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Bach: The Art Of Fugue / Sébastien Guillot

Naxos

$19.99 May 16, 2006

For his recording of Bach's The Art of Fugue, harpsichordist Sébastien Guillot includes the composer's early autograph versions. Although Bach's more familiar revisions generally were for the better, his first thoughts make for fascinating comparison. Contrapunctus 1's first version contains alternate note readings and lacks the gorgeous coda Bach added as an inspired afterthought. If the piece often referred to as Contrapunctus 10 sounds as if it starts mid-stream, so to speak, that's because we're used to the 22 sublime bars Bach subsequently tacked on to the beginning. The early version of the canon in augmentation and inversion is fascinatingly florid, but without the revision's extraordinary chromatic tension and melodic humor that Guillot brilliantly conveys. Other differences involve ornamental more than compositional refinements.

In an era where a few too many harpsichordists embrace these pieces with fussy agogics, crawling tempos, and a reverential halo, Guillot's fleet, uncluttered, and enlivening interpretations are positively refreshing. Ornaments and cadenzas are infused with improvisatory joy, while Guillot's rolled chords contain more gestural and expressive variety than we often hear. Should you prefer more repose and austerity (and some listeners undoubtedly will), I'd stick with Robert Hill, Gustav Leonhardt, and Davitt Moroney. But if Guillot's extroversion entices, then by all means supplement your collection with this inexpensive, beautifully engineered release.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

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Bach: The Art Of Fugue / Sébastien Guillot
Naxos May 2006
CD
$19.99

Charpentier: Rendez-mois Mes Plaisirs, Etc; Tunder, Grandi, Monteverdi, Etc / Ledroit, Ricercar Consort

Ricercar

$8.99 Mar 10, 2009

It is now twenty years ago that Henri Ledroit left us. He had been one of the first artists to have faith in the grand enterprise that Ricercar launched in 1980; the recordings that we then took such great delight in making now enshrine priceless memories of him and his art. Henri Ledroit personified the both the joy of singing and the intelligent delivery of the text; these qualities, combined with his richly warm and yet so delicate and fragile voice, created his magic. This recording -- our 2009 catalogue is included with it -- is devoted in the main to repertoire that is indeed seldom performed: the cantatas and airs de cour by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. We are now proud to present it for re-release, accompanied by an introductory text by Catherine Cessac. The recording has been completed with several sacred compositions that were amongst Henri Ledroit's first recordings. This compilation also marks the re-release of the complete recordings made by this wonderful musician. This recording offers the listener the pleasure of rediscovering the unique moments of emotion that Henri Ledroit shared with such generosity with all who had the pleasure of hearing him. These same emotions are still alive today: those that he brought to us and those that we experienced as we listened to him.

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Charpentier: Rendez-mois Mes Plaisirs, Etc; Tunder, Grandi, Monteverdi, Etc / Ledroit, Ricercar Consort
Ricercar Mar 2009
CD
$8.99

Cespo, Gardel, Gardelin & Villoldo: Porteno - Works for Tuba

Haenssler Classic

$10.49 ~~$20.99~~ Save 50% Jun 07, 2024

Duo Compagni, comprising of tuba and piano, was established during the course of this CD production and has been touring internationally ever since. The duo performs new compositions and arrangements of works from all over the world. Their focus is on sound design and the musical joy of playing, which unites the pianist Susanne Endres and myself as solo tuba players. The tuba is no longer to be underestimated as a solo instrument. This has also been recognised by the German State Music Councils, who have named the tuba as the instrument of the year 2024, a fact that also inspired me to use this as an opportunity to produce this CD. (Siegfried Jung)

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Cespo, Gardel, Gardelin & Villoldo: Porteno - Works for Tuba
Haenssler Classic Jun 2024
CD
~~$20.99~~ $10.49

SWINGIN' UP IN HARLEM

SAVANT

$16.63 Mar 10, 2023

In the grand tradition of jazz piano trio records, Lafayette Harris returns to the Van Gelder studios for this release covering a wide spectrum of tunes by composers ranging from Hoagy Carmichael to Stevie Wonder. Harris' sympathies have always been all-inclusive, developed during his stints with Max Roach, Ernestine Anderson and others. His playing keeps one foot rooted in the rich history of jazz piano and the other is knee-deep in contemporary and modern jazz resulting in an album of memorable renditions with subtle colors and elegant nuances. You need a first-rate rhythm section for a trio recording and bassist Kenny Washington and drummer Lewis Nash bring the insight that only their decades of experience can give. The album also boasts the participation of saxophonist Houston Person, this time in the producer's chair. If tasteful, effortless piano playing is to your liking, then you will certainly find great pleasure in the joy, humor and exuberance of Lafayette Harris Jr.

