RUSSELL: Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra / Middle Earth

LAUTENLIEDER DES 17.JAHRHUNDER

DANZI: Wind Quintets, Op. 68, Nos. 1-3 / Horn Sonata, Op. 44

Dohnanyi: Konzertstuck for Cello / Cello Sonata / Ruralia Hu

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is our prototype for the universal genius: painter, architect, military engineer, and anatomist, his far-ranging scientific curiosity placed him centuries ahead of his time. On this CD, the world of da Vinci is given a musical perspective with a carefully chosen selection of pieces by the finest composers of the day. Inside, Hugh Griffith provides explanatory notes on his life and musical environment. As soon as we discover that the nature of sound was something that absorbed the interest of Leonardo da Vinci for many years, and that, according to Vasari, he 'sang divinely, improvising his own accompaniment on the lira', we begin to realize the importance of music in his life. Exploring the music written during his lifetime forms a fascinating backdrop to his paintings, several of which are illustrated within the booklet.

Artists:
Charles Workman, Steve Davislim, tenors; Marco Vinco, bass-baritone; Laura Aikin, Ainhoa Garmendia, sopranos; Michael Maniaci, countertenor; Marisa Martins, Jossie Perez, mezzo-sopranos; Liceu Grand Theatre Orchestra, Harry Bicket, conductor; Thomas MacManus, choreographer; Francisco Negrin, director.

Audio Format: LPCM 2.0 | Region Code: 0 | Format: NTSC, 16:9
Booklet: English, French, Italian, German | Subtitles: English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Catalan
Running Time: 148 minutes
Location: Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona | Recorded: October 7, 2009 Packaging: DVD Keep Case

L’arbore di Diana is a two-act opera buffa by the composer Vincent Martin y Soler with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, first performed in Vienna in 1787. Popular throughout Europe at that time, this comic pastorale includes a plot that centers on an apple tree with apples that mutate in the presence of chaste and wanton individuals in the goddess Diana’s garden, and an unhappy god of Love who schemes to destroy the apple tree. Diana’s Tree is a trove of flowing melodies and a feast for the eyes.

“…immersed in an unreal atmosphere that takes advantage of cutting edge technology and an intelligent use of lighting and sound, …[transposing] the fable and satire..to modern times..with genius, explaining the story without confusing it.” – Pablo Meléndez-Haddad, ABC, October 2009.

“…Francis Negrin’s work has managed to maintain the piece’s narrative and to underline its best comical moments.” – Roger Alier, La Vanguardia, Oct. 2009.

Also available on Blu-ray

Glyndebourne has a proud association with the operas of Benjamin Britten, however until 2010 had never staged Billy Budd. The all-male opera with a libretto co-written by EM Forster, is based on the battle between pure good and blind evil, and is set on a British man-‘o-war ship. Michael Grandage, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, chose this work to make his long-awaited operatic debut. Sir Mark Elder returned to conduct the production, marking the 100th opera production in his illustrious career.



Benjamin Britten
BILLY BUDD

Captain Vere – John Mark Ainsley
Billy Budd – Jacques Imbrailo
Claggart – Phillip Ens
Mr. Redburn – Iain Paterson
Mr. Flint – Matthew Rose
Lieutenant Ratcliffe – Darren Jeffery
Red Whiskers – Alasdair Elliott
Donald – John Moore
Dansker – Jeremy White
Novice – Ben Johnson
Squeak – Colin Judson
Bosun – Richard Mosley-Evans

The Glyndebourne Chorus
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Mark Elder, conductor
Michael Grandage, stage director
Bonus:
- Introducing Billy Budd
- Designs on Billy Budd

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound format: LPCM Stereo 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish
Running time: 200 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

GREAT WALTZES

Includes chanson(s) by Alexander Agricola. Ensemble: Ensemble Unicorn. Conductor: Michael Posch.
Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Ensemble Unicorn. Conductor: Michael Posch.

The Codex Faenza (Faenza, Biblioteca Comunale 117) abbreviated as "(I-FZc 117)", and sometimes known as Codex Bonadies, is a late 15th-century musical manuscript containing some of the oldest preserved keyboard music along with additional vocal pieces. The manuscript is still held at the Biblioteca Comunale de Faenza, near Ravenna, but facsimiles are held in other libraries in Italy and overseas.

Classical Music

Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.

