ANTONIO BAZZINI : Virtuoso Works for Violin and Piano (Chloë-Frantz) (2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

 
 

TANEYEV : Piano Trio in D major, Op. 22 (The Borodin Trio) (1988) Mp3

 
 

STENHAMMAR : String Quartets (Stenhammar Quartet) (2013) SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 
 

LEOS JANÁCEK : String Quartets (2); Concertino (Prazák Quartet) (2014) SACD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 

DUTILLEUX, LUTOSLAWSKI : Works for Cello & Orchestra (Poltéra-Van Steen) (2008) SACD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 
On this CD, Swiss cellist Christian Poltéra tackles the complete cello works by two of the leading independent-minded European modernists of the mid- to late-twentieth century, Henri Dutilleux and Witold Lutoslawski. Each of the works was written at the instigation of Mstislav Rostropovich, a concerto from each composer, both of which he premiered in 1970, and a solo cello tribute from each, written in 1975 in honor of the Swiss conductor and new music advocate, Paul Sacher. Dutilleux took the title of his concerto, Toute un monde lointain… (A Whole Distant World…), as well as the names of the movements, from the poetry of Baudelaire, the mystery and sensuality of whose writing is reflected in the music. While it has the harmonic sophistication characteristic of postwar European music, Dutilleux's five-movement concerto clearly falls in the lineage of Debussy in its evocative delicacy, essentially lyrical character, and gossamer but colorful orchestration. Lutoslawski's concerto, while idiomatically not too far from Dutilleux's, is more aggressive and emphatic, with a more traditionally competitive relationship between the soloist and the orchestra. These concertos are canonical cello works of the late twentieth century, but the solo pieces are also attractive and idiomatically written, and deserve to be better known. Poltéra delivers committed, virtuosic performances, but he doesn't quite have the radiant tone to make the Dutilleux shimmer and glisten as it can. The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by Jac van Steen, is likewise more persuasive in the more formally and timbrally straightforward Lutoslawski concerto. The sound of BIS' SACD is clean, detailed, and vivid, but particularly in the Dutilleux, it could benefit from more warmth. by Stephen Eddins 
Tracklist:
Toute un monde lointain, for cello and orchestra  
Henri Dutilleux
Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher, for cello solo  
Henri Dutilleux
Concerto for cello and orchestra
Witold Lutosławski
Credits:
Maighread McCrann - Orchestra Leader
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Christian Poltéra - Cello
Jac van Steen - Conductor

GEORG KATZER : String Quartets (Sonar Quartett) (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

JOSEPH RHEINBERGER : Complete Piano Trios (Trio Parnassus) (1992) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

  This two-hour double-disc set of Joseph Rheinberger's complete piano trios is a hefty contribution to the rehabilitation of the composer's oeuvre, though it may be more than the average listener can appreciate in one sitting. Rheinberger's music is earnest and perhaps too heavy for some tastes, and it may even seem too stodgy and dryly theoretical. In his mature Romantic style, his reliance on Classical form, and his pensive expression, Rheinberger often resembles Brahms, though it must be said that he lacks Brahms' rhythmic ingenuity, contrapuntal dexterity, and emotional depth. The resemblances between them are really superficial, and listeners may find these four piano trios lackluster and frustratingly dull in comparison with Brahms' three certified masterpieces. Added to this set's problems are the foggy and overly lush playing by Trio Parnassus, and MDG's indistinct and excessively resonant sound quality. If violinist Wolf-Dieter Streicher, cellist Michael Gross, and pianist Chia Chou had played these pieces with more flexibility of tone and sharper characterizations, and if the label had recorded them in a hall with a dry acoustic, the results might have been palatable. Alas, getting through these murky recordings is a hard slog, and they are only recommended for the most serious-minded of Rheinberger's devotees. by Blair Sanderson 
Tracklist 1 :
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 34    
Piano Trio No. 2 in A major, Op. 112    
Tracklist 2 :
Piano Trio No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 121    
Piano Trio No. 4 in F major, Op. 191

HANS PFITZNER : Piano Quintet; Sextet (Ensemble Ulf Hoelscher) (2008) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

SCHARWENKA : Piano Trios; Cello Sonata (Trio Parnassus) (1994) Mp3

 
 

