With this album, Luck Child, a long-standing wish of Dutch jazz singer Fay Claassen is fulfilled. It is an ode to youth and beauty with a mix of old and new songs. This compilation consists mostly of songs that she has been singing for many years but has never before recorded. Famous and beloved songs like Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird,” Paul Simon’s “One Trick Pony,” Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child,” and songs by Burt Bacharach, and Ennio Morricone are presented alongside new compositions by Paul Heller. This is Fay Claassen’s most personal and most emotional release to date, and she will touch the listener’s heart with her beautiful voice that goes straight to the soul.

Classical Music

The Australian trio Trichotomy returns with The Known and the Unknown on Challenge Records. In a distinct step into new territory electronic sounds merge with acoustic improvisations, while the complexity of their compositions and group improvisations are balanced by graceful melodies and rich harmonies. Vivid and bright, it is a compelling listen. Inspired by a diverse range of influences from Aphex Twin to Vijay Iyer, and Tortoise to The Bad Plus, trichotomy's music combines a dense rhythmic focus with the melodic clarity of a Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, or the modern European jazz of Tord Gustavsen and Nik Bartsch. Compositions often find a fine balance between heavily notated sections and completely free improvisations. The Knowna nd the Unknown is an apt description of the material the trio brought to the studio to record in 2016, but more importantly it is a representation of the push and pull within improvised music. The music cannot exist without both, and both must remain in balance.

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Marutyri is a Rotterdam based, instrumental fusion band. They got their start in 2014 and have since performed on North Seas Jazz 2015 and won the Radio 6 Soul & Jazz award for best talent. All of the compositions on this album are original to the band and composed by it's members. The band consideres Inner Movements to be a "funky jazzy album with solid grooves".

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It's no coincidence Jasper Somsen's 3rd (and later this year 4th) Challenge Records album features an international piano trio line up. Recent years performing and/or recording in trio with a.o. Enrico Pieranunzi, Joey Calderazzo, John Beasley, Jeff Ballard, Justin Faulkner and Andre Ceccarelli, he is much sought-after by pianists. The former New York, now Montreal-based French master pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc and one of Jasper's all-time favorite French drummers Andre Ceccarelli joined him for this diptych. At their first encounter ever, this trio with Jean-Michel Pilc and Andre Ceccarelli recorded A New Episode in Life Part I & A New Episode in Life Part II in just two days. The album contains nine melodically strong instrumental compositions by double bass player, Jasper Somsen. Transparency is the key word in musical expression and form throughout the entire album, similar to songs without words.

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Desire is captured perfectly on Yuri Honing's new album of the same title. The eight tracks on this album reflect eight different feelings of desire. Some pieces are about pain, some are hopeful and dreamy, and others are more resigned or even peaceful. Renowned for mixing styles, Honing again explores his musical boundaries with moving melodies framed by pop, classical music and early music compositional techniques. The track Lasciate Mi Morire (Let me die) is even a literal reference to the beloved madrigal of Claudio Monteverdi dating from 1614.

Ivan Fischer makes his DNO debut. He conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Pierre Audi, artistic director of DNO and the Holland Festival, directs his firest new DNO production since Saint Francois d'Assise (2008). For Parsifal Audi once again joins forces with the British scultpr Anish Kapoor. Alejandro Marco-Buhrmester previously sang the role of Amfortas at the Opera National de Paris and the Bayreuther Festpiele. Kurt Rhdl made previous DNO appearances as Hagen/Hunding in Der Ring de sNibelungen and as Heinrich in Lohengrin. Kurt Rydl has been an honorary member of the Wiener Staatsoper since 1999. Falk Struckmann has frequently sung the role of Amfortas, but now makes his first DNO appearance in his role debut as Gurnemanz. The title role is sung by Christopher Ventris, who previously appeared at DNO as Steuermann in Der fliegende Hollander. Petra Lang previously sang Brangane in Tristan und Isolde and Venus in Tannhauser at DNO. ''There were no weak links in teh cast. Amfortas sounded suitably pained, very wobbly vibrato for it, but this very much worked. Gurnemanz was stoic and powerful. Klingsor was a rounded and full bass. Kundry has a truly bewitching voice, very powerful. Parsifal was definitely the stand out, always rising above the orchestra, his voice conveyed each emotion perfectly but was always perfectly clear and pure. Ivan Fischer's interpretation is calm, subdued, crystal clear, chamber-like. It is generally brisk, but extremely flexible, and follows Wagner's tempo changes to the letter. Nonetheless, one cannot help but be carried along with the waves of music, so that the final chords are absolutely overwhelming. The Concertgebouw, characteristically played stupendously. Beautiful phrasing, incredibly unity, and they just sound so incredibly beautiful. (Operalively.com)

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