Thomas Michael Allen - Songs Without Words - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The artist explains InchThe songs on Narratives are exploring themes that are consistently woven through my life. Obviously, life and death and love, but there's also less direct stuff going on like wasting time and how to handle complacency when the world is changing- both personally and around me. That's probably a more serious version of how I see the songs now, but the record itself came together in a pretty distinct Traditionist sort of way. As in the past, we start with the bare songs as demos, then just let it roll- like the song is the canvas and everything else is us painting on that canvas. It always comes out like that- like a painting or a building or something- a bunch of narratives that add up to one thing. So NarrativesInch

The Bavarian-born composer Simon Mayr spent his compositional life in Italy, spreading the influence of Viennese classicism whilst himself being influenced by prevailing Italian models. His cantata Arianna in Nasso (Ariadne on Naxos) was written for the leading soprano Isabella Colbran, who was later to marry Rossini. Her virtuosity inspired Mayr, and his cantata is a stirring example of vivid nature writing, refined pathos, and joyous celebration. Franz Hauk and the Simon Mayr Chorus and Ensemble are the world's leading Mayr exponents and their recordings have received the highest critical acclaim.

Benjamin Britten was throughout his life drawn to folk-song, possessing a special gift for wordsetting and vocal writing. This second disc of the complete folk song arrangements focuses on the orchestral versions and the volumes for guitar and harp.