Stories - Music of Jolas, Beamish & Neuwirth / Hardenberger, Muraro, Brabbins, Malmö SO
BIS
SACD
$21.99Oct 04, 2019
Alongside his celebrated performances of the classical repertory, Håkan Hardenberger is also renowned as a pioneer of significant new trumpet works. The three works on this album were all composed with him in mind, and illustrate his many-faceted musical persona. The most recent of them, ‘True Stories’ by Betsy Jolas, was written in order to give Hardenberger and Roger Muraro occasion to perform together. Its title springs from the fact that the work forms the composer’s first attempt to work with sounds selected from daily life and either ‘tamed’ through stylization or left quasi crude. Sally Beamish found inspiration for her concerto in Italo Calvino’s book Invisible Cities which, in her own words, ‘reflects aspects of city life: the organized architecture but seeming randomness; the sparkling though shabby beauty, in contrast to the dark, sordid underbelly – rusting pipes, waste, squalor.’ Finally, in …miramondo multiplo…, Olga Neuwirth incorporates stylistic and melodic references, for instance from her own works and the music of Handel, but also to the performance style of the jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, lending each movement a musical atmosphere of its own. As a result, the concerto has been described as ‘a sequence of five very different musical stories’. The conductor in all three works is Martyn Brabbins, whose credentials in the field of contemporary music are impressive, having conducted hundreds of world premières across the globe.
The Future is Female, Vol. 2: The Dance - Piano Music, 1600s-Now / Cahill
First Hand Records
CD
$21.99Oct 21, 2022
The Future is Female is a three-volume series, which celebrates and highlights women composers from the 17th century to the present day. These albums encompass 30 compositions by women from around the globe and include many new commissioned works and world première recordings. Most pianists grow up with the classical canon, which has always excluded women composers as well as composers of color. It is still standard practice to perform recitals consisting entirely of music written by men. The Future is Female aims to be a corrective towards rebalancing the repertoire. It does not attempt to be exhaustive, in any way, and the three albums in this series represent only a small fraction of the music by women which is waiting to be performed.
Esteemed pianist James Iman releases his highly anticipated album, "Iman III," marking the third instalment in his groundbreaking series. Delving into a diverse repertoire, Iman's latest offering showcases a unique blend of piano works that resonate with the complexities of the human experience. The genesis of "Iman III" amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the resilience and creative introspection that defined it's conception. Originally planned for recording prior to the pandemic-induced lockdowns, the project encountered delays, allowing Iman ample time to refine and redefine it's thematic underpinnings. The resulting album is a testament to the profound evolution of artistic vision in the face of adversity. Iman's eclectic program transcends traditional narrative structures, inviting listeners into a labyrinth of musical abstraction where each piece engages in a nuanced dialogue with it's counterparts. From Klaus Huber's haunting exploration of silence in "Ein Hauch von Unzeit II" to Alban Berg's masterful interplay of chromaticism and counterpoint in his Piano Sonata Op. 1, "Iman III" offers a multifaceted journey through the annals of musical expression. In Morton Feldman's "Last Pieces," Iman embraces the freedom afforded by the composer's experimental notation, weaving a tapestry of sound that defies conventional constraints. Emulating the randomness inherent in Feldman's ensemble works, Iman navigates the delicate balance between structure and spontaneity, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in a realm of deliberate and enjoyable ambiguity. Betsy Jolas's enigmatic "B for Sonata" serves as a fitting conclusion to the album, epitomizing the composer's innovative approach to form and rhythm. Through meticulously crafted rhythmic freedoms and evolving tonal landscapes, Iman breathes life into Jolas's introspective exploration of musical minimalism and existential inquiry. "Iman III" attests to James Iman's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. With each track meticulously curated to resonate with the soulful intricacies of human experience. James Iman is a critically acclaimed pianist known for his innovative approach to repertoire and profound musical insight. With a career spanning decades, Iman has established himself as a prominent figure in the contemporary classical music scene, captivating audiences worldwide with his dynamic performances and meticulous attention to detail. "Iman III" marks the latest chapter in his ongoing quest to redefine the boundaries of artistic expression through the transformative power of music.
French Trumpet Concertos / Hardenberger, Gabel, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
BIS
SACD
$21.99Jun 03, 2022
During the second half of the 19th century, a French school of trumpet playing was established, with French musicians and composers at the forefront of the instrument’s musical and technical development. As a result, it was entrusted with a more prominent role within the orchestra and soon also as a solo instrument. On the present disc, Håkan Hardenberger – who like so many other leading trumpet players studied in Paris – presents some of the fruits of this development: five important French works composed between 1944 and 1977. With the support of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Fabien Gabel – who incidentally began his career as a trumpet player – he opens the disc with Henri Tomasi’s Trumpet Concerto. Often performed and recorded, it here appears on album for the first time with its original, longer ending, reconstructed from a newly discovered manuscript. Another rarity is the version for trumpet and orchestra of Florent Schmitt’s Suite, a work which is more commonly heard with piano accompaniment. Rather more frequent in concert are André Jolivet’s Concerto and the Concertino in which Hardenberger is joined by his regular chamber music partner Roland Pöntinen as co-soloist. The most recent work on the disc is Onze Lieder by Betsy Jolas, a work which has a special resonance for both soloist and conductor as it was written for their trumpet teacher Pierre Thibaud.
