REVIEWS OF THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTION:

“Both the freshest and funniest show on Broadway, and it establishes some sort of standard in skill, taste and comic dexterity ... In style and taste A Thurber Carnival is wonderful – a glorious world of meaningful nonsense.” ATKINSON, The Times

“Completely captivating ... between the meaningful silences and the great guffaws there are dandy chuckles ... A Thurber Carnival is sheer delight ... The whole thing is dandy. And very advanced.” KERR, Herald Tribune

“About as agreeably comic as it can be ... very often we find ourselves laugh- ing at what was said a couple of lines ago ... From the opening dance ... we feel perfectly adjusted to the dry cli- mate of (Mr. Thurber’s) unostentatious humor ... (and) comfortably participating in the chaos of our times.” HEWES, Saturday Review

“A tonic anthology of the great man’s work compiled by himself, and easily the funniest show on Broadway ... music which is unfailingly spruce and witty.” TYNAN, The New Yorker

“If there is one proposition upon which every intelligent English-speaking man, woman and child is in hearty agree- ment, it is that James Thurber is incom- parable as wit, humorist and sage ... (A Thurber Carnival) is a civilized joy ... there is cause for nothing but delight.” WATTS, Post

“A joyous, magnificently lunatic festival ... anybody who shuns this house of laughter is crazy...” CHAPMAN, News

COMPLETE TRACK LIST:

1 . OPENING 2:30 Don Elliott Quartet
2 . WORD DANCE (PART I) 4:56 Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, John McGiver, Alice Ghostley, Peter Turgeon, Wynne Miller, Margo Lungreen, Charles Braswell
3 . THE NIGHT THE BED FELL 10:00 Tom Ewell
4 . THE UNICORN IN THE GARDEN 2:58 Narrator: Peter Turgeon Man: Paul Ford She: Alice Ghostley Psychiatrist: John McGiver Policeman: Charles Braswell
5 . THE LITTLE GIRL AND THE WOLF 1:37 Narrator: Peggy Cass Wolf: Paul Ford Little Girl: Wynne Miller
6 . MEMORIAL TO A DOG 5:02 Tom Ewell
7 . CASUALS OF THE KEYS 8:10 Visitor: John McGiver Darrel Darke: Paul Ford
8 . THE LAST FLOWER 3:16 Tom Ewell
9 . FILE AND FORGET 13:29 James Thurber: Tom Ewell Miss Bagley: Margo Lungreen Miss Alma Wineage: Peggy Cass Miss Wynne: Wynne Miller Jeannette Gaines: Alice Ghostley Clint Jordan: Paul Ford H.F. Cluffman: John McGiver
10 . WORD DANCE (PART II) 3:06 Tom Ewell, Peggy Cass, Paul Ford, John McGiver, Alice Ghostley, Peter Turgeon, Wynne Miller, Margo Lungreen, Charles Braswell, Don Elliott Quartet

A Thurber Carnival opened at the ANTA Theatre in New York City on February 26, 1960 and ran for 223 performances, with a break from June 25 to September 5. It closed on November 26, 1960.

Produced for records by GODDARD LIEBERSON.

2022 release. With a career spanning over half a century, marked by influential collaborations with jazz greats like Miles Davis and Joe Henderson as well as several dozen genre-bending leader dates, it's all the more striking that this is in fact John Scofield's first ever guitar-solo recording. The long wait, however, pays off, as John is able to benefit from his decades of experience and charts an intimate path through the styles and idioms he has traversed up until today. He is not entirely all on his own on this endeavour though: the guitarist enters into dialogues with himself, soloing to his own tasteful chordal and rhythmic accompaniment via loop machine. John's main emphasis throughout the years, however, has remained his deep commitment to the jazz tradition, and here he grabs a number of standards off the rack and gives them unique interpretations.

