AFTER CRYING — Creatura (2011) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

If anybody asks you what you mean for "Symphonic Prog", I think this band can be used as example. This album is not an exception: 4 suites (West, North, East and South), with lyrics in Hungarian with an alternance of orchestral and rock moments in the best tradition of the genre.

"Creatura" is an Italian word already present in the late Latin and means "Being" or of course "Creature". Unfortunately I don't understand Hungarian and I haven't found a translaton of he lyrics so even though I'm sure that it's based on a concept, I can't tell what it's about.

"West" has a symphonic intro, followed by a rock part with some passages reminding of King Crimson. The third part of this mini-suite is interesting. It features a narrator, bass, drums and mainly a background trumpet.

"North" is made of nine movements. It starts as all the four suites with a symphonic "Preludio" which is the reprise of the same intro of "West". It's followed by a jazz trumpet which reminds to the atmospheres of Blade Runner: dark and rainy, suddenly replaced by a piano minuet. After the piano it's hard rock with a strong Crimsonian flavor and an excellent guitar solo. The following movement is a song entitled "The Illusionist" with a French Chansonnier flavor. It's followed by a dark song made of keyboard and bass pitched vocals which makes me think to Rick Wright's Broken China. The strings quartet which follows is quite a natural follow-up. Everytime this band goes into classical music the result is excellent. The piano based instrumental which follows is another great piece. Then it comes the hypnotic "title track". Choir and percussive sounds for a very dark and grotesque song.

It's time for the third Prelude which starts "East" which is the shortest of the 4 suites. The first movement after the prelude is a dreamy peaceful instrumental. The transitions are less sudden than on the previous two suites. The passage between the peaceful mood to this dark section is smooth. For a while, it has reminded me to Marillion's "Passing Strangers". It's incredible how starting from the violin we can fall into a drum solo leading to a keyborad solo and then to one of the darkest and very Crimsonian moments of the whole album. Darkness enhanced by the following movement which has English lyrics. A dark rock song started by tape sounds typical of house music. Dark ambient now. A narrator speaks over a keyboard layer. Again Blade Runner comes to mind (the atmosphere). The question repeated by the speaker means "Are You Still Alive?". A wonderful minute and half of classical inspired music closes this third suite.

The prelude is 8 seconds shorter this time. The fourth suite, "South" has an electronic start which grows into a very good song, in Hungarian this time. A melodic song. Totally progressive followed by an uptime orchestral movement in Emerson Lake and Palmer style (the kind of orchestral things typical of Works vol. 1) with a lot of jazz inside. Effectively Gershwin and Copland come to my mind. One of the best things of the album. There's room for bass in the movement which follows. A rhythmic bass is the layer on which this instrumental developes on. Another moment of darkness reminding to Fripp & co. The closer is a choir accompanied by drums only. Excellent also this. progarchives
Tracklist :
- I - Nyugat / West:
1. Preludio Furioso (1:01)
2. Játékos / Gambler (6:31)
3. Vagyok / I Am (2:41)
- II - Észak / North:
4. Preludio Percussivo (1:01)
5. Air Trumpet (1:12)
6. Kevésbé fontos dolgok - Klasszikus miniatûr / Less Important Things - Classic Miniature (0:47)
7. Goromba / Rude (4:31)
8. Szemfényvesztõ / Illusionist (3:49)
9. U-Shaped (1:54)
10. Akkor majd a kövek énekelnek / Then the Stones Will Sing (5:33)
11. Kettétört / Torn Apart (3:44)
12. Creatura (2:02)
- III - Kelet / East:
13. Preludio Metropolitano (1:01)
14. Ne sírj! / Do Not Cry! (1:53)
15. Esõisten / Rain God (4:14)
16. iLove Story (2:01)
17. Vagy-e még? / Do You Still Exist? (3:45)
18. Tárogató (1:32)
- IV - Dél / South:
19. Preludio Furioso (0:52)
20. Szabadesés / Free Fall (3:17)
21. Hajsza / Chase Music (4:16)
22. Three Desires (4:00)
23. Ne félj, nem lesz baj / No Worries, No Cry (1:51)
Credits :
- Zoltán Bátky / lead & backing vocals
- Gábor Egervári / lyrics, narration, backing vocals, claps
- Ferenc Torma / guitars, keyboards, bass, backing vocals, claps, programming
- Péter Pejtsik / cello, violin, bass, backing vocals, programming
- Balázs Winkler / trumpet, cornet, keyboards, backing vocals, programming
- Zsolt Madai / drums & percussion, backing vocals, claps

