Bushakevitz's playing gleams with understated wit and sensuality - a catalogue of emotions GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE. "A very special pianist - Bushakevitz is a master of expression. His playing is filled with a sense of longing and nostalgia." THE JERUSALEM POST. "As always, Bushakevitz was detailed, nuanced and with great lyrical flair for pieces that require both a display of formal technique and improvisational instinct" SCHERZO

Drummer/composer/educator Steve Johns moved to New York after graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1982. While still a student, he won the Outstanding Drummer Award at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival. His musical career then took off performing with a barrage of luminaries of the world jazz scene. Here is Johns' SteepleChase leader debut showcasing not only his versatile dexterity but his astounding talent as composer.

This series to mark the 200th birthday of Anton Bruckner in 2024 is dedicated to his symphonic works. Hansjorg Albrecht will perform all of Bruckner's symphonies in many new transcriptions for organ at important locations such as Zurich, Leipzig, Linz, Vienna and London. Bruckner's works are framed by contemporary compositions that deal with Bruckner's work in the "Bruckner Windows". Hansjorg Albrecht concludes the extensive project to commemorate Anton Bruckner with the last recording of the Study Symphony.

Thomas Str�nen - "Relations" / Musical messages from Oslo, New York, Basel and Lugano - recorded between 2018 and 2022 - are juxtaposed and recombined on an absorbing recording that features Norwegian drummer Thomas Str�nen solo and in a series of duets. With such partners as Craig Taborn, Chris Potter, Sinikka Langeland and Jorge Rossy, the musical frame of reference is very broad. Str�nen offers a project that implies new threads of connectivity, new creative relationships. Produced by Manfred Eicher. Verve Label Group; ECM; Jazz.

Following two highly acclaimed albums, the Maxwell Quartet rounds off it's Haydn mini-series with the composer's two Op. 77 string quartets, juxtaposed with it's signature pairing of Scottish folk music. The quartet, which has become known for it's 'infectious enthusiasm' and 'irresistible' playing (BBC Music Magazine), showcases it's compelling storytelling with Haydn's last foray in the genre. The two quartets balance and complement each other perfectly: one brilliant, enigmatic, youthful and light, the other considered, noble and with a certain degree of gravitas. The complementary choice of Scottish folk music is equally balanced, ranging from the joyful - The Marquis of Tullibardine, Captain Campbell's March, etc. - to the more sombre - Hector the Hero. The cleverly constructed programme epitomises Hatto Beyerle's aphorism (the Maxwell Quartet's mentor, and dedicatee of this album): 'In order to truly understand Haydn's music, you must first understand folk music.'

Walk the mountains and the valleys, touch the lakes and rivers, smell the clean air and pine forest, see bleak winter wildness and spring flowers exploding, pause so you don't disturb the wildlife; watch, and be watched! Later inhale the faint smoke from distant warming fires and the food they cook. Embrace the day, and mould your thoughts and creativity. These are some of the life experiences had by Grieg, Rautavaara, Abrahamsen and Sibelius, who form the featured composers on this new recording.

The second volume of the perfect pairing Br�tzmann & Nilssen-Love, recorded at Zuiderpershuis in Antwerp, August 2015. The music is less frenzied and aggressive than listeners may be used to, as the musicians shared their exploration of new tools with a more contemplative approach. To be sure, both Br�tzmann and Nilssen-Love summon the usual energy here and there, but it's a genuine revelation to hear them feel out new sounds in real-time, whether it's the former caressing the rheumy nasality of the contra-alto clarinet, or the latter reveling in the sustained resonance of his new gongs. Still, even if they were trying out new tools, their rapport and level of engagement was just as strong and deep as ever. Colliding schedules prevented them from ever wrapping up the production on the album, but they began planning for it during the pandemic. Sadly, it fell to Nilssen-Love to shepherd the project at home, but it was worth the wait. This duo album represents a major statement from both musicians. Artwork by Br�tzmann, design by Lasse Marhaug. Liner notes-transcription of an interview with Peter Br�tzmann. Peter Br�tzmann: tarogato, contra-alto clarinet, bass saxophone. Paal Nilssen-Love: drums, gongs, percussion.

