Gal / Wallfisch / Milton - Cello Concertos By Exiled Jewish Composers - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The works for violoncello by Karl Weigl, a Viennese composer practically forgotten today, qualify as a twofold revelation. First, they offer us an opportunity once again to hear one of the musical voices that was the talk of the town in fin-de-siècle Vienna; second, the CD contains music for violoncello that in it's »singability« is clearly modeled on Brahms but does not imitate him. And what is even more remarkable about this production is that it's principal work - the Concerto - had never been heard at all until the present recording. In this monumental and expressive concerto Weigl sheds constantly new and impressive light on his melodic material. In contrast to the rather operatic InchLove-Song,Inch the InchWild DanceInch is a theatrical piece making ample use of flageolets and sul ponticello. The Moderato in A major very simply offers time for a breather before the energetic beginning is repeated and the movement concludes with a fiery and forceful Presto con fuoco. Both works were dedicated to Arturo Toscanini.

Known for his warm dark sound and effortless sense of swing, Canadian-born Josh Brown has become one of the leading young trombonists in New York City. Josh has performed with some of jazz's leading figures, including Charlie Persip, Jimmy Cobb, Grant Stewart, Joe Cohn, William Ash, Ari Roland, Pat LaBarbera, Don Thompson and Jake Wilkinson among others. Currently, Josh spends most of his time as a member of Warner artist Michael Buble's band, and is featured on the new Michael Buble DVD, 'Caught in the Act'. Josh has enjoyed a steady and diverse musical career, having played with non- jazz artists such as Merl Saunders, The Philosopher Kings, and as an orchestra member in the Broadway musical Fame. When home in New York, Josh leads his own Trio and Quartet, frequently collaborating with guitarist Randy Napoleon. Josh has appeared on the Today Show, the Late Show with David Letterman, B.E.T. Bet on Jazz, and PBS Great Performances. Josh was a nominee for Jazz trombonist of the year at the 2003 National Jazz Awards in his native Canada, as well as a semi-finalist in the prestigious 2003 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trombone competition, where Josh was one of ten musicians invited to perform at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. A two time Recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts Grant, Josh also received the Chevrolet High Note Award, the highest award offered at Humber College, and a Civic Recognition Award from his home town of Burlington for receiving the highest mark in the country for his Royal Conservatory exam. Josh grew up in a musical home, the son of a piano teaching mother and jazz loving father, and soon after first picking up the Euphonium, played his first professional gig at age thirteen. A keen-eyed teacher sensed his interest in jazz and suggested a switch to trombone. Josh quickly excelled at the new instrument, winning local and n

Bringing to light another of Hans Gal's gorgeously melodic and finely crafted scores, AVIE presents the world premiere recording of the Austrian émigré's Concertino for Cello and String Orchestra with Matthew Sharp supported by Gal aficionado Kenneth Woods conducting the English Symphony Orchestra. Gal's compositional output was vast, varied and consistent, from his early success in 1920s Germany, through internment during World War II, to his days in Edinburgh where he settled, became a respected academic and lived out his long life. His vivacious Cello Concertino was written in 1965, when he was 75 years old. The two spirited solo cello works were among his last, written at the age of 92. Inchhats off to conductor Kenneth Woods for making a case for Gal's elegantly built orchestral pieces... Here's hoping this is the beginning of a substantial Gal revival.Inch (National Public Radio's All Things Considered)