Jan Kraybill- Sonic Splendor! Her amazing pipe organ performances give new dimensions to beloved orchestral favorites. In the 19th and early 20th century, organists of exceptional artistic skill developed organ transcriptions of orchestral music into a true art form. Each of the works on this disc is spectacular in its original form. To create "The Orchestral Organ", we have chosen works of many different composers, adapted into organ transcriptions of the highest artistic order. These transcriptions are not intended for comparison with, or replacement of, the original orchestral versions. In presenting them we are offering fascinating new dimensions for these compositions, whether familiar or new to the listener. Within the pieces are a variety of tone colors and compositional details that exhibit the remarkable abilities of organist Jan Kraybill, and showcase the spectacular Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant Organ at the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall in Kansas City.

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REVIEWS:

Kraybill's performance has a nice balance of verve and control. The overall impression is of joy and pleasure in the music, which flows from her understanding and touch. Her selections allow her to explore various moods and emotions, which is always quite pleasant. The progression of the album shows a sound sense of movement.

– Poaitive Feedback (David W. Robinson)

The recorded sound is thrilling. The Julia Irene Kauffman Casavant 102-rank organ at the Kauffman Center’s Helzberg Hall is big and brawny, the performances precise and committed, and the label has done their usual audiophile magic. The lower pipes of the organ are very deep, and will test your system.

– Audaud.com (Audiophile Audition)

This new release features the complete symphonic recordings of OehmsClassics with Bertrand de Billy and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2003-2010 when Bertrand de Billy was Chief Conductor in Vienna. Bertrand de Billy was born in Paris where he studied music. Starting as a member of an orchestra, he soon took on conducting. 1993-95 he was first Kapellmeister and Deputy Music Director at the Anhaltisches Theatre in Dessau, 1996-98 he held the same position at the Vienna Volksoper. 1999-2004 he was Music Director at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and 2002-2010 he was Music Director of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna. Bertrand de Billy is principal guest of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (2013-2016). Since 2014/2015 he is also principal guest conductor of the Dresdner Philharmonie.

The present release features contemporary music for clarinet and electronic media. Fernando Domínguez is currently the main exponent of the contemporary repertoire for clarinet in Mexico. In addition, he teaches courses aimed at students of composition on contemporary technique and writing for clarinet are carried out on a daily basis in the country's professional schools. His repertoire includes works by Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough, Helmout Lachernmann, Pierre Boulez, Isang Yun, and Eliott Carter, among others. As a soloist, he has performed with the Life and Movement Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of the National Preparatory School, Symphony Orchestra of the National Polytechnic Institute, Chamber Orchestra of Fine Arts, Chamber Orchestra of Fine Arts, Carlos Chávez Symphony Orchestra and OFUNAM.

This album features two guitar arrangements of Mexican traditional music, performed by the Aleph Duo, made up of Gustavo Camacho Gomez and Eric Trejo Santiago. Gustavo Camacho Gomez holds a Bachelor in Classical Guitar from the Superior School of Music of the INBA. He is currently studying for his Master’s Degree at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Austria. He teaches at the State School of Music of Tabasco, and is an undergraduate professor at the State Institute of Culture of the State of Tabasco. Eric Trejo Santiago holds a Bachelor in Classical Guitar from the Superior School of Music of the INBA. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Hochschule fur Musik “Hanns Eisler” zBerlin, where he is a beneficiary of the FONCA-CONACYT Scholarship Program for Study Abroad. Along with his classical training, he practices different currents of contemporary music, free jazz, and free improvisation. In 2010, he was part of the free improvisation quintet Synergia Ensemble with which he gave two concerts at the International University Music Festival in Belfort, France.

Ensemble 5o Elemento was formed by Mexican musicians who came together to explore jazz and all it's rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic facets. Their repertoire covers a broad spectrum, from jazz classics of the sixties a la Miles Davis, to contemporary jazz works inspired by Spanish influences. Most of the pieces they play are composed by the members themselves. The present release is presented in honor of the group's 20th anniversary and features a programme of Mexican jazz.