PÉTERIS VASKS : Piano Trio; Piano Quartet (Trio Parnassus) (2008) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 
At the climaxes of both these chamber works by Latvian composer Péteris Vasks are love songs. The eight-movement piano trio called Episodi e Canto perpetuo from 1985 reaches its peak with the achingly beautiful Canto perpetuo while the six-movement Quartet for piano from 2000-2001 achieves its apogee in the searingly effective Canto principale. Vasks harmonic language is fundamentally tonal, though with some fairly fearsome dissonances, and his sensibility is resolutely post-modernist, though shot through with a neo-romantic expressivity. Performed here with insight and strength by the Trio Parnassus, Vasks works hard to be understood by his listeners, and though his expressive range is wide and deep, the Parnassus players get it all to make musical and dramatic sense. Recorded in transparent yet palpable digital sound by Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm, this disc deserves to be heard by fans of the composer and by listeners who like contemporary music of the not especially fearsome variety. by James Leonard

JACQUES LOUSSIER TRIO - Schumann : Kinderszenen (2011) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Over the years, third stream music has been criticized in both the jazz and Euro-classical worlds. Jazz snobs have argued that if a jazz musician is playing something by Beethoven or Chopin, he/she can't possibly maintain an improviser's mentality; classical snobs will argue that great classical works need to be played exactly as they were written, and that jazz artists can't possibly do the compositions of Schubert or Debussy justice if they improvise. Thankfully, Jacques Loussier hasn't paid attention to the naysayers in either the jazz or classical worlds, and after all these years, the French pianist (who turned 76 in 2010) is still taking chances. This 2011 release finds Loussier putting his spin on Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), which German romanticist Robert Schumann (born 1810, died 1856) composed in 1838. Schumann turned 28 that year, and he wrote that nostalgic, 13-song work in memory of his childhood. Loussier (who forms an acoustic piano trio with bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac and drummer André Arpino) performs Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) in its entirety, and he approaches it not as European classical music, but as acoustic post-bop jazz. Thankfully, Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) is appropriate for Loussier, who maintains the 13 songs' nostalgic outlook but does so in a consistently jazz-oriented fashion. Loussier sounds like he is fondly remembering his own childhood, which came about long after Schumann's. Indeed, Loussier was born in 1934, which was 96 years after Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) was composed and 78 years after Schumann's death; Loussier grew up surrounded by a lot of music and technology that didn't exist when Schumann was a kid. But the more things change, the more they stay the same, and nostalgia continues to inspire musicians today just as it did in Schumann's pre-jazz, pre-electricity, pre-records time. This 49-minute CD is among Loussier's creative successes; his experimentation hasn't always worked, but it works impressively well for him on this imaginative interpretation of Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood). by Alex Henderson 
Tracklist:
1     Von Fremden Ländern Und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands & People)     2:52
2     Kuriose Geschichte (A Curious Story)     1:41
3     Haschemann (Blind Man's Bluff)     3:17
4     Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child)     2:56
5     Glückes Genug (Happy Enough)     3:01
6     Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event)     2:54
7     Traümerei (Dreaming)     9:54
8     Am Kamin (At The Fireside)     3:16
9     Ritter Vom Steckenpferd (Knight Of The Hobby Horse)     3:36
10     Fast Zu Ernst (Almost Too Serious)     6:03
11     Fürchtenmachen (Frightening)     2:30
12     Kind Im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep)     4:19
13     Der Dichter Spricht (The Poet Speaks)     3:04
Credits:
Bass – Benoit Dunoyer De Segonzac
Drums – Andre Arpino
Piano – Jacques Loussier

