Tracklista: Side A 1. Upside Down 2. Tenderness 3. Friend to Friend 4. I'm Coming Out Side B 1. Have Fun (Again) 2. My Old Piano 3. Now That You're Gone 4. Give Up
‘… an austere serenity almost unique in post-medieval Christian art’‘Palestrina sought in all things perfect balance’These two quotations, from Curt Sachs and Gustave Reese, sum up neatly the outstanding spiritual and technical qualities of Palestrina’s music, expressing for us, as for so many in the past, that instinctive feeling that it has a heavenly quality. More down to earth, those qualities of serenity and balance can be identified as superb control of structure, like strategic planning, and flawless attention to detail, like tactical efficiency. So very often one finds the word ‘felicity’—happy appropriateness, absolute rightness—describing Palestrina’s numerous works that qualify as great.This long revered archetype of the Roman Catholic liturgical composer has had his critics—not denigrators, but those who, perhaps rightly, saw him unfairly placed on a pedestal wrongly overshadowing many deserving the same acclaim. Yet, through four centuries and as strongly as ever now, Palestrina’s works keep coming back to impress, to move and uplift, spiritually refreshing and musically astonishing.In this recording Westminster Cathedral Choir presents some of Palestrina’s most loved and often quoted music. The opening melody of Sicut cervus desiderat, presented voice by voice, has been a favourite of writers demonstrating the typical ‘gradual rise in the melodic line followed by a fall that balances it with almost mathematical exactness’ (Reese, Music in the Renaissance, p. 462). The famous Super flumina Babylonis is a perfect example of the master’s ability to produce a completely unified and well proportioned whole that has within it a series of clearly defined sections each characterizing and expressing the text, gently propelling the words with musical expression. That he can do this so effectively within a growth that seems quite natural and organic is precisely why our admiration has remained loyal for four hundred years. These are not the desultory lightning flashes of a Gesualdo, nor the startling dramas that dazzle in the sounds of Lassus. Within Palestrina’s calm unfolding there is an enormous confidence and a feeling of strength. A philosopher theologian once remarked to the present writer that Palestrina’s music seemed made by a man without worries.The Missa Aeterna Christi munera has been a favourite of church choirs for good reasons: its classic simplicity, its brevity, its clear singability and its four voice parts (only the second Agnus Dei divides the tenors). It is based on three melodic strands taken from the tune which gives the Mass its title, the hymn for Matins of Apostles and Evangelists; the fourth line of the verses has a repeat of the first line’s melody. Palestrina employs these themes in turn in the opening Kyrie– Christe–Kyrie sections, passing them from voice to voice, transforming and elaborating them. He uses them in the wordy Gloria and Credo in a less complicated way, alluding to them mainly in the top voice. In the later movements, Palestrina gently plays his variations in the most serene way, until, finally, in his second Agnus Dei, he produces a passage of great tranquillity as he groups the voices in parallel at ‘dona nobis pacem’, a moment that has captivated generations of singers.To precede the Mass itself, we have given the complete Matins hymn in the version which Palestrina would surely have known at the Julian Chapel (he was there from 1571). The music and text have been edited specially for this recording from a Julian Chapel manuscript of 1564 (Capp. Giulia XIV.7). The Mass is a mature work first printed in Palestrina’s Fifth Book of Masses (1590). After the Sicut cervus desiderat and Super flumina Babylonis, both published in 1581, we hear his earlier but confident vision of the Apocalypse—Vidi turbam magnam, for six-part choir. This has Palestrina in vigorous form, constantly using word-driven accents on weak beats to keep a great momentum; there is here a special grandeur of sonority that Palestrina used for portentous texts like this. In it, and