Luigi Ricci - Ricci: Il Birraio di Preston - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Ruggiero Ricci - Art of Ruggiero Ricci [COMPACT DISCS] date 10/18/2005

Several legendary but long-unavailable recordings freshly remastered in a comprehensive 'original covers' set of Ruggiero Ricci's recordings for American Decca during the 1960s. With definitive accounts of the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the Paganini Caprices recorded in 1950, Ruggiero Ricci became established as a Decca artist in the early days of LP. A decade later he began recording for Decca's American division, and between 1960 and 1970 he made nine albums of solo, recital and concerto repertoire which are gathered here in one set for the first time. Ricci had already recorded some of the solo Bach sonatas and partitas, but in 1967 he made his first complete set for American Decca. Tully Potter's illuminating booklet essay explains how a snowstorm forced Ricci to hole up in a hotel for several days prior to the sessions, and his devoted his time to perfecting his interpretations of Bach. Ricci was renowned for the astonishing virtuosity that enabled him to tackle the Caprices and Concertos of Paganini without breaking sweat - he became the first great exponent of the composer in the LP era with his Decca recordings - and he remade the Second Concerto for American Decca in 1964 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Max Rudolf one of several albums here receiving it's first international on CD. The American Decca legacy of Ricci also included several 'concept albums' which soon became collector's items. The set opens with the first of them from 1964, on which the violinist plays The Four Seasons of Vivaldi on four different Strads, one for each concerto, with a string ensemble fielding another ten Strads for a uniquely rich string sound. Two years earlier, Ricci had made InchThe Glory of CremonaInch, which saw him play fifteen priceless violins in sessions attended by two security guards. Even these two projects pale beside the astonishing virtuosity

Relíquia, is the first ever collaboration between Sergio and Clarice Assad. Composer/singer/pianist Clarice Assad was born into music. Her father, Sergio Assad, is one of the most important guitarists of his generation, not only as a soloist and composer, but also as half of the world famous Assad Brothers duo. Now for the first time father and daughter have recorded together in a program of 11 stunning pieces that explore every facet of their unique musical ancestry. The music is fierce, heartfelt, tender, exploratory, and virtuosic all at once. Several pieces explore a new chapter in Sergio's legacy as a songwriter, as he works with lyrics for the first time. Every time the two rehearsed they would have tears in their eyes, as they joyfully explored the past, present, and future of their common roots.