Ahead of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary in 2020, Sony Classical is pleased to release Beethoven Sonatas Nos 3 & 23 “Appasionata” by superstar pianist Lang Lang. Lang Lang is acritically acclaimed piano virtuoso. Lang Lang began playing the piano at the age of three. Lang Lang studied at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. At the early stages of his career, Lang Lang won numerous competitions including the Xinghai National Piano Competition and the Fourth International Competition for Young Pianists in Ettlingen, Germany. Lang Lang has performed with some of the worlds highly regarded orchestras including the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. As bonus track it contains the 3rd movement of the “Tempest” sonata. Beethoven (1770—1827) was a German composer and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time. He is one of the most recognisable and influential composers of the Romantic period and his music remains popular around the world today.

All of the recordings of Reinhard Goebel's project "Beethoven's World" have received great attention and excellent reviews worldwide. For the first album with violin concertos by Franz Clement, the Welt am Sonntag wrote: "If the discovery of Beethoven contemporaries, which Goebel has just signed up for the Beethoven Year, continues in this way, it will be a fine year". For the second album with double cello concertos by Reicha and Romberg, Deutschlandfunk wrote: "This recording (...) sets new standards." Great reviews for the third album with works by Salieri, Hummel and Vorisek followed: "An outstanding contribution to the Beethoven Year: With his alternative Beethoven Project, Reinhard Goebel once again impressively proves that there was even more to hear in Vienna at the time than Mozart piano concertos and Beethoven symphonies."

The fourth album of this celebrated series continues the musical foray into the Vienna of the early 19th century with extraordinary rarities from Beethoven's contemporaries. Recorded with the excellent piano duo Tal & Groethuysen and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the album features the Concerto for Two Pianos by Anton Eberl (1765-1807) and the Concerto for Two Pianos by Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812). The album also presents the world premiere recording of Joseph von Eybler's (1765-1846) “La Follia di Spagna” with all Instruments after the Violin Sonata, op. 5 no. 12 “La Follia” by Arcangelo Corelli. Goebel also includes a rarity by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) to the program: Gratulations-Menuett for Orchestra in E-flat Major, WoO 3. The recording proves once again that there was far more to hear for Vienna music lovers than piano concertos by Mozart or symphonies by Beethoven.

“EVOLUTION is inspired by the extremes and inherent fragility of the human experience - loss, love, birth, sorrow, vulnerability, triumph and despair but, above all, our ability to come through adversity and radiate the best versions of ourselves. In a world ever more divided by fear, mistrust and prejudice, dissonance and disharmony have been normalised and amplified through every day experience. Yet, even in the darkest of times, and through fragmented and shattered unions, our innermost selves desire to be connected. This album explores the beauty that lies beneath and the truths that bind us.” -- Alexis Ffrench With an impressive 75 million streams to date and over 1.5 million active listeners a month, contemporary pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench is a rising star in the streaming world. Alexis is an alumnus of some of the most prestigious music institutions in the country: Purcell School Of Music, Royal Academy Of Music and Guildhall School Of Music and Drama. As likely to be found listening to Kendrick Lamar or Chance the Rapper as Bach and Beethoven, Alexis’ combination of classical training and love for R&B and Roots music has helped define his unique sound. With a brand new album on Sony Music, several high profile performances, and an exciting partnership with Modest! Management, 2018 is already setting up to be Alexis’ most exciting year to date.

After the highly acclaimed recording of the complete Mozart piano sonatas, pianist William Youn, who was born in South Korea and has been living in Munich for many years, is now devoting himself to a new major project - the complete recording of all piano sonatas by Franz Schubert. On the first album, the pianist spans a wide arc from the first to the last sonata: On the first CD of this album, he starts with the last, the great B-flat Major Sonata D. 960 from Schubert's year of death in 1828 - and contrasts it's sometimes dreamy sounds with the fresh, self-confident first Sonata in E Major D. 157, which was written within a few weeks in 1815. The second CD follows with the light Sonata No. 13 in A Major D. 664, the mysterious conglomerate of Sonata No. 9 in F-sharp Minor D 571 / 604 / 570, without the unfinished fourth movement, and finally the momentous Sonata No. 14 in A minor D. 784 - a work of astringency and severity rather unusual for Schubert.

