Voices of Ascension - From Chant to Renaissance - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Franz Xaver Mozart, the youngest son of Wolfgang Amadeus, has some 30 piano works to his name. They include nine cycles of variations with opus numbers, three sets of Polonaises melancholiques, sonatas, fantasies, rondos, and several smaller forms. In contrast to his father, he never displayed a performing interest in any instrument other than the piano. He used his outstanding performing skills in his compositional output, the lion's share of which was for the piano. It is these works that pianist Anna Liszewska has included on this . Anna Liszewska studied at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, gaining her diploma in 1995. She later went on to study under Barbara Halska, John Owings, and Andrzej Jasinski. In addition to an active performing and recording career, Anna is a teacher, and has directed a piano class at the Henryk Wieniawski Primary and Secondary Music Schools, and is on the faculty of the Music Academy in Lodz, lecturing in the Department of Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Early Music, and Jazz.

Voices of Ascension - Beyond Chant [COMPACT DISCS] date 05/23/1994

Over the past 15 years, the Vienna Boys' Choir has assembled a remarkable collection of recordings, now gathered for the first time in this anthology celebrating the unique beauty of the boys' soprano voice. Every voice is an acoustic fingerprint, reflecting the individuality of each singer, nurtured through dedicated bel canto training that allows personal character to flourish within the choir's distinctive sound. Because the purity of the boys' soprano is so fleeting, these performances serve as precious musical snapshots, capturing both soloists and ensembles at unforgettable moments. The carefully curated program opens with Bach's serene Sheep May Safely Graze and includes Schubert's Auf dem Wasser zu singen, honoring the choir's most famous former member. Works by Brahms, Schumann, and Rossini explore themes of friendship, poetry, and compassion, while Mendelssohn's sacred duets offer intimate expressions of faith. A particular highlight is Vivaldi's Nulla in mundo, performed by a boys' soprano whose effortless purity showcases the rare beauty of this voice. The anthology concludes with selections from Handel's Messiah, culminating in the choir's triumphant and joyous Hallelujah.