Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Alhambra, an ensemble specializing in the great Judeo-Spanish (Sephardic) musical literature performs a program of music of Love, Courtship, and Holidays. Alhambra was founded by Dr. Isabelle Ganz in 1981. Based in New York, the ensemble has toured Andalusia, the British Isles (including London’s Purcell Room and Almeida Theatre), Quebec, Bogota, performed at the Quincentennial Celebration in Istanbul, The First International Festival of Jewish Art Music in Vilnius, Lithuania, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and at colleges, community centers and folk festivals throughout the U.S. They have appeared in Merkin Hall, Weill Recital Hall, for the World Music Institute, and the Jewish Museum in New York, the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, the Ordway Theater in St. Paul, the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Smith College, Hunter College, and the Eastman School of Music among many other venues. The ensemble won first prize in the Jewish performing arts competition and was a finalist in the concert artists’ guild competition, both held in New York.

Classical Music

This is Volume 12 in Centaur's retrospective of the work of the great violinist Steven Staryk. Staryk has been concertmaster of The Royal Philharmonic, The Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, The Chicago Symphony, and The Toronto Symphony. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada of Ukrainian descent, he began his musical education at 7 years old at the Harbord Collegiate Institute. He pursued further violin studies with Albert Pratz at The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and in New York City. As a renowned teacher, orchestral and chamber musician, and international soloist, he is considered to be the leading Canadian-born violinist of his generation. He is listed in The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada and 23 international publications including The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Awards include the Shevchenko Medal, the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal, an honorary doctorate of letters from Toronto's York University, and arts awards from the Canada Council.

This is Volume 3 in Centaur's ongoing series of the complete organ works of Charles-Marie Widor (1844 - 1937), performed by Joby Bell. This recorded cycle is a labor of love for Joby Bell, who has a special affinity for Widor's works. Since 2004, professor Joby Bell has served on the faculty of the Hayes School of Music, where he teaches organ and church music studies. His church music teaching emphasizes the practical knowledge needed for a solid undergraduate foundation toward successful work and further studies in sacred music. His organ teaching specializes in practice techniques, memorization, service playing, choral accompanying, and maintaining grace under pressure - lessons always best taught by example. Dr. Bell is known for "the breadth of his repertoire, technical virtuosity, and for the personal warmth which shines through in his performances. " His acclaimed blog at www. JobyBell. Org deals with a comprehensive range of organ-related topics including teaching philosophies, recital preparation, church music, and professional concerns.

Northern Lights is a program of Finnish piano works from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Gail Olszewski has played and loved these pieces for many years. She has been heard in solo and chamber recitals on piano, fortepiano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, celesta and synthesizer in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America and Australia. She lives in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area where she has a varied free-lance career as a collaborative keyboardist, concertizing with members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra among others. The works are played on an 1877 Bluthner grand piano that is an ideal instrument for these works.

The present album features works by Bartok and Mussorgsky performed by Andrea Vivanet. Born in Cagliari, Italy, Andrea Vivanet began to study the piano at the age of 8 and continued his studies at the Conservatorio di Musica P. L. da Palestrina in Cagliari. When he was 13 he performed the Mozart concert K. 414 with the Orchestra of the Opera House of Cagliari. He was very young when he won the 1st prize at the G. B. Pergolesi piano competition. He continued his studies with Christa B�tzberger and Marina Rossi and he graduated with honors at the Conservatorio di Musica G. Frescobaldi in Ferrara. He received the diploma with honors after attending the Triennial Masterclass in Piano and Chamber Music Ars et Labor, under the guidance of Christa B�tzberger and Marina Rossi. Afterwords he studied in Hungary with professors Bal�zs Szokolay and Istv�n Lantos at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where he obtained the Master Degree with honors in piano performance. Andrea Vivanet currently lives in Paris, where he is pursuing his teaching and performing activities.

Classical Music

This is volume 2 of the complete Haydn Piano Trios, performed by The Mendelssohn Piano Trio. This rarely recorded repertoire is part of an ongoing project to record all of Haydn’s Piano Trios.

Leopold Godowsky (1870 - 1928) was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. He also was a first-rate composer, and he left an unmatched body of works for the piano, left hand. Nicholas Ross has the full mettle of these works. Nick Ross performs as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. He has performed recitals and concertos at such venues as St. Martin’s-in-the-Field and St. John’s Smith Square, London, the Field Room in Dublin, and the Engelse Kerk in Amsterdam. Nick is active as a recording artist, and he has released four solo piano recordings to date, as well as two collaborative discs of Arthur Honegger’s music. Ross’ scholarly research has focused in recent years on proportional structures and the golden ratio in the music of Mozart, Debussy, Bartók and others. He has presented lecture recitals on the topic at conferences in Lancaster, Krakow, and at various universities and colleges in the US.

Classical Music