The recordings of Reinhard Goebel's project "Beethoven's World" have received great attention and excellent reviews worldwide. For the first album with violin concertos by Franz Clement, the Welt am Sonntag wrote: "If the discovery of Beethoven contemporaries, which Goebel has just signed up for the Beethoven Year, continues in this way, it will be a fine year". For the second album with double cello concertos by Reicha and Romberg, sr2 wrote: "Music for cello and orchestra is rare, concertos for two cellos and orchestra almost non-existent (...) The well-proportioned sound of the cellos blends perfectly with the attentive orchestra. Deutschlandfunk added: "This recording (...) sets new standards." The third album of this celebrated series continues the musical foray into the Vienna of the early 19th century with extraordinary rarities from Beethoven's contemporaries. Recorded with the WDR Symphony Orchestra and Mirijam Contzen on violin and Herbert Schuch on piano, the recording proves once again that there was far more to hear for Vienna music lovers than piano concertos by Mozart or symphonies by Beethoven. The album presents the Double Concerto for Violin and Piano from 1804 by the young Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) who followed the path of his teacher Mozart. Beethoven's teacher Antonio Salieri (1750-1825) wrote the great variations on the Baroque theme "La Follia di Spagna", which Salieri composed in 1815 as an interlude to Handel's Alexander's Feast. And with the Symphony in D Major by Bohemian Jan V�clav Vor�ek (1791-1825), Goebel rounds off this musical rarity program; the only symphony by the composer, who died at an early age, already points the way to the Romantic period in a pioneering manner. "Not to offer new readings of Beethoven's works for the Beethoven Year, but rarities from his environment, is an idea typical of Reinhardt Goebel, the tireless discoverer. (Rondo)"

Lang Lang has contributed to the soundtracks of blockbuster films like My Week with Marilyn and Kung Fu Panda 3. In this compilation, he also plays legendary original movie tunes in piano arrangements, as well as some all-time classics that found new fame when they were used as film music. A fascinating journey through the cinematic universe. Soundtrack albums and film score recordings are hardly in short supply. But when a pianist of Lang Lang's caliber illuminates the world of motion pictures with his artistry, it turns every piece and every movie into a special event. Features 2CELLOS, Herbie Hancock, Lindsey Stirling, Madeleine Peyroux & Maxim Vengerov.

Classical Music

2021 release. Chloe Flower is a visionary, a powerhouse, an icon, an activist, a fashion influencer, and so much more. Bridging the gap between classical and pop, Chloe's self-created Popsical genre embodies sweet melodies, epic strings, and hip-hop beats blending with impressive aplomb. Chloe has been working on her eponymous debut album for over a decade. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic not only changed Chloe's life, but also the course of her music. The stay-home period was a clear signal to take ownership and to create an album which matters and speaks volumes. Chloe's album is divided into three acts - (I) Innocence, (II) Suffering and (III) Hope - and book-ended by a prelude and finale that redefine classical crossover. It features spoken word from Deepak Chopra and an interpretation of Billie Eilish's chart-topping hit 'Bad Guy.' Of her album Chloe states: "I was thinking about the life cycle. You start with innocence; born with a clean slate. Throughout life there is suffering which hardens you. But there's always hope for change, something better. I want people to listen to the album as a whole body of work, which is why there is a prelude and finale in addition to the three acts. The ultimate goal was to make an album that inspires listeners and makes people hopeful. It's new and edgy - a sound that is authentic to me. Though my music doesn't have lyrics, I still have something to say."

The award-winning young Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna performs selected works by J.S. Bach and Philip Glass on the organ of the picturesque Himmerod Abbey in the Eifel, valley of the Salm, in Germany.

Get to hear Hans Zimmer’s greatest hits as you’ve never heard them before!