The male choir of the Optina Pustyn Monastery Department in St. Petersburg was established in 1996 by the blessing of its Father Superior, Hieromonach Rostislav. The choir consists of professional singers who graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. The main goal in forming the choir was the cultivation of the heritage of the old Russian Church singing, its sources and different styles, the study of the different types of early Russian polyphony and the introduction of them into modern Church practices. In order to achieve authenticity in transcribing the various types of ancient Russian scriptures the choir members are in contact with scientists researching medieval patterns of Russian singing. The repertoire of the choir, however, reaches beyond the purely ancient repertoire and represents the great riches and variety of the Russian clerical as well as secular choral art. Apart from recording they maintain a busy schedule of concerts in Russia and abroad.

Classical Music

“For Several Friends“ - a high-baroque chamber music collection by Matthew Locke - was the inspiration for the title of this album, on which a colorful bouquet of German and English chamber music from the 18th century has been compiled. After the cultural life in England had almost come to a standstill in the years of the civil war from 1642 to 1649, it came to a new bloom by the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II in the year 1660. The courtly music ensembles Chapel Royal, Royal Music, The King‘s Band and The Queen‘s Band have been reinstated, and a lively musical life has also sprung up in London. Annette John performs in Germany and abroad, among others with the ensembles Weser-Renaissance, Orlando di Lasso, Concerto Palatino, Concerto Brandenburg, Oh-Ton Oldenburg, the Hanoverian Court Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Boston Early Music Festival, the Bremen Council Music and the Hamburger Council Music. She is interested in both old and new music. She is a lecturer at the University of Oldenburg. Since 1995 Susanne Peuker has devoted herself to freelance teaching and concert activities. As a soloist and as a sought-after chamber music partner, her concert tours took her all over Germany and Europe. She is a permanent member of various ensembles: in addition to the musical Tafelkonfekt Fortunes Musicke, Musical Delight and Musical Playground, but also in ensembles such as Weser Renaissance, North German Baroque Collegium, Elbipolis, Capella Cantorum, Saxon Vocalensemble and the Philharmonic Bremen

This is already the third recording of a very unusual ensemble- a duo of guitar and harp. All works on this album have been composed directly for the two. Maximilian Mangold is regarded "... as one of the most interesting current German guitarists" (Fono Forum 10/2003). The German Guitar Magazin "Gitarre Aktuell" calls him an "exceptional guitarist". He has won numerous prizes and awards, amongst other the International Guitar Competition in Mettmann in 1991, the Competition of the Guitar Foundation of America in Quebec (Canada) in 1994 and in Northridge (USA) in 1995. In 1992 he was the prizewinner of the German Music Competition and thus was selected to perform in the 38th German "Young Musicians of the Year Concert Series". For her "harp playing full of grace and feeling" (Lippisches Kultur Journal) Mirjam Schroeder has won numerous competitions, such as the ARD International Music Competition 2004 with the Audience Award and the 3rd Prize, the Concorsi Arpista Ludovico Madrid 2002 and the International Reinl Competition Vienna / Munich with the 1st prize. She made her concert debut at the age of 15 with Mozart's double concerto for harp and flute. Since then she performs as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Germany and Europe.

2019- an anniversary year. For three exceptional musicians 2019 brings cause for great joy and gratitude for several reasons. Ton Koopman, internationally renowned as a harpsichordist, organist, conductor, professor and musicologist, celebrates his 75th birthday. He also looks back on 40 highly successful years with the ensemble he founded, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. His wife, Tini Mathot, an outstandingly gifted harpsichord and fortepiano virtuoso as well as a very successful producer of countless international albums, celebrates her 70th birthday. Klaus Mertens, acclaimed for over four decades as an international concert singer with an admirably wide repertoire stretching from Monteverdi to contemporary composers, also celebrates his 70th birthday. "As the ideal conveyor of Bach's cantatas and passion texts..." he also receives the Bach-Medaille of the city of Leipzig in 2019. As if this were not sufficient cause to celebrate an anniversary, these three musicians cap it all by looking back on 40 years of successful and amicable music-making together in concerts and recording studios by presenting an anniversary album as well as several chamber concerts.