KEITH JARRETT - Bridge of Light (1994) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is Keith Jarrett's most accomplished collection of classical compositions yet, seated squarely in the American East Coast neo-classical tradition of Samuel Barber, David Diamond, Irving Fine, etc. Jarrett's writing for strings is masterful here; the lines move and interweave instead of being shoveled on as in some pieces of the '70s, and the compositions have shape and direction. Most of all, they share a common feeling of reflection and an unabashed willingness to let the instrumental soloists sing. "Elegy for Violin and String Orchestra" is a particularly gorgeous and inspired piece of music, the "Adagio for Oboe and String Orchestra" is not far behind, and "Bridge of Light for Viola and Orchestra" transfers Jarrett's classical idiom to a full chamber orchestra, now with overtones of late-period Vaughan Williams. Jarrett himself plays the piano on his "Sonata for Violin and Piano," whose third movement hearkens back to the repetitive grooves of the solo concerts. Three of the four works date from 1984, while Bridge of Light was written in 1990 -- and in the orchestral pieces, ECM has given conductor Thomas Crawford and the excellent Fairfield Orchestra glowing sound. Though these works have nothing to do with jazz per se, all Jarrett buffs should investigate this music on its own terms. by Richard S. Ginell 
Tracklist:
1     Elegy for violin and String orchestra 14:50  
Keith Jarrett
2     Adagio for oboe and String orchestra 9:54 
Keith Jarrett
3     Sonata for violin and piano 27:11 
Keith Jarrett
4     Bridge of Light for Viola and orchestra 17:01

Keith Jarrett

Credits:
Composed By, Liner Notes – Keith Jarrett
Conductor – Thomas Crawford (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Design [Cover Design] – Barbara Wojirsch
Double Bass – Michael Magee (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Neil Garber (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Flute – Adrianne Greenbaum (tracks: 8)
French Horn – Kirsten Bendixen (tracks: 8)
Oboe – Marcia Butler (tracks: 8)
Orchestra – The Fairfield Orchestra (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Trumpet – Susan Radcliff (tracks: 8)
Viola – Adria Benjamin (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Ah Ling Neu (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Caryn Briskin (tracks: 1, 2, 8), KC Still (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Violin – Alexander Vselensky (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Aloysia Friedmann (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Amy Wright (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Andrew Schaw (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Cenovia Cummins (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Christopher Cardona (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Dana Friedli (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Eric DeGioia (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Heidi Modr (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Jeffrey Ellenberger (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Mary Whitaker (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Peter Kupfer (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Roxanne Bergman (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Susan Lorentsen (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Violoncello – Benjamin Whittenburg (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Maureen McDermott (tracks: 1, 2, 8), Ted Mook (tracks: 1, 2, 8)

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS - The Complete Choros and Bachianas Brasileiras (2009) 7CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

As melhores gravações dessas obras disponíveis! O compositor brasileiro (não precisamos lembrar aos seus mais fervorosos apoiadores que ele é o compositor latino-americano mais significativo de todos os tempos) por trás de inúmeras obras orquestrais, de câmara, instrumentais e vocais permite que seu gênio criativo seja exibido no Choros (do verbo português chorar ", 1-12 e Bachianas Brasileiras ("peças brasileiras de Bach") nos. 1-9. Também inclui um disco bônus de música solo de guitarra tocada pelo ilustre Anders Miolin. Ótimas notas em um livreto de 75 páginas ...


Tracklist 1: Choros Nºs 2-3-10-12
1 Introduction to the Choros, for guitar and orchestra 13:43
Two Choros (bis), for violin and cello
2 1. Moderé 4:30
3 2. Lent - Moins - Lent 4:27
4 Choros No. 2, for flute and clarinet 2:49
5 Choros No. 3, for male choir and wind instruments "Pica-Pau" 3:44
6 Choros No. 10, for orchestra and mixed choir "Rasga o Coração" 13:09
7 Choros No. 12, for orchestra 37:34


Tracklist 2: Choros Nºs 1-4-6-8-9
1 Choros No. 6, for orchestra 25:07
2 Choros No. 1, for guitar 5:19
3 Choros No. 8, for large orchestra and 2 pianos 20:17
4 Choros No. 4, for 3 horns and trombone 5:41
5 Choros No. 9, for orchestra 24:51


Tracklist 3: Choros Nªs 5-7-11
Choros No. 11, for piano and orchestra
1 Allegro preciso ma non troppo (attacca) 21:07
2 Adagio (attacca) 15:39
3 Allegro moderato 26:21
4 Choros No. 5, for piano "Alma Brasileira" 5:08
5 Choros No. 7, for winds, violin and cello "Settimino" 9:50


