David Ponsford – French Organ Music from the Golden Age, Vol. 8: Gaspard Corrette & Jean-François Dandrieu (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:18:10 minutes | 727 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nimbus Alliance
After some years as Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral, and as Conductor of Cheltenham Bach Choir, he studied with the international Bach scholar Peter Williams, being awarded a PhD in French Baroque organ music. For 17 years he was Associate Lecturer at Cardiff University, where he directed courses in Performance Practice and Notation & Editing. During his time at Cardiff, he was conductor of the University Chamber Orchestra and the University Choir. He has also taught organ and harpsichord at Bristol University, Bath Spa University, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and Wells Cathedral School.
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Christian Felix Benning, Patrick Stapleton, Klavierduo Neeb – Déjà-Rêvé (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:18:17 minutes | 1,37 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © audite Musikproduktion
Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s “Monologues” initiate a dialog between composers and works full of creative power and musical joy. Inspired by this, the piano duo Neeb developed their debut program, which – expanded by the sonic possibilities of the percussion – conjures up the world of the “spontaneous, associative, dreamlike and even trance-like” (B. A. Z.).
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Carmen Artaza & Hilko Dumno – La Mi Sola. A Mediterranean Songbook (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 54:10 minutes | 949 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Coviello Classics
Italy and Spain were naturally also sources of inspiration in the 19th century as countries of longing. An illustrious group of composers, including celebrities from countries further north such as Johannes Brahms, expressed this longing in a variety of ways. Carmen Artaza and Hilko Dumno breathe Mediterranean temperament into all of this and unfold a luminous colorfulness.
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Caravan – If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You (2013 Re-Issue) (1970/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 47:32 minutes | 913 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca (UMO)
Caravan followed up their eponymous debut with the cryptically titled If I Could Do It All Over Again I’d Do It All Over You in the fall of 1970. If I Could Do It All Over Again contains significant progressions over the first album. These include the intricacy with which compositions are sculpted around some of the finest instrumental improvisation in British rock at the time — or arguably since. Caravan’s uncanny ability to create a montage that effortlessly maneuvers through acoustic folk and electric progressive rock is best exemplified on the “With an Ear to the Ground” suite. The extended instrumental passages weave in and out of each other, creating a hypnotic and otherwise psychedelic soundscape that would become a trademark of the European progressive rock movement. Another epic, “For Richard” quickly found solid standing as the Caravan live performance closer for decades after first appearing on this album. Juxtaposed against these pieces are several shorter works, which in essence clear the palette for the longer ones. The title track, as well as “Hello, Hello” are perfect examples of how Caravan was able to one-up many of their progressive contemporaries, creating shorter and more accessible songs for radio airplay — resulting in a guest appearance on BBC TV’s Top of the Pops program. – Lindsay Planer
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Bruckner Orchester Linz – Bruckner: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, WAB 101 (1866-1868 Linz version) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 45:24 minutes | 768 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CapriccioNR
The Bruckner Orchester Linz is an Austrian orchestra based in Linz. Named for Anton Bruckner, the orchestra is the concert orchestra for the state of Upper Austria, and also the opera orchestra at the Landestheater Linz (Upper Austrian State Theatre). Consisting of 110 musicians, the orchestra participates in the Bruckner Festival, the Ars Electronica Festival and the Linzer Klangwolke.
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Blue Moods – Swing & Soul (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 52:53 minutes | 972 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Posi-Tone Records
“Swing & Soul” is more than a simple collection of Duke Pearson’s compositions. For me, it’s both a heartfelt tribute and reimagining of his enduring musical legacy in the hands of the exceptional talents of Art Hirahara, Jon Davis, Diego Rivera, Boris Kozlov and Vinnie Sperrazza. With this latest album in the “Blue Moods” series, we are hoping to garner greater attention for this music from new listeners by celebrating both the timeless melodies and the compositional flexibility of these songs while also serving as a fitting testament to Pearson’s perseverance to continuously inspire new generations of jazz aficionados.