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SWINGIN' UP IN HARLEM
SAVANT Mar 2023
CD
$16.63

Keeping Christmas: Beloved Carols & The Christmas Story / Patterson, Gloriae Dei Cantores

Gloriae Dei Cantores

$18.99 Dec 01, 2010

Each year at Christmas, Gloriæ Dei Cantores celebrates the "dawn of redeeming grace" with a traditional candlelit Service of Readings and Carols, retelling the stories of Christ's birth that stir us with memories and hopes for peace and love. Just for a time as you listen to these carols and stories, let your heart fill with gratitude for our many blessings, and with goodwill toward others. Gloriæ Dei Cantores offers this recording with a prayer that the joy of the season brings you renewed hope and a fresh sense of wonder!

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Keeping Christmas: Beloved Carols & The Christmas Story / Patterson, Gloriae Dei Cantores
Gloriae Dei Cantores Dec 2010
CD
$18.99

Blues For Harvey

SteepleChase

Vinyl

$45.99 Jun 15, 2023

Johnny “Little Giant” Griffin moved to France in 1963 leaving USA where the straight-ahead jazz’s heyday was fast waning. Together with other expatriates such as Dexter Gordon, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke Griffin had highly productive career in Europe. The original version of this 180G LP was recorded live over two nights in 1973 at Copenhagen’s jazzhus Montmartre. “...this is a superb Griffin recording in a long time...” (Swing Journal) “Johnny Griffin in the 1970s remains The Little Giant - a joy to hear and this must be his most representative album in ages...” (Coda) 180g Audiophile Vinyl

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Blues For Harvey
SteepleChase Jun 2023
Vinyl
$45.99

Mayr: Messa di Gloria in E Minor - Messa di Gloria in F Mino

Naxos

$13.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 30% Apr 23, 2021

Mayr's Masses were in demand across Europe, and their composition is rooted in the Italian tradition of the messa concertata which demands division into separate vocal numbers. The Mass in E minor has long been recognized as an outstanding example of Mayr's late style, with it's polyphonic mastery and dialogues between singers and concertante solo instruments being exceptionally convincing. The Mass in F minor evokes both joy and deep melancholy, though accompanied, as always, by Mayr's notable gift for melodic beauty. Conductor Franz Hauk has been responsible for re-establishing the music of Johann Simon Mayr, one of the most significant operatic and vocal composers residing in Italy before the rise of Rossini. This latest album is another in the series of ground-breaking world premiere recordings of Mayr's music by the same forces under Hauk.

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Mayr: Messa di Gloria in E Minor - Messa di Gloria in F Mino
Naxos Apr 2021
CD
~~$19.99~~ $13.99

Steal Away: The African American Concert Spiritual

Seraphic Fire Media

$18.99 Jan 29, 2016

Steal Away: The African American Concert Spiritual explores the very essence of America's national heritage through the compelling sincerity of the Spiritual. With visceral illustrations of joy, pain, sorrow, and hope of a people yearning for a better life, Seraphic Fire takes a fresh look at this simple and candid expression of the human spirit.