This album features a group of contemporary art songs by Korean women composers, all commissioned by The Korean Society of Women Composers. These songs are brought to life by Korean soprano Kyoung Cho, and Korean-Canadian bass Won Cho. Internationally acclaimed Korean soprano Kyoung Cho has established a reputation in diverse regions of Asia, Europe, The Mid-East, and North America. Critics praised her performances as “Sublimely beautiful, transcendent, serene, dazzling, and heavenly” and “Refined tone color and dignified sound, which effectively expressed an appeal that penetrated the heart.” Korean-Canadian Bass Won Cho is in demand in both concert and operatic repertoire worldwide thanks to the unique range and beauty of his voice as well as his outstanding acting ability and strong stage presence, appearing with many of the opera houses and orchestras of the US, Canada, Europe, Mid East, Asia, and his native Korea. Critics hailed Cho’s performances as “expertly played whose deep tones vibrate the seats,” “one wished the score let him sing his overcoat aria twice,” “Won Cho steal(s) the show,” “deep resonant mellifluous sound," "he sang with a grave, classic beauty," “a particularly dark, melodic yet rafter-ringing bass that is worth the price of admission all by itself.”

Mariachi is the name of a traditional Mexican street music with a style that has developed continuously throughout its history. While in earlier times only the vihuela and the gitarron were used, and sometimes also the harp, one finds today that many different instruments are involved. The trumpet, which gives Mariachi its characteristic sound, is a relatively new addition, coming along at the end of the 1950s. Mariachi music is lively, full of joy and can be very romantic. It is therefore very well suited to public festivals and weddings, and to the serenading of young women by potential suitors. This is a great introductory album to the genre, presented by the well-established Mariachi band, Mariachi Sol.

The folk music tradition in Wales is among the richest in the world; centuries old, it is as vibrant today as it has ever been. This collection highlights the best of the current folk scene from ‘the land of song.’ The artists featured on this release are renowned for their folk performances. Lleuwen is known to combine acoustic, folk and jazz influences to create her own unique sound. Now living in Brittany, she performs in both Welsh and Breton. Welsh singer-songwriter Ryland Teifi has made a name for himself as a singer in his native tongue, as well as in English. Ar Log was formed in August 1976 specifically to represent Wales at the Celtic Festival in Lorient, Brittany. Following the festival, the band decided to continue to perform and earn their living through touring. Calan bring together the remarkable talents of five young musicians giving a fresh and vibrant sound to traditional Welsh music. With a contemporary approach, they breathe new life into old traditions. Other equally notable artists on the release include Lleuwen, Bob Delyn, a’r Ebillion, Gwenan Gibbard, Gwyneth Glyn, and more.

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WILDLIFE PACIFIC RIMBOMBO A

KOHASHI-OVERWATER-VERPLOEGEN trio is a collective jazz group that creates a unique sound, standing on an equal footing with each other. Kohashi from Japan, Overwater and Verploegen from the Netherlands, beyond ethnicity and nationality, they seek and discover their own sound sharing the passion for music. Japanese pianist Atzko Kohashi had something special in mind when she invited Dutch bass player Tony Overwater to join her for a musical encounter. She longed to create a unique unit of bass harmony and melody with each voice being equal and contributing selflessly to the music. Her vision is connected to Japanese Zen aesthetics that generate simplicity and spontaneity. With trumpet player Angelo Verploegen they found their match- a soloist who can blend in, shine and support the music all at the same time. On a cold winter day, they met in an empty church in Amsterdam and started playing. For hours. Instantly the delicate sound of these three instruments blended into gentle and generous music that warmed their hearts. A few months later, they recorded the debut album Virgo in the only way possible for such a collaboration: in a beautiful radio studio from the 1930s, with a great sounding Steinway, only a few microphones but of the utmost quality and recorded directly to a two-track analogue tape recorder before a live audience.

This album features lively and soulful songs from Costa Rica, presented by Grupo Quelite. Founded in 2008, Grupo Quelite is a traditional Costa Rican music group from San Carlos, in the northern part of Costa Rica. They have performed countless concerts in many communities in Costa Rica and abroad. Their repertoire consists of songs in various traditional musical genres of Costa Rica, such as the tambito, considered a national rhythm, the calypso of the Caribbean area of the country, as well as boleros, corridos and others. Quelite's songs tell stories, and express thoughts and feelings of the peasant and rural life of the Costa Rican people. They play instruments common to traditional Costa Rican music, such as guitar, accordion, flute and clarinet, as well as more contemporary instruments such as electric bass, keyboards and drums.

