Stefano Scodanibbio - Dream - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Brahms' Cello Sonata No.1 was composed at a time of great emotional upheaval in 1865. His mother was dying, and the composer having visited her in Hamburg, had immersed himself in the music of Bach for solace. The finale of the sonata has an uncanny resemblance to Contrapunctus XIII from The Art of Fugue. The second sonata is a product of the tranquil summer holiday Brahms spent in the scenic lakeside suburb of Hofstetten, outside Thun in Switzerland in 1886. The work is on a large symphonic scale in four movements, and in contrast to the earlier sonata's pensive and unsettled nature, is bathed in afternoon sunlight. Stanford composed his Ballata and it's companion, the Ballabile in 1918 for cello and orchestra. This is the product of the end of his compositional career, after his 7th and final symphony, and the large scale concertos. Effectively a cello concerto minus a first movement, Stanford made the version for cello and piano the same year. The Ballata is a delightful slow movement.

In his new GENUIN album, pianist Jürgen Geiger, who has appeared throughout Europe, explores the distinctions between composition, improvisation, creation, and re-creation. He presents virtuoso piano literature, including his own compositions and transcriptions. Among such arrangements are Saint-Saëns' Le rouet d'Omphale, one of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, and Mendelssohn's Auf Flügeln des Gesangs. Geiger's own music follows in the tradition of his role models Leopold Godowsky and Vladimir Horowitz, both of whom are represented here. The young pianist performs them with outstanding technique and a great sense of sound. A truly opulent menu for the piano!

An homage to Erik Satie and Robert Desnos - A sensuous sound journey by the Ensemble European Music Project InchInside the DreamInch evolved out of a live multimedia performance with a multichannel sound installation, voice, and an ensemble augmented by modern Inchclub electronics.Inch This CD presents the musical part of the performance. At it's center are several early songs by Erik Satie, along with his famous InchGnossiennesInch. Satie's compositions are flanked by Jürgen Grözinger's pieces, consciously written with a similar gesture, making the CD something of an homage to Satie, who was both a forefather of modern music and a close friend of the surrealists. Jürgen Görzinger is fascinated by the French surrealists and especially by Robert Desnos. InchInside the DreamInch is an associative approach to and transformation of the atmosphere of longing, eroticism, passion, adventure, and melancholy which are presented in Desnos's poetry - all mixed with a touch of humor. The liner notes in German, English and French are illustrated with photographs by P.J. Boman from his book InchMuse Desire and SeveranceInch.