Sony Classical releases the double-album “The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration” in spring 2019. The album features the music from the Zimmer-curated “World of Hans Zimmer” international concert tour by Semmel Concerts.

For “The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration” Hans Zimmer has newly arranged his greatest hits and made them into electrifying concert suites for orchestra, choir and an impressive list of soloists.

Each concert suite features the most recognisable parts and melodies of a film score in the cohesive form of a new symphonic work. The album features such legendary scores as “The Dark Knight”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “Lion King”, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “M:i-2 Mission: Impossible 2”. A band of famous soloists and singers adds to the excitingly new listening experience. Amongst these accomplished musicians are several of Zimmer’s long-time musical collaborators such as Gavin Greenaway (musical director), Lisa Gerrard, multi-instrumentalist Pedro Eustache, and renowned opera singer Valentina Nafornita.

The recording took place at the famous traditional concert hall Wiener Konzerthaus featuring renowned ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and choir Neue Wiener Stimmen conducted by Martin Gellner in the course of the “Hollywood in Vienna” festival. “The World of Hans Zimmer – A Symphonic Celebration” also includes concert suites of the scores of “King Arthur”, “Pearl Harbor”, “Rush”, “Madagascar”, “Spirit”, “Kung Fu Panda”, “The Holiday”, “Hannibal”, “Gladiator” and “Inception”.

