Shohei Ushiroda - La Veglia - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The present album from the Polish Chamber Choir can be described as a short guide to Polish choral music created over the past few decades. It's repertoire is conceived in order to pair the works of composers closely related to choral music (including Juliusz Luciuk, Pawel Lukaszewski) with works by other esteemed Polish artists. The album includes both relatively simple works (Lumen by Wojciech Kilar, We Also Shepherds by Krzysztof Penderecki), as well as texturally complex, sonoristic explorations (Meditations for 4 sopranos, 4 altos, 4 tenors, 4 basses, and organ by Augustyn Bloch), prompting the listener to reflect. The 30-year-old Polish Chamber Choir belongs to the elite, narrow group of fully professional chamber choirs in the world. It gives around 80-100 concerts a year, preparing over 50 different programmes. The ensemble's primary aim is to work regularly on the instrumental, InchorchestralInch level, which, apart from many other abilities, demands complete mastery of the vocal apparatus, enabling the realization of all technical and artistic nuances of the compositions.

Seasons of India has captured the essence of Indian life that is infused with the customs and cycles that have shaped generations over millennia. There are regional variations in the timings and precise nature of the seasons, but there are major seasonal festivals celebrated throughout India alongside local customs. Baluji Shrivastav grew up in rural India experiencing first-hand the rhythm of the seasons flavored by sounds, smells, songs, dances, legends and poetry. Although India is being modernized, for the majority of people those seasonal festivals, foods and customs remain the same. The intense power of nature and her influence on music is encapsulated through the knowledge and imagination of this great multi-instrumentalist virtuoso and composer. It is the reflection of a life dedicated to the rich and boundless beauty of Indian music.

As soon as he had finished the finale of Turandot [1925-6], Alfano began working with political journalist and man of letters Arturo Rossato, [Vicenza 1882-1942]. He offered Alfano a libretto in one act, Madonna Imperia, based on La belle Impéria, by Honoré de Balzac. The fair lady of high society Imperia enjoys the protection of the chancellor of Ragusa and lives a life of pleasure in Constance among prelates and nobles and bewitches one of the bishop of Bordeaux's young choristers, Filippo Mala, who declares his love for her and has to sing her a song as though he were a troubadour. This love arouses the jealousy of Ragusa, who makes Filippo go away and leave Imperia to him, but the passion between Imperia and Filippo wins out and the opera ends with an erotic encounter between the two offstage.