Gaetan Jarry - Charpentier: Missa Assumpta est Maria - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Italian composers and instrumentalists born in the second half of nineteenth-century Italy can be seen as the children of a true cultural revolution of the Risorgimento. This revolution was induced by the need to create a new national musical identity, disengaged from the iconic and dominant role of opera. In fact, for much of the nineteenth century, the operatic tradition had overshadowed the instrumental one, which began to regain particular momentum and diffusion only after 1860. Unified Italy was now compared to the great European powers and needed to be more cultured, progressive, and sophisticated. Instrumental music (symphonic and chamber), had always been associated with literature, philosophy, and the more intellectual world, and was perfectly suited to embody a new musical identity of the country that could match and compete with the great German model. It is the case of the three composers here represented (Sinigaglia, Fano, Massarani), who fully embraced the legacy of their predecessors but, like them, paid the price of living in a transitional historical moment. Like in a limbo between the IncholdInch and the Inchnew,Inch between Romanticism - at the time entirely exhausted in the rest of Europe - and the first glimmers of a new musical language that would soon move towards deconstruction with the avant-gardes of the 20th century. Yet, the outcome of their work is worthy of historical and performance interest, and shows the necessity of rediscovering a significant portion of Italian music history. Certainly, their shared Jewish background and the consequent censorship of the racial laws from the early 1930s may have contributed to some extent to the oblivion that befell these names. Riccardo Pes and Pierluigi Piran focus this recording on the interesting works for cello and piano by the three authors. Album Tracks 1. Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 7

While the famous Te Deum secured Charpentier's place in history, it was undoubtedly his Messe de Minuit that most contributed to his renown. True to Charpentier's genius, this mass is a perfect synthesis of the secular and the sacred, popular melodies and refined composition, offering a piece of remarkable originality and joy. These melodies, familiar to all, peasants and gentlemen alike, are enriched by orchestral parts and interwoven with subtle counterpoint and renewed harmony. The pleasure of music is thus offered to everyone to recognise a familiar tune, or to grasp it's extraordinary arrangement. Under the direction of Gaetan Jarry, the Marguerite Louise ensemble sublimates these Latin oratorios and French pastorals, infusing the Christmas celebration with unparalleled fervour!

?Every year, the International Competition of Orléans showcases the contemporary piano repertoire performed by the younger generation. French pianist Lorenzo Soulès, winner of the 2022 edition, presents on this b•records disc the results of his quest for the French sound, from Claude Debussy to Philippe Manoury whose two Études, commissioned specifically for the competition, are recorded for the first time. Album Tracks 1. Images, 1905-1907 2. Catalogue D'oiseaux, 1956 3. La Mandragore 4. Deuxième Livre D'études, 2021 5. Piano Figures, 2004