I would like to extend my thanks to all of the listeners in the Posi-Tone audience for joining together with us on this musical journey, and I hope this latest Blue Moods release will fill your hearts with the joy, beauty, and eternal “Swing & Soul” of jazz. – Marc Free, producer
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Bettina Pahn – Jobst vom Brandt: German Songs of the Renaissance (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:01 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © haenssler CLASSIC
With this CD we present a composer who is almost completely unknown. An astonishing admission, because his work is well documented in Georg Forster’s songbooks and his compositions have also been published in print. Georg Forster himself held vom Brandt in high esteem, so much so that he dedicated the third volume of his “Teutschen Liedlein” to him. This dedication emphasises Forster’s high regard for v om Brandt, but he also made dedications to other composers. Forster dedicated Volume II to his former fellow student Eck, Volume IV to Stephan Zirler, and Volume V to Dietrich Schwarz von Haselbach, with whom he had been associated since his Heidelberg days. While on the one hand friendship was important to him, he did not lose sight of quality when he wrote that he had “picked out the loveliest and worst from all of them”. Forster’s collection is aimed at the “friend and lover of noble music”, not at the professional musician. Hence the focus on the fact that he had selected not only the “loveliest” but also the “worst” (in the sense of plain or simple). It seemed remarkable that vom Brandt composed during the day, for composing was not his main occupation.
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Anthony Gomes – Peace, Love & Loud Guitars (2024 Remix) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:02:20 minutes | 816 MB | Genre: Blues
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Up 2 Zero
BIOGRAPHY “Gomes’ authentic voice and the formidable guitar chops place him in the forefront of modern blues.” – Blues Music Magazine Anthony Gomes, #1 Billboard Blues Artist, is a triple threat force as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. This, along with his high-energy shows and dynamic stage presence, make him one of the top draws on the Rock/Blues circuit today. Gomes’ new record Peace, Love & Loud Guitars, named Best Blues Album of 2018 by Blues Rock Review and SoundGuardian Magazine, is the culmination of a life spent honoring Blues traditions while never losing sight of his own identity. The Toronto born guitar slinger stands his ground as a creative artist and is eager to push the Blues back into the mainstream. “My goal is to keep the Blues fresh, exciting and even dangerous,” says Gomes. “I want to bring back the thrill longtime Bluesmen created in their day. At the same time, I think it’s very important for the music to grow and evolve. “He has performed with the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Robert Plant, Heart, Sammy Hagar, .38 Special, Jonny Lang, Robert Cray and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Gomes recalled a conversation he had years ago with one of those legends. “B.B. King told me the Blues are like the laws of the land. They need to be amended to the times we live in,” Gomes said. “As an artist, it’s very exciting to think that the Blues can be just as ground-breaking today as it ever was. “Believing that music can inspire the human spirit, Anthony founded the Music Is the Medicine Foundation in 2010. This non-profit organization is dedicated to changing the lives of others through the healing power of music. Anthony Gomes has nothing left to prove while leaving all his passion on the table. Nonetheless, he continues striving to not only find the legendary “lost chord,” but the ultimate combinations of words, notes and performance. Looking for an actual 21st Century guitar hero? Here he is.
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Andrew Rangell – Waltz Inventions (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:03:42 minutes | 850 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Steinway & Sons
Singular pianist Andrew Rangell presents a diverse program of Waltzes on his latest STEINWAY label release. Ranging from Chopin’s ebullient “Minute Waltz” and Ravel’s masterful “Valses nobles et sentimentales” to an intimate early jewel by Billy Strayhorn, Rangell’s performances are filled with vivacity and emotional depth.
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Alois Mühlbacher, Ars Antiqua Austria, Gunar Letzbor – Cantate Per Contralto Con Violini (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 57:16 minutes | 1004 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Challenge Classics
Under the rule of the enlightened Emperor Joseph I, many composers from the north of Italy took up appointments in Vienna. Antonio Bononcini was one of the most progressive composers of his time. We present here three cantatas by Bononcini from 1706. They were most probably first presented in musical academies. His amorous chamber cantatas captivate through their intimate, timeless beauty. The sensual violins engage in an entertaining competition with the longing, dreamy lines of the alto voice. The cantatas recorded here all concern themselves with the sorrows and longings of love for a distant partner.
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Accordare Choir & Karolina Csáthy – Richard Lambert: Choral Music, Sacred and Secular (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:14:14 minutes | 647 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Toccata Classics
The choral music of Richard Lambert, born in Bath in the English West Country in 1951, covers a wide range of expression, ranging on this album from straightforward SATB settings for church performance to a sardonic parody of the excesses of established religion. It also encompasses the timeless and the timely, with a number of contributions to the age-old tradition of Christmas music to a cantata inspired by the Covid pandemic.
This is the first recording of the Accordare Choir, founded and conducted by Karolina Csáthy, initially using former choral scholars of The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge; since then it has expanded in size, scope and accomplishment.
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