Gabriele Santini - Manon Lescaut - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Andy Shauf - He's a sad-sack Saskatchewanian songwriter who grew up in a tiny town (pop. 919) off the Trans-Canada Highway somewhere between Swift Current and Moose Jaw. His breakthrough album was called Bearer of Bad News. But don't feel bad for Andy Shauf. Social invitations have been pouring in from Jeff Tweedy, Nick Hornby and Low (for whom he opened two U.S. tours in 2015). The Party is a series of character sketches, ostensibly set at a specific gathering. It's not exactly a concept record or a John Hughes script for a Robert Altman film, but writing it was definitely a way for Shauf to get out of his own head. The Party will spawn no hangover regrets for it's creator, even if it's characters have more than a few. On it, awkward characters show up InchEarly to the Party,Inch dance in the living room (InchMartha SwaysInch), and either reveal life-changing secrets (InchTo YouInch) or try their hardest to reveal nothing at all (InchThe MagicianInch). Fuzzed-out guitars collide with string sections and dreamy synths, all draped over delicate piano, acoustic guitars and rainy-day drums. Oh, and clarinet. On Bearer of Bad News, Shauf started out with 100 songs and whittled it down to 11. This time, with a clearer vision and narrative construct in mind, he focused on 15 and cut it to 10. Brevity is key these vignettes are rooted in classic pop songwriting, with shades of the Shins, Belle and Sebastian and Grandaddy seeping into Shauf's modern arrangements.

Gabriele Catalucci - Saffo in Leucade / Rosa Appassita [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/30/2003

Maria Callas may presents a rather formidable portrait of a young girl in Act one. The final act is more than an epilogue to the rest, rather a culmination, with Callas at her very peak. Giuseppe Di Stefano, is also superb form and Conductor Serafin's pacing of the score is true mastery. 2 CD 1 CD-ROM.