Preceded by Nove Cantici per Francesco d'Assisi and Virtue (for Julian of Norwich), Teresa de �vila is the third and final CD in Zorn's trilogy inspired by towering figures of Christian mysticism. Written for the all-star acoustic guitar trio of Bill Frisell, Julian Lage and Gyan Riley whose performances are steeped in a feeling of love and mutual respect, the music is both beautifully simple and strangely complex, drawing equally on classical modernism, bluegrass, jazz, Jewish and renaissance music. Filled with compositional surprises, mysterious moods, beautiful harmonies and a stunning lyricism, Teresa de �vila is a must-have for all fans of acoustic guitar music. This is one of the most personal and varied books of music Zorn has yet written-a lovely tribute to the enduring legacy of one of the world's most beloved spiritual figures. Includes an extended appreciation by renown philosopher Arnold Davidson.

Heaven and Earth Magick showcases Zorn's fabulous and compelling blending of classical virtuosic instrumental writing with the improvisational world of Jazz. Completely notated works for piano and vibraphone brilliantly performed by Steve Gosling and Sae Hashimoto are set against a dynamic improvisational rhythm section of Jorge Roeder and Ches Smith. An exciting new musical world filled with an exhilarating sense of drama and a mischievous wit. Zorn's unique mastery of instrumental writing and wild improvisational conducting skills are here in all their thorny complexity. Essential! Auto-da-F� * Ac�phale * Asclemandres * Descent into the Maelstrom * Konx Om Pax * Casting the Runes

LECUONA TORINO; POLISH RADIO S.O./BARTOS THE PIANO MUSIC

John Williams is one of the greatest classical guitarists of the modern era, introducing a previously highly specialist area of repertoire to a wider audience through his virtuoso expertise on the Spanish guitar. Guitar historian Graham Wade has stated that "John is the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen." Born in Australia in 1941, his family moved to the UK when he was 11, and having been taught by his guitarist father, he studied with Andres Segovia in Italy, before attending the Royal College of Music from 1956-59, and making his first performance at the Wigmore Hall in 1958. The first of these recordings was made very soon after that. This excellent value 2-CD collection comprises the complete contents of his first three solo LP releases, which were "Guitar Recital Vol. 1" and "Guitar Recital Vol. 2" for the Delyse label in 1958 and 1959, followed a couple of years later by "A Spanish Guitar" for the Westminster label. The selections performed feature two Bach Cello Suites transcribed by John Duarte, Twelve Preludes composed by Manuel Maria Ponce, a Sonatina by Federico Torroba, and a number of other individual pieces by those and other Spanish and Italian composers, including Domenico Scarlatti, Paquita Madriguera, Alexandre Tansman, Enrique Granados, Antonio Lauro and Andres Segovia himself. It is an absorbing and fascinating scene-setter for his illustrious career, showcasing his prodigious talent and mastery of his instrument even at this early stage.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Ottorino Respighi's Roman Trilogy (the tone poems Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome and Roman Festivals) holds a very special place in the orchestral repertory, challenging almost any other composition for sheer sonic audience appeal. Spectacular scenes such as Fontana di Trevi in the glitter of the mid-day sun, children playing under the pine-trees of the Villa Borghese or gladiators fighting at Circus Maximus provided the masterly orchestrator with the opportunity to employ the full palette of the large-scale symphony orchestra, to which he added various instruments, including organ, piano, celesta, glockenspiel, mandolin and tambourines. In fact, in the third part of the Pines of Rome Respighi went even further and specified, for the first time ever in classical music, the use of a gramophone, playing a recording of a nightingale singing. As a result, these works glitter, shimmer, blare and thunder: a true feast for the ear which here has found worthy exponents in the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) and John Neschling. Previous releases by this team include recordings of music by Villa-Lobos and his Brazilian colleagues Camargo Guarnieri, Francisco Mignone and Claudio Santoro, and individual discs have been described by reviewers as 'the most vibrant, colorful, rhythmically vital and virtuosic performances imaginable' (on website Classics Today.com), 'an orgy of colours and rhythms' (in Diapason), and 'an assured blend of lush colours, pulsating rhythms and supple phrasing' (in International Record Review.) Such qualities certainly work in the Old World, too - and nowhere better than in Ottorino Respighi's Rome!

REVIEW:

The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra is a superb ensemble by any standards, and displays their virtuosity in the three Respighi symphonic poems.