These days, when even the term "dreamers" is disputed territory, celebrating beauty is a political act. That is the beating heart of Dreamers, the collaboration between New York-based Mexican singer Magos Herrera and the string quartet Brooklyn Rider. The recording, released on September 21 on Sony Music Masterworks, includes gems of the Ibero-American songbook such as "Volver a los 17," (To Be 17 Again); "Cora�ao Vagabundo," (Vagabond Heart); and "Balderrama," as well as pieces written to texts by Octavio Paz, Rub�n Dar�o, and Federico Garc�a Lorca - all reimagined by a superb group of arrangers including Jaques Morelenbaum, Gonzalo Grau, Diego Schissi, Guillermo Klein and Brooklyn Rider's own Colin Jacobsen. The connecting thread is that the poets and songwriters featured on Dreamers came from places that have endured brutal state violence. Consider Violeta Parra, from Chile; Joao Gilberto, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, from Brazil; Gustavo "Cuchi" Leguizam�n, from Argentina and Garc�a Lorca, Spain. Poet, essayist and Nobel Prize winner Paz even resigned as Mexico's ambassador to India in 1968 to protest his government's violent repression of student demonstrations. "It is, first of all, an album of incredible songs, beautiful songs," says Herrera. But it's beauty with a purpose. The creators featured here, "were affected in different ways, but what transcends is their work, and their work represents love, " she says. "Love for humanity, love for democracy and the inspiration to dream. It's important to remember that every big change in history happened because someone dared to dream about it. This work is to inspire people to keep dreaming. "In fact, for Colin Jacobsen, the quartet's violinist and resident composer and arranger, Dreamers is a reminder that "beauty can come out of terrible situations. This year the world is celebrating the centenary of Leonard Bernstein and I think he has one of the great quotes: 'This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before'. "Dreamers was produced by Brooklyn Rider's violinist Johnny Gandelsman, whose production credits also include Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble's Grammy-winning album Sing Me Home (2016), and music for the Ken Burns' documentary TV series The Vietnam War. Herrera, who after studying in Los Angeles and Boston settled in New York City in 2008, has proven to be an intrepid jazz singer, and her attitude and skill has led her to intriguing pursuits. In recent years - and these are only some broad brushstrokes - she followed a jazz album of original songs (Distancia, 2009) with a tribute to Mexican composers from the Golden Era of the 1930s and 40s (Mexico Azul, 2011) before pivoting to collaborate with flamenco producer and guitarist Javier Lim�n (Dawn, 2014). Brooklyn Rider - Johnny Gandelsman, violin; Colin Jacobsen, violin; Nicholas Cords, viola; and Michael Nicolas, cello - also have made ignoring musical boundaries a defining element of their identity. They served notice with their debut recording Passport (2008), which included arrangements of Armenian folk songs, an arrangement of a song by Mexican rockers Caf� Tacuba and an original by Jacobsen, and have since continued to expand their repertoire to include music by composers as disparate as Philip Glass, Bj�rk, Vijay Iyer and Elvis Costello. They have also explored collaborations with artists such as banjoist B�la Fleck, Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, and Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor. "This is my first experience recording with strings and this is not just a string quartet, this is Brooklyn Rider," says Herrera. "They have been together for years and have their own way of working. For me it was jumping into the unknown. " "Working with Magos was very collaborative," recalled Jacobsen. "We wanted this to be a project where there was really space for Magos's singing but also for our playing, so it wasn't a jazz album where you have strings just as background, but something that is very integrated. " Dreamers includes three texts set to music composed by Herrera, two of them by Octavio Paz: "Ni�a" (Girl) and "Dreams" - from "C�ntaro Roto" (Broken Jug). "It's just a little fragment of one of his most amazing pieces, and it talks about dreaming," says Herrera. "I really wanted to sing this song in it's English version because that's the core of the album. I wanted everybody to understand it. " The third piece, "Tu y Yo,"(You and I) is based on a work by Nicaraguan poet Rub�n Dar�o. As for the choice of arrangers and matching them with specific songs, Jacobsen notes that "we wanted to have voices that really knew Magos, the singing tradition and the jazz vocabulary but also really knew string quartet vocabulary. "The title of the recording has many layers, but the main inspiration was obviously the current political scenario, and not only in the United States but around the world. As a Mexican woman artist, I wanted to change the narrative," says Herrera, who is a spokesperson for the United Nations campaign Unite to End Violence Against Women. "There's a narrative criminalizing immigrants and immigration. We wanted to express the dignity and beauty of these cultures. "For all the discussions about borders, walls, and the history and meaning of migration, perhaps there is no stronger argument on Dreamers about the power of music to transcend than Jacobsen's arrangement of "Balderrama. " Here's an Argentine folk song, made popular by singer Mercedes Sosa, that celebrates a pe�a, a restaurant-bar-cum-meeting-place for poets, writers and musicians in Salta, a province in the Northwest of Argentina. It seemingly couldn't be more of a local ditty - or, as it turns out, more universal. And Jacobsen also hears something else that speaks to the spirit of Dreamers. He first heard the song as part of the soundtrack for Steven Soderbergh�s Che, a biopic of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Ch�" Guevara. "He uses it very poignantly as the closing theme. I heard it and it just touched a chord in me. I fell in love with it. So when I first spoke with Magos about this project and she mentioned "Balderrama" I said 'yes' immediately," he recalls. "I told her we needed to do this project just because that one song is so beautiful - and also because I really wanted to arrange it. " But, he soberly notes, "Encoded in that song there is something pertinent to the whole project. Here is a celebration of Balderrama, a place where musicians and poets come together and a fire burns through the night for beauty, and the song asks 'where would we go if Balderrama goes out?' which is to say, if that place wasn't there, if that creative fire dies, then all would fall apart. I feel like that's a beautiful image for the whole project.

Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi first came to the U.S. in 1999 to participate in the Cleveland International Piano Competition. He won the First Prize, and embarked on a career that continues to extend across five continents. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, France, Antonio Pompa-Baldi also won a silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, as well as the Award for the Best Performance of a New Work. - Pompa-Baldi.com

Antonio Pompa-Baldi continues his series of recordings for Centaur devoted to the music of Edvard Grieg with the ever popular Piano Concerto.

All of the recordings of Reinhard Goebel's project "Beethoven's World" have received great attention and excellent reviews worldwide. "If the discovery of Beethoven contemporaries, which Goebel has just signed up for the Beethoven Year, continues in this way, it will be a fine year". (Welt am Sonntag). "This recording (...) sets new standards." (Deutschlandfunk). "An outstanding contribution to the Beethoven Year Once again, Reinhard Goebel's Beethoven Project impressively proves that there was more to hear in Vienna at the time than Mozart piano concertos and Beethoven symphonies." (NDR Kultur) are only a few of the excellent reviews.

