Simeon ten Holt’s unmistakable minimalist style is the driving force behind Canto Ostinato, one of the composer’s most famous works. Canto Ostinato is the best-loved Dutch piano composition of the 20th century, with its mesmerising melodies never failing to soothe the mind.

The instruments and number of performers for the piece are unspecified; written ‘for keyboard instruments’, the work has been recorded many times with piano, but this unique set brings together 12 arrangements of the work – for piano, as well as for organ, marimba and synthesizer. With a variety of recording venues ranging from throughout The Netherlands to Canada, this compilation is a must-have addition to any classical music collection.

Jeroen van Veen is a leading light in modern piano performance, as well as a successful composer. Chairman of the Simeon ten Holt Foundation, he has won critical acclaim with ensembles such as The International Piano Quartet, DJ Piano and Jeroen van Veen & Friends.

Other information:
- Recorded in 1999 - 2013.
- Anyone having experienced the power of Canto Ostinato by Simeon ten Holt will come under the spell of the hallucinatory effect of this iconic work, the most famous Dutch work for piano of the 20th century, one of the “classics” of minimal music.
- Jeroen van Veen and friends present the work in a variety of arrangements, ranging from piano solo through multiple pianos, organ, marimbas and synthesizers, each revealing other aspects of this deceptively simple work in which the harmonies shift imperceptibly in slowly changing waves.
- Liner notes on the composer by the artist, who worked in close collaboration till the composer’s death last year.

Classical Music

Classical Music

TCHAIKOVSKY: ARIAS GHENA DIMI

NIELSEN: SYMPHONY NO 1, LITTLE

The Mozart Album

In this disc wild jigs and melancholic songs lead us both into the atmosphere of court and that of taverns. This shows-to those who still deem it necessarythe extent to which baroque esthetics are made up, in one movement, of both erudite art and popular art. This recording shows the Witches at their British best!

Schubert: Works for Violin & Piano

Classical Music

A GUITAR FOR CHRISTMAS LIONA

Rampal Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

Heinrich Schütz is generally regarded as a master of the art of setting text to music, particularly the text of the Bible in its unaltered form which was of substantial significance to Lutheran doctrine. On the other hand, there are only few examples of settings of rhymed texts in Schütz’s oeuvre. One of these is the so-called “Becker-Psalter,” a collection of psalm translations by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker. Shortly after the death of his wife, Schütz concentrated on this collection and set numerous verses to music. In the 15th volume of the Schütz Complete Recording, Hans-Christoph Rademann and his Dresdner Kammerchor present an exceptionally spirited interpretation of a selection of these unusually unadorned, transparent, folk-like compositions.

Also available on Blu-ray

The Paris Opera Ballet, though historically and famously a classical ensemble, proved over the years to be perfectly at ease with the demands and the subtilities of the contemporary repertoire. A tribute to its dazzling technique and unique style, this collector box-set features three milestones in the recent history of the French company : Pina Bausch’s Orpheus und Eurydike, a "Tribute to Jerome Robbins," ten years after his passing, and Anne Teresa de Keersmaker’s Rain. All these programs were filmed at the Palais Garnier, a world-reknowned temple of classical ballet : a way to insure the continuity between the masterpieces of yesterday, and those of today.

This CD documents the first joint concert by 160 musicians from the Berlin
and Israel Philharmonics, conducted by Zubin Mehta April 18th, 1990.

MARLBORO FEST 40TH ANNIVERSARY

BRUCKNER: SYMPHONIES NOS 8 & 0

Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67 & Cello So

This, the third volume in the Toccata Classics cycle of complete string quartets of David Matthews (b. 1943), contains Matthews’ first three numbered quartets, written between 1969 and 1978, along with an early contrapuntal study and an arrangement of Scriabin. + The Second Quartet, as the composer says, ‘shows the influence of the kind of minimalism in songs by The Velvet Underground, and aims for the energy and dynamism of The Who’. + The Kreutzer Quartet have worked with David Matthews for many years now; many of his quartets were written with them in mind.

