The following classical CD titles are due for release / re-release in the near future.
ERIK SATIE / JOHN CAGE
Letter(s) to Erik Satie Bertrand Chamayou (piano) [ Erato / CD - due 8/Dec/2023 ] "Erik Satie and John Cage are UFOs in the world of music, because they envisioned music through a completely different prism," says pianist Bertrand Chamayou. "They are pioneers in the sense that, for many people, they changed the very idea of what... |
VARIOUS COMPOSERS
21 x 21: Beneath The Trees Jenny Wollerman (soprano), Jian Liu (piano) [ Atoll Records / CD - due 8/Dec/2023 ] This project - to commission 21 female composers from Aotearoa New Zealand to write a song, then perform, record, and publish the resulting works - was developed as a way to profile the work of female composers and poets from this country and go some... |
Zygmunt NOSKOWSKI / Władysław ŻELEŃSKI
Noskowski//Zelenski: Violin Sonatas Laurence Kayaleh (violin) Bernadene Blaha (piano) [ Naxos / CD - due 8/Dec/2023 ] Both Zygmunt Noskowski and Władysław Żeleński were leading exponents of Polish nationalism in the period from the last quarter of the 19th century. |
GIOVANNI SGAMBATI
Sgambati: Sinfonia festiva / Piano Concerto in G minor Massimiliano Damerini (piano) / Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della RAI, Francesco La Vecchia [ Naxos / CD - due 8/Dec/2023 ] Giovanni Sgambati led the revival of Italian orchestral music during the late 19th century. He was a favourite student of Liszt, admired by Wagner, and a pivotal figure in the emancipation of his country's music from the dominance of bel canto opera.... |
LEONARD BERNSTEIN
Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein London Symphony Orchestra,Yannick Nézet-Séguin [ Deutsche Grammophon / CD - due 8/Dec/2023 ] From Director Bradley Cooper, Maestro is the towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core,... |
SERGEY RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Piano Concerto No. 4 / Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 Abbey Simon (piano) / St. Louis Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Slatkin (cond) [ Vox Audiophile Edition / CD - due 15/Dec/2023 ] Rachmaninov was one composer who studied neither law nor medicine (as certain of his musical compatriots had done), but grew up in a musical family and never had any sort of career but a musical one in mind for himself. |
SERGEY RACHMANINOV
Rachmaninov: Bells for Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra / Spring, Cantata for Baritone, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 20 / Three Russian Son Arnold Voketaitis (bass-baritone), Marianna Christos (soprano), St. Louis Symphony Chorus, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin [ Vox Classics / CD - due 15/Dec/2023 ] 'Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony have established a fine track record as interpreters of Rachmaninov.' - David Hall, Stereo Review |
ARVO PART
Pärt: Tractus (LP) Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor) [ ECM New Series / 2 LP - due 15/Dec/2023 ] Tractus emphasizes Arvo Pärt compositions that blend the timbres of string orchestra and choir. New versions predominate, with focused performances from the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste's... |
MASSENET / VERDI / ROSSINI / MASSENET / BERLIOZ / DONIZETTI / TRADITIONAL / etc
Jose Carreras - The Philips Years Jose Carreras (tenor), with Montserrat Caballé, Katia Ricciarelli, Agnes Baltsa, Frederica von Stade, etc [ Philips / 21 CD Box Set - due 22/Dec/2023 ] Celebrating one of the most remarkable tenors of our time, this 21-CD set brings together the legendary Philips recital recordings of José Carreras: 17 CDs of recitals discs including Spanish and popular songs, plus highlights from complete operas. |
MENDELSSOHN / BEETHOVEN / SPOHR / SCHUBERT / BERWALD / BORODIN / etc
Wiener Oktett - The Decca Recordings Wiener Oktett [Vienna Octet] [ Decca Eloquence / 27 CD Box Set - due 19/Jan/2024 ] The sweet, silvery tone of the Wiener Oktett and the easy give-and-go of its phrasing helped establish it as one of the most distinguished of Viennese chamber ensembles. Its sound was that of the sublime Vienna Philharmonic in microcosm and the group... |
GIOVANNI & ANDREA GABRIELI / CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI / GIACOMO FINETTI & OTHERS
Sacred treasures of Venice - Sacred motets from the Golden Age of Venetian polyphony The London Oratory Schola Cantorum, Charles Cole [ Hyperion / CD - due 9/Feb/2024 ] It's tempting to imagine that this is how the music might have sounded four centuries ago in the glorious surroundings of St Mark's. Certainly, any comparisons are unlikely to be to the disadvantage of these exceptional young singers. |