The lute, undoubtedly the most popular instrument of European townsfolk and aristocrats in the 16th and 17th centuries, was widely played in Prague during the reign of Emperor Rudolf II. A manuscript of lute tablatures known as the Codex Jacobides was in all likelihood written by a musically gifted student of the Prague University in the early 17th century. It features notations of period dances, intabulations of songs, and vocal polyphonic secular and sacred pieces; miniatures of German, English, French, Italian, Polish and Spanish provenience. Extremely intriguing are the intabulations of vocal villanelle by Jacob Regnart, who served as Kapellmeister at Rudolf II’s court in Prague. Originally set to German texts, these pieces had found their way from Prague Castle to the city beneath, where – furnished with Czech lyrics – they lived a life of their own. The Codex Jacobides also contains works by Michael Praetorius, John Dowland and Jean Planson. Jan Cižmár studied the lute in London and The Hague with true masters (J. Lindberg, N. North, J. Held, M. Fentross, C. Pluhar), and today he is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician, performing worldwide. On the album, eight string instruments of various sizes and tunings are heard in a number of combinations, occasionally accompanied by a flute or lute ensemble and voice. Affording a taste of the music performed in Prague under Rudolf II, the album is a true delicacy for connoisseurs and all music lovers alike. Lute music that during the reign of Rudolf II was played in Prague streets and taverns, as well as at the local university.

Funerary cantatas are highly individual works within the German Protestant liturgy, often calling for specific instruments such as the recorder and the viola da gamba. This release includes not only J.S. Bach's youthful Actus Tragicus but also three other works that belong to this genre and that make full use of all its characteristics, including the string pizzicati that imitate the tolling of the funeral bell. Ricercar, to seek, has been the underlying motto of the Ricercar Consort ever since its foundation. It was in 1985, with J. S. Bach’s Musical Offering, that the ensemble made its first concert tour, having already acquired a solid international reputation with its recordings, notably in German Baroque cantatas and instrumental music. Today, under the direction of Philippe Pierlot, the Ricercar Consort continues to explore the Baroque repertoire, from chamber music to opera and oratorio, and to enthrall music-lovers with performances that are both profound and rigorous.

Whether it was called Krummhorn in German, storto in Italian or tournebout in French, this was an instrument whose performing life was limited to the Renaissance. After having carried out a great deal of research on the adjustment and tuning of these instruments, the musicians of Syntagma Amici have now turned their attention to its repertoire. They now shed light on several compositions for these instruments, having chosen pieces that suited the instruments best from German, Low Countries and Italian sources. This recording provides a touch of folly for all those who are devoted to this ephemeral instrument: its swan song was a Padouana by J.H. Schein that was published in 1617.

The viola is only slightly larger than the violin but possesses a middle range that is irchly expressive and full of pathos. It has been played by some of the greatest composers, including JS Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Dvorak- and the rise of virtuoso players in the 19th century encouraged composers to write ever more expressive works for the instrument, not least sonatas and concertos, such as those in this collection. The explosion of pieces written for it in the 20th century has ensured that the viola can now take center stage in the world’s concert halls.

Choral music has always played a significant and central role at Belfast Cathedral, since its consecration in 1904. This strong choral tradition continues to this day with the recently formed all-adult, fully professional vocal ensemble. This ‘new’ cathedral choir brings together some of the finest singers in Northern Ireland who lead the liturgy and worship of Belfast Cathedral and are featured here in their debut album for Resonus Classics. Featuring a varied program of seasonal carols from composers including Elizabeth Poston, John Rutter and Philip Ledger, this album celebrates Christmas from Northern Ireland’s national cathedral.

For this recording Organist Matthew Owens presents a diverse recital of some of the greatest Christmas music ever written for the instrument. Traditional tunes, whether Lutheran chorales, plainchant, French noëls, or medieval carols, have provided the inspiration for much Christmas organ music throughout the years, with much of this program made up of pieces based on such tunes, from J.S. Bach’s Canonic variations on Vom Himmel hoch to Louis-Claude Daquin’s Noël Suisse. This recital also draws on more contemporary sources and presents several world premiere recordings including Howard Skempton’s Christmas Bells and Gary Davison’s Seven Versets on Divinum Mysterium, both of which were written specially for this recording.

