MEMENTO

Vinyl LP pressing. NYC bass wizard Alexander Claffy brings his favorite musicians back to hallowed Philly ground on this live album recorded at Chris' Jazz where he has played since he was 14. A full circle moment captured on tape, across two nights. This is the first of two volumes of live experimentation featuring the stellar lineup of Seamus Blake, Kevin Hays, Bill Stewart, Jaleel Shaw and Sean Jones.

ALIVE IN PHILADELPHIA 1

RAGOLOGY

After his storied stint with Ray Charles and years of solo LPs on Atlantic, Hank came to Kudu in the '70s. This funk-soul-jazz delight from '75 teams his sax with Bob James, Randy Brecker and Pepper Adams among others; the title Stevie Wonder tune joins Sho Is Funky; Groovy Junction; Jana, and more!

CHOPIN: POLONAISES, ETC ALEXA

Classical Music

Chopin: Waltzes & Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 53

"[This collection] shows Richard Stoltzman, with his succulent tone and infectious bravura (so easily displayed in the finale of the Weber and the very operatic Rossini Variations), at his best...One tends to think of Weber's concertos as being rather more than halfway between the classical and romantic traditions, here the romanticism is very much in the ascendent. But overall the performance of the F minor Concerto combines a lively impetus in the outer movements with warmth in the Adagio whilst the orchestra—notably the horns—add much to the listener's enjoyment."

-- Ivan March, Gramophone [10/1989]

Who is Nikolai Korndorf? Have no fear, if the name is unfamiliar to you at present the ensuing popularity (which I’m sure this disc will attract) will have it tripping off the tongue as readily as Gorecki, Part, Schnittke or Tavener. For the uninitiated (and that included myself prior to hearing this release) Korndorf was born in Moscow in 1947 and started out as an 'avant-garde' composer, but (and here’s where he shares similarities with the names listed above) he suddenly changed to a more tonal, simple and above all spiritual style in the early 1980s. In 1991 he moved to Vancouver, Canada, and since then his music has been steadily gaining admirers and exponents in the West.

Sharing the same title, and possibly general sentiments, Korndorf’s three orchestral Hymns would appear to constitute a cycle but, as Korndorf himself has said, he prefers that they should not be performed or considered as such. However, this debut disc offers us Hymns II and III, though I would strongly echo the composer’s wishes and urge listeners to program a suitable break before moving from Hymn II to III. In terms of musical style the works presented on this disc share much in common with Gorecki’s Third Symphony – slow moving, seamless textures, minimal material, peaking climaxes and, in Hymn III, an ethereal, wordless soprano part. If anything Korndorf’s music is even more static than either Gorecki or Part, and generally the impression is of vertical rather than linear movement – walls of ‘bell-like’ pulsating chords dominate and seem to suggest a kind of ‘summoning prelude’ to a great event – Korndorf himself would suggest perhaps the dawning of a new spiritual age.

Hymn III was composed in response to a commission by the Kohler-Osbahr Foundation for a piece in honour of Gustav Mahler, and there are certainly Mahlerian echoes to be found here – not least the off-stage trumpets heard at the beginning and the high sustained string texture which recall the First Symphony. Generally speaking, if you have enjoyed the sound world of Gorecki and Part then you will probably enjoy discovering Korndorf too. As for the performances, the BBC Symphony Orchestra play this music with great conviction and the soprano solo in Hymn III is beautifully delivered by Catherine Bott.

-- Michael Stewart, Gramophone

A while ago, when commenting on Michael Nyman's "The Piano," I spoke (or pontificated, rather) to some colleagues regarding my dismay over Nyman's 'art.' I mention guilty pleasures on occasion, but a greater potential irrationality of criticism is the personal determination of whether one should praise certain scores or composers for daring to be abstract, or lambaste them for not getting their points across. I have done both, with disliked emphasis on the latter, when listening to Nyman's compositions. It is with "The End of the Affair," performed by the Michael Nyman Orchestra, that I realize I ought to place my views firmly, diplomatically in the middle.

The music really depends on how the listener feels, as opposed to being the sort of film score that alters how he feels. Reliant on the mood and the focus of attention, the score delights as confidently as it bores. It stands precariously on the divide between art and self-importance. Its incessant, top heavy strings play ad nauseam -- will they never end? -- but the themes they play indulge in the attention. It is exceedingly predictable, just as a fair deal of minimalist music is. And compared to the film scores of minimalist Philip Glass it is neither technically brilliant nor dramatically solid. It is challenging primarily to the amplitude of one's attempt to fall in love with its tedium. Cinematic evolution gets thrown out of the window for a beginning, middle, and end that are practically unidentifiable from one another. As I am not a huge supporter of the minimalist music movement I may be missing some key thought, others may see this score far differently, but to my ears it reaches a point of despotic annoyance. Call me unfashionable. Yet I cannot help praising "The End of the Affair" for its abstract grandeur. The scope, though minimal, gets the most out of the repeating elements, and the cues, taken individually as small concert works rather than part of a theatrical whole, become fascinating essays in contemporary classical music. Nyman has an unconventional way with counterpoint (and lack thereof) that is lush and thoroughly amazing, and the themes are memorable and inhabit the soundscape aggressively well. When these ideas stick out from the common backdrop, it is mesmerizing.

What fascinates me most personally is that this is one of the few soundtracks I know of featuring such a strong dichotomy... I am not sure I appreciate it...

-- Jeffrey Wheeler, MusicWeb International

Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Classical Music

This is not a particularly generous collection: it was originally published in 1983 but never previously issued in the UK. It shows Richard Stoltzman, with his succulent tone and infectious bravura (so easily displayed in the finale of the Weber and the very operatic Rossini Variations), at his best, while the Mozart Andante, if it is to be transcribed for clarinet, needs a lighter touch: here the rich, rather deliberate phrasing loses the music's simplicity and charm. In the Weber the orchestral tuttis are somewhat hefty for a group called the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, but this is primarily the effect of the resonant acoustics of the unnamed hall where the recording was made. One tends to think of Weber's concertos as being rather more than halfway between the classical and romantic traditions; here the romanticism is very much in the ascendent. But overall the performance of the F minor Concerto combines a lively impetus in the outer movements with warmth in the Adagio whilst the orchestra—notably the horns—add much to the listener's enjoyment.

-- Ivan March, Gramophone [10/1989, reviewing RCA 60035]

MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS 17 & 1

SIBELIUS: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4

Born in China in 1953, Chen Yi is a prolific composer who blends Chinese and Western traditions, transcending cultural and musical boundaries. Kennesaw State plays sections from Chinese Folk Songs, Vol. 1 and Vol. 3. Recorded from 2010-2014 in Morgan Concert Hall at Kennesaw State University, featuring the orchestra, chamber ensembles and wind ensemble.

Glazunov, A.K.: Orchestral Works, Vol. 12 - Symphonies Nos.

RACHMANINOV: Symphony No. 2

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

SCHNITTKE: Piano Quintet / String Trio / Stille Musik

This disc features Jamaican jazz giant and "father of Ska" Ranglin, and a host of guest celebrity musicians. The music was recorded in REAL HD-Audio at 96kHz, 24-bit PCM, and is presented in DOLBY TrueHD.

Also available on standard DVD

Also Available, a two disc set: Love’s Labour’s Lost & Love's Labour’s Won, on DVD and Blu-ray.