FETE FRANCAISE

Perhaps no pair of singers on record has interpreted this cycle of 46 songs with such natural accomplishment as Irmgard Seefried and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. They made this recording near the end of the 1950s - at the height of Seefried's career and near the start of Fischer-Dieskau's, and it's qualities of both freshness and delight in response to the text and vocal beauty have stood the test of time. The singers performed the cycle together live at the 1958 Salzburg Festival to an ordering devised by the pianist for the occasion and Seefried's regular accompanist, Erik Werba. In the DG studios a few months later, however, Fischer-Dieskau was joined by his own regular instrumental partner at the time, J�rg Demus. Meanwhile the subtly different responses of both pianists - Werba fuller-toned than Demus, whose pointed articulation owes something to his work on 'period' instruments - offer food for both thought and pleasure. Without attempting to concoct a storyline, Werba's ordering allows the poetry's depictions of woman and man to contrast with and complement each other. A spirited opening group is followed by one which is predominantly lyrical, illustrating the need for love, the woman's surrender and then wavering, a manly longing for death, a farewell, and appeal to sworn fidelity. The closing section juxtaposes a declaration of love, humor, mockery, caricature, resignation and finally boasting, with the soprano's jubilant 'confession' that she has 21 lovers. All four musicians fully bring to life the emotions of elation, joy, anger and irony in Wolf's songs. Fischer-Dieskau's second recording (with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Gerald Moore for EMI) is justly famous in it's own right, but the magic of this DG recording lies in the unaffected ease of his partnership with Seefried.

VIA CRUCIS

Meditative yet propulsive. Structured yet sprawling. Gossamer yet muscular. Inspired yet meticulously constructed. METHOD MUSIC by Lawrence Ball is all of these and more, a double album of highly adventurous electronic music by a master innovator of algorithmic composition. But this album possesses a unique and illustrious lineage that, despite the clear difference in style and genre, connects it to one of the most famous works in the rock music repertoire - the ideas behind METHOD MUSIC are both the outgrowth and the foundation of the legendary LIFEHOUSE project by Pete Townshend, the conceptualize and co-producer of the album, and presents a theoretical system of musical portraiture in which a listener's personal data is translated into a unique composition.

Includes cantata(s) by Johann Sebastian Bach. Ensembles: English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir. Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner. Soloists: Katherine Fuge, Gillian Keith, Robin Tyson, Nathalie Stutzmann, Christoph Genz, Jonathan Brown, Peter Harvey.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

There are not many so-called 'standard' songs on this CD but the observant reader may already have noticed that it presents several Schiller texts in alternative settings, ranging from very early (Des M�dchens Klage D6 is Schubert's first song - bar one) to very near the end of the composer's life. It is instructive to compare and see the quite different approach to the same text at different times. Listening to Schubert songs is always life-enhancing and even if not all of them are masterpieces there are constantly interesting turns of phrase or just a beautiful melody that is a pleasure to listen to, especially when sung so well as Lothar Odinius does here. This disc is from beginning to end Schubert singing on the highest possible level.

Fernando Suarez Paz joined the Quinteto Nuevo Tango at the request of Astor Piazzolla in 1978, and he toured with the ensemble until their disbandment in 1988. In his decade of performing alongside Piazzolla, Paz recorded 18 albums all over the world. The first track on this album, Escualo by Piazzolla, is dedicated to Fernando Suarez Paz. The New York Times gave Paz a 7-star rating after his performances alongside vibraphonist Gary Burton at various jazz festivals across Europe, Japan, and the United States. Fernando’s son, Leonardo Suarez Paz is featured on this release. Leonardo grew up alongside Astor Piazzolla and was mentored by both Piazzolla and his father. He directs tango projects all over the globe, and his productions have appeared in such venues as the Lincoln Center in New York, and the Teatro Colon Opera House in Buenos Aires.

Some of the world’s greatest sacred masterpieces are heard on this disc, performed by some of the world’s leading vocal ensembles. The journey ranges from Thomas Tallis’s extraordinary Spem in alium to César Franck’s immortal Panis angelicus. Pergolesi’s Stabat mater is a masterpiece of the early eighteenth century. Mozart, who as a 14-year-old had copied out Allegri’s Miserere from memory, is represented by his beautiful Ave verum corpus. It is impossible to omit the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria from a journey that crosses geographical borders and spans the centuries.

Classical Music

The stature and recognized genius of Mozart’s late operas, including Don Giovanni has forever transcended the considerable changes in performance traditions and audience tastes. Appreciation for a previous generation’s approach to this work can be heard on this live 1952 performance from Aix-en-Provence starring a fine, if not wholly well-remembered singing cast that includes Leonie Rysanek, Léopold Simoneau, Heinz Ruhfuss, Marcello Cortis and Carla Martinis. Hans Rosbaud, a conductor who has undergone some critical reassessment in the last few years, conducts.

Classical Music

It's hard to believe that this is the King's Singers' 40th anniversary season, but this newly recorded program comes as part of the celebration. Of course, over the years the names have changed, the record labels have changed, but the group of six male singers continues to do what it's always done: perform a near-limitless range of repertoire with exceptional technical polish, assured sense of style, and captivating personality, spiced with occasional humor and always conveying the sheer joy of singing, whether in a Byrd motet, a folksong arrangement, or a Beatles tune.