Under the title Occitan Nights, a few troubadour songs have been collected here. Those poet-musicians celebrated the beauty of women, praised the courage of men and evoked the parting of lovers at daybreak. The Céladon Ensemble offers us a poetic, inspired vision of these lovely melodies. Taking its name from the hero of Honoré d’Urfé’s Astrée, the Céladon ensemble explores the early music repertoire with charm and fantasy, striving to reinvent the form of its concerts at each appearance. Led by countertenor Paulin Bündgen, Céladon seeks to avoid the beaten tracks and enjoys surveying the repertoire linked with the countertenor timbre, between mediaeval, renaissance and baroque music. The ensemble is a regular guest of festivals and concert seasons, recognized for the quality of its interpretations and profoundly human relations with the audience

This two-album collection featuring some of the best known and most successful songs of her career comes from perhaps the greatest Hungarian pop legend. Zsuzsa Koncz's career started after her performance in the Ki mit tud? talent show of 1962. She has been performing with various bands and musicians over the years, most notably Ill�s and J�nos Br�dy. In the 1970s, she made several successful tours abroad, mainly in Eastern Bloc countries as well as in West Germany (sometimes under the names Shusha Koncz and Jana Koncz in German-speaking countries), but also in France, the U.S., and Japan. She remains extremely popular in Hungary, with some of her songs now part of Hungarian folklore, among them: 'A K�rp�thy�k l�nya', 'Ha �n r�zsa voln�k', and 'Valahol egy l�ny.'

This series of ‘Sturm und Drang’ recordings incorporates iconic compositions by Mozart, Gluck and, above all, Joseph Haydn, but it also includes largely forgotten or neglected works by less familiar names. All of the music featured on this second recording in the series was composed between 1765 and 1770, with three turbulent minor-key symphonies alternating with sacred and operatic arias. This is the second of a seven-volume series by the Mozartists and Ian Page exploring the ‘Sturm und Drang’ movement, which swept through all art forms in the between the early 1760s and 1780s. Its general objectives were to frighten and perturb through the use of a wildly subjective and emotional means of expression, invoking ground-breaking extremes of passion and sentimentality.

When female composers created their many piano miniatures in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was not because they were unable to express themselves in larger forms. Rather, it was one of the few genres to be granted to them by their male competitors. But they knew how to make a virtue out of necessity, as Viviane Goergen impressively shows here. "As rich in nuances as presented here by the Luxembourg-Swiss pianist Viviane Goergen, each of these miniatures becomes a treasure of it's own. A sense of inner calm characterizes these interpretations, which concentrate entirely on musical expression. Goergen finds in the miniatures the right colors and nuances to bring the distinctive moods of the music to be heard. With a fine, clear attack, differentiation of dynamics and transparency of musical structure, the pianist manages to keep the listener's interest through the whole program." (Remy Franck, Pizzicato)

For anyone new to opera, the first question is often: where to start? The 'Best Loved' series offers an easy answer to that question with a perfect introduction to the wonderful, varied world of operatic music. Highlighting some of the best-loved arias ever written, the series provides a convenient introduction to opera's extensive variety of sounds and styles. Opera can be defined as drama told through music and, at the height of it's popularity, conventions arose in which certain voice types came to share features of the characters they represented. This series presents the main vocal categories (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass) by dividing them across four albums. The 'Best Loved' Arias series aims to demonstrate why opera as an art form remains as relevant and entertaining today as it was at it's inception 400 years ago.

