Les Vents Francais - Hindemith: Wind Sonatas - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Gade / Ensemble Midtvest - Niels W. Gade Chamber Works 2 [COMPACT DISCS] date 08/12/2016

Hot Chip's electrifying seventh album, A Bath Full of Ecstasy, is the group's definitive , crystallizing the sound they've become celebrated for - bridging euphoria and melancholy with colorful melodies, idiosyncratic vocalizations and pounding electronic pop rhythms. Recorded in Paris and London, the 9-track collection sees the group (Owen Clarke, Al Doyle, Joe Goddard, Felix Martin and Alexis Taylor) open up to a more adventurous and collaborative song-writing process, choosing to work with outside producers for the first time Philippe Zdar, the French maestro who's shaped the magic of Cassius and Phoenix, and Rodaidh McDonald, the Scot who's collaborated with The XX, David Byrne and Sampha, among others. A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in the band's career. The record is a celebration of joy but recognizes the struggle it can take to get to that point of happiness. It is time to get lost in A Bath Full of Ecstasy!

Modern Designating the most innovative forms of art in a given period, particularly those of the 20th century. This definition from the French Larousse Dictionary explains the performers' choice of title 'Moderniste' for this new anthology of music for wind instruments what draws the attention in these works - in different ways at different times and in different fields - are their innovative, progressive and adventurous qualities. Four of the composers featured on this album can legitimately be associated with what is very broadly known as Modernism, referring to the general proliferation of new ideas and new musical aesthetics at the turn of the 20th century and beyond. As for the two works by Philippe Hersant and Thierry Escaich, they call on us to reflect on what modernity means to us today. And, while it is easy to set Modernism in opposition to traditionalism, it is also interesting to distinguish between a composer's personality and his or her approach to composing.