For more than a century, from the last Valois kings to the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, the air de cour was truly the emblematic genre of French secular music. The term bears witness to the influence on and transformation by worldly and literate circles of vocal genres of popular origin such as the vaudeville, combined with Italian influences (the villanella), based on the principles of a simple strophic musical setting that facilitated understanding of the poetic text. Three composers dominated the production of airs de cour in the reigns of Henry IV and Louis XIII, bringing the genre to it's peak: Pierre Gu�dron (1565-1620), Antoine Boesset (1587-1643) and �tienne Moulini� (1599-1676). To mark the twentieth anniversary of his ensemble, Vincent Dumestre has chosen to celebrate the air de cour by bringing together excerpts from his five recordings devoted to the genre. A book accompanies this double album, including an article written by Thomas Leconte of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, a rich array of illustrations and an article on the historical context by Alexandre Maral, Curator General at the Mus�e National du Ch�teau de Versailles.

Founded in 1980 to perform the instrumental music of Shakespeare’s time, The Baltimore Consort has explored early English, Scottish, and French popular music, focusing on the relationship between folk and courtly art song, and dance. Their interest in early music of English/Scottish heritage has also led them to delve into the rich trove of traditional music preserved in North America.

There are hundreds of references to music in the works of Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s music can be placed into three general categories: Incidental Music- The individual titles of incidental music in Shakespeare’s works are never named but the directions “music here,” “music begins,” “music for dancing,” etc. are provided. Literary References- Shakespeare refers to the music, music theory, and instruments of the time within the text of his works. A humorous example is found in the names of the musicians Peter confronts in Romeo and Juliet: Hugh Rebec, Simon Catling and James Soundpost. Songs- Specific songs are included for performance in the text of Shakespeare’s plays. Shakespeare authored the lyrics to some of these songs but also incorporated popular songs known to his contemporary audiences. The plays did not include notation of the tunes of these songs. However, we are certain that Robert Johnson’s settings for “Full Fathom Five” and “Where the Bee Sucks” are the same as when originally performed in The Tempest. Johnson is well documented as Shakespeare’s composer.

For the other songs on the recording we are using the earliest surviving versions – both published and from manuscript – which are contemporary with Shakespeare’s productions. These include, “It Was a Lover and his Lasse,” “Farewell, Dear Love,” “When Griping Grief,” “Gravedigger’s Song,” and “Willow Song.”

REVIEWS:

A very pleasurable late-evening hour can be spent in the company of these musicians.

– MusicWeb International

This gem of an album played with historical performance accuracy and 21st century pizzazz is a revealing and often toe-tapping thing to treasure.

– Rafael's Music Notes (Rafael de Acha)

With most of the songs in the one- to three-minute range (only three exceed four minutes), changes happen fast, the recording never staying in one place for long. As enjoyable as the songs are, the album’s foremost pleasures derive from the interactions between the players and the rich timbral contrasts between their instruments. Often the full ensemble performs, but arrangements vary, with instruments combined in different combinations and number (e.g., “Cuckolds All a-Row” played by cittern alone; voice accompanied by lute for “Willow Song”); the album also benefits from the inclusion of both vocal and instrumental tracks, with a satisfying balance achieved between them.

– Textura

'The senses reign, and Reason now is dead' (Petrarch). Giovanni Antonini, flautist and founder of the legendary Italian ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, enjoys musical voyages, the discursiveness of music. He begins with an anonymous 16th century pavane, La Morte della Ragione (The Death of Reason), which he believes refers to In Praise of Folly, in which it's author Erasmus distinguishes between two forms of madness: 'a sweet illusion of the spirit,' and a negative form, 'one that the vengeful Furies conjure up from hell... ' This succession of 'musical pictures' leads us to the threshold of the baroque era, starting out with the Puzzle Canon by John Dunstable (1390- ca.1453), whose manuscript is an enigma, via the 'bizarre' style of Alexander Agricola (1446- ca.1506) and his obsessive, ostinato rhythm - almost an anticipation of minimalist music... to the improvisatory freedom of the Galliard Battaglia de Scheidt (1587-1654), a battle piece involving a great many diminutions or 'divisions', a common technique of improvisation in the Renaissance... This grand instrumental musical fresco of time and space is a kind of self-portrait of Giovanni Antonini and his longstanding musical colleagues.

Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis was recorded to explore the breadth of imagination with which composers have approached the texts, which have been sung in Christian worship for over 1000 years. Stanford’s starting point was the Germanic symphonic tradition; Howells took his inspiration from the architecture and acoustics of the Cathedral in Gloucester; Tippett was inspired by the unique Spanish trumpet stop at St John’s. The Evening Canticles chosen for this record relate to a particular period of music making in the life of St John’s conductor, Andrew Nethsingha; his time at the Royal College of Music; at Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals, and lastly his time at St John’s. Founded in the 1670s, The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world – known and loved by millions for its rich, warm and distinctive sound, expressive interpretations and ability to sing in a variety of styles.

Surely, no map could chart the fantastic voyage presented in this release. For while this odyssey takes us around a large part of the globe, via the music of Ireland and the British Isles, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, North Africa, Turkey, the Balkans, and Asia, it is largely an imaginary voyage, an interior journey made by the performers, inspired by their travel experiences and their passion for a geographical or temporal ‘elsewhere’. Music has the power of transporting us, in both senses; it can open the ear – and the mind – to other worlds, other cultures and customs; and it can exhilarate and transcend the senses. Here are recordings by iconic artists of the Alpha label such as le Poème Harmonique, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, and Cappella Mediterranea – all represented in this release.

Highlights include:

Traditional songs & dances of Naples, Ireland, The Balkans, The British Isles & North Africa on baroque instruments | Le poème harmonique plays music of French traditions | Cappella Mediterranea performs music from Spain, 16th-20th centuries | Doulce Mémoire performs music from the meeting points of Western and Middle Eastern cultures in the Renaissance | Andreas Staier leads performances of Bach cantatas

Past praise for previously released volumes included in this set:

Aux Marches du Palais / Le Poème Harmonique

The infectious La molièra qu’a nau escus, the rhythmic zest and mellow harmonies of the largely homophonic Le 31 du mois d’août, the pastoral delicacy of Réveillez-vous, belle endormie, are only a few of the standouts that required frequent use of the repeat button on my CD player. As for the 11 musicians who make up Le Poème Harmonique, they are vastly skilled, rhythmically disciplined, and theatrically vivid where required, as in the galvanizing a capella tarantelle, Sarremilhòque. (The music may be from France, but various patois are employed, as well.) This group is far from the “churchly” type that usually brings great delicacy and little passion to such music. One hopes we’ll hear more from them in the future.

-- Fanfare

The chansons are about human experiences, human emotions. About love, deep sadness, the fear of being abandoned, but also about the joy of relationships and love. These chansons invite us to dare to be real people. At first sight, the chansons do not seem particularly deep; they are generally not spiritual; they do not use complicated turns of phrase. They describe the ordinary events of life, the lives of ordinary people. But it is precisely this description of ordinary events and encounters that opens the shutters to reveal the greater themes of life such as selfless love, hope and thankfulness. We understand how these chansons are about our own lives and realize how they can unleash powerful human emotions.

Locus Iste celebrates two milestones for the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge: as well as 2019 marking the 150th anniversary of the consecration of the college chapel, this release is coincidentally the choir's 100th recording – 60 years on from George Guest’s iconic first recording of ‘Hear my prayer’ for Argo, released in 1959. Directed by Andrew Nethsingha, the programme makes great use of the chapel's renowned acoustic, and celebrates the choirs past, present and future – including an anthem by a former director of music, a motet by one of their recent student composers and the cello-playing of a current undergraduate. The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world – known and loved by millions from its broadcasts, concert tours and recordings. Founded in the 1670s, the Choir is known for its rich, warm and distinctive sound, its expressive interpretations and its ability to sing in a variety of styles.

Classical Music