-- SA-CD.net

A sublime and transcendent memorial to one of Zorn's earliest mentors-Ennio Morricone. Featuring the soulful guitar of Bill Frisell set within the magical sonorities of vibraphone, harp and bells the music takes on an epic orchestral sweep with the added presence of special guest keyboard wizard John Medeski on organ and piano. Filled with beautiful harmonies, a driving rhythmic pulse and stunning lyri-cism, this is some of the most lush and spiritual music Zorn has ever written. Truly music of the Angels-intimate chamber music to heal an aching heart performed by one of the world's most ethereal ensembles.

Vinyl LP pressing. A Love Supreme is an album by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. He recorded it in one session on December 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, leading a quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones. A Love Supreme was one of Coltrane's bestselling albums and one of his most critically acclaimed. It is widely considered his masterpiece, as well as one of the greatest albums ever recorded.

SCHOENBERG: GURRE-LIEDER MEHT

In his "Pulse Music" compositions of the mid-1970s, composer John McGuire forged a unique interpretation of European serialism. A student of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki and Gottfried Michael Koenig, McGuire moved to Cologne, Germany in 1970, where he become associated with the world-leading Studio for Electronic Music at Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne. Like Stockhausen, McGuire found his musical imagination both constrained and inspired by the technology that was available to him. A conversation with sculptor Hans Karl Burgeff led McGuire to think beyond the horizon and into limitless space. For "Vanishing Points" (1985-1988), McGuire used an entirely digital set-up for the first time: a digital sequencer, eight Yamaha DX-7 synthesizers and a Studer 24-track digital tape recorder. The piece was conceived as a "sequel" to the Pulse Music series, but also a step forward from it. Whereas the Pulse Music pieces had employed steady streams of pulses, with Vanishing Points McGuire employed pulse layers that accelerate or decelerate against one another, vastly increasing the resulting rhythmic complexity. McGuire's exploration of music technology continued in "A Cappella" (1990-1997), written for his wife, the soprano Beth Griffith, known for her recording of Morton Feldman's "Three Voices" made in 1983. Using samples, he created a four-voice choir of voice samples and arranged them into interacting parts. The composition faced challenges due to the organic nature of the human voice compared to the precision of synthesized sounds. This process involved extensive editing and a negotiation between the "material" and the "original conception". This sort of negotiation applies as much to the composition of a single piece as it does to the work of two decades.

BEST OF OPERA, VOL. 5

Classical Music

One of the most prestigious venues in the world, Vienna Konzerthaus, togs it's main stage up into a legendary Viennese Coffee House setting, representing the tradition where poets, writers, critics and common people often gather to complain. Sipping his coffee with an Apfelstrudel on the side, John Malkovich slips into the role of the evil critic. Equipped with a frivolous potpourri of musical insults, he believes the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Prokofiev and the likes to be weary and dreary. Schumann fancies himself a "composer", while Brahms is a "giftless bastard". Claude Debussy is simply ugly. A sardonic mix of the most evil music critiques of the last centuries written about some of the greatest works of music are presented in The Music Critic. The CD recreates the character of the live show "The Music Critic", with the funniest quotes from music critics of the last centuries, delivered by John Malkovich. Music by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, Kanchelli, Piazzolla and Igudesman. John Malkovich narrator, Aleksey Igudesman violin, So-Ock Kim violin, Max Baille viola, Tanja Tetzlaff cello, Hyung-Ki Joo piano.

1960 release.

The three works for violin and orchestra gathered here testify both to the versatility of Vadim Gluzman as a performer and to the richness and variety of the influences at play in American music during the 20th century. Like the text by Plato which inspired it, Bernstein's Serenade, from 1954, is a series of statements in praise of love. Musically it is typical of its maker, with allusions both to his own music and to works by Bartók, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, and with a hint of jazz in the finale. Composed some thirty years earlier, Ernest Bloch's Baal Shem turns to the Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, dealing specifically with aspects of the Chassidic movement. Its second movement, Nigun (Improvisation) is probably Bloch's most famous work for the violin, an attempt to recreate the ecstasy generated by fervent religious singing. Samuel Barber, on the other hand, was deeply fascinated by the music of J.S. Bach and Brahms, although this is not always obvious in his music. His Violin Concerto, which he began to compose in Switzerland in 1939, while war was breaking out in Europe, has been described as having 'a chastened and aristocratic classic style'. That violinist Vadim Gluzman possesses the musical convictions and the supreme command of his instrument to do justice to all of these works will be clear to anyone who has encountered his previous concerto disc, with works by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. The recipient of numerous distinctions, it was glowingly reviewed, for instance in International Record Review: 'The variety of tone, lithe, sinuous and febrile ... is truly exceptional.' Gluzman is here supported by the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) under John Neschling, a team that has demonstrated its versatility on a number of recordings ranging from Villa-Lobos' Choros to Liszt's piano concertos.