Tracklist 4: Bachianas Brasileiras Nºs 1-4-5-6
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, for soprano and orchestra of violoncelli
1 1. Ária (Cantilena) 6:33
2 2. Dança (Martelo) 4:44
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, for piano solo
3 1. Prelúdio (Introdução) 7:03
4 2. Coral (Canto do sertão) 3:52
5 3. Ária (Cantiga) 5:04
6 4. Dança (Miudinho) 3:03 
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6, for flute and bassoon
7 1. Ária (Choro) 3:43
8 2. Fantasia 5:34
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, for orchestra of violoncelli
9 1. Introdução (Embolada) 6:31 
10 2. Prelúdio (Modinha) 8:37
11 3. Fuga (Conversa) 4:33


Tracklist 5: Bachianas Brasileiras Nºs 2-3-4
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2, for orchestra
1 1. Prelúdio (O canto do capadócio) 7:08
2 2. Ária (O canto da nossa terra) 5:27
3 3. Dança (Lembrança do sertão) 5:08
4 4. Toccata (O trenzinho do caipira) 4:53
Bashianas Brasileiras No. 3, for piano and orchestra
5 1. Prelúdio (Ponteio) 7:05
6 2. Fantasia (Devaneio) 7:12
7 3. Ária (Modinha) 7:28
8 4. Toccata (Picapau) 6:21
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4, for orchestra
9 1. Prelúdio (Introdução) 4:11
10 2. Coral (Canto do sertão) 4:35
11 3. Ária (Cantiga) 6:02
12 4. Dança (Miudinho) 4:20


Tracklist 6: Bachianas Brasileiras Nºs 7-8-9
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7, for orchestra
1 1. Prelúdio (Ponteio) 7:20
2 2. Giga (Quadrilha caipira) 4:29
3 3. Toccata (Desafio) 7:03
4 4. Fuga (Conversa) 7:21
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, for string orchestra
5 1. Prelúdio 2:08
6 2. Fuga 6:14
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9, for choir a cappella
7 1. Prelúdio 2:01
8 2. Fuga 6:43
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 8, for orchestra
9 1. Prelúdio 5:18
10 2. Ária (Modinha) 7:39
11 3. Toccata (Catira batida) 5:37
12 4. Fuga 5:33
13 Quinteto em forma de Choros, for flute, cor anglais, clarinet and bassoon 10:15


The Complete Works for Solo Guitar
Tracklist 7:
Five Preludes, for guitar
1 1. Andantino expressivo. Melodia lírica: Homenagem ao sertanejo brasileiro (Lyric melody: Homage to the Brazilian sertanejo) 4:46
2 2. Andantino. Melodia capadócia - Melodia capoeira: Homenagem ao malandro carioca (Capadocia & capoeira melody: Homage to the carioca hustler) 3:04
3 3. Andante. Homenagem a Bach (Homage to Bach) 3:19
4 4. Lento. Homenagem ao índio brasileiro (Homage to the Brazilian Indian) 3:09
5 5. Poco animato. Homenagem à vida social: Aos rapazinhos e mocinhas fresquinhos que frequentam os concertos e os teatros no Rio (Homage to social life: To the young teenagers who frequent Rio's concerts and theatres) 3:45
Suite populaire brésilienne, for guitar
6 Mazurka-choro 2:59
7 Schottish-choro 3:29
8 Valsa-choro 3:53
9 Gavota-choro 5:06
10 Chorinho 4:49
Twelve Études, for guitar
11 1. Allegro non troppo 2:24
12 2. Allegro 1:47
13 3. Allegro moderato 1:40
14 4. Andante 3:47
15 5. Andantino 3:17
16 6. Poco allegro 2:06
17 7. Très animé 2:43
18 8. Modéré 2:56
19 9. Très peu animé 3:10
20 10. Très animé 3:43
21 11. Lent 4:09
22 12. Animé 2:52
23 Choros No. 1, for guitar 5:12

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS : String Quartets 1, 2, 3 (1990) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS : String Quartets 4, 5, 6 (1987) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS : String Quartets 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (1996) 2CD / APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS : String Quartets 12, 13, 14 (1991) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS : String Quartets 15, 16, 17 (1988) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

ALBERTO GINASTERA : The Complete Piano Music & Chamber Music with Piano • 1 (1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

ALBERTO GINASTERA : Piano Music • 3 (1994) APE (image+.cue), lossless