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Steal Away: The African American Concert Spiritual
Seraphic Fire Media Jan 2016
CD
$18.99

Where Only Stars Can Hear Us: Schubert Songs / Sulayman, Yi-Heng Yang

Avie Records

$19.99 Mar 06, 2020

In life and music, Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman is a master storyteller. Where Only Stars Can Hear Us is a journey through the songs of Franz Schubert, a composer who was able to capture joy and sorrow in a single moment like no other. Karim’s voyage traverses themes of darkness and yearning, guided throughout by moonbeams and shining stars. His partner is historical keyboardist Yi-heng Yang who plays on a fortepiano built by Joseph Simon in Vienna in 1830, adding an air of authenticity from Schubert’s time. “lucid, velvety tenor and pop-star charisma” (BBC Music Magazine) “a pianist of “astonishing skill and vividness” (The New York Times)

REVIEWS:

Sulayman is always engaging, with an appealing honesty to his approach and a vividness to his storytelling. His light, silvery tenor is in many ways suited to much of the programme’s theme, but the flipside is a paleness and shortness of sap and sweetness; nor does the tenor’s German always feel entirely natural. Adjust to the tone, though, and there’s still a great deal to enjoy in these performances.

– Gramophone

This Schubert has its priorities straight. Text comes first in Sulayman's interpretations. The small inflections in his timbre convey textual themes equally well to audiences of all German-speaking levels. From the seemingly bratty child in Erlkönig (RIP), to the poignantly longing fisherman of Des fischers Liebesglück, he is an actor first.

His voice is clear and transparent. He barely covers his sound, allowing every ounce of that underlying emotion to shine through.

Both performers treat these lieder as chamber music. It's unclear who leads the stretches that come so often throughout the album, but whenever one part pushes, the other follows. Yang's slightly delayed cadences gain weight with a quick breath from Sulayman. Sulayman stretches a phrase climax, Yang rolls a chord to help accent. The two work symbiotically, melding the intense drama from each of their parts into a composite, deeply affecting pathos.

– Classical Music Geek

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Where Only Stars Can Hear Us: Schubert Songs / Sulayman, Yi-Heng Yang
Avie Records Mar 2020
CD
$19.99

Family Resemblance

GIA

$18.99 Jan 01, 2003

For accomplished vocalist Theresa Donohoo, liturgical music has always been a family affair, most often traveling and performing with her husband Rory Cooney (with their son in tow) and family friend Gary Daigle. Now, with Family Resemblance, Theresa sings of the larger family that we are in Christ. The songs on this recording are a testament to the ups and downs, joys and trials of the family of God, and the ever-present faith that leads us through. Theresa seemlessly interprets the trusting and faithful text of "The Deer's Cry: I Arise," a simply magnificent piece of music. "Too Many Walls" and "Lost and Found," with their themes of conflict, forgiveness, and reconciliation, are re-recorded here (originally from Rory Cooney's musical, Lost and Found). Finally, Theresa delivers an upbeat and inspiring rendition of "Lord of the Dance," bringing to life the story of Jesus especially for children. Throughout the recording, Theresa's voice is at once strong and tender with a spirited Irish lilt, stirring the emotions of the soul. A wonderful collection by a inspired vocalist!

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Family Resemblance
GIA Jan 2003
CD
$18.99

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 / Blomstedt, Argerich, Lucerne Festival Orchestra [DVD]

Accentus Music

DVD

$31.99 ~~$41.99~~ Save 25% Nov 19, 2021

In August 2020, Herbert Blomstedt made his debut with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra. You could hardly tell that the maestro had celebrated his 93rd birthday only a month prior for he continuously exudes vitality, awareness, and curiosity. “I’m in love with music,” says Blomstedt, who views his profession as a kind of joie de vivre. Together with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Martha Argerich he revealed just what this joy sounds like with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 – the work that marked Argerich’s stage debut in 1949 - and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, the famous Eroica. Recorded live at the Concert Hall of KKL Luzern, August 2020.

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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 / Blomstedt, Argerich, Lucerne Festival Orchestra [DVD]
Accentus Music Nov 2021
DVD
~~$41.99~~ $31.99

Bonis: Memoires d'une femme / Miriam Barbeaux-Cohen

Ars Produktion

SACD

$22.99 Sep 16, 2022

The French composer Mélanie Bonis (1858-1937) came from a modest family of the Parisian petty bourgeoisie. Nothing is known about any musical background on her part: music remains her very personal passion. Immediately enchanted by your sensitive music, I gradually realized how varied the pieces were, both by their technical difficulties and by the richness of the harmonies and the melodies, so profound and sometimes poignant. The immense joy of playing this music has turned into responsibility: the responsibility of showing a jewel and making something shine that should be known as a matter of course, because it's just great." (Myriam Barbaux-Cohen)