Though a legendary figure from his monumental contributions to the clarinet and soprano saxophone's role in jazz, it was the compositions of Sidney Bechet that inspired master saxophonist David Liebman and guitarist John Stowell to dig deep into his catalog to compile and explore this set of rarely heard gems. Each possessing singular voices themselves that have inspired generations of other performers, Liebman & Stowell have created a very personal and intimate duo project celebrating another giant's work, their conversations making for compelling listening. "... a conversation between masters of their craft... sensitive and sublime... a marvelous collection of melody, harmony and joie de vivre." - Jazz Weekly

Singer Petra Haden excels in this beautiful and unique program of songs penned by the songwriting team of John Zorn and Jesse Harris. Friends for many years, they began working together on The Song Project in 2012, and 8 years later this CD presents the full fruits of their collaboration: 13 Zorn compositions with original lyrics by Jesse Harris. Including the most beautiful melodies from a wide variety of Zorn CDs (and one original that has never appeared on cd before), the melodies are catchy, the lyrics heartfelt, the grooves deep and the solos profound and exhilarating. Backed by the amazing Julian Lage, Jorge Roeder and Kenny Wollesen and produced by Jesse Harris, this is a CD that you will listen to again and again. EASY TIME * LISTEN * NOTHING * THE WIND IN THE CLOUDS * IT WAS INNOCENT * KAFIRISTAN * WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS * ALL THIS TIME * LOST IN THE RAIN * TAKING MY TIME * MY FORBIDDEN TEARS * I NEVER THOUGHT * OVER YOUR HEAD

Calculus is another radical step forward for Zorn-two major 20-minute long-form compositions scored for piano trio. Featuring the incredible young pianist Brian Marsella along with the dynamic rhythm section of Trevor Dunn and Kenny Wollesen, this is a complex and exhilarating display of instrumental virtuosity at it's most extreme. Drawing upon all of Zorn's musical obsessions, from thorny atonal- ity to touching minimalism, burning jazz, funk, folk, exotica, ambient, noise and more, this is some of the most ambitious and expansive music ever created for jazz piano trio. Passionately performed by three core members of Zorn's inner circle Calculus is an outrageous and kaleidocopic journey into the unknown! The Ghost of Departed Quantities * Parabolas

Includes work(s) by Samuel Barber. Ensemble: Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conductor: Marin Alsop.

Classical Music

JOHN WILLIAMS - THE ANTHOLOGY, VOLUME 1

A glorious collection of Christmas music spanning over 900 years, centered around Britten's A Ceremony of Carols – a work seen as both a signal of Britten’s turn back towards English musical and cultural traditions and as a distinctly modern composition. Owen Rees and the Choir of The Queen's College, Oxford present this alongside works that alternate between the early 17th century – by that most prolific composer and arranger of Lutheran Christmas music, Michael Praetorius – and the present: music by Judith Weir (1984), David Blackwell (2011), Jonathan Dove (2000), Dobrinka Tabakova (2018), Toby Young (2017), and Cecilia McDowall (2007). At one point we interrupt the pattern of alternation to look back half a millennium further than Praetorius, with Hildegard of Bingen’s O virga ac diadema. ‘An undoubted jewel in Britain’s choral scene’ (BBC Music Magazine), the Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford is among the finest and most active university choirs in the UK. Previous releases with Signum A New Heaven (2017) and The House of the Mind (2018) both went straight to no. 1 in the Specialist Classical Chart in their first week of release.