Weser-Renaissance - O Magnum Mysterium: Christmas Motets - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

There seems no end to the brilliance not only of the musicianship and pianistic skill of our top piano duo but also their dedication to re-discovering and recording lost or neglected masterpieces. Here we have the very well known Second Piano Concerto of Chopin, in a two-piano version by Chopin himself and his pupil Mikuli - and never before recorded. A host of other rarities and transcriptions complete yet another reference recording.

The WESER-RENAISSANCE ensemble had two goals in mind in it's concert series InchBreslau - A City in the Heart of EuropeInch the first was to offer musical enjoyment and the second was to remember an old cultural environment that had been forgotten for many decades. The music manuscripts and printed editions discovered in the Berlin State Library attest to the great diversity and high quality of music culture in what was once the capital of Silesia. InchDie Geburt unsers Herrn and Heylands Jesu ChristiInch (The Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), a Christmas narrative by Tobias Zeutschner, who was active at Breslau's principal churches St. Bernhardin and St. Mary Magdalene, forms the focus of the present selection from these sources in a program entitled InchWeihnachten i'm Breslau des 17. Jahrhunderts - Festmusik in der Kirche St. Maria MagdalenaInch (Christmas in Seventeenth-Century Breslau - Festive Music in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene). This early example of a Biblical history composition is richly scored for eighteen voices.

(CD + 2-DVD set) Three of the jazz world's legendary and most beloved icons - trumpeter Clark Terry, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco and vibraphonist Terry Gibbs join San Francisco's preeminent swing band and guest vocalist Jackie Ryan on InchGrandMasters Of JazzInch. This generous package includes a CD with 19 tracks, 2 DVDs totaling 90 minutes from six different concerts and a 20 page booklet with many great photos and liner notes by award winning critic Will Friedwald. This is a treasure trove of rare jazz gems and priceless performances that range from scorching swing classics to sizzling bebop to sultry ballads.