Esma’s Band – Next Generation continues the legacy left by the great Esma Redžepova, the “Queen of Gypsy Music”. Made up entirely of members of Esma’s famed Ensemble Teodosievski, and fronted by her daughter, Eleonora Mustafovska, the band purveys irresistible Gipsy Dance from Macedonia in Esma’s style and honor. As members of Esma’s Ensemble Teodosievski, the band has performed many thousands of concerts all over the world, performing their own blend of pop music based on gypsy and Balkan songs and melodies. Following Esma’s death on 11th December 2016, the band continued touring, delighting crowds around Europe with dance music from the heart of Macedonia, exploring the intricacies of rhythm and sound.

For anyone new to opera, the first question is often: where to start? The 'Best Loved' series offers an easy answer to that question with a perfect introduction to the wonderful, varied world of operatic music. Highlighting some of the best-loved arias ever written, the series provides a convenient introduction to opera's extensive variety of sounds and styles. Opera can be defined as drama told through music and, at the height of it's popularity, conventions arose in which certain voice types came to share features of the characters they represented. This series presents the main vocal categories (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass) by dividing them across four albums. The 'Best Loved' Arias series aims to demonstrate why opera as an art form remains as relevant and entertaining today as it was at it's inception 400 years ago.

Alan Shavarsh Bardezbanian was the unparalleled master of the oud, the Middle Eastern lute. Here he showcases many styles of oud playing, with fourteen folk songs and original compositions from his homeland of Armenia, as well as Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. “Oud at lightning speed with incredible sensitivity to the melody” - Allmusic.com “An earthy, elevating sound…” - Elsewhere New Zealand “The improvisational work is world class…” - OmRadio USA ALAN SHAVARSH BARDEZBANIAN was born into an Armenian family in the thriving ethnic community of Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1950. Musically gifted from an early age, Al began playing the oud as a child, modeling his playing on the versatile dance band musicians like George Mgrditchian and Richard Hagopian who performed in the local clubs every weekend. By his teens, Al had already mastered the Armenian dance hall repertoire, which he continued to perform for the rest of his life, and began exploring a wide range of other musical idioms, particularly the contemporary jazz scene of the 1960s.

Spanish colonies in Central and South America emerged as wellsprings of cultural activity throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The meeting of indigenous populations with Latin American cathedrals and courtly life resulted in styles bearing the imprint of folk music, even in sacred compositions. The sophisticated musical culture of Guatemala City Cathedral is represented in an archive of hundreds of works, several of which are recorded here. The guitars, harp, voices and percussion of acclaimed ensemble El Mundo bring to life the vibrant and at times hypnotic dance rhythms of Spain, Africa and the New World, creating a sound unique to this region, and one that still flourishes to this day.

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An enchanting album of Baroque music from the Spanish colonies

These humble musicians created songs and dances unique to their region of the Americas. Some of the music is naïve and earnest, some surprisingly sophisticated, all of it is pure delight. © 2021 Rafael's Music

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Perfect balance of sacred and profane

This thoughtful collection of compositions from the Cathedral of Guatemala City archives reimagines a wealth of music made in colonial Latin America

The sequence is thoughtfully conceived and presented with a lightness of touch that makes it constantly engaging. Dance rhythms lift even the most serious sacred settings, and El Mundo’s quartet of singers, accompanied by three strings, percussion and a mostly strummed continuo group, balance the sacred and the profane perfectly. © 2021 The Guardian

Florence, second half of the 14th century: in the heart of a city in full humanist and cultural effervescence, composers such as Francesco degli Organi (or Landini) and Paolo Da Firenze bring the music of their time to its peak. A unique abundance that the Sollazzo ensemble invites us to discover with this new album. Sollazzo Ensemble was founded in Basel in 2014 and brings together musicians passionately attached to the medieval and Renaissance repertories, with a particular interest in the transition between the two periods. The group is directed by fiddle player Anna Danilevskaia and benefits from the varied musical backgrounds of its members: while some of them come from families already specializing in early music, others have found their calling by way of modern classical music, folk music, theatre or even musicals.