With:
- György Várallyay Jr. / keyboards
- Csaba Erös / piano
- Evelin Balog / flute
- Bernát Tószegi / clarinet
- Márton Belej / oboe
- Attila Jankó / bassoon
- Nándor Kasza / trombone
- Endre Polyák / horn
- Júlia Kórodi / violin, viola
- Orsolya Winkler / violin
- Zsófia Winkler / viola
- Kinga Katinka Szilágyi / harp
- Zoltán Latinovits / voice from archive recordings
- "The PejChix" (Cicó, Panna, Dina, Bogi) / vocals
- The Szeged Symphony Orchestra / strings

LINDA EDER — Now (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

There is a certain irony to the title of Linda Eder's reunion with her musical partner, theater composer Frank Wildhorn. Naming the album Now calls attention to the contents, which consist of newly written Wildhorn compositions with lyrics by the likes of Leslie Bricusse, Don Black, and Maury Yeston. But not only is the style of the music not current, it is rooted in a particular time. Back in the mid-'60s, pop singers like Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand used to make albums that sounded a lot like this by picking and choosing material from Broadway shows and movie themes of the day. Another good source was South American or European songs with newly commissioned English lyrics. But here, Wildhorn has written tunes that sound like the traditional pop of the mid-‘60s, set to string orchestras and big bands, with Eder singing in her typically passionate style. Reused titles like "Ordinary People," "The Heat of the Night," and even "Now" (there was an earlier song by that name sung by Lena Horne in the ‘60s) emphasize the neo-retro nature of the project. While most of the music may have been written especially for Eder, one song, "Mad Hatter," anticipates the next Wildhorn musical, Wonderland, and is the album's jazziest, liveliest number. The overall style, however, is lush and romantic, appropriate for Eder, who is, as always, something of a Streisand soundalike. One might say, in fact, that her Streisand-lite approach is often more enjoyable than the real thing, since, while Eder's voice bears definite similarities to Streisand's, as does her phrasing, she isn't as mannered as Streisand. Still, music written in the style of an era Streisand dominated can't help but evoke the earlier singer. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.    Not Gonna Fall This Time    3:21
 Jack Murphy / Frank Wildhorn 
2.    No Finer Man    2:52
 Leslie Bricusse / Frank Wildhorn 
3.    Ordinary People    3:41
 Brenda Russell / Frank Wildhorn 
4.    The Heat Of The Night    3:35
 Jack Murphy / Frank Wildhorn 
5.    What Did You See Inside The Stars?    5:40
 Nan Knighton / Frank Wildhorn 
6.    Now    3:22
 Frank Wildhorn / Maury Yeston 
7.    The Mad Hatter    3:04
 Jack Murphy / Frank Wildhorn 
8.    A Woman In His Arms    3:46
 Nan Knighton / Frank Wildhorn 
9.    Good Bye    3:26
 Jack Murphy / Frank Wildhorn 
10.    What's Never Been Done Before    3:08
 Nan Knighton / Frank Wildhorn 
11.    More Than Heaven    4:28
 Robin Lerner / Frank Wildhorn 
12.    Living In The Shadows    3:36
 Leslie Bricusse / Frank Wildhorn 

