Millenium Orchestra - Salve Regina - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Schubert Piano Trios marks the first official album of Trio Moreau, uniting Edgar, David, and Jérémie Moreau in their personal statement of identity as an ensemble. The program combines Schubert's Piano Trios No. 1 & 2 with Lieder arrangements for piano, cello and violin. The two Schubert Piano Trios stand as cornerstones of the chamber music repertoire, as they reveal an extraordinary sense of space, emotional depth and melodic richness from a composer celebrated above all as a master of song. To frame these trios, the Moreau brothers have created their own arrangements of some of Schubert's most beloved Lieder (Du bist die Ruh, and the celebrated Hirt auf dem Felsen). In these versions, violin, cello and piano share the melodic line, each taking turns to InchsingInch in a dialogue of lyricism and color.

Of those composers who held the highest positions at St Mark's basilica in Venice, Natale Monferrato (1610-85) is manifestly one of the most thoroughly forgotten nowadays. After working with the leading musicians of this prestigious institution, he succeeded Francesco Cavalli as maestro di cappella in 1676. His output, consisting exclusively of sacred music, includes some twenty collections published between 1647 and 1681. Although he wrote a great deal of polyphonic music, he also produced three collections of Motetti a voce sola. Most unusually, these three books accord an important place to compositions for the often neglected alto voice. They are so voluminous that only the Libro Terzo of 1666 was used for this recording. The motets are divided into varied and contrasted sections that range from the spirit of recitative to that of the aria, using very diverse forms in a manner that is bound to remind us of the models of opera as it developed in Venice from 1637 onwards. This world premiere recording blazes the trail for discovery of an undeservedly neglected composer.

Luke Temple is certainly held in high regards amongst the US underground. From Sufjan to Ben Gibbard and Grizzly Bear, Luke and his new group Here We Go Magic have a ton of supporters. Developed over a two-month period of stream of consciousness recording in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Luke's self-titled debut under his new moniker Here We Go Magic is a remarkable departure from his signature singer/songwriter material. Luke recorded the album at home using analog synths, a cassette 4-track, and his trusty SM-57 mic, coloring the sound with warmth and creating textures.