Nashville Chamber Orchestra - Istiqbal Gathering - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Released in 2009, Love 2 finds French electronic duo Air crafting a dreamy collection of atmospheric pop, rich synth textures, and sophisticated melodies. Written, performed, and produced entirely by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel in their own studio, the album showcases the cinematic soundscapes and elegant songwriting that have made Air one of the most influential electronic acts of their generation.

In their liner notes for this string of estrellitas ('small stars'), Elena Urioste and Tom Poster admit to a shared love for 'an old-world, golden sound and for melodies that tug at the heartstrings'. This has resulted in a deeply personal collection of miniatures full of winks, sighs and tears aimed at transporting the listener to bygone eras of fireside salon concerts. With a few exceptions, including Elgar's Chanson de Nuit and Salut d'amour, the pieces are arrangements by the great violinists of that bygone, golden age Auer, Kreisler, Zimbalist, Heifetz... while the originals they are based upon range from Gluck's Melodie from Orpheus and Euridice and Liszt's Consolation No. 3 to Beau soir by Debussy and Estrellita by Manuel Ponce. In a closing section Elena Urioste and Tom Poster also pay their respects to the Great American Songbook, with new arrangements, signed Tom Poster, of 'Moon River, When I Fall in Love' and 'Over the Rainbow.'

This features organ concertos by some of America's finest contemporary composers Horatio Parker's 'imposing and brilliant' piece is heard alongside Christopher Rouse's concerto of contrasting light and dark sonorities, which is dedicated to album soloist Paul Jacobs, and Wayne Oquin's Resilience reflects the human capacity for tenacity and perseverance. The programme ends with Ives' Variations on 'America' for solo organ.