Society currently finds itself at an intersection of technology and humanity: as physical forms embedded with Artificial Intelligence systems may one day reach a level of sophistication that approaches human level artificial general intelligence, human engineering of the ‘inanimate’ may produce previously unimaginable companions. It is precisely this concept of an inanimate-human companionship that pioneer surgeon Dr Susan Lim, together with her project Co-Creative Director, Dr Christina Teenz Tan explore in the Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra, composed by Manu Martin. Recorded at Abbey Rd Studios, the Fantasy draws inspiration from ‘ALAN the Musical, and follows the story of Alan the inanimate – his journey to inanimate form, through companionship with a human and his ultimate transition to a higher form through quantum entanglement – brought to life through performances from acclaimed pianist, Tedd Joselson alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arthur Fagen, together with solo voices and choral ensemble, London Voices. The iconic Belgian-American pianist Tedd Joselson describes the work as “a truly magnificent addition to the realm of piano concerto repertoire … a masterstroke of creative ingenuity, which I am truly delighted and honoured to lead as solo pianist.”

The debut of the Taracea ensemble creates a bridge between past and present. The Madrid-based trio's artistic project is to combine early music, jazz and improvisation. It's founder Rainer Seiferth, a German musician who lives in Spain, plays the vihuela, the Spanish counterpart of the Renaissance lute. Bel�n Nieto is a flute and recorder specialist and a regular member of Jordi Savall's ensembles. The double bass player Miguel Rodriga�ez is at home in jazz, flamenco and classical music. If there is a movement for 'new' early music, Michel Godard was one of it's founders: the French virtuoso of the serpent blends in perfectly with the group. Percussionist David Mayoral combines East and West on zarb, riq and darbuka. The young Spanish singer and percussionist Isabel Mart�n performs a song by the Spanish Renaissance composer Juan del Encina. This album is called 'Ako�' - 'Listening' in ancient Greek: each of the musicians brings his or her own sound and ideas and becomes an integral part of an inextricably interwoven texture.

Those who endeavor to live on this Atlantic Archipelago have been torn away from both Europe and Africa. They are imbued with saudade, the nostalgia born from separation. From hardships, the Creole language, and cross-bred poetry and culture were born, which the music from the various islands of Cape Verde is now taking over the seas. Cape Verde appeared for the first time on a geographical map in 1460 when this uninhabited archipelago was discovered by Portuguese sailors some five hundred kilometres off the coast of Senegal. Cape Verde history began a few years later, with the settlement of poor colonists and adventurers sent by the Portuguese Crown, followed by slave deportation from Africa, in order to cultivate the islands’ mostly dry and barren land. Finally, on July 5th, 1975, after five centuries of Portuguese domination, Cape Verde obtained its independence. The identity of Cape Verde is based on the forced meeting between the dominating, colonizing culture of the Portuguese masters, and the few scattered elements of various African cultures which were clandestinely passed on through generations of slaves. Today, the Black, White and cross-bred Cape Verde inhabitants, or emigrants, are all proud of their rich heritage of music and poetry, born from these confrontations and mixtures, and the morna –now famous throughout the world– has become its best ambassador.

Yvonne Lefébure (1900-1986) was one of the most important French pianists and piano teachers of the 20th century. From a very young age she demonstrated real musical talent. When she was only 6 years old she studied the piano with Marguerite Long (1874-1966), initially in a private school, known as the Conservatoire Femina-Musica, then in Marguerite Long’s preparatory classes for the Conservatory. Yvonne Lefébure gave her first recital aged 12. Her earliest concert performances contained demanding works such as the B minor Piano Sonata by Franz Liszt or Robert Schumann’s Etudes symphoniques. Ultimately this gifted pianist took lessons with Alfred Cortot (1877-1962), one of the most important and indeed most influential personalities of musical life in the 20th century. Her most important studies with Cortot took place in his conservatory classes for advanced students, a group she joined in 1911 and from which she was awarded a first prize in 1912. Yvonne Lefébure had further private lessons with Cortot particularly in the period 1919-1939, when she was one of the most important teachers at the Ecole Normale de Musique. Later she went on to lead a masterclass at the Ecole Normale de Musique. From 1952 to 1967 she was Professor at the Paris Conservatory. Yvonne Lefébure was an outstanding soloist, chamber musician and concert solo artiste: by listening to this album listeners can get an impression of her talent for themselves.

