With an ever-increasing awareness of the excellence that defined her career, Florence Price is finally receiving the recognition that she deserves. Price won the Wanamaker Prize in 1932, and she was the first Black woman to have a symphony premiered by a major American orchestra. Price was a gifted student, pianist, and organist. She graduated from high school in Little Rock, AR, at age 14. At age 16, she graduated from the New England Conservatory (as the only double major in her class) with degrees in organ performance and piano pedagogy. Price wrote music for everyone– across a range of styles and abilities, and for a variety of forces. Beyond the Years hones in on Florence Price the composer of songs. ONEcomposer has cataloged nearly 150 of her songs (to date), only about half of which have been published.

Beyond the Years highlights Price’s affinity for themes of faith, nature, love, and loss. Amongst Price’s treasures in the archives at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, is her well worn copy of Vaccai: Practical Method of Italian Singing, a symbol of her fastidious commitment to writing idiomatically for the voice.

As performed by Karen Slack and Michelle Cann, these songs are receiving new life in the hands of two of the greatest artists of our generation.

Over the past several years, I've become interested in stepping away from the common recital-with-piano-accompaniment format and have been exploring more unusual sounds and colors. For instance, I played a recital of music for bassoon and percussion, and I'm interested in the idea of bassoon and organ, or guitar, or harp. I chose harp for this album since I have the pleasure of working with one of the finest harpists in the world every week, Emily Levin. In researching repertoire, I found more music written for bassoon and harp than I expected. Unfortunately, most of the music written for this combination is not always the peak of musical quality. What I did find, however, was the great music composed for bassoon and harp was mostly written by French composers. The Andres and Jolivet were absolute musts since they were written for the instruments and are both fantastic pieces. With the Jolivet involving a flute, I went right to my friend and colleague, David Buck, who was more than happy to join us. A fan of vocal music, I had to include something on the album written for the voice, have it be French, and also be topical. I have always adored the Bizet and Delibes duets and knew we could easily arrange them for two bassoons and harp. Another friend and colleague, Tom Fleming, joins us for those. I first heard the Charpentier sung by Maria Callas and I immediately fell in love with it's lushness. There are two charming short pieces that really fit in beautifully; the Sauguet and Tournier. Though the Tournier was originally written for cello, it works perfectly on the bassoon. The Sauguet was written for the bassoon and it showcases the instrument's expressiveness. To close the album I chose one of my favorite things written by Gabriel Faure. "In paradisum" is the final movement of his Requiem.

Following the success of WindSync’s recording of Miguel del Aguila’s Wind Quintet No. 2, released on the quintet’s album All Worlds All Times, the pair returned to the studio—this time, the legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios in London—to record the present monograph of del Aguila’s works for winds.

This milieu connects rather poetically to WindSync’s founding principles. Although Abbey Road is now associated with the likes of Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and, of course, The Beatles, or with the famous soundtracks to the Star Wars and Harry Potter movies also captured there, the first musician to record in the studio was British classical composer Edward Elgar, with the London Symphony Orchestra. By playing del Aguila’s music into the studio’s arsenal of historic microphones—the same ones used by The Beatles—WindSync reaches into Abbey Road’s storied past to acknowledge its classical roots, while marrying that tradition with the dressed-down, boyband accessibility that inspired the quintet’s cheeky name.

The Telegraph Quartet makes their Azica Records debut, In this first installment we have two works that, as far as can be determined, have never been recorded together. They are equally unlikely to have appeared together on the same mainstream live concert program. Ravel’s only string quartet is often paired with Debussy’s only string quartet particularly to showcase their shared lineage of French Impressionism, and that Ravel’s design was strongly influenced by Debussy’s. Schoenberg’s first numbered quartet is most often programmed within the cycle of his own radically evolving quartets, or with the work of the larger “Second Viennese School”, perhaps even the quartets of his only teacher Anton Zemlinsky. Here, in a striking setting, two of the greatest 20th century composers share the program with two distinctively different masterworks that have a nearly identical chronology. Born one year apart (Schoenberg in 1874, Ravel in 1875), these contemporaries composed, premiered and published their quartets between 1902 and 1907 (Ravel first, then Schoenberg). 1904 saw the premiere of Ravel’s quartet just as Schoenberg began to compose his. This synchronicity in the first decade of the 20th century makes this pairing an extraordinary snapshot of the avant- garde: A time capsule.

The juxtaposition is a marvelous invitation for comparison and contrast. It presents two significantly divergent “schools” that nonetheless share some interesting traits. The history, temperament, life story and lasting influence of each composer portray them as wildly different, like two different musical species. But together, their quartets paint a vivid portrait of a shared moment within the long history of the string quartet genre

Earthdrawn Skies explores deep connections between humankind and the natural world through the distinct lenses of four composers forging personal relationships with the soil and the stars. These works by Hildegard von Bingen, Eleanor Alberga, Komitas Vardepet and Jean Sibelius are rooted in a sense of tradition and connection to the land, even as the composers seek something beyond their reach: an understanding of God, the physics of the cosmos, homeland, happiness. The music on this album draws from the earth as it reaches upward and outward. these composers share an impulse to understand the sky, the heavens, the larger things in life. This is music we have kept returning to as a quartet, as it speaks to us in deeply personal ways. We cherish playing this music together, and we hope it resonates as much with you as it does with us.