With the fifth album of the series, Goebel concludes his outstanding musical foray into the Vienna of the early 19th century - and once again with rarities from Beethoven and his contemporaries: He recorded with the Munich Radio Orchestra the first movement of an early violin concerto by Beethoven which has only been handed down in fragments. He also recorded concertos and concert pieces by Anton Wranitzky (1761-1821) and Jan Václav Vo?íšek (1791-1821). In addition, the album presents the world premiere recording of a concert piece for horn and orchestra by Beethoven's childhood friend Antonín Reicha (1770-1836). The recordings were made with excellent soloists: The renowned interpreters Nils Mönkemeyer (viola), Yaara Tal (piano) as well as Sarah Christian (violin), Teresa Schwamm (viola) and Christoph Eß (horn.)

"With Solo Masterpieces, Grasso has gathered music from each of his first solo guitar EPs and melded them. The result is a masterful collection that allows audiences to revel in Grasso’s previous work whilst simultaneously creating an air of excitement for the music yet to be released. The series, which has received critical acclaim thus far, marks a turning point into the new decade and Solo Masterpieces is the encapsulation of the majesty within the music.

Many serious guitar heads have been hip to Grasso for a while now and are aware of his jaw-dropping online performance videos and his early career triumphs. In 2015, he won the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in New York City, taking home a $5,000 prize and performing with guitar legend Pat Martino’s organ trio. His Sony Masterworks series showcases his sweeping abilities in the most intimate setting possible. “Playing solo guitar is a very intimate experience for me, forcing me to find my own way of improvising on my favorite songs while directly facing the challenges that the guitar presents,” said Grasso.

The series acts as a study in the world of infinite possibilities held within a single instrument. “The key is always to try to find what works on your instrument, which is why studying classical guitar was so influential on how I hear music,” Grasso explains. “When playing classical guitar, it’s like you’re a little orchestra by yourself – you can sound like violin, cello, brass, eta. And technically, it has allowed me to develop original ways of playing my left and right hands independently while also trying to represent the bass and rhythm, with one note leading to the next.

“The fact is, growing up, other than the great Charlie Christian, I never really listened much to guitarists. It was usually pianists. In particular, when playing solo guitar, my initial inspiration came when I was seven years old, listening to the greats Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk. What always amazed me was that although they were playing alone, I felt I could hear the entire band with them.”

J.S. BACH SYKES, HARPSICHORD PARTITAS FOR KEYBOARD

NEW ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM LEAD

Review of an edition previously available of this same release:

These fine performances constitute the only complete cycle currently available of the 17 string quartets that pepper Villa-Lobos' entire career. The suite-like, five-movement No. 1, with its adorable "like a jumping bean" finale, is deceptive. Most of these are resoundingly neo-classical works full of acerbic harmonies and typically busy counterpoint, with few overtly nationalistic elements. Of course they sound just like Villa-Lobos, who was himself something of a "nationalistic element" when you come right down to it. The series reaches its culmination in the large works composed around the time of the Second World War, Nos. 7-11, which really do constitute landmark 20th century contributions to the form on a par with those of Shostakovich and Bartók.

For the most part, this is tough and serious music, and it receives tough and serious performances from the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, whose rhythmic verve and slightly astringent timbre works beautifully in clarifying the dense thicket of the composer's effusive counterpoint. Occasionally the very intensity of both music and performance becomes a bit overbearing, but then no one is suggesting that you listen to 17 quartets in a row. Overall, both the works themselves and these performances remain astonishingly consistent in quality. Sonically you couldn't ask for better. At a bargain price, this is a very attractive proposition for anyone who fancies either the composer or chamber music in general.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

October 2011 marked the 100th anniversary of the Hamburg premiere of Mahler’s Second Symphony. This release features music recorded from the previous year with the Hamburg Philharmonic under the direction of Simone Young. Michaela Kaune and Dagmar Pecková appear as the soloists, performing with the NDR Choir and the Latvia State Choir in an impressive interpretation of Mahler’s Second.