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Bonis: Memoires d'une femme / Miriam Barbeaux-Cohen
Ars Produktion Sep 2022
SACD
$22.99

Reger, J.S. Bach, Messiaen & Others: Works for Organ

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Mar 08, 2019

First Prize winner of the prestigious Eighth International Organ Competition Musashino-Tokyo, Amanda Mole has selected music that fully exploits every aspect of the excellent Marcussen & Son instrument at this venue. Buxtehude's remarkable Praeludium and Bruhns' chorale fantasia on the Advent tune 'Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland' connect with the old French traditions evoked in Alain's 'Variations,' while Reger uses the entire dynamic range of the organ in his Toccata. The programme is topped by Messiaen's expression of sheer joy in the rapturous conclusion to 'La Nativite du Seigneur.' Amanda Mole is the winner numerous awards. Since 2017, she has served as a juror for several organ competitions, and in 2016 was chosen as one of The Diapason magazine's 'Top 20 under 30.'

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Reger, J.S. Bach, Messiaen & Others: Works for Organ
Naxos Mar 2019
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Everlasting Light

CRD Records

$23.99 Jul 04, 2025

As Bath Abbey Boys' Choir marks it's 150th anniversary, we are delighted to present this album. I hope you will enjoy this varied collection, which has been designed to showcase the very best of our boys' choral singing. One of the highlights of this project has been welcoming our alumni to sing again in Bath Abbey as part of the recording. Seeing the joy of our former choristers at being back in the Abbey, some of whom left the choir over 50 years ago, demonstrates the lasting mark that their time as a chorister has made on their lives. We know how important these choirs are for training future musicians. However, I believe we often underestimate the impact that being part of a choir can have on the choristers who pursue other careers; the discipline, teamwork and concentration skills that will support them throughout their lives, helping to build the leaders and team players of the future. This recording has been made to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the introduction of the Boys and Lay Clerks (formally Men's choir) in 1875. At a time when boys' choirs are decreasing due to mixing the treble line with boys and girls, we are lucky that, despite there being no choir school at the Abbey, we can maintain our independent boys' choir. For part of this recording, we have invited our girls and lay clerk alumni to join us for two items as we celebrate the history and tradition that helped many singers to find their voice. © Huw Williams

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Everlasting Light
CRD Records Jul 2025
CD
$23.99

SOLO THREE

WESTERN VINYL

Vinyl

$27.99 Jan 23, 2026

The slyly absorbing new volume from Michigan-based musician Erik Hall understands the contemplative joy in repetition. Solo Three is the culmination of what Hall describes as a loose trilogy, following his radical reinterpretation of Steve Reich's minimalist masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians, and his subsequent rendition of Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato, a winding work of Dutch minimalism. This time, Hall boldly reimagines works by four distinct contemporary classical composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and, again, Steve Reich. It is a particular grouping that exists through Hall's singular lens for magnetic repetition and harmonic resonance. The resulting program unravels subtly but masterfully, each piece a kind of contrapuntal bliss a touch livelier than the last, all building to the Reich-ian reprise-an apt bookend to the series. Altogether, Hall has crafted a richly varied homage to four pillars of American minimalism, an elegant mix of accessibility and discovery. As ever, he performed and multitrack-recorded all the parts himself without loops, programming, or sequenced instruments, his solitary method still arguably novel to the classical canon. Meanwhile, within the context of modern production, this analog approach works as a gentle rebellion against a culture of faceless automation, instilling these recordings with a flesh-and-blood human touch. "It's just so much more interesting to actually play every note," Hall says. "You then get them directly juxtaposed, and as they repeat, all of those micro-differences between them create a sort of living, breathing magic." That living, breathing magic imbues every crevice of Solo Three, making it not just a stirring tribute to four giants of 20th-century minimalism, but a reflection of how their influence continues to reverberate today.

