Janet Sung writes of her new release: “Edge of Youth represents a time when one starts to discover a new, more mature version of their own voice or self. We find confidence in that voice when we allow ourselves to go to the “edge” of what is known or comfortable. Brought up steeped in the traditions of classical music, and deeply influenced by some of the greatest violinists of the “old world”, this album represents some of that artistic journey for me. In curating this collection of works by masters Britten, Enescu and three young, dynamic living composers, Missy Mazzoli, Dan Visconti and Gabriel Prokofiev, I gravitated toward works that were striking to me and in some ways unexpected—whether it was a new sound world, a new perspective on an old familiar work, or the surprising way certain works profoundly grew in their impact. Each of these works are dramatic, visceral; even ethereal and otherworldly. Some also have moments of soaring lyricism and intimacy. They both embrace and challenge classical traditions, consciously or subconsciously. With their craft and unique sense of style, these composers challenge the artist to forget about the technicalities of the instrument—asking them to become a storyteller through nuance, shading, and color. Taking in all of our personal influences, we hopefully take flight into our own artistic vision. These works have taken me on a journey that I will continue to traverse.”

REVIEW:

Put together from largely unfamiliar works, all of them pretty contemporary, violinist Janet Sung's debut album is freshly conceived. Perhaps the real find here is Enescu’s Impressions d’enfance, Op. 28, a work in ten short movements in extended Impressionist style. Here and elsewhere she gets excellent support from pianist William Wolfram. An engaging program and technically unimpeachable playing promise great things from this new addition to the label's roster.

– All Music Guide (James Manheim)

REVIEW:

 

Anthony DiLorenzo arranged this suite of highlights from his full-length Dracula ballet for the ensemble Proteus 7. Primarily a brass ensemble (of which DiLorenzo is leader and first trumpeter), the group is here augmented by woodwinds, percussion, and some really cool instruments including a Theremin, Bass Waterphone, and Daxophone. The latter is a piece of curved wood (with an implanted microphone) played with a bow, which produces some horrific roaring sounds. All of this makes for a deliciously spooky atmosphere, but it's not all ghost and goblin effects--there's plenty of real music going on. DiLorezno has composed music for ABC-TV as well as trailers for more than 70 movies, and it shows in the brilliant and exciting brass writing (some of the more dramatic passages remind me of the old Mannix television series).

 

However, the score heavily relies on waltzes and other classic dance forms, and there is a romantic, gothic sweep that informs the whole project. Elements of jazz make a welcome contribution as well, including atmospheric use of the marimba. The playing, as you would expect of such a devoted group of musicians, is simply brilliant--cutting-edge in its virtuosity. In short, this disc is a barrel of fun! Dorian's amazing 24-bit recording and xCD technology reach new heights of realism, so much so that some listeners may consider upgrading their equipment, happily a less expensive proposition these days.

 

--Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com

Falla, M. De: Vida Breve (La) [Opera]

Sono Luminus presents Der Klang der Offenbarung des Gottlichen, an opera in four acts by Kjartan Sveinsson. This marks the first collaboration between Sono Luminus and Kjartan, who is a founding member of the legendary band Sigur Ros. An opera of severe and supreme beauty, critics have raved about the work. “Der Klang boasts all the qualities we tend to associate with sweeping modern neo-classical—it's beautiful, reflective, sad...Sveinsson has a light touch, but his work hits a deeper and more visceral level, permeating and lingering long after it’s subsided...Whatever he does, he has already quietly announced himself as a major talent.” (Pitchfork) “Sveinsson, in conjunction with co-author Ragnar Kjartansson, has created an opera for the ages...it finds grace in unexpected places, arriving far after the prayers have ended.” (acloserlisten.com) "There is such a longing [for beauty] indeed in Sveinsson’s searching score, a meditative sonic canvas for Kjartansson’s exquisite images. Even absent the visual component, Sveinsson’s music summons a hushed awe that makes for a mesmerizing listen on its own.” (WQXR)

A New York Times 25 Best Classical Track Selection for 2019

A GRAMMY nominee for Best Orchestral Performance

“I am both very proud and excited to bring out the second volume of this recording project dedicated to bringing the orchestral sound world of Icelandic composers to the ears of the world. This album also represents the ongoing wonderful collaboration between the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Sono Luminus. These recordings, with the orchestra sat in a circle and me conducting in the middle, have been an unusual adventure for us all; challenging and exciting at the same time. The whole team at Sono Luminus have been extremely dedicated and ambitious throughout, working hard to bring this music to recording in the best and most immersive way possible today.” (Daniel Bjarnason) “Can you hear a country in its music? I posed that question only a few years ago, while contemplating the five recent orchestral works by leading young Icelandic composers that comprised Recurrence, the previous volume of this invaluable, illuminating Sono Luminus series. Pondering those pieces with a visit to Iceland still vivid in my mind’s eye, I likened aspects of the music at hand to elements of land and sky, climate and atmosphere—an approach not without merit, but surely not the sole dimension worth contemplating. Two of the composers featured on that previous album are also present in this second collection, Concurrence. Hearing Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Metacosmos and María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir’s Oceans in close proximity, it’s hard not to consider once more the natural features of Iceland…” (Steve Smith)