REVIEWS:

Hugely impressive, a must for all Mahlerians...the heroine of the hour is Simone Young.

Mahler’s Resurrection has been much recorded in recent years, so much so that new versions prompt one to groan inwardly and mutter: ‘Not another one’. Such ubiquity has its price, for any newcomer has to be something out of the ordinary if it’s to have any impact. Of recent releases David Zinman (Sony-BMG), Jonathan Nott (Tudor) and James Levine (Orfeo) definitely belong in this category; Vladimir Jurowski (LPO) and Markus Stenz (Oehms) manifestly don’t. And now Oehms are taking another bite out of the cherry, with the Hamburg orchestra led by their chief conductor Simone Young.

But does this strategy pay off? First impressions are highly favorable; Young adopts sensible speeds and a generally spacious approach that really lets the music breathe. As for the orchestra, they play like a group of chamber musicians, each miraculous contribution dovetailing neatly with the next. Textures have a shot-silk quality that’s especially attractive, putting Oehms’ Super Audio efforts for Stenz to shame. And climaxes are superbly judged as well, expanding without any sense of strain; as for the soundstage, it’s as broad as it is deep, perspective natural and timbres vividly registered.

This lightness of touch – not to be confused with lightweight – is such a relief after the heavy-handedness of some rivals, especially in the affectionate phrasing of the Andante. Young doesn’t dawdle, the music as fleet-footed as one could wish for, the silken strings lifting Mahler’s lovely tunes and really making them sing. There’s little of the tugging and misjudged tempo relationships that mar so many readings of this symphony; that tends to underline this conductor’s unwavering sense of clarity and purpose, qualities that I yearn for – but don’t always find – in this glorious work.

This tautness of conception and ensemble continues in the Scherzo...As for the woodwinds, they’re alert and idiomatic, the lower brass growling with the best of them. But it’s the liquidity of rhythm that’s most telling here. Young presses on without ever seeming rushed or perfunctory. Indeed, that’s another aspect of this performance that demands a mention; none of Mahler’s quirkier passages is ignored or sidelined. The music is in a constant – and intoxicating – state of efflorescence. This really is Mahler playing of the highest order, magnificently recorded

Young builds and maintains tension throughout. The sudden eruptions are entirely expected and, more important, suitably scaled. Just sample the outburst at 8:04; it’s massive without being ponderous or overdriven. Moreover, it’s not as histrionic as some, which fits in well with Young’s clear-eyed view of this score. I know Klaus Tennstedt’s recently released live Resurrection has its devotees, but its extreme soul-baring strikes me as self-serving and, ultimately, self-defeating. While the LPO play this music as if to the manner born, the Hamburg playing is more sharply characterized. They’re precise but not at all pedantic, every nuance and instrumental strand is uncovered in the most easeful way.

...the cataclysm that follows is truly thunderous, Young dimming the lights as it were, so that when the Resurrection motif appears it glows beautifully in the inky darkness. It’s an effective piece of theatre that works this time round. Although the passages that follow aren’t as broad as they can be, they’re alive with incident and chockful of detail. This really is a most impressive recording, every bit as immersive as Nott’s Super Audio disc. Indeed, the crack of timps here is just as arresting as it is on the high-tech Tudor one; oh, and I’d love to know what tam-tams the Hamburg band use, as they pack a mighty shimmer.

Young presses on, but there’s so much in which to revel – helped by the fact that the orchestra keeps its composure throughout – that one isn’t aware of just how swift she is from this point on. It’s incredibly exciting, the offstage contributions rather distant but just audible above the hike in ambient noise.

Again one can only marvel at the subtle instrumental and vocal shading the engineers extract from this acoustic. It’s a pity the soloists aren’t ideally secure, but what a heart-racing sense of anticipation Young conjures here - what trembling inexorability, that throwaway harp figure like the rending of a veil. Although the organ isn’t very prominent the tam-tams are simply stunning, the closing pages as death-defiant as ever.