For a wind quintet to be successful, each player must be a virtuoso soloist who also is capable of being an ensemble player. The musicians in this quintet fill that bill admirably. On this CD they play a program of 20th century favorites for five wind players--six in the case of the Janácek. The compositions are largely happy works. The opening "March" of the Hindemith is boisterous and upbeat, followed by four movements largely in the same vein. The Barber is more ruminative and romantic, along the lines of the composer's better known works, and the Larsson, except for a somewhat chilly third movement, paints a picture of the sunnier side of Scandinavia. The Janácek, written near the end of his life, is autobiographical, a portrait of the composer's own youth which he had recaptured in an infatuation with a younger woman. The Michael Thompson Woodwind Quintet captures every nuance in these compositions in performances that are virtually free of fault. The sound is more distant than usual for a recording of a small group, but it's exceptionally crisp and clear without any irritating clacking of keys, an effect that often mars more close-up recordings of winds. --Rad Bennett, ClassicsToday.com

Deemed a "record to die for" by Stereophile magazine, this DVD-Audio/Video disc features blues tunes by Dorian Michael, joined by Albert Lee and Laurence Juber. This disc contains 66 minutes of SD Video including bonus video interviews and behind the scenes footage, as well as biographies, discography and an extensive photo gallery.

Deluxe CD/DVD Edition of Michael Jackson's revolutionary 1979 recording Off The Wall includes the original album bundled with the new documentary Michael Jackson s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, directed by Spike Lee. The deluxe softpak includes a 16-page booklet containing a new essay and photography plus a piece of chalk and inside panels with a chalkboard finish. The importance of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall cannot be overstated. Recorded when he was just 20-years-old, the album heralded Michael's emancipation as a singular musical force and creative visionary. It's the record that "invented modern pop as we know it" according to Rolling Stone magazine. It smashed the ceiling on record sales for black artists, ushering in an exciting new era of R&B-to-pop crossover airplay, chart, marketing and sales trends not seen before in modern pop music. For Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, director Spike Lee assembles a wealth of archival footage, including material from Michael's personal archive, interviews with contemporary talents and family members, and Michael�s own words and image to create this insightful chronicle from the star's early rise to fame through the release of this seminal album. A look at a chapter of his career that is rarely examined, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall allows audiences to travel with Michael as he gets his start at Motown, strikes a new path with CBS Records, and forges a relationship with legendary producer Quincy Jones. An illuminated portrait emerges of how an earnest, passionate, hard-working boy would become the "King of Pop."

What if there hadn't been a Mozart? Although this is an intriguing question for classical music lovers to debate and scholars to ponder, the fact is we'd be paying far more serious--and deserved--attention to Haydn, and beyond that we'd be stuck with the mediocre, very much of-its-time work of composers such as Antonio Salieri. Given all the discussion, much of it sheer nonsense, regarding the Mozart/Salieri rivalry, just a brief listen to any of these 12 overtures tells you what you already know: the monster talent/genius of Mozart had not a whit to fear from the competent Italian technician who was most widely respected for his pedagogical skills (Beethoven, Czerny, Schubert). Of course, the reality of the time and place dictated certain conditions of privilege and position, conferred by circumstances more political than artistically meritorious. Salieri undoubtedly was highly regarded and enjoyed a prominent position in Viennese musical circles, and he was talented, especially in the creation of a certain style of opera that audiences of the time literally ate up. Indeed, in the works on this program Salieri shows a certain dramatic flair, as in the opening of La Grotta di Trofonio--but with a few strokes of the pen, à la Don Giovanni, Mozart wiped out Salieri's best efforts in this genre. This takes nothing away from the very steady and polished musicians of the Slovak Radio Symphony, nor from Michael Dittrich's committed direction. Together they make the most of the music's considerable rhythmic energy, pleasant melodies, and frequent mood shifts typical of the style.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Composer/Saxophonist Michael Zilber's musical approach has always been a unique mix, bred from myriad activities over the years in New York & Boston in the east, and Vancouver & San Francisco in the west. On East West, that aspect of his being is front and center, along with his delving into writing and arranging for big bands over the last decade.