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SOLO THREE
WESTERN VINYL Jan 2026
Vinyl
$27.99

Mix & Match

Illumination II - Italian-Jewish Music of Solace & Hope

Stradivarius

$16.99 Aug 16, 2024

ILLUMINATION II The second album from the acclaimed international (Italy-Israel) Ensemble Nuria began taking shape during the disorienting lockdowns of Covid-19, and was born into the devastating reality of the Hamas-Israel war. The album 'Illumination II: Italian-Jewish Music of Solace and Hope' is a testament to the resilience and relevance of Hebrew Liturgical Songs and Poems (known as 'Piyyutim'). Casting light on the enduring power of these works to sustain hope and offer comfort to those who encounter them, the work on this project spanned over 3 years, due to the impossibility of maintaining continuous work during the Covid pandemic. The process of preparing this album offered to those involved a way to reconnect with stability, community, creativity, joy and inspiration, despite challenging circumstances of life in Israel under the isolation of lockdown and war. Timeless melodies which were born in the ghettos of Rome, Venice, Mantova and Ferrara, these nearly vanished hidden treasures of haunting beauty are given a renewed voice in this album. Without doubt it is the uniquely poignant nature of the works themselves which allows listeners to experience the unabated power of this ancient music: The power to revive and to give solace and catharsis, to offer celebration, connection and community, just as the poets and musicians who created the words and melodies centuries ago intended. This nearly lost traditional music reveals itself here to be as powerful and communicative in our tumultuous 21st century world as when it was first sung in the Jewish communities of Italy, hundreds of years ago.

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Illumination II - Italian-Jewish Music of Solace & Hope
Stradivarius Aug 2024
CD
$16.99

EL VIEJO CAMINANTE

ECM RECORDS

$19.99 Aug 15, 2025

Dino Saluzzi/Jacob Young/Jose Maria Saluzzi - "El Viejo Caminante". The Argentinean father and son team of Dino and Jose Maria Saluzzi are joined by Norway's Jacob Young, in an album of musical depth and great charm. "It fills me with joy," says Dino Saluzzi, delighting in this recording's sonic blend. "Jacob and Jose are very good together. They have different sounds, different visions, but when it comes to the artistic output there is something beautiful happening." The elder Saluzzi has lost none of his youthful enthusiasm for artistic collaboration, or for venturing beyond stylistic borders: "I always strive to make contact with new ideas outside my normal element," he says, still seeking out contexts that offer, as he puts it, "potential for both musical and human growth." The program includes originals, new and old, by all three musicians, a song by Karin Krog, as well as a couple of standards.

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EL VIEJO CAMINANTE
ECM RECORDS Aug 2025
CD
$19.99

Perfectly Free

Challenge Classics

$16.99 Mar 20, 2026

Perfectly Free brings together two contemporary cello concertos-Osvaldo Golijov's Azul and Anna Clyne's DANCE-in a live recording that cellist Maja Bogdanovic describes as a deeply personal journey of discovery. Both works received their Dutch premieres during the Stift International Music Festival with the Phion Symphony Orchestra, under the batons of David Cohen (Azul) and Xandi van Dijk (DANCE). Golijov's Azul is portrayed as a poetic, otherworldly tapestry of colors and styles, ranging from Baroque influences to Piazzolla-inflected rhythms, enriched by an unusual orchestration featuring a prominent accordion and a wide spectrum of exotic percussion. The concerto unfolds like a cosmic vision-at times improvisatory, at times prayerful-culminating in sound worlds that evoke radio signals, stardust, and distant galaxies. Clyne's DANCE, inspired by Rumi's poetry, contrasts this with a five-movement exploration of raw emotion and virtuosity, stretching the expressive and technical boundaries of the cello. Moving from fragility to rhythmic intensity, from Baroque purity to diabolical energies, the work blends folk elements, lyrical lines, and personal nostalgia-including a final, haunting dedication to the composer's father. Bogdanovic emphasizes the profound artistic partnerships behind the recording, noting the rare creative "telepathy" experienced with Golijov and the intuitive collaboration with van Dijk. Golijov says: "Perhaps the greatest joy I know in music is telepathy between composer and performer. I am beginning to get used to it when I experience it with life-long collaborators who instantly understand the music I only understand myself after months of working on it. But I am startled when telepathy happens with a musician I have just met. This is what happened with Maja: No need for words to explain anything. Maja understands Azul better than I understand it myself. This gives me a great sense of relief. I know I don't need to be present for my music to live in the world. I am grateful to Maja for that. David Cohen and the Phion Symphony Orchestra prove to be ideal shipmates in this Azul recording that I love dearly. To have it paired with Anna Clyne's gorgeous music makes the recording even more special and closer to my heart." The project reflects the "Perfectly Free" spirit of the Stift Festival-fearless, generous, and adventurous-capturing not only two landmark contemporary concertos but also the shared inspiration of the musicians who brought them to life.