REVIEWS:

The Sono Luminus follow-up to the 2017 CD Recurrence affords listeners an invaluable preview and a golden opportunity to hear new works from Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, Haukur Tómasson, María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir and Páll Ragnar Pálsson as performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Daniel Bjarnason. Concurrence reminds us of Daniel Bjarnason’s consumate skill as a conductor. In his capable hands, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra triggers its own tectonic shift. This album is where to turn to hear tomorrow’s music today.

-- A Closer Listen (A Home for Instrumental & Experimental Music)

In this quartet of contemporary works, you’ll find Haukur Tomasson’s Second Piano Concerto (the best way to hear Vikingur Olafsson on an album this year). And it offers a recording, at last, of Ms. Thorvaldsdottir’s “Metacosmos” (2017), which in its brief running time seems to ebb and flow on a cosmic scale.

-- New York Times (Joshua Barone)

Musio Clementi's long life spanned the epochs of the late Baroque, Classicism and Romanticism. At the time of his birth in Rome in 1752, Domenico Scarlatti was still alive, and pronounced traces of his eccentric style can be found in Clementi's sonatas into the 1790's. His great piano pieces of the 1790's left their mark on the artistic development of the young Beethoven, who - unlike Mozart - was deeply impressed by the virtuosic pathos of Clementi's music, as well as the brilliant technical ability of Clementi's student Johann Baptist Cramer - Bernhard Trebuch

The harpsichord used for these selections is an Italian harpsichord by Zuckermann Harpsichords, extensively rebuilt by Willard Martin of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1999.

This is the third Christmas album from the Grammy Award-winning Washington Chorus, a large mixed choir founded in 1961, but the first with conductor Julian Wachner. This is an ideal holiday album for listeners looking for traditional carols sung enthusiastically by a large group. The chorus is joined by the Whitman Choir, a high school group, and an ensemble of brass, percussion, organ, and harp. The instruments provide a full, almost orchestral sound, and provide a colorful and lively accompaniment. The chorus sings with a rich, full tone and infectious energy. The carols, with just a few exceptions, are Christmas standards that will be familiar to most listeners. A variety of illustrious choral conductors, including David Willcocks, Norman Luboff, and Wachner himself have created inventive and lively arrangements that never stray too far from the originals. The recording was made at a live performance in 2009, and that is evident in the sound quality. The brass is very present, but the chorus, in spite of its fullness and volume, seems somewhat distant. In the program notes, Wachner comments that the decision to retain the ambience of the actual performance, which includes audience participation in several of the carols, was intentional. The CD should appeal to fans of traditional Christmas music looking for a big choral sound, but who aren't picky about having immaculate, perfectly balanced sound.

-- Stephen Eddin, All Music Guide

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"this recording presents a rich tapestry of music for the holiday season. Dorian Recordingshas done a remarkable job not only recording the live performance, but also in capturing the joyous spirit that embodied the singers and the audience."

-- Examiner.com

Includes suite of medieval carols by various composers. Ensemble: Solid Brass. Soloists: David Sampson, Barry Browner, Charles Olsen, Elizabeth DiSavino, Hans Muller (Trombone), Hugh Eddy, Carl Della Peruti, Jeffrey Caswell, Kyle Turner, Adrienne Wilcox, Douglas Haislip.

Includes wer klopfet an. Ensemble: Manfred Schuler Zither and Folk Music Ensemble.

"Levingston plays with a marvelous sense of pacing, emphasis, and balance. These renditions are full of thought; and, since he is completely beyond technique, he can express whatever he wants. The resonant sound of the piano is a pleasure to hear…."
--American Record Guide May/ June 2019

"Most of the music on this CD is slow, quiet, and spare, yet giving yourself over to it for even a portion of its 71-minute running time is profoundly cathartic. The piano recording has exceptional presence with an excellent sense of the instrument’s volume.”

