Amur-Kosaken - Amur Kosaken - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Robert Woolley - Harpsichord Sonatas [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/11/2011

Anna Korsun's compositions explore unknown ground by repeatedly exploring aesthetic boundaries. Her portrait album in the series Edition Zeitgenossische Musik, presents five of these musical maps. With a wide variety of instrumentations, ranging from the extraordinary organ in the Kunst-Station Sankt Peter Cologne to a vocal ensemble, she creates sophisticated, sometimes bizarre sound images, always surrounded by a fleeting aura. Embedded in a tense relationship of insatiable curiosity and compositional skill, Korsun develops literally unheard musical worlds. InchOften she takes a single theme, idea or vision and pursues it into depths so profound as to become existential. Viewed from this vantage point, we can descry the defining features of her personal style heedless of tradition, she seeks and finds the resources she needs for each particular project. Her sonic imagination knows practically no boundsInch, as described by Ingo Dorfmüller. This Inchhazardous soundInch (Ingo Dorfmüller) is contrasted with a thoroughly traditional understanding of form, which lends her pieces an almost knock-on effect. Anna Korsun can be heard as a singer in numerous, especially recorded pieces for the portrait album. In addition, various renowned musicians perform on it, such as organist Dominik Susteck, guitarist Flavio Virzì or Johanna Zimmer and Andreas Fischer from the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart as well as the Ensemble Looptail.

Pure enjoyment is provided by this delightful new recording of popular Russian music arranged for clarinet and orchestra by Robin White. From Rimsky-Korsakov's Clarinet Concerto - originally scored for military band - to the Andante Cantabile from Tchaikovsky's first string quartet (a staple for arrangers for decades) this a beautifully played album by one of Britain's foremost orchestras. An interloper from Italy (but of Eastern European style) provides a superb finale. Ian Scott is the principal clarinet of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia and has been guest principal with several top London orchestras. He has previously made premiere recordings of Clarinet Concertos for ASV and Dutton. Arranger and conductor Robin White has enjoyed a very busy and varied career; his first recording (1992, Chandos) was very popular and he has made other recordings of light music for several labels. He has managed his own orchestra and choir and appeared, with his choir, in a pivotal episode of the British TV drama series EastEnders. As an arranger of light music, his work has been broadcast by BBC orchestras many times.