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Perfectly Free
Challenge Classics Mar 2026
CD
$16.99

Mix & Match

UNE NOUVELLE FETE BAROQUE

ERATO

$18.99 Jul 01, 2022

In November 2021, Emmanuelle Haim led two celebratory charity concerts - one in Berlin, the other in her home city of Paris - to mark 20 years of her ensemble Le Concert d'Astree. The music, mostly from operas, was by Handel, Rameau, Purcell, Vivaldi and Campra, and the spectacular line-up of vocal soloists included sopranos Natalie Dessay, Sabine Devieilhe, Emoke Barath and Sandrine Piau, mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre, tenors Michael Spyres and Rolando Villazon, bass-baritone Laurent Naouri, and bass Andrea Mastroni. In Berlin, a distinguished guest conducted extracts from Rameau's Les Boreades: Sir Simon Rattle, whom Emmanuelle Haim describes as the 'godfather' of Le Concert d'Astree. "I like richness and colour," she says, "I like to embody meaning in sound without ever losing the narrative thread... We are lucky to be making music, and it is wonderful to be able to share this joy with an audience."

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UNE NOUVELLE FETE BAROQUE
ERATO Jul 2022
CD
$18.99

Xenakis: Palimpsest, Épéi, Dikhthas, Akanthos

Wergo

$20.99 Oct 01, 1990

Despite the complexities within the compositions, and also the rigorous demands they make on performers, the impact of Xenakis's music on the listener is always direct. The music is still alive with "the whole agony of my youth and the Resistance", but there is an increasing richness of expression, a spirit of exuberance and exhilaration, a new romanticism, what seems to be a celebration of the sheer joy of music by a composer at the height of his powers and in full command of his medium, his destiny. This production received the quarterly German Record Critics' Award. Spectrum / Guy Protheroe: conductor / Irvine Arditti: violin / Claude Helffer: piano / Penelope Walmsley-Clark: soprano.

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Xenakis: Palimpsest, Épéi, Dikhthas, Akanthos
Wergo Oct 1990
CD
$20.99

Mood Ellington

SteepleChase

$22.99 May 09, 2005

Like many other musicians tenor saxophonist Jed Levy has been drawing inspiration from the vast repertoire by the prolific genus of Duke Ellington. Jed has selected and transcribed for this recording rarely heard Ellington compositions. “…The strength of the material inspired all of us and it was great to hear these tunes come to life. What started out as an early morning record date with some very challenging music soon progressed into downright fun and we all left with a smile on our face. I hope the smile is contagious as you share with us the joy that is the music of Duke Ellington.“ (Jed Levy)

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Mood Ellington
SteepleChase May 2005
CD
$22.99

Liebesleid

Bayer

$15.99 ~~$20.99~~ Save 25% Feb 14, 2025

Susanne Westenfelder, music theorist and music journalist, writes in the booklet for the latest addition to the Calmus CD library 'Liebesleid', among other things: 'In 2017, the two researchers Kazuma Mori and Makoto Iwanaga published a study. The result: songs that bring tears to our eyes seem to have a cathartic effect on us, calm us down and even make us feel good afterwards. A German newspaper concluded what we all already suspected: Music helps against lovesickness. Tear-jerking songs for tear-jerking eyelids. ' We have taken on this mission - as usual across styles and eras. We move between baroque (Johann Grabbe: Three Madrigals) and contemporary music (Gordon Kampe: 'Je deviens fou... ') and also make a stopover in the German Romantic period with works by Johannes Brahms and another with folk songs from the British Isles (John Rutter: 'Five Traditional Songs'). We have also been able to recruit outstanding arrangers to tailor some of the love song dramas to us. These include our house and court arranger Juan M. V. Garcia with 'Hallelujah' and 'Another Love' as well as ex-King's singer Philip Lawson with the eponymous arrangement of Fritz Kreisler's 'Liebesleid'. Because alongside all the heartache, there is always certainty at the end: 'And if you are ever sad, don't despair, because it will always be like today: love's sorrow is followed by love's joy. '

