Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava - Auber: Overtures, Vol. 8 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Mikhail Shilyaev was born in Izhevsk, Russia. He started learning piano at the age of six and won several regional piano competitions at a young age. He studied in Russia, Germany, and in the UK. As a soloist with orchestra, he has recently performed with Musikkollegium Winterthur, the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, RNCM Concert Orchestra, the Gregorian Philharmonic Orchestra and with the Gulbenkian Symphony Orchestra. Mikhail lives in London and plays mostly in the UK and Europe. He is interested in historical performance practice and often gives recitals on fortepianos. The choice of instrument for this recording is the result of Mikhail's personal fascination with the spirit of fin de siècle, that period when so many musical styles emerged, coexisted, fused and challenged each other. It was an era in which the art of piano playing truly blossomed, and fortunately for us, the newly emerged recording technology documented and preserved this blossoming. The works on this (with the exception of Mompou's Variations) were composed around the time this particular Bechstein was being built. So the pianistic sound worlds of Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin and Mompou are reflected in the sound world of this, their contemporary instrument.

Villa-Lobos / Schermerhorn / Hong Kong Phil - Choros 8 & 9 [COMPACT DISCS] date 07/14/1994

John Butt directs Dunedin Consort, one of the world's leading Baroque ensembles, in this collection of three of Bach's finest cantatas. Together, they explore the timely themes of consolation and salvation. Having previously received exceptional critical acclaim for recordings of Bach's Mass in B minor (which was named a Benchmark Recording by BBC Music Magazine) and John Passion (nominated for both a 2014 ICMA and a 2013 Gramophone Award), Dunedin Consort now cements it's impressive Bachian credentials with these three cantatas. Bass Matthew Brook takes centre stage in the melancholic yet optimistic Ich habe genug, with soprano Joanne Lunn joining him to portray the searching dialogue of Jesus and the Soul in the profoundly beautiful Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen. Known as 'Actus tragicus', the early cantata Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit is an altogether grander affair. Likely intended for a funeral, it stands out in Bach's output both for it's sublime choruses and it's unusual instrumentation - notably the two oscillating recorders in the introduction, which set the tone for one of Bach's most heartfelt and quietly uplifting cantatas.