Deluxe CD/Blu-Ray Edition of Michael Jackson's revolutionary 1979 recording Off The Wall includes the original album bundled with the new documentary Michael Jackson�s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, directed by Spike Lee. The deluxe softpak includes a 16-page booklet containing a new essay and photography plus a piece of chalk and inside panels with a chalkboard finish. The importance of Michael Jackson's Off the Wall cannot be overstated. Recorded when he was just 20-years-old, the album heralded Michael's emancipation as a singular musical force and creative visionary. It's the record that "invented modern pop as we know it" according to Rolling Stone magazine. It smashed the ceiling on record sales for black artists, ushering in an exciting new era of R&B-to-pop crossover airplay, chart, marketing and sales trends not seen before in modern pop music. For Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, director Spike Lee assembles a wealth of archival footage, including material from Michael's personal archive, interviews with contemporary talents and family members, and Michael�s own words and image to create this insightful chronicle from the star's early rise to fame through the release of this seminal album. A look at a chapter of his career that is rarely examined, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall allows audiences to travel with Michael as he gets his start at Motown, strikes a new path with CBS Records, and forges a relationship with legendary producer Quincy Jones. An illuminated portrait emerges of how an earnest, passionate, hard-working boy would become the "King of Pop."

Includes work(s) by various composers. Ensemble: Waverly Consort. Conductor: Michael Jaffee.

Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Off the Wall is the fifth solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on August 10, 1979, following Jackson's critically well-received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to work with Jackson on his next studio album. Recording sessions took place between December 1978 and June 1979 at Allen Zentz Recording, Westlake Recording Studios, and Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, California. Jackson collaborated with a number of other writers and performers such as Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Rod Temperton. Five singles were released from the album. It was his first solo release under Epic Records, the label he would record on until his death roughly 30 years later.

Michael Riesman - Philip Glass Soundtracks Volume II - Orange Mountain Music presents the new album PHILIP GLASS SOUNDTRACKS VOL. II by pianist Michael Riesman. Riesman was the producer, conductor, and pianist on most every Philip Glass soundtrack including Glass's three Oscar-nominated scores to The Hours, Kundun, and Notes on a Scandal, as well as on Glass' Golden Globe-winning score to The Truman Show. On this new recital, Riesman presents a complement to his 2008 album Glass Soundtracks (Vol. I) in a chronological survey of Glass' work from arthouse films like Koyaanisqatsi, documentary features The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War, to selections from never-heard-before major commercial films like Taking Lives (starring Angelina Jolie) and Secret Window (Johnny Depp) to a five movement suite from the cult horror film Candyman featuring violinist Chase Spruill. All pieces were pieces chosen by Riesman who is the music director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, and arranged for piano (or violin and piano) by Riesman for this new disc. The result is a refreshing look at treasures from some of Philip Glass's best work in the medium of film.

Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Thriller is the sixth solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 30, 1982, as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off The Wall. Thriller explores similar genres to those of Off The Wall, including pop, post-disco, rock and funk. Recording sessions took place on April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles with a production budget of $750, 000, assisted by producer Quincy Jones. Seven singles were released from the album, all of which reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. In just over a year, Thriller became-and currently remains-the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. It has become the first album ever to be certified 32 times multi-platinum for U.S. sales, marking more than 32 million sales shipped. The album won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards in 1984, including for Album of the Year.

Limited vinyl LP repressing in gatefold jacket. Bad is the seventh solo studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller. Bad was recorded during the first half of 1987. The lyrical themes on the record relate to media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement and world peace. The album is widely regarded as having cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, as well as enhancing his solo career and being one of the best musical projects of his career. Five of the singles hit #1 in the United States, while a sixth charted within the Top Ten, and a seventh charted within the Top Twenty on the Hot 100. Bad peaked at #1 in thirteen countries and charted within the Top Twenty in other territories.

Double vinyl LP pressing. Dangerous is the eighth studio album by Michael Jackson. It was released on November 26, 1991 by Epic Records. His first album under his new contract with Sony Music, it was also Jackson's first album since 1975's Forever, Michael not to be produced by longtime collaborator Quincy Jones, who had agreed to split after the final recording sessions for Jackson's 1987 album, Bad. Dangerous has sold over 35 million copies worldwide, 7 million albums were shipped in the United States alone, and has been cited as one of the best-selling albums of all time. The album produced four Top Ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 including one number-one. Similar to the musician's previous material, the album's music features elements of R&B, pop and rock while also incorporating a newer genre, new jack swing, after the inclusion of producer Teddy Riley to the project in a bid to present Jackson to a younger urban audience. Jackson earned writing credits on all but two tracks on the album. Dangerous received several Grammy nominations, winning only one for Best Engineered Album. In addition to commercial success, the album received critical acclaim from contemporary critics.

The most prolific hit maker of all time returns with an album of truly greatest hits. The album consists of all 17 #1s and brand new song, "One More Chance." Michael is among a few artists who can so an album of #1s. The compilation will comtain some of the famous sons of all time Including "Rock with You," "Billy Jean," and "Black Or White".