MUSIC: FIVE Stars SONICS: FIVE Stars

--THE ABSOLUTE SOUND May-June 2019 

Bruce Levingston writes of his new release: “The genesis of this recording was an invitation to perform for the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, an event which inspired me to meditate on the complex history of my birthplace, Mississippi. A storied, culturally-rich state, it has produced some of our country’s most important artists – including William Faulkner, B.B. King, Leontyne Price, and Eudora Welty – but is also a place that has witnessed notably painful struggles with race, poverty, and equality. The scars are painful and deep. Here, among our colleges, churches, cotton fields and battlefields, contradictions abound. These disparate, but related, elements have long absorbed and confounded artists born in this mystical place. In recent years, I have come to see that my beloved state only reveals more intensely what exists in other places in our world: the struggle for people to come to terms with one another’s histories and differences. In this time of turmoil between peoples and nations, focused on issues of citizenship and patriotism, we continue this struggle. I chose to name this album “Citizen,” not only because it contains works that reflect upon actual citizenship and human rights, but also to highlight that we are all citizens of one earth, and in order to survive, we must find ways to respect one another’s differences, and strongly uphold each other’s right to exist with dignity and freedom. On this recording, I have gathered together works by composers who have contemplated these issues deeply. The voices of these artists plead for civility, humanity, and love, and each brings a sense of immediacy to the cause – offering not a clenched fist, but an open hand that reaches out with a welcoming embrace.”

An absorbing musical study of citizenship and human rights.
— Apple - iTunes A List

"The mix of compositions both contemporary and Romantic, American and European, old and new featured in this recording is brilliantly played, amply justified, and insightfully annotated in straightforward prose by the ever questing Bruce Levingston….This CD’s gathering of voices that celebrate the civility and brotherly love quintessential to what is American or more simply put, what it means to be a member of the human race, is a noble undertaking underpinned by the artistic excellence and commitment of its curator and pianist, Bruce Levingston, a notable artist who brings the album to an end with a profoundly touching AMAZING GRACE.

—All About The Arts Rafael de Acha

"Levingston’s playing is lithe and full-voiced throughout. He has an admirable ability to preserve the clarity of each strand in a densely woven contrapuntal texture, crafting a compelling whole without obscuring its parts. His phrasing is subtle, nuanced shadings of tone playing against each other to illuminate the underlying musical structure...expert control... Citizen adds to a much-needed conversation…."

--National Sawdust Log

The final tracks go to Price Walden whose Sacred Spaces is a profoundly moving remembrance of the countless churches where AfricanAmericans gathered and contributed to their sense of community. His arrangement of Amazing Grace closes the recording. It’s a straightforward structure that uses some extraordinary harmonic transitions to make this iconic hymn even more meaningful in the context of the disc. This recording by Bruce Levingston is far more than a simple CD. It’s a meditation on one of the central issues of our time and can only benefit from being heard and experienced in that way. 

—The Whole Note ( March 2019 )

Boyd Meets Girl pairs Australian classical guitarist Rupert Boyd with American cellist Laura Metcalf. Acclaimed soloists in their own right, as a duo they perform an eclectic and engaging range of repertoire, from the baroque through modern day, including many of their own arrangements. Boyd has been described as “truly evocative” by The Washington Post, and as “a player who deserves to be heard” by Classical Guitar Magazine, while Metcalf, also a member of the ensembles Sybarite5 and Break of Reality, has been called “brilliant” by Gramophone. Boyd Meets Girl has toured throughout the USA, Australia, India and Nepal, including appearances at the Newport Music Festival (Rhode Island), the Gharana Music Festival (Kathmandu, Nepal) and the Monsoon Music Festival (Kolkata, India). The duo writes of this release: “Our debut album is a lovingly curated musical journey, encompassing both our shared perspective on beloved works and relatively unknown repertoire we believe is equally deserving of attention. This album features our own arrangements, including a reduction of Faure's adored Pavane from its orchestral original, and Bach's solo keyboard inventions re-imagined on cello and guitar. These are presented alongside contemporary works, including a colorful three-movement piece by Bolivian composer Jaime Zenamon, and the debut recording of Arafura Arioso by esteemed Australian composer Ross Edwards. The entire album is designed to highlight the range and of timbral possibilities of this under-explored instrumental pairing. Our collaboration began as a romantic relationship in 2012. We are now happily married and live in New York City.”

Laura Risk, Fiddle / Jacqueline Schwab, Piano

The music on this disc offers a superb program sampling the recorded baroque and classical repertoire of Les Violons du Roy, ranging from well-loved gems by Vivaldi to a rarity by J.C.E. Bach to unique transcriptions of some of Bach's greatest music. Every selection is a brilliant musical jewel, played with panache and joy. A highlight of the collection is a brilliant, previously unreleased performance of Handel's Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, No. 5 in D Major. The Artists " . . . they play with all the transparency, flexibility and sheer stylistic awareness of a period orchestra, with a stunning level of technical precision that should be a lesson both to those who listen to this repertoire and to those who play it." - Gramophone " . . . Splendid . . . These musicians have absorbed the lessons of the early music movement in terms of historically informed performance practices. Yet they play on modern instruments (though the string players do use period

Chausson, E.: Symphony, Op. 20 / Ibert, J.: Escales / Divert