Warsaw String Ensemble - Chamber Music - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Johann Anton Andre (1775-1842), the scion of a Huguenot family that emigrated to Germany at the end of the seventeenth century, is known among musical experts primarily as the first of an extensive edition of Mozart's works, but hardly as a composer. On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Johann Andre Music Publishers in Offenbach, the firm founded by Andre's father in 1774, this first ever production of works by Johann Anton presents a series of chamber music works from around 1800. They reveal a young, openminded talent who developed an original personal style before the consolidation of what was to become known in music history by the epochal term InchViennese ClassicismInch a craft honed on models by Mozart and Haydn meets elegance and subtle irony, an inheritance from Johann Anton's French ancestors.

Halina Krzyzanowska was a Polish pianist and composer. She studied the piano at the Paris Conservatoire with Félix Le Couppey and at the age of 17 won the prix d'honneur. Then she studied counterpoint and composition with Andrès and Ernest Guiraud. She performed throughout Europe, though mainly in France and Poland, and in 1896 was made officier of the Académie de France. In 1900 she was appointed professor of piano at Rennes conservatory. Greatly influenced by Saint-Saëns, Krzyzanowska composed a symphony, a Marche héroïque for orchestra, a Fantasy for piano and orchestra, a string quartet and other chamber works, many solo piano works (including two sonatas, programmatic works and pieces in dance forms), settings of French and Polish poems, incidental music to S. Duchinska's play Jasyr ('Tatar Captivity'), a one-act opera Magdusia (to a libretto by H. Swiejkowski, composed before 1894) and an oratorio. Unfortunately, her works are today largely unknown. This album featuring the Camerata Vistula String Quartet aims to change that, and presents a program of her chamber music.

One of the greatest British ska bands presents a brand new studio album feat. 15 soon-to-be classic tracks - they interpret some of the most popular reggae songs in the Trojan archive by artists like Bob Marley, Lee Perry, Pioneers, Dandy & others.