The Diamond Family Archive – Black Autumn (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 38:51 minutes | 423 MB | Genre: Folk, Acoustic, Singer-Songwriter
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Pegdoll Records
The Diamond Family Archive are a unique English lo-fi, psych-folk, multi-instrumentalist roving ensemble led by the song writing of Laurence Collyer. Live, The Diamond Family Archive craft a mesmeric live-show from drums, acoustic guitars, lots of FX pedals, keyboards set to drone, tape delay, loops and bellows, bows, harmonicas, cosmic harps, toys and broken cymbals. All coming together to create music which holds echos of post-rock, traditional folk, spiritual soul music, psychedelic rock and lo-fi.
Read moreStephen Hough, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons – Dvořák & Schumann: Piano Concertos (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:13:10 minutes | 1,26 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Hyperion Records
Two more rich piano concertos from the unparalleled Stephen Hough and the CBSO (they’ve already won Gramophone’s Record of the Year award twice). The eminent Andris Nelsons conducts, making his Hyperion debut. Schumann and Dvořák each wrote just one piano concerto, the latter being performed here in its fearsomely challenging original version.
Read moreGli Angeli Genève, Stephan MacLeod – Josquin Desprez: Missa Malheur me bat, NJE 9.1 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:37 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Aparté
“Josquin was the most emblematic composer of his time, famous throughout Europe for his compositions both secular and sacred. This recording explores those two aspects of his output, which are more closely related than one might think. Here in a small line-up, Gli Angeli Genève deliver a virtuoso vocal performance that is sensitive and empathetic. With only two voices per part, they play on the timbre and individuality of each voice, and thus create an intimacy and a meditative mood that invite the listener to share with the singers in the deeply moving humanity of Josquin’s music.”
Read moreEkaterina Siurina, Constantine Orbelian, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra – Where is my beloved? (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 52:49 minutes | 875 MB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Delos
One of the leading sopranos of her generation, Ekaterina Siurina enjoys an international career that takes her to the top opera houses in Europe and America. She made her professional debut as Gilda in Rigoletto, singing opposite the world-renowned baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Commenting on her recent performance as Violetta in La bohème, Parterre Box called her singing “deeply touching, with arching beams of tone.”
Read moreCristina Branco – Mae (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 30:45 minutes | 516 MB | Genre: World, Fado, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © O-tone
Cristina Branco is a critically acclaimed Portuguese fado artist who has mesmerized audiences worldwide with her soulful voice and profound musicality. With a career spanning over two decades, Branco has released numerous successful albums, captivating listeners with her unique interpretations of traditional fado and her exploration of contemporary musical expressions. Recognized for her exceptional artistry, Branco has garnered international acclaim and established herself as a leading figure in the world of fado. With an unwavering passion for traditional fado, she delivers a poignant homage to this emblematic musical genre deeply ingrained in Portuguese culture. Mark your calendars for her upcoming 18th studio album, “Mãe” (“Mother”) release on September 22nd.
Read moreChoir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle – Christmas at St George’s Chapel, Windsor (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:10:23 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Hyperion
The Choir of St George’s Chapel, world famous through its royal patronage, is one of this country’s foremost, participating in daily services throughout the year at its Windsor Castle home. Here the choir performs a wide range of music appropriate to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.
Read moreKurpfalzisches Kammerorchester – Carl Stamitz: Three Symphonies Concertantes (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:00:21 minutes | 997 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CPO
With 38 known works, Carl Stamitz is one of the most important composers of concertante symphonies. The Sinfonia concertante was a hybrid form between symphony and concerto popular in the 1760s and 1770s. One model may have been the baroque concerto grosso, in which a group of soloists alternated with the orchestral tutti. In the sinfonia concertante, there are always at least two soloists facing the orchestra. The concertante differs from the symphony in the number of movements; many are only in two movements, but none in more than three. As in the concerto, tutti and solo sections are juxtaposed in the Sinfonia concertante, with the difference that here the orchestral tutti is usually given a larger share. In this way, the Sinfonia concertante combines a large orchestral sound with opportunities for the instrumentalists to display their virtuosity and brilliance. Three-movement works predominate in Carl Stamitz’s oeuvre, and the works recorded here are among them. Most of them were written in Paris in the 1770s and most of them were printed there. The use of two solo instruments is the rule with Stamitz, especially the combination of violin and violoncello, but he also composed works with up to seven solo instruments. His contributions to the genre are closer to the concerto than to the symphony; one might well call them group concerts. In the section of his book dedicated to Carl Stamitz, Ideen zu einer Asthetik der Tonkunst (Ideas for an Aesthetic of the Art of Music), Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart went into raptures, so highly did he esteem the performer, composer and man: “Stamitz the son, the most famous violist in Germany, and one of our most amiable composers. […] One finds so much truth, so much beauty and grace in his movements that he is generally recognised in Germany, Italy, France and England as a pupil of the Graces. His symphonies also have a peculiar character: they are full of splendour and harmony. In particular, his andantes are masterly – a consequence of his sensitive heart”.
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