Various Artists - Straight from the Heart - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Various Artists - Songs from the Heart of Somers [COMPACT DISCS] date 08/28/2001

Masako Ohta retreats into the silence of the Waldhaus Grandsberg in the Bavarian Forest to dedicate herself to Japanese masterpieces in deep concentration and solitude. The Munich-based pianist takes us on a musical journey through time and invites us to experience extraordinary compositions from four centuries from the land of the rising sun. Thanks to Japan's temporary isolation and special island position, cultural characteristics are preserved that are still present in contemporary music. Sound creations of great Japanese composers such as Kengyo Yatsuhashi from the 17th century, Kengyo Yoshizawa from the 19th century, Toru Takemitsu from the 20th century as well as Toshio Hosokawa and Fumio Yasuda from the present are telling us about springtime at the sea, the rain tree, the singing of birds and dances of distant islands.

Ensemble Ernst's InchXtended Hearts and Unheard HerdsInch is the second on the LAWO Classics tag by the distinguished contemporary music ensemble. This album is a continuation of their first, Inch... BUT... Inch, as they combine their own commissions with works with international appeal. Their intention is to let well-known names help Norwegian composers gain greater recognition worldwide. We hear works of the Norwegian composers Ragnhild Berstad, Jan Martin Smordal and Jan Erik Mikalsen, together with Serbian-Swedish composer Djuro Zivkovic. The result is a contemporary music bag of sweets in which hopefully everyone can find a favorite. Ensemble Ernst was established in 1996, an offspring of the contemporary music ensemble at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Thomas Rimul has been the conductor from the start, and most of the musicians have been members since the very beginning.