JON HENDRICKS — ¡Salud! João Gilberto (1963-2002) RM | Collectables Jazz Classics Series | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Jon Hendricks idolizes João Gilberto -- he has spoken fondly of their first meeting where they scatted to each other before ever speaking a word -- and he wasted little time putting together a tribute album at the height of the first bossa nova wave. It ought to come as no surprise that he would display total sympathy with the bossa nova manner here, singing softly and smoothly -- and Hendricks' English wordplay is quite faithful to the original tunes and meanings of the Portuguese lyrics, in contrast to his usual whimsical work with jazz improvisations. Hendricks is particularly winning, and irresistibly swinging on the rare occasions ("Voce E Eu," "Samba Da Minha Terra") when he scats to the Brazilian rhythm; he should have done more of that here. But then, his versions of Gilberto's repertoire are carefully based on Gilberto's early EMI/Odeon recordings (now available on The Legendary João Gilberto); even Antonio Carlos Jobim's string and wind charts for the originals are preserved by adapter Johnny Mandel. Alas, the only Hendricks lyric that has become a universal standard is Jobim's "Chega de Saudade" ("No More Blues"). As Hendricks' only album-length encounter with bossa nova, Salud! João Gilberto Originator of the Bossa Nova is essential. Richard S. Ginell   
Tracklist :
1.     The Duck (O Pato)    1:55
Jon Hendricks / Jayme Silva / Neuza Teixeira
2.     Quiet Nights (Corcovado)    2:06
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Gene Lees
3.     You and I (Voce E Eu)    3:06
Jon Hendricks / Carlos Lyra
4.     Love in Peace (O Amor Em Paz)    2:34
Jon Hendricks / Antônio Carlos Jobim
5.     Little Paper Ball    1:16
Jon Hendricks
6.     Longing for Bahia    2:26
Dorival Caymmi / Jon Hendricks
7.     Little Train of Iron (Trem de Ferro)        1:55
Jon Hendricks
8.     No More Blues (Chega de Saudade)    2:06
Jesse Cavanaugh / Jon Hendricks / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
9.     Rosa Morena    2:11
Dorival Caymmi / Jon Hendricks
10.     The Most Beautiful Thing (Coisa Mais Linda)    3:06
Jon Hendricks / Carlos Lyra / Jimmy Eat World
11.     Samba of My Land (Samba da Minha Terra)    2:29
Dorival Caymmi / Jon Hendricks
12.     Once Again (Outra Vez)    1:57
Jon Hendricks / Antônio Carlos Jobim
13.    Jive Samba      2:18
Nat Adderley / Jon Hendricks
Credits :
Milt Bernhart  - Trombone
Pete Candoli  -  Trumpet
Buddy Collette  -  Flute
Conte     Trumpet
Jon Hendricks  -  Vocals
Antônio Carlos Jobim  - String Arrangements
Gildo Mahones  -  Piano
Frank Messina  -  Accordion
Ray Sherman  -  Organ
Jimmie Smith  -  Drums 

JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH : Overtures And Concerto In D · Sonatas For Oboes And Bassoon (2013) 2CD | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Fame is a strange thing. Although Johann Friedrich Fasch was highly esteemed by his contemporaries and the generations of musicians who followed him, in the concert repertoire of today he is grouped together with many minor masters who wrote a lot of works that sadly communicate very little. Yet music scholar Johann Adolf Scheibe put Fasch into the same class as Telemann, and J.S. Bach possessed copies of several of the composer’s works. This release therefore aims to expose the genius of Fasch, and in doing so to help restore appreciation for what has become a largely forgotten corpus of deftly written, utterly absorbing music.

Fasch made his name largely through his overtures, works which in the 17th and 18th centuries referred to a series of dance movements prefaced by an extensive introduction of pompous gravity. Two are explored in this release – the Overture in D minor and the Overture in B flat ‘a due cori’, arranged by M. Fechner and E. Steinsdorff respectively – and they are followed by a selection of Fasch’s sonatas for two oboes and bassoon, with and without basso continuo, works whose details (such as free, fantasy-like episodes to be played at a slow pace) reveal a rich field for experimentation. A Concerto in D and a Sonata for 2 oboes and 2 bassoons also feature, and overall one is struck by this composer’s highly personal style of chamber music – a stark contrast to the ingratiating melodies and harmonic suavity of his large-scale instrumental pieces.

Recorded during 1986–87, the overtures and Concerto in D are played by esteemed ensemble Virtuosi Saxoniae (all members of the Staatskapelle Dresden) under the directorship of renowned trumpeter Ludwig Güttler. The sonatas complete the all-German line-up of musicians; renowned oboists Burkhard Glaetzner and Ingo Goritzki feature among others.