In August 1986 two pairs of young sisters (Claudia and Livia Caffagni, and Elisabetta and Ella de Mircovich) founded the ensemble La Reverdie. The name, derived from a poetic genre that celebrates the return of Spring, reveals perhaps the principal trait of a group that, for 30 years now, has captivated audiences and critics alike for the variety in its approach to the vast and varied musical repertoire of Middle Ages and early Renaissance.

To mark the ensemble's 30th anniversary, Arcana has brought together in a single release all of the themed projects that, over the years, La Reverdie has devoted to various aspects of Medieval culture. From the image of femininity to courtly love, from the music in Medieval thought to the symbolism of light and darkness, each theme developed in this musical collection- an excellent introduction to Medieval music- explores specific repertoires from different points of view, either geographical or literary and philosophical. A journey of discovery that, by virtue of the issues addressed and the freshness of their approach, gives the listener the idea that music in Middle Ages is a fantastic kaleidoscope of sounds and words which reflect the spirit of the time. The history of Europe itself resounds in this anthology of music between 13th and 15th centuries; Latin and vernacular poetry, as well as monody and polyphony, voices and instruments feature a colorful and bright artistic landscape.

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REVIEW:

This is the box to have if it comes to Music of the Middle Ages. The musicians of La Reverdie are all masters in their game, and make it sound absolutely authentic in every way. Singing chanting speaking, it's all done with a great feel for the drama, but they never overdo it. It all comes quite naturally to all of them, and are helped by a state of the art recording.

– Harry’s Classical Music Corner (Harry van der Wal)

BLANCHARD, TELEMANN HUBERT LA

Zelenka's output contains mostly sacred music. His instrumental works, however, show the composer's talent and shouldn't be overlooked. The work included on this release, Sonate a due Hautbois e Basson con Basso Continuo, ZWV 181, was written in Vienna between 1715-1716. The work is notable in double reed literature for the required virtuosity of both instruments, which was uncharacteristic for the music of that time. This release is the first recording from the ensemble Zefiro. The featured double reed performers are oboists Alfredo Bernardini and Paolo Grazzi, and bassoonist Alberto Grazzi.

Track Listing

A CANADIAN BRASS CHRISTMAS:
1. Ding Dong! Merrily On High
2. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
3. Sussex Carol
4. Here We Come A-Wassailing
5. I Saw Three Ships
6. Good Christian Men Rejoice
7. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
8. Huron Carol, The
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
11. Little Drummer Boy, The
12. Silver Bells
13. White Christmas
14. Christmas Song, The
15. Winter Wonderland
16. Go Tell It On The Mountain
17. Frosty The Snowman

CANADIAN BRASS: LIVE

This is the first TACET DVD sampler. Close your eyes and let the music carry you away to the new world of optimized surround sounds. This DVD Audio can be played on any DVD surround system (including DVD Video) and naturally needs no pictures. The disc offers a stunning listening experience from all sides - and you are right in the middle. In order for this to work perfectly TACET has produced a great deal of advice in sound and text from which your surround home movie theatre can benefit. For the first time in this quality and combination you can hear breathtaking sounds and brilliant music with top artists, and you can learn surprising hints for adjusting your system to make it even more valuable. TACET has been in the music business since 1989 and a pioneer of surround sound since 1999; TACET specialties are Real Surround Sound and Moving Real Surround Sound, both on this disc.

The Czech-born composer Anton Reicha (1770–1836) was an exact contemporary of Beethoven, and his close friend from their mid-teens. The music of each man demonstrates an awareness of what the other was doing: they showed each other their compositions-in-progress. But although Reicha was closely associated with one of the best-known names in western culture, his own music has been grievously neglected: only his woodwind quintets have achieved any currency. Of his vast cycle of almost forty string quartets just one had been recorded before – an omission this ambitious project intends to put right, thereby revealing one of the most inventive and engaging spirits in classical music. - Toccata Classics