Sea to Sea

Schafer, R.M.: (3 Solos)

A Chatman Christmas

Somers, H.: Sacred and Profane)

Armanini, M.: Rain in the Forest

Even among innovative geniuses, Russian physicist Leon Theremin is a giant. His work in electromagnetic fields and radio frequency lead him to invent his namesake instrument, the theremin, in 1920 and thereby usher a new era in electronic musical instruments. A century later, this album presents new works for theremin and piano by Canadian composer Aleks Sch�rmer. These works contain elements of 18th and 19th century forms and performance practices, popular music tropes and post-20th century tonalism, and while they are often harmonically challenging, the music can still feel comfortable and familiar to the uninitiated listener. Many of the album's works reflect on the optimism of the early 20th century's imagined utopic future and where we've ended up a hundred years later. Aleks Sch�rmer is a Canadian composer, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and artist who merges disparate genres, historical periods and cultural interests in his work, exploring the underlying sameness of all things. An Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre (CMC), Aleks holds a Masters degree in Historical Performance from the Schulich School of Music at McGill and studied modern flute with Patrick Gallois. His compositions have been called "major discoveries" (Stephen Ritter, American Record Guide) and he has been called "particularly brilliant" (Claude Gingras, La Presse), and a "young visionary" (Marilis Cardinal, Nightlife Magazine). Gr�goire Blanc is an emerging French musician among the few virtuosos of the theremin today. Following engineering studies at the �cole Nationale Sup�rieure d'Arts et M�tiers, Gr�goire completed his Masters degree in Sciences and Technologie for Music at the Institut de Recherchre et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) and his ongoing artistic research centers around expressiveness in electronic music, with classical music as a starting point.

Stephen Chatman: Dawn of Night

Songs of Longing is the result of composer Felipe Tellez’s intense work with TakeFive Ensemble. This recording features compositions that fuse Colombian folk music with Romantic era musical traditions of the West. Felipe’s work possesses a wide range of emotions and style, moody and tender at times, and intensely rhythmic and playful when least expected. The music is brought to life by TakeFive Ensemble — comprised of violinists Lynn Kuo and Csaba Koczó, Carolyn Blackwell on viola, Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron on cello, and Shoshana Telner on piano.

François Tousignant (1955-2019) began his musical training at eight years old. He studied in Ottawa, Paris, and Montreal under the successive tutelage of Luis de Pablo, Max Deutsch, and Serge Garant, three composers linked to the advent of expressionist, atonal and serialist music in the tradition of Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. These opportunities combined to form a synergistic education with composers all stemming from a shared aesthetic movement, each informed by a shared and distant master. The chamber music works featured on this album reflect the composer’s musical path between 1973 and 1987, including several recording premieres. The intrepid and dedicated members of Ensemble Paramirabo come together as a single voice to perform contemporary music, showcase emerging Canadian composers, and expand the boundaries of the traditional concert experience. As a creator of innovative events, the group provides young composers with a venue for refining their trademark within Montreal’s vibrant new music scene and act as a springboard for exposure abroad. Founded in 2008, the ensemble has toured and been invited to festivals all around the world, including Festival LOOP and Ars Musica (Belgique), Frontiers Festival (Birmingham), Eduardo Mata Festival (Oaxaca), and Mise-En Music Festival (New York). A proud ambassador of local contemporary music, the ensemble won the 23rd edition of the OPUS Prize for Performer of the Year and received a JUNO Award nomination in 2020. Paramirabo’s repertoire has more than 80 premieres and commissions to its credit. Its recordings, both live and studio, have garnered numerous awards for composers.

Beckwith: Calling – Instrumental Works, 2006-2016

Sing Me at Midnight

Disc 1 of this album features an audio documentary with music excerpts and spoken reminiscences by friends and relatives of Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002). The documentary was produced and presented by Eitan Cornfield (57:43).

Disc 2 features complete performances of the String Quartet No. 2 by the Saint Lawrence String Quartet (20:00), the song cycle, I Never Saw Another Butterfly sung by Maureen Forrester accompanied by pianist John Newmark,(21:10) and the Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra with Ralph Gothóni, pianist and conductor of the Finlandia Sinfonetta. (26:10).

This recording of a performance of the complete Suites Hebraiques gives us a particularly intimate view of the creative life of Srul Irving Glick (1934-2002), one of Canada's most prolific composers. His musical depictions of Jewish life in his Suites Hebraiques are particularly vivid examples of his chamber music. Born in 1934, Glick grew up in Toronto where, from an early age, he was immersed in music. Glick received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in composition and theory at the University of Toronto. He continued his studies in Aspen and then in Paris with such masters as Darius Milhaud, Louis Saguer and Max Deutsch. During his career he would go on to win the Yuval Award, and a Governor General’s medal. He was also appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. Each of the featured instrumentalists on this release are well-respected in their field, and bring excitement and verve to these pieces.

Weinzweig, J.: Private Collection

True North