words' from John Metcalfe, Tunde Jegede, Dario Marianelli, Yazz Ahmed, Graham Fitkin, Dobrinka Tabakova and Gabriel Prokofiev. Scored for an arsenal of pitched percussion and electronics the songbook is inspired by texts ranging from the poetry of Robert Graves and Birago Diop to novels by Michael Ondaatje and Isaac Asimov; American philosopher Michael Sandel, songwriter Peter Gabriel, United Nation population growth statistics and Saudi Arabian folk tales.

Christmas

The original 1971 Merry-Go-Down LP on Unicorn Records was the brainchild of the late Fred Tomlinson, former chairman of the Peter Warlock Society, to showcase Peter Warlock's extraordinary range of musical and literary knowledge and achievements. The Peter Warlock Society and Convivium Records consider the content and performances of the pioneering LP to be of such a high standard as to require re-release, and have facilitated it's reproduction on this delightful CD. Michael Graves, Chairman, Peter Warlock Society

With sparkling articulation reminiscent of the remarkable Alicia de Larrocha, pianist Pola Baytelman probes deeply to the heart of whatever music she plays. Keeping the composer’s intent foremost, she plays with effortless technique, listening always. The press has called her playing “formidable” and having “a diaphanous touch.” Baytelman is an active recitalist with a broad repertory that covers from the 18th to the 21st century. She has toured extensively in China, Europe, Hong Kong, South America, and across the United States.

Pola Baytelman is Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs,N.Y. where she was chosen to present the Moseley Lecture-Recital in 2006, the highest honor Skidmore faculty confers on a colleague. Her latest compact disc, “From Chile to Cuba,” was released by Albany Records in 2009. Baytelman’s recording of Robert Schumann’s Humoreske (2002 Centaur) was listed by American Record Guide as one of the top three performances of the classic work.

Luis Berra is a pianist and composer with roots in Nicaragua, Argentina, and Italy, which makes his music bridging cultures. The album A Piano Won't Fix Your Tormented Soul presents a refined mix of neoclassical piano, jazz influences, and cinematic depth, where Berra's compositions embody timeless elegance with improvisational spontaneity.

Luis Berra is a pianist and composer with roots in Nicaragua, Argentina, and Italy, which makes his music bridging cultures. The album A Piano Won't Fix Your Tormented Soul presents a refined mix of neoclassical piano, jazz influences, and cinematic depth, where Berra's compositions embody timeless elegance with improvisational spontaneity.

From the moment Karen Gomyo first heard Astor Piazzolla on album, at the age of fourteen, she was spellbound: ‘I had never heard such a combination of sensuality, fierceness, playfulness, sadness and nostalgia.’ As a violinist she found the role of the violin in Piazzolla’s music especially inspiring, and soon started playing it herself – first in various group combinations, and eventually together with Piazzolla’s longtime pianist Pablo Ziegler and his Tango Quartet. For the present disc she has chosen to record strings-only versions of three works originally for tango quintet (Seasons), guitar and flute (Histoire), and solo flute (Études). Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones were initially conceived neither as a suite nor as a tribute to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Verano porteño (Summer) was composed first, as part of the incidental music for a play, with the other three following several years later. If the Seasons provide a soundtrack to the year as it unfolds in Buenos Aires, Histoire du Tango describes the development of the tango itself in four chapters – from the brothels around year 1900 to the concert halls where Piazzolla himself performed his tango nuevo. These two works frame three of Piazzolla’s Tango Études, which Karen Gomyo performs solo, while otherwise being partnered by the strings of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (Seasons) and the guitarist Stephanie Jones (Histoire).

Long a singing talent on the recordings of David Haas, Marty Haugen, and others, Lori True now emerges as a bright new composer with a voice of her own in A Place at the Table. This impressive debut by a major new liturgical voice is a well-rounded collection of music you'll use again and again. The title song, with an evocative text by Shirley Erena Murray, was introduced to an enthusiastic crowd at the 2001 National NPM Convention. Texts by established hymn writers Ruth Duck, Brian Wren, and Sylvia Dunstan, as well as original texts by the composer, are also paired with Lori's truly singable melodies. Plus, this is simply a great-sounding recording.