Cervetti / Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra - Parallel Realms - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The five works brought together on our complete recording of Johann Kuhnau's cantatas once again cover a wide spectrum of forms. Presumably, these works as a whole date from the first half of his tenure as music director at St. Thomas in Leipzig - presumably, because once again most of them have been transmitted only in secondary sources, which means that the dating process depends solely on stylistic criteria. Above all the concluding psalm concerto, InchSinget dem Herr ein neues Lied,Inch is one of the most impressive examples of the outstanding artistry of the St. Thomas music director Kuhnau. The opulent instrumental ensemble with two trumpets, timpani, and five-part strings offers a tonally magnificent setting of Psalm 98. Here the individual instrumental and vocal groups engage in vigorous interplay in almost all the sections, thereby perfectly staging the jubilating, singing, and music-making to the glory of God as celebrated in the text. Throughout these works Kuhnau holds in store polyphonic feats, great challenges for the virtuosic talent of his musicians, and highly effective tonal blends and echo effects. Once again the Opella Musica ensemble of soloists founded by Gregor Meyer in 2011 and the historically oriented Camerata Lipsiensis perform the cantatas on the basis of the recently published musicological critical edition. Album Tracks 1. Gott Sei Mir Gnädig Nach Deiner Güte 2. Ich Habe Lust Abzuscheiden 3. Erschrick, Mein Herz, Vor Dir 4. Weicht, Ihr Sorgen, Aus Dem Herzen 5. Singet Den Herrn Ein Neues Lied

Transits Minimal to Mayhem, his fifth full Navona Records , is an abridged sequence of five works from a set time and concrete place that maps composer Sergio Cervetti's creative progression over four decades of composing. The Concertino for piano, woodwinds and timpani (2013) is a rowdy and raucous array of South American rhythms tempered by a tender quote from Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder. One of Cervetti's last minimalist works, Exiles (1980) begins with a slow piano rendition of a melodic theme from the Uruguayan patriotic song Mi Bandera, which is soon overwhelmed by electronic textures. In contrast, 1975's Guitar Music, (the bottom of the iceberg) is an early minimalist work for solo guitar that experiments with Inchrestricted pitch-classesInch. The two works completing the album are based on the history and culture of the Río de la Plata where Cervetti was born and raised. El Río de los Pájaros Pintados (1979) seamlessly integrates the bandoneón with electronics. Candombe for Orchestra is the 1996 orchestration of Candombe for Harpsichord (1984), both works indebted to a Uruguayan national dance of African origin. Album Tracks 1. Concertino, Piano, Woodwinds, Timpani (2013) 2. Exiles, Piano and Electronics (1980) 3. Guitar Music, (The Bottom of the Iceberg) (1975) 4. El Río de los Pájaros Pintados, Bandoneón and Electronics (1979) 5. Candombe, for Orchestra (1996)

Composer Michael Murray's album PASSAGES brings the words of iconic 19th and 20th century poets to life through stirring music for solo soprano and instruments. Murray has selected poetry from the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson, William Butler Yeats, William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Walt Whitman, with poems detailing childhood adventure, hope, and tragedy. Celebrated soprano Genevieve Fulks performs throughout; most of the music heard on the album was written specifically with her voice in mind. Murray's music has been lauded for it's meticulously crafted yet ultimately approachable style. Through familiar themes and time-honored poetry, Murray invites listeners to engage with, and even be challenged by, this collection of thoughtful compositions.