Roni Kaspi - Shifting Sands - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

In 2016, composer and pianist Jeffrey Jacob conducted interviews with children of illegal immigrants, whose plight ended up inspiring the pianist's fifth symphony. Remarkably for a contemporary composition, the work is quite condensed timewise; nevertheless, it packs the whole gamut of human sentiment, with the movements titled I. Lagrimas [Tears], II. Fear; Grace, III. Separation, Grief; Resolution, Triumph and, at last IV. Sanctuary I. Next up are three works for piano and orchestra, with Jacob at the piano. His clarity of tone is striking and the perfect fit for his own compositions. For a 20th-century composer, Jacob's music is surprisingly tonal. The sound is unique and evocative; had Olivier Messiaen studied with Rachmaninoff, the Adagietto from Jacob's Piano Concerto No. 2 might well be the result. Epitaph (In Memoriam) is fittingly epic for it's title and, in style, highly reminiscent of Shostakovich's piano concertos. A highlight of the album, however, appears in the form of the two-movement The Persistence of Memory, in which Jacob shifts his aim from the 20th to the mid-19th century. After a modern introduction, the listener is greeted with a quotation of Schumann's Fantasy Dance, and the beautifully lamenting solo cello contrasted with lyrical piano lines is a direct reminder of the German composer's Piano Trio No. 2. Lastly, the pianist harks back to the centerpiece of DREAMERS, his symphony a lone oboe interspersed with electronics brings both the album and the fifth symphony's subject to a close. The outward circumstances have not changed; but the intangible remains the same.

Unreleased outside of Israel, SHAOT REGISHOTInch (InchSensitive HoursInch), the gold album recorded in Hebrew by Avishai Cohen between InchGENTLY DISTURBEDInch and InchAURORAInch, is now available everywhere on disc and vinyl. For the first time in his career, he does not make an instrumental album, but an album of beautiful songs that he writes and performs, strongly influenced by jazz, some traditional music, revealing a voice with multiple accents and an incredible charm... An essential milestone in his already rich discography.

Razorblade Romance was the breakthrough album for HiM and home to their biggest tracks Join Me In Death, Wicked Game, Gone With The Sin, and Right Here in My Arms. Produced by John Fryer (This Mortal Coil, Nine Inch Nails) the album has been described as the first great goth-metal album of the 21st century and perfected their Love Metal sound.