For listeners who primarily identify with the King's Singers' classical-oriented programs, you should know that this is definitely not a "classical" album. Rather, nearly half of the songs are pop tunes (from James Taylor to Billy Joel to Paul Simon and Sting), and the rest--spirituals, ballads, and folksongs--feature arrangements that place them squarely in that genre. Of course, those arrangements are typically first-rate, owing primarily to the expertise of current ensemble member Philip Lawson and former King's Singer Bob Chilcott, both of whom have long experience supplying the group with fresh, original musical creations. New to this CD are Lawson's settings of Sting's "Valparaiso", Paul Simon's "April Come She Will", Randy Newman's "When She Loved Me", and James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes".

Besides appreciating the impeccable vocals and clever, invariably entertaining arrangements of well-known songs ("Deep River", "Steal Away", "She's Always a Woman"), you can't help but notice--and possibly be distracted by--the sound, whose highly processed quality and close perspective can make the voices seem both uncomfortably near and otherworldly. It's a sonic cast--all done in a studio--that's quite different from other King's Singers recordings; some listeners will love it, others will, well, have to get used to it. And certainly, if you love this group--and who doesn't?--you've probably already reserved a place on the shelf.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Tracks:
She’s Always a Woman (Billy Joel, arr. Philip Lawson)
You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor, arr. Philip Lawson)
Greensleeves (Trad. English, arr. Bob Chilcott)
The Gift to be Simple (Trad. American, arr. Bob Chilcott)
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Trad. Spiritual, arr. Peter Knight)
Helplessly Hoping (Stephen Stills, arr. Philip Lawson)
Deep River (Trad. Spiritual, arr. Philip Lawson)
Black is the Color (Trad. American/Scottish, arr. Bob Chilcott)
I Love my Love (Trad. English, arr. Philip Lawson)
The Water is Wide (Trad. English, arr. Philip Lawson)
When She Loved Me (Randy Newman, arr. Philip Lawson)
Valparaiso (Sting, arr. Philip Lawson)
The Turtle Dove (Trad. English, arr. Philip Lawson)
April Come She Will (Paul Simon, arr. Philip Lawson)
Steal Away (Trad. Spiritual, arr. Bob Chilcott)
You are the New Day (John David, arr. Peter Knight)

Includes work(s) by John Rutter.

This collection of music from the Eton Choirbook, the vast collection of English sacred music from the early Renaissance, is the third in an acclaimed series by Stephen Darlington and the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. A thrilling encounter with the remarkable world of the liturgy of Eton College Chapel in the late 15th century!

A double album of new works to confirm Chilcott’s status as one of the most popular choral composers of today. The Angry Planet ('An Environmental Cantata' commissioned for the BBC Proms in 2012) sees the precision and skill of the BBC Singers and The Bach Choir conflated with the exuberance of a veritable army of young singers.

CANTATAS

One of Boston's premier choirs, The Copley Singers draw from British and American traditions with both unusual and familiar arrangements of holiday favorites.

I Wander as I Wander' was recorded at Harvard Memorial Church with the Copley Singers, a professional choir under the direction of Brian Jones (who for many years was the Music Director at Trinity Church, Copley Square in Boston). It includes a number of first recordings and unusual arrangements which utilizes the newly installed but vintage 1932 Aeoline-Skinner organ. The version of 'We Three Kings' alone is worth listening to this biannual recording from Gothic.

Parnassus Records is pleased to release a follow-up to their acclaimed "Black Swans" anthology, which returned to international availability extraordinarily rare early recordings of African-American opera singers. The new release, "Black Swans at Mid-Century", contains over two hours of music and focuses on Black artists of the mid-twentieth century.

Classical Music

World Premiere recording! This Mass has come down to US as a single manuscript source, dated 1689 and kept in the Archive of the Holy House Shrine in Loreto. The manuscript is archaic not only in looks but also in content, disposition of the parts, and notation. It is difficult not to think of this Missa as a devout testament offered by Legrenzi to the Virgin of Loreto.

Recording in an excellent acoustic the Chandos sound team has excelled with well balanced and forthright sonics. Full Latin and French texts are provided together with English translations. Under Andrew Nethsingha's assured direction the choir sing with integrity and a profound devotional intensity. The organists in the Vierne accompany the choir with convincing weight and scale. If the repertoire suits there is absolutely no reason to hesitate about purchasing this Chandos release.

– Michael Cookson, MusicWeb International

Following on the success of their 2011 release Nordic Sounds, Peter Dijkstra and the Swedish Radio Choir return with a second volume of music in the series, this time focusing on the use of traditional Swedish folk songs in contemporary choral music. The disc's repertoire ranges from Jan Sandstrom's arrangements of improvised folk songs of the Sami people - whose singing is among the earliest continuing vocal traditions of Europe - to recent works such as the sixteen-part Kosijat by Jaakko Montyjorvi, one of the best-known contemporary composers in Finland. The disc concludes with Anders Hillborg's twelve-minute Muoayiayaoum which explores a phonetic sequence of vowels that open and close. The level of vocal virtuosity that Dijkstra elicits from his singers is breathtaking and the choir's performances are a lesson in vocal precision.