What a glorious coda to this double centenary, with its hits and misses, and what a triumph for Oehms[.] But the heroine of the hour is Simone Young who, while no stranger to these symphonies, here confirms her Mahlerian credentials in a most emphatic fashion. Despite one or two minor caveats, this Resurrection belongs in the select company of recent issues from Zinman, Nott and Levine, all of whom bring something memorable to this oft-played score. Hugely impressive, a must for all Mahlerians.

-- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

Take in the vibrant colors of flutes and strings in this new album devoted to two somewhat rebel representatives of the German late baroque, Telemann and Quantz. Disobeying their parents in order to persevere in music, they were also able to distance themselves from certain burdens of the past to propose fresh and galant music. The spirited playing of flutists Claire Guimond and Alexa Raine-Wright, as well as the warm tone of violist Jean-Louis Blouin will more than do justice to these charming and lively works. Arion Baroque Orchestra Founded in 1981 in Montreal, Arion Baroque Orchestra is now a cornerstone in the world of early music on period instruments in Quebec and Canada. The clarity and freshness of Arion’s interpretations have been remarked upon since its first concerts; the delicacy of its readings of well-chosen and varied works has never wavered in more than 30 years. Constant attention to detail has earned the orchestra, led by the enlightened artistic vision of flutist Claire Guimond, a place among the most renowned early music ensembles in North America and throughout the world. The Orchestra offers a prestigious Montreal concert Series at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Bourgie Concert Hall featuring more than twenty musicians and with the participation of internationally renowned guest conductors. Arion has hosted such celebrated conductors as Stefano Montanari, Jaap ter Linden, Monica Huggett, Christophe Rousset, Barthold Kuijken, Rachel Podger and Elizabeth Wallfisch, to name just a few. Arion has been awarded many prizes and grants and tours regularly in the United States, Mexico, Europe and Japan, as well as Quebec and Canada.

In this recording, the performers have created various ensemble combinations featuring the instruments Francois Chauvon (1710-40) specifies, thus giving rise to interesting contrasts of timbre and texture. These musicians bring passion and a taste for discovery of chamber music; and are undisputedly among the best players in North America of their respective instruments in the filed of Early Music.

Sono Luminus is proud to release Two Lutes: Lute Duets from England’s Golden Age, a wonderful collection of enchanting music performed by lute virtuosos Ronn McFarlane and William Simms.

As stated by Ronn McFarlane, “Elizabethan lute duets yield the most companionable and friendly kind of music-making for the players. In equal duets each lutenist plays nearly the same music, alternating playing the melody and the harmonic accompaniment. It feels like a conversation, with each lutenist posing musical questions and answers throughout. Each player is free to improvise upon the written part, so the conversation can be very individual and spontaneous! On the other hand, in the treble-ground style of lute duet, one lutenist plays a single line melodic part (usually including some virtuosic passages) while the second lutenist plays a chordal accompaniment. Sometimes the chordal accompaniment is very simple and repetitive, and it is likely that a skilled player would vary his part to make a more musically satisfying accompaniment.”

REVIEWS:

"Casual pronouncements are made every so often that the lute songs of Elizabethan England were the pop music of their day. The lutenist is said to be the 16th-century version of the guitar hero — a solitary character who played in courts and developed a moody, quixotic reputation. Movies and popular culture have portrayed lutes as being for the odd county fair minstrel, or the hapless suitor serenading a fair maiden.

But lute music wasn’t entirely a solo pursuit. During the high English renaissance (roughly 1570-1620) composers wrote more than 80 works for lute duet. In these, each lutenist plays nearly the same music, alternating between melody and accompaniment. On "Two Lutes," the lutenists Ronn McFarlane and William Simms recapture nearly 30 of these duets, most of which are seldom performed today...

About one-third of the songs on the collection come from the pen of John Johnson, England’s Royal lutenist, who served Queen Elizabeth I during the first years of her reign. They include the scampering “Trenchmore,” the reflective “The Delight Pavan,” and the rollicking “The Queen’s Treble.” Also featured are several songs by Thomas Robinson, a Danish court composer who projected the inward, melancholic quality of the instrument in songs like “Passemezo Galliard” and “A Plaine Song.”

