Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Mass in C minor reflects Mozart's current preoccupation with the music of Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach, explored with the encouragement of Baron van Swieten, an important patron. The work is scored for pairs of oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, with three trombones, strings and organ continuo. After a brief orchestral introduction, the four vocal sections enter in contrapuntal imitation and the movement continues in the monumental and generally conservative style that the Salzburg Archbishop would certainly have discouraged. The soprano soloist introduces the florid Italianate Christe eleison and the contrapuntal choral texture is resumed with the return of the Kyrie. The Gloria opens in affirmative C major, leading almost at once to energetic fugal writing, relaxing momentarily at the words pax hominibus bonae voluntatis (peace to men of good will). Laudamus te is in F major, marked Allegro aperto. It is scored for solo soprano, oboes, horns and strings and is in operatic style. Trombones and bassoons return for the A minor Adagio of Gratias agimus tibi, now with a five-part choir. To this the D minor Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, scored for strings and two soprano soloists, offers an immediate contrast. In Salzburg the second soprano would presumably have been sung by one of the castrati employed by the court musical establishment. There is a return to a more traditional Baroque style in the solid dotted rhythms of the G minor Qui tollis peccata mundi, for two four-part choirs with the full orchestra. The two soprano soloists are joined by a solo tenor for the E minor setting of Quoniam tu solus Dominus, scored without trombones or horns. The solo voices enter in energetic contrapuntal imitation, over which the spirit of Handel seems to loom, seen through a Mozartian prism. There is a brief C major choral Adagio for the words Jesu Christe, before t

The phantom zone, the parallax, the upside down-there is a rich cultural history of exploring in-between places. Through her latest, Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood, a.k.a. Natalie Mering, has designed her own universe to soulfully navigate life's mysteries. Maneuvering through a space-time continuum, she plays the role of melodic, sometimes melancholic, anthropologist. Tellingly, Mering classifies Titanic Rising - which was written and recorded during the first half of 2018, after three albums and years of touring - as the Kinks meet WWII or Bob Seger meets Enya. The latter captures the album's willful expansiveness (InchYou can tell there's not a guy pulling the strings in Enya's studio,Inch she notes, admiringly). The former relays her imperative to connect with listeners. InchThe clarity of Bob Seger is unmistakable. I'm a big fan of conversational songwriting,Inch she adds. InchI just try to do that in a way that uses abstract imagery as well.Inch The Weyes Blood frontwoman grew up singing in gospel and madrigal choirs. (Listen closely to Titanic Rising, and you'll also hear the jazz of Hoagy Carmichael mingle with the artful mysticism of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the monomyth of scholar Joseph Campbell.) InchSomething to Believe,Inch a confessional that makes judicious use of the slide guitar, touches on that cosmological upbringing. InchBelief is something all humans need. Shared myths are part of our psychology and survival,Inch she says. InchNow we have a weird mishmash of capitalism and movies and science. There have been moments where I felt very existential and lost.Inch As a kid, she filled that void with Titanic. (Yes, the movie.) InchIt was engineered for little girls and had it's own mythology,Inch she explains. Mering also noticed that the blockbuster romance actually offered a story about loss born of man's hubris. InchIt's so symbolic that The Titanic wo

With Ombre, the third album to be reissued in Fremeaux's complete series of his collected recordings, Romane once again confirms his place as a worthy heir to Django Reinhardt while renewing his partnership with the exceptional violinist Florin Niculescu. Album Tracks 1. Gypsy Fire 2. Monticello 3. Man Ge 4. Patrimonio 5. Jo's Remake 6. Sel Ne 7. Ombre [Studio Version] [Version] 8. Chass S Crois S 9. Chez Fernand 10. Paris Nashville 11. Ombre [Film Version] [Version]