NEW PICKS: Choices of New Classical CDs, DVDs, Books
Friday, 21 April 2006
Topic: BOOK choices
Irving Fine (1914-1962) may have been the most gifted American composer of his generation. He was born in Boston, brought up in Winthrop, educated at Harvard and at Tanglewood; he was one of the founding fathers of the music program at Brandeis University, which to this day sponsors an annual concert in his memory. ...LINK to complete story | Consumer Information
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Updated: Saturday, 22 April 2006 1:02 AM EDT
(PHOTO:L Lang left with MUSIClassical editor, RACampbell)
Lang Lang's latest CD release is Memory, a collection of music linked to the pianist's childhood, it debuted on the Billboard classical chart this week at number two. ...LINK to complete story
| Memory...BN Consumer information
Memory reflects Lang Lang’s journey from child prodigy to international pianist in his own right, grouping works by Mozart, Chopin, and Schumann that shaped Lang Lang’s experience as a budding musician in China.
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Updated: Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:16 PM EST
Sunday, 12 February 2006
Topic: BOOK choices
The Steinway Collection: Paintings of Great Composers
James Gibbons Huneker
Music lovers will delight in the beautiful color paintings and eloquent prose portraits in The Steinway Collection: Paintings of Great Composers. Chopin, Wagner, Liszt, Beethoven, Berlioz, Mozart, Verdi, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Schubert are among the composers celebrated in this historic book, which was originally printed in 1919 as an in-house publication of Steinway & Sons and has never before been released to the public.
The Steinway Collection: Paintings of Great Composers By James Gibbons Huneker / 1-57467-115-4, hardcover, US$22.00, C$32.95
(Pricing and availability subject to change)
Classical music isn’t what it used to be. Great composers and performers once were seen as giants — larger-than-life beings who deserved to be immortalized, plaster busts on pedestals. ...LINK to complete story
Classical quintet 5 Browns pushing 'Boundaries' Topic: THE FIVE BROWNS
With their self-titled debut, the 5 Browns scored a No. 1 hit on Billboard's Top Classical Albums chart, remaining there for eight weeks. ...LINK to complete news story
NEW BROADWAY CAST ALBUM RELEASE Now Playing: THE COLOR PURPLE Topic: BROADWAY CDS
For Immediate Release: January 9, 2006
ANGEL RECORDS TO RELEASE THE CAST ALBUM FOR THE
NEW HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL THE COLOR PURPLE ON JAN. 24
"A bright odyssey of survival and triumph with a fairy-tale sense of wonder, 'Purple' strikes sparks."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
".a joyful, soaring Broadway musical."
TIME
Angel Records, a division of EMI Music, will release the original cast recording of the new hit Broadway musical The Color Purple on January 24, 2006. The Color Purple opened on December 1, 2005, at the Broadway Theater in New York City.
CONSUMER INFORMATION
The show is drawn from Alice Walker's classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the landmark film by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple is an inspiring and unforgettable story of a woman, who, through love, finds the strength to triumph over adversity and discover her unique voice in the world. With a moving book and a score featuring jazz, gospel, blues and pop, The Color Purple is about hope and a musical celebration of life.
The cast recording is produced by Grammy Award winner Jay D. Saks, and features the dynamic cast that includes LaChanze as Celie, Elisabeth Withers-Mendes as Shug, Felicia P. Fields as Sofia, Ren?e Elise Goldsberry as Nettie, Kingsley Leggs as Mister, Brandon Victor Dixon as Harpo and Krisha Marcano as Squeak.
Directed by Gary Griffin, The Color Purple features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman, original music and lyrics by Grammy nominated and Grammy Award-winning composer/lyricists Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray.
The show is produced by Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders, Roy Furman and Quincy Jones.
"I'm extremely honored that the producers of The Color Purple have chosen Angel for the release of the original Broadway cast CD of the show," says Bruce Lundvall, CEO & President of EMI Jazz & Classics. "It's the best Broadway score I've heard in years and has songs that will reach a wider audience than just Broadway."
"The very first meeting I had with Bruce Lundvall and the Angel team, they articulated a big-picture vision for taking The Color Purple music to both a Broadway and a mainstream audience," says Scott Sanders, lead producer of The Color Purple. "It was clear they were the right music partner for us."
CD INFO
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Updated: Monday, 23 January 2006 9:02 PM EST
Wednesday, 4 January 2006
Montreal, January 4, 2006 - ANALEKTA is proud to release the first North American recording of the Johann Sebastian Bach aria “Alles mit Gott,” discovered in May 2005.
The sensational discovery last spring by musicologist Michael Maul was cause for celebration in the music world; it was the first time since 1935 that a new Bach vocal work had been discovered. The aria, unearthed at the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar consists of twelve verses and is written for solo soprano, strings and basso continuo, and opens with the words ”Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn” (“All with God and nothing without Him”). It was composed in 1713 to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar who employed Bach as court organist from 1708 until 1717.
The aria, recorded live in concert October 15th is now available for download on iTunes and eMusic. Nurhan Arman conducts Sinfonia Toronto and soprano Aline Kutan.
Canadian soprano Aline Kutan has been hailed thoughout North America and Europe for her fresh, crystalline sound and superb technical command. A specialist in the coloratura repertoire, Kutan made her debuts last season at Glyndebourne with her signature role of Queen of the Night and at La Scala as Semele in Salieri’s Europa Riconosciuta, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Recent roles also include Lakme, Zerbinetta and Olympia with companies in Naples, Geneva, New York, Marseille and Montreal along with concert performances with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Montreal and Vancouver Symphonies and National Arts Centre Orchestra, among others. Ms. Kutan was the winner of the 1995 New York Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and a recipient of the George London Award.
Judith Lang Zaimont Now Playing: NEW CD Topic: MILKEN ARCHIVE
The Milken Archive interviews the composer about her life, her family and her music, in connection with the release of a Milken Archive CD of her music, Judith Lang Zaimont: Parable - A Tale of Abram and Isaac ...LINK to complete news story | CONSUMER INFO
Harnoncourt is always an adventure and sometimes challenges hearing habits. Now Playing: Handel: Messiah Topic: HARMONIA-MUNDI
Handel, "Messiah" – Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien, Christine Schafer, Anna Larsson, Michael Schade, Gerald Finley (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 82876 72039).
...LINK to complete news story ...CONSUMER INFORMATION