REVIEW:

Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations and Sonatas 30-31 were recorded 1955-56 in decent monaural sound. The Diabelli is a fine, forceful reading in one long band (each variation is not tracked). The sonatas are beautifully rendered and show a pianist of discriminating taste and maturity. They also show Lefebure to possess a technical mastery that places her at the forefront among artists of her generation.

Mozart’s Violin Sonata in G with violinist Jeanne Gautier, and Beethoven’s Sonata 32 and Sonata 8 are decent enough, though no reason is given why we are left with only the first movement of the Pathetique Sonata.

The Mozart Piano Concerto 20 with the Berlin Philharmonic under Furtwangler is a pleasant surprise, though the strings are a bit glassy. Bach’s Piano Concerto in D minor along with some organ pieces transcribed by Liszt is the heart of disc 3. The concerto is effectively conducted by Fernand Oubradous, and Lefebure performs with depth and soul. The Liszt transcription of the Fugue in A minor S 543 is especially impressive.

Music by French composers constitutes the bulk of disc 4. Ravel’s Violin Sonata in G with Jeanne Gautier is handled with delicacy and humor, and Debussy’s rarely heard ballet Box of Toys allows Lefebure to handle the subtleties of the narrative with a special joy (it is heard here with French narration). The Dukas Rameau Variations and Roussel Three Pieces, Op. 49, are treasures of French insouciance coupled with elegance.

Very non-French is the single Chopin Mazurka that closes the disc. Pierre Dervaux gets off to a somewhat clumsy start with the French Radio Orchestra in Schumann’s Piano Concerto but rapidly improves to a stunningly warm and rapturous traversal. Mozart’s Concerto 20 contrasts most positively with Furtwängler’s glassy-sounding Berlin account.

-- American Record Guide

This panoramic survey of Argentine tangos shows the genre in all its rich variety of moods and virtuosity. It salutes Angel Villoldo, the father of tango, whose El choclo (‘The Corncob’) is one of the most famous tangos of all time, and charts the music’s evolution towards the romanticism and lush harmonies of Augustín Bardi. Improvisatory styles, syncopation and jazz harmonies were introduced by such great composers as José Pascual and Orlando Goñi, whilst Enrique Francini developed his personal qualities of dissonance and rhythmic flair into the 1960s. This survey is the first in a series that will document around one hundred rare and classic tangos, all performed by the Argentine pianist Mirian Conti.

 

REVIEW:

 

Tangorama: a wonderful aural trip to the southernmost South American nation

Tangorama, Vol. 1 is the first of an upcoming series of tango albums lovingly selected and superbly played by the terrific Argentine-American pianist Mirian Conti. This first in the series features over two dozen gems that trace the development of the Argentine tango from its humble origins rooted in Afro-Argentine and Cuban-influenced dance forms birthed in the bars an dives on the shores of the River Plate to the sophisticated compositions of mid-20th century composer-performers that inflected the form with European harmonies and counterpoint while retaining the syncopated underpinning of the original dance form.

 

– Rafael's Music Notes (Rafael de Acha)

Argentine-American pianist and recording artist Mirian Conti has recently released her new solo album, Tangorama, performing a collection of 25 vintage tangos, written over the span of half a century. Tango originated in Argentina and Uruguay in the late 1800’s as immigrants poured in from all parts of Europe. They brought their music with them: waltzes, polkas and mazurkas, which blended with Cuban habanera and African candombe music and rhythms to create early forms of tango music and dance. These early years, from about 1895 to 1925, are known as Guardia Vieja, the Old Guard, when tango began to develop structure and identity. One of the early composers was Angel Villoldo (1861-1919), generally considered the father of the tango. Three of his tunes are included on this disc, all in early tango 2/4 duple meter. In 1903 Angel composed the well-known El Choclo, one of the best of the early tangos, which became a popular hit song again in 1952 as “Kiss of Fire”. Mirian performs these piano arrangements with a light, graceful touch and a delightful sense of rhythm, timing and phrasing. Another early tango is the famous La Cumparsita, the most popular tango ever written. It was composed in 1917 by Geraldo Matos Rodriguez (1897-1948), and originally written for a marching band. The tune is driven by the bold arrastre sound of slurring chords mixing with crisp staccatos.