Other information:
- Recorded: 1986–1987, Lukaskirche, Dresden; 1987, Studio, Paul-Gerhardt-Kirche, Leipzig.
- A tribute to a neglected German Baroque master, who was highly esteemed by J.S. Bach, and whose output was found equal in quality to that of Telemann according to the scholar Johann Scheibe.
- This set features large scale orchestral overtures, in the grand style of Handel’s Water Music and Bach’s Orchestral Suites. The oboe sonatas, written for 2 oboes and a rich continuo, show a highly original composer who gives his fantasy and imagination free reign.
- Superb performances by the Early Music group Virtuosi Saxoniae conducted by Ludwig Güttler (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik) and oboists Burkhardt Glaetzner and Ingo Goritzki, seconded by the expert continuo of Christine Schornsheim and Siegfried Pank.
- Excellent liner notes written by experts in this field. brilliant
JOHANN FRIEDRICH FASCH (1688-1758)
Tracklist :
Credits :
Bassoon – Günter Klier (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16), Hans-Peter Steger (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16), Hans-Peter Steger (tracks: 1-7 to 1-9), Lutz Klepel (tracks: 2-18 to 2-21), Thomas Reinhardt (tracks: 2-18 to 2-21)
Cello – Joachim Bischof (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16)
Directed By – Ludwig Güttler
Double Bass – Werner Zeibig (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16)
Ensemble – Virtuosi Saxoniae
Harpsichord – Christina Haupt (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16), Christine Schornsheim (tracks: 2-22 to 2-25), Friedrich Kircheis (tracks: 1-10 to 1-16)
Hunting Horn – Kurt Sandau (tracks: 1-7 to 1-9), Ludwig Güttler (tracks: 1-7 to 1-9)
Oboe – Andreas Lorenz (tracks: 1-7 to 1-9), Burkhard Glaetzner (tracks: 2-14 to 2-21), Ingo Goritzki (tracks: 2-14 to 2-21), Wolfgang Klier (tracks: 1-7 to 1-9)
Viola da Gamba – Siegfried Pank (tracks: 2-22 to 2-25)
Violone – Achim Beyer (tracks: 2-22 to 2-25) 

DR. JOHN BULL : Complete Works for Keyboard, Volume 1 (Peter Watchorn · Mahan Esfahani) (2009) 2CD | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The portrait of John Bull on the cover of this two-CD U.S. release gives an idea for the uninitiated of what to expect from the composer's music: it's intense, single-minded, and even a bit demonic (although the hourglass topped with a skull with a bone in its mouth is apparently an alchemical symbol). Bull was, in the words of an unidentified writer quoted by harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, "the Liszt of the virginals." The most immediately apparent feature of his music is extreme virtuosity, on display especially in the mind-boggling set of variations entitled Walsingham (CD 1, track 8) and in the galliards of the pavan-galliard pairs. But the opposite pole in Bull's style exerts just as strong a pull: he is fascinated by strict polyphony by what would be called harmonic progressions, and by the close study of the implications contained within small musical units. As spectacular in their way as the keyboard fireworks are, the three separate settings of a tune called Why Ask You? on CD 2 are marvelous explorations of compressed musical gestures. Although the chromatic element in his music is only moderate (it is most thoroughly deployed in a sad pavan-galliard pair memorializing Elizabeth I), you might think of Bull as an English counterpart in extremity to Italy's Carlo Gesualdo. Indeed, his life is nearly as colorful as Gesualdo's was; among other episodes, he was forced to flee England for the Netherlands after charges later summarized this way: "The man hath more music than honesty and is as famous for marring of virginity as he is for fingering organs and virginals." Bull, for his part, maintained plausibly that the charges were trumped up, with the real motivation being to harass him for his Catholic faith. Annotator and harpsichordist Peter Watchorn provides detailed accounts of Bull's life, including an investigation of the elusive Walsingham, and also discusses the three Dutch-style harpsichords used on the album in detail. The pair of harpsichordists named on the cover do not perform together; instead, Esfahani is Watchorn's student, invited to participate in the project. It would take an immersed specialist to tell them apart and perhaps specialists are the intended audience for this first installment in an eventual complete recorded edition of Bull's keyboard music. An hour and a half of Bull may be a lot for general listeners, but even many of them will find fascinating items here. James Manheim
Dr. JOHN BULL (1562-1628)
Tracklist :
Credits :
Harpsichord – Mahan Esfahani, Peter Watchorn
Notas.
Recorded at St. Mary of the Hills Church, Milton, MA USA, July 2007
Tuning: 1/4 Comma Meantone: Peter Watchorn
Instruments: Zuckermann Harpsichords International (2007) after Hans Moermans II; 1642 Hubbard & Broekman (1990) after Andreas Ruckers, 1646; Hubbard & Watchorn (1990) after Hans Moermans I, 1584
Cover Illustration: John Bull, (1589, oil on panel) by English School (16th century), ©Faculty of Music Collection, Oxford University, The Bridgeman Art Library