With a unique and unmistakable approach to music and his instrument,�Julien Tassin�is a one-of-a-kind guitar player. Using non-traditional techniques and original tunings, he creates music that combines elements of blues, jazz, classical, Oriental and African music. The result is music born out of openness and freedom. Stubbornly he repeats musical ideas until the tension reaches a boiling point, the lyricism of his melodies becomes inevitable, and the rawness of the sound takes center stage.

This album is dedicated to Norma, my beloved mother.A courageous, always independent, warmhearted, generous person with a fantastic sense of humor and countless other good qualities. ank you so much for your great advice in the most important moments of my life and for all the unconditional support and encouragement throughout my professional career. Te Amo!!! -Duduka Da Fonseca. The magic of Brazil and it's music have captured generations of music lovers. The joyous beats of samba and the mysterious sensuality of bossa nova have grabbed listeners like few other genres can. Duduka Da Fonseca conjures the spells of Brazilian music whenever he is behind his drum kit. But there is a special feeling that comes to Da Fonseca when he returns home to Rio de Janeiro, an unscripted and unpredictable joy that comes through in performing music. That alchemy is captured on Da Fonseca's new recording, Rio Fantasia. // Having arrived in New York City in 1975, Da Fonseca has powered the rhythm section of many jazz legends. He has also been integral in the presentation of music by Brazilian legends, like Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Claudio Roditi and Dom Salvador among others. // In 2009, Da Fonseca formed his Brazilian based trio, featuring pianist David Feldman and bassist Guto Wirtti. The Rio based Feldman and Wirtti are the first calls that Da Fonseca makes whenever he returns to Brazil. The trio's instinctive rapport was developed over the years, allowing them a freely flowing style of play. The opportunity to play with Feldman and Wirtti always provides a jolt to Da Fonseca and he typically records their meetings. // Da Fonseca returned to Rio in December 2023. He immediately called Feldman and Wirtti. Unfortunately, Wirtti was traveling and would not be able to meet immediately. Without missing a beat, Da Fonseca pushed for a recording once Wirtti returned and promptly called a rehearsal with Feldman. When Wirtti did return, the trio immediately assembled at the Biscoito Fino Studio on January 13, 2024, where they recorded what would be their fifth album, Rio Fantasia. The material that Da Fonseca selected to play is a mixture of originals and Brazilian classics. The trio plays them in a way that allows for complete freedom in expression. Though they knew most of the songs, this was the first time the musicians had played them in this configuration. Most of the tracks chosen for the recording were first takes, capturing the spirit of the music without being overly analyzed. Duduka Da Fonseca's Rio Fantasia provides ample evidence of spirit that is realized in the performance of Brazilian music by experts. The genres become nearly irrelevant when music is played with imagination, dedication, and joy, qualities overwhelmingly present in the best of Brazilian musicians.

Three main elements thread through the compositions and arrangements of this collection. Firstly, the presence of irregular time signatures.�Secondly, I am captivated by the magic that happens when a melody is accompanied by words: lyrics seem to emancipate a melody from the composer's original intent; what has been a tune becomes a song.�And thirdly, I am fascinated with textures, with the changing colours of intertwining wind instruments.

Although it has been clearly established for which instruments the Musical Offering and the Art of Fugue were intended, the Musical Offering has continued to be the object of realisations for other instruments, such as Anton Webern's orchestrated version of the Ricercar a 6. Here Cindy Castillo marks the completion of a new organ in the German baroque style by Dominique Thomas in the church of Saint-Loup in Namur with her own realisation of this work, a monument to the late Baroque style.

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Second volume of Narratio Quartet complete survey of Beethoven's string quartets. This 2CD set gathers together the three complex Quartets op. 59 and the more accessible Quartet op.74. Early Music Review about CC 72969 (Early String Quartets):�The quartet's name refers to the art of rhetoric, the projection of which is tellingly apparent in these marvellously communicative performances.

After two albums devoted to Ireland and Scotland, Alix Boivert and The Curious Bards cross the North Sea to Sweden and Norway. Rejecting the artificial distinction between 'art' and 'folk' music, they give us a chance to hear the colorful and varied world of eighteenth-century Scandinavian songs and dances.

BREAKTHROUGH