On June 2, 2012—the 75th anniversary of his death at Notre Dame—I performed each of Vierne’s six organ symphonies in a marathon performance at Church of the Ascension, New York. That performance launched a summer-long tour of these works (affectionally titled “Vierne 2012”) with similar performances in Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Dallas. At the time, the Pascal Quoirin organ at Ascension Church was a little over a year old and, as of this recording, it is still the only French-built organ ever installed in New York City. Among organ music, the successful performance of French repertoire is especially dependent on the particular sonorities available on a given instrument. The Quoirin organ is a very good fit for the colorful demands of Franck and Vierne’s music, and it was an honor to return to Ascension Church for this recording. Ever since the marathon tour, I am often asked if I have a favorite among Vierne’s symphonies. It’s hard (and unnecessary) to pick, but the sixth just might be my favorite. It has all the characteristics that make Vierne’s music so appealing, and perfectly in proportion. And, with Vierne at the height of his artistry, it also marks the apex of the French symphonic organ tradition — a fitting culmination of the style enshrined with Franck’s Grande pièce symphonique.

Hailed as an “irresistibly fluid” by The New York Times and “illuminating” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, pianist Eric Zuber releases his debut album, The Young Chopin, with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and conductor Wilbur Lin. The release celebrates the early piano repertoire of Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849), including his Variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano’ from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op. 2; Andante spianato & Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22; and his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11.

Zuber writes, “The ingenuity of [Chopin’s early] piano writing shows a complete technical understanding of the craft of the instrument, and the seductive beauty of his melodic and harmonic writing is second to none. And to think he was only 17 when he wrote the variations as a school assignment! These early compositions are tremendously difficult from a technical perspective, and Chopin was clearly seeking to showcase his abilities as a pianist. Yet, there is little of the empty displays of virtuosity that appear in the works of some of his contemporaries. Everything serves a purpose to create a clear emotional effect.”

Composer and guitarist David Leisner releases Letter to the Word, a portrait album of his oeuvre for voice and instruments, featuring soprano Katherine Whyte, tenor Andrew Fuchs, baritone Michael Kelly, violinist Sarah Whitney, oboist Scott Bartucca, cellist Raman Ramikrishnan, Leisner on guitar, and pianists Lenore Fishman Davis and Dimitri Dover. Of his vocal writing The Boston Globe raves, “He shows imagination and taste in taking poems from disparate sources and putting them into cycles that trace emotional progress and develop dramatic shape. His prosody is excellent, and he sets words with an ear for sound, rhythm, and sense… Best of all, Leisner has a gift for eloquently shaping a vocal line that is also grateful to sing.” Four examples of his vocal chamber music are included on this album, from different stages of his career: two from the 1980s, one from 2002, and one from 2011.

Miriam K. Smith writes of her debut Azica release: “When a wave begins, it gathers momentum, so with this collection of music I see a gathering of energy (deep calling unto deep) into our modern era. I perceive this momentum in each of these composers’ works propelling the arts forward in their time. There are admirable qualities to all three composers featured in this collection in the way they have contributed to our current moment in time. Parisienne Ms. Boulanger’s influence is at the heart of so many modern composers and musicians. Students of Nadia’s are still among us carrying her contribution forward.

"Mr. Prokofiev gave us such unique harmonies and rich themes that evoke what we view as Russian. He was one of the Russian composers who spent time outside the Soviet Union and thus was able to have and receive influence from other locales and people. His time in Paris would bring him in contact with ballet master Diaghilev (Ballets Russes). Mr. Stravinsky could also be found in Paris and under the spell of Mr. Diaghilev, the ballet master who thought to bring in all the arts for his shows. Stravinsky risked offending audiences as he moved in the momentum set before him. [Incidentally, Ms. Boulanger did attend the Stravinsky debut of Firebird in Paris under the direction of Mr. Diaghilev.] Connections, influence, wave, momentum...And so, we continue today in the wave of momentum which began long ago....”

Apollo Chamber Players’ sixth commercial album, MoonStrike, is a universal celebration of storytelling, space and folk song, realized through new works by Jennifer Higdon, Jerod Tate, and Pierre Jalbert. Higdon’s In the Shadow of the Mountain (2020) is inspired by her upbringing in the Great Smoky Mountains and incorporates the sounds and colors of the area. Next is the title work, Emmy-winning Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s multidisciplinary MoonStrike (2019), which honors the Apollo space program through American Indian moon legends as narrated by astronaut John Herrington, the first Native American to fly in space. French-Canadian composer Pierre Jalbert’s L’esprit du Nord (“Spirit of the North”) (2019) is a three-movement work that fuses three of his culture’s folk songs with his unique, contemporary musical language.

Includes work(s) for gtr by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Soloist: David Leisner.

Classical Music

Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and guitarist Jason Vieaux have come "Together" to create a recording featuring two world premieres for the duo. Each of the five works on this recording shows off the unique character of the harp/guitar combination in general, with the two premieres especially revealing the engaging musical personalities and communicative skills of this duo in particular. Since making her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, Yolanda Kondonassis has been celebrated as one of the world’s premier solo harpists and is widely regarded as today’s most recorded classical harpist. Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today's classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the classical guitarist that goes beyond the classical, putting his expressive gifts and virtuosity at the service of a remarkably wide range of music.

Classical Music

Jinjoo Cho was the winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in 2014. In this, her debut recording, she presents all of the works commissioned by the competition since its inception in 1982. These are all brilliant works for violin. Jinjoo Cho is one of the most vibrant, engaging and charismatic musicians of her generation. Since her debut at age 17 as the First Prize winner of the 2006 Montreal International Music Competition, she has been numerously recognized as the First Prize winner of the world’s most prestigious competitions including the 2014 Ninth Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, the 2010 Buenos Aires International Violin Competition, and the 2012 Alice Shoenfeld International String Competition. She was also a laureate of the 2011 Isang Yun International Music Competition.