Romanowski - Contemporary Sonatas - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Shakuar unites vocalists Shishani & Karima el Fillali who perform with a deep sense of intimacy, creating enchanting and transformative music. Their work marks a musical friendship with Western classical music, 90s R&B and Hip-Hop. Growing up in European & African households, they also share a parallel quest for the musical roots of their African parents. For Karima this path led to an introspective journey to Morocco, and for Shishani to her country of birth, Namibia. Shakuar challenges the notion of separate identities and cultural divides. The collaboration between Shakuar and the Residentie Orkest began in 2020. The concert took place on September 12, 2020 in The New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) in The Hague, built in 1649. A historic place of worship transformed into the scenery for a contemporary musical ritual grounded in intimacy despite the physical borders.

The year 1685 bestowed mankind with three geniuses with supernatural talents in composition and improvisation, i.e. Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel and Domenico Scarlatti. Only the last two had the opportunity to confront themselves in a direct duel for the title of the winner in the category of the fastest fingers implementing unbridled improvisational ideas. Interestingly, Scarlatti's sonatas, although deeply rooted in the tradition of the turn of the Baroque and Classicism, are ahead of works of both eras in many respects, while the numerous textural solutions suggested by the composer are a harbinger of harmonically advanced Romantic miniatures. The interpretations featured on this album result from the collaboration of two different, seemingly incompatible worlds. The world of interpretation rooted in early music and that represented by contemporary instruments in relation to the Baroque era. The need for making music together, for dialogue and mutual inspiration as well as for the diversity of perception of performance issues are undoubtedly a great asset of this album.

Rachmaninov / Czapiewski,Bogdan - Piano Sonatas [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/01/2004