The tango period known as Guardia Nueva, or New Guard, lasted roughly from 1925 to 1955. This included the Golden Age of the 1940’s, which was the hey-day of the big tango orchestras. Generally coinciding with the explosion of the Big Band era, tango began developing and maturing in form and complexity. Alfredo Gobbi (1912-1965) was a violinist and composer who wrote El Andariego in 1951. The tune features a smoother 4/8 meter, slower tempo, heavy rubato, and delicate staccato passages. From 1955 to 1970, tango went through an Avant-Garde period of development and began moving in new directions. Julian Plaza (1928-2003) was an outstanding musician and composer who wrote Melancolico in 1960 and Nostalgico in 1962. The tunes are intoxicating with dramatic tango rhythms, melodies and dissonant harmonic structures. Mirian presents them with beautiful dynamics and phrasing, meticulous keyboard technique and solid intuition.

This music was recorded on 15-24 September 2020 on two Yamaha Disklaviers, one each at Conti Studio in Buenos Aires and at Yamaha Artists Service in New York. Mirian Conti and G. Richard Glasford were the producers, and Aaron David Ross was the engineer. Joseph Patrych performed the mastering. A 28-page booklet is included, with photographs and commentary in Spanish and English. The sound quality is excellent.

--MusicWeb International (Bruce McCollum)

"Radiophonie 8" presents the sound universe of Radio France's channels (France Inter, France Culture, France Bleu and Mouv'). The compositions of Rémy Quincez, Eric Renard, Philippe Zech, Axel Von Hueck reflect the color of each channel. Established in 1975, Radio France is a national broadcasting company. The building that houses Radio France is the largest ever built in France. Not only does Radio France present its aforementioned channels, it also provides 44 local stations.

New Jewish Music, Vol. 3 - Azrieli Music Prizes features the world premiere recordings of works by composer Keiko Devaux, 2020 Laureate of The Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, and composer Yotam Haber, 2020 Laureate, The Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music. The album also features works by Yitzhak Yedid, 2020 Laureate, the Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music and composer Pierre Mercure. These wonderful works are performed by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne under the direction of Lorraine Vaillancourt, with soloists Sharon Azrieli and Krisztina Szab�. The Nouvel Ensemble Moderne is a chamber orchestra of 15 musicians that performs in Quebec, Canada and internationally. Lorraine Vaillancourt is it's founder and musical director and Normand Forget, artistic director.

La Grazia Delle Donne is a collection of wonderful works by female composers of the Baroque era who have been excluded and forgotten, like so many other musicians, from music history courses. The Ensemble La Cigale, under the direction of Madeleine Owen, specializes in music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras on period instruments. The group presents original programs that blend formal and popular styles. For this project, the ensemble invited soprano Myriam Leblanc, who is recognized for her warm, supple voice and pure timbre. "A voice of rare beauty." - La Presse

On his new GENUIN release, Jeremias Schwarzer allows his recorder to dance: Le Ballet imaginaire is the name of this production that brings together Baroque masterpieces by Bach, Ch�deville, Telemann, and Handel. Schwarzer's ideally-matched partner, who is one of his instrument's leading exponents, is Ralf Waldner on the harpsichord. The two artists not only dance through this enchanting and spirited music with lightness and vitality, but also make it sing and speak. Originals and counterfeits, kings and opera princes, love songs and sparkling virtuosity - a ballet full of passions!