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Liebesleid
Bayer Feb 2025
CD
~~$20.99~~ $15.99

Handel: Theodora / Cohen, Arcangelo

Alpha

$39.99 Mar 08, 2024

Among Handel's seventeen English oratorios, Theodora (1750) is unique. The story is not taken from the Bible, it is set in the Christian era, there is no national triumph and it does not end in joy. At the end, the hero and heroine are dead, the community with which the audience identifies is in mortal danger, and the final chorus is in a minor key. As a musical drama, it is the direct ancestor of Dialogues des Carmelites. At the age of 65, Handel produced a work that was too radical and complex for most of his audience. Today, Theodora is regarded as a benchmark "thinking person’s opera", both deeply stimulating and powerfully moving.

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Handel: Theodora / Cohen, Arcangelo
Alpha Mar 2024
CD
$39.99

Star Dreams / Glenn Zaleski

SUNNYSIDE

$16.32 Aug 23, 2024

Glenn Zaleski's trio is an ideal example of a group that holds true to jazz traditions while trying to add something more. Originally from Massachusetts, Zaleski has become a notable leader and sideman in New York City's jazz scene over the past decade and a half. He decided that it would be ideal to record the trio, as their performances had felt amazing and rewarded the audience and band alike. In deciding on the material, Zaleski chose to continue his tradition of honoring his contemporaries and friends by adding their music to the band's book along with his originals and better-known standards.

The program begins with a bouncy take on Harry Warren's "I Wish I Knew," this version based on an arrangement by Adam Kolker. "Two Days" was the first tune Zaleski ever wrote, but he shelved it initially. He began to reinvestigate the piece over the past few years, finding it's ingredients leading to interesting group interpretation. Touring with singer Cécile McLorin Salvant introduced Zaleski to the singer's original, "Monday." The trio presents the piece's first instrumental interpretation with poise and taste. Horace Silver's "Opus de Funk" is a jaunty tune that the pianist fell in love with after hearing the wailing version on Milt Jackson's album, Opus de Jazz. Zaleski's gorgeous ballad "Wayne" was written while the pianist was in Paris shortly after the legendary saxophonist/composer passed away. The uplifting, playful quality of the title tune is balanced by a dream-like mysterious quality. On Charlie Parker's "Passport," presents challenges that the trio handle with verve. The program concludes with Zaleski's favorite ballad, Jimmy McHugh's "I'm In The Mood for Love." The quietly intimate take provides a lovely way to end the album.Ideal jazz performances provide audiences with many things. They can provide joy, surprise, and romance. A great performance should also give a nod to the past while providing glimpses of the future. Glenn Zaleski and his trio deliver their new album, Star Dreams, a view on the modern jazz piano and it's blend of tradition and mystery.

" "Glenn Zaleski has quickly become one of the most important pianists of his generation and it's easy to see why." - All About Jazz

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Star Dreams / Glenn Zaleski
SUNNYSIDE Aug 2024
CD
$16.32

A Celebration of Faith in His Name: The Coming of Christ

Gloriae Dei Cantores

$18.99 Aug 31, 2002

Coming of Christ-A Celebration of Faith in His Name - The Coming of Christ is sung by the Gloriae Dei Cantores Schola and conducted by Dr. Mary Berry, CBE, reknowned experts who bring a wealth of experience to the interpretation of Gregorian chant. Well-known pieces alternate with numerous antiphons to bring us closer to the time of Christ's birth and early childhood. The prophetic announcements, the longing and anticipation of Christ's birth as well as the joy of the angels' message are all vividly portrayed in the Gregorian chant.

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A Celebration of Faith in His Name: The Coming of Christ
Gloriae Dei Cantores Aug 2002
CD
$18.99