Various Artists - Sky Is Cloudy - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Chinese composer and violinist Ma Sicong was born in Haifeng in Guangdong province in 1912, and was among the relatively few Chinese musicians of his generation to study abroad. He settled in America in 1967.

Bands that are led by drummers are not as seldom as they once were, but still a somewhat rare affair. The quartet of drummer Christian Krischkowskyis already presenting it's second album InchThe End of MelancholismInch and illustrates the advantages of such an approach in nine pieces, seven of which are from Krischkowsky's pen. Pieces like InchWould You Dance With Me?Inch or InchFootball EvolutionInch sound rhythmically challenging, without deliberately placing the drums in the foreground. InchI wanted to incorporate the rhythmic ideas that I developed on drums even more into my compositions,Inch Krischkowsky said. InchWhen composing, however, I always had my co-musicians with whom I recorded the album in mind.Inch And they are really something else! Peter Ehwald is a saxophonist who always goes his own way, but at the same time has outstanding qualities in interaction. InchPeter is very freedom-loving,Inch the band leader stated. InchHe repeatedly makes suggestions to modify fixed structures, which may sound too beautiful, and improvise to make them more his own. This makes the pieces more spirited, more unpredictable and freer. This also reflects his personality. InchMarc Schmolling is a pianist with whom Christian Krischkowsky has almost blind understanding. InchI've known Marc the longest, and he's actually responsible for the band members coming together,Inch he confessed. InchI appreciate his humor and admire how deeply he is rooted in tradition. At the same time, he also has something unwieldy and unpredictable in his play. Sometimes it sounds a bit cumbersome, but that is also exactly what constitutes his own style. InchRoland Fidezius on bass is responsible for the maneuverability of the quartet. He is closely intertwined with Krischkowsky's playing, but also keeps making surprising twists.

Internationally-acclaimed violinist Charlie Siem and pianist Itamar Golan their debut album on Signum including works by Kreisler, Sarasate, Paganini, Elgar and Wieniawski, showcasing Siem's versatility and virtuosity in an intimate Parisian-style 'salon' programme. Siem has appeared with many of the world's finest orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the Bergen Philharmonic, the Camerata Salzburg, the Czech National Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He plays the 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin, known as the InchD'EgvillInch.