The third major name on the album is the self-styled king of the lute, John Dowland, who is represented with two songs tinged with refined sadness. Rounding out the collection are some anonymous numbers including the ever-popular “Greensleeves.” However obscure the majority of this music is, Simms and McFarlane approach the recording with an air of warmth and accessibility."

-- WQXR, Album of the Week [July 29, 2012]

This unique recording of Ronn McFarlane's original music composed for the Lute, enables Indigo Road to bridge the gap between traditional and modern music. All of the compositions were originally conceived as solos, however McFarlane adds parts for bass, flute, harp, percussion, cittern, harmonium and string quartet to several of the tunes, in order to heighten individual mood and character. McFarlane has made a recording of very accessible music as he stays true to the title song, 'Indigo Road', which signifies a spiritual path or the road we take through life. The pieces take the listener down aural roads from one composition to the next: from the peaks of Denali, to Pinetops, into a storming sky in Blue Norther an across Uncharted Waters...we are transported to the future through dreams and left feeling wistful and nostalgic as if remembering the distant past.

This new release is a full album of hymn favorites written by Charles Wesley. Wesley is one of the greatest hymn writers in history, penning over 6,000! Included are titles such as 'Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," and "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing." The Choral Arts Society of Washington, founded in 1965, has experienced monumental success, performing with the national Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and many more. The Chamber Singers is a small ensemble of thrity, launched on the Society's fiftieth anniversary. Scott Tucker, artistic director for the chorus, has prepared choruses for Christoph Eschenbach, Vassilly Sinalsky, Marin Alsop, among others. J. Reilly Lewis, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and The Julliard School, is a world renowned organist and is the Music Director of the Cathedral Choral Society.

Telemann, G.P.: Les tresors caches

WECKMAN Complete Organ Works • Hans Davidsson (org); Ulrike Heider, cond; Sweden Schola Gothia • LOFT 1065–67 (3 CDs: 196:29)

Matthew Weckman was born in Niederdorla, Germany, around 1616, and died in 1674. While familiar to many musicians, he hardly is a household name, even among serious record collectors. Hans Davidsson and Loft Recordings have left no stone unturned in an effort to expose Weckman to a wider public. This really is a labor of love. The packaging and background information are the finest I have seen in a long time. The layout is beautiful. The text is well written. There are two different inserts, either of which would have been satisfying. Davidsson wrote his dissertation on Weckman and the first insert provides highlights of his exhaustive research, and a lifetime of study and performance. This also includes descriptions of each selection on the three CDs. The second booklet gives details on organ registration employed in the 17th century by Weckman and others, and the registration used in this recording. This may sound dry but it is not.

Davidsson places Weckman in historical context: when he learned to play; the experiences that helped him learn to compose; his experiences in Denmark and other stops on his journey through life. While growing up in Dresden, he was exposed to crosscurrents that were reshaping music in Europe, including influences from Italy and England, the Netherlands, and Northern Germany. Davidsson explains how these forces and trends came together for Weckman. And in the recording, we hear the elements unfold, illuminated by Davidsson’s insights. In the process, he demonstrates why Weckman is “without doubt one of the most important musical personalities of Germany in the seventeenth century.”

The music? When I asked an organist friend about Weckman, he laughed, and gave me a one word response: “Boring.” Yes, this is not the most electric music in the world and some of it could be described as boring. But, perhaps prejudiced by the outstanding packaging and recording, I found every section transformed into an insightful window into a faraway world. Many of his organ words are based on chorales and this recording includes these chorales, expertly sung by Schola Gothia. The organ is the North German Baroque Organ, captured in beautiful sound.

I enjoyed this album immensely. It was a fascinating and surprisingly enriching experience. Perhaps more than anything else, this provided new respect for Weckman, and greater appreciation for his role in music history. The recording, like the packaging, is spectacular. Highly recommend, particularly to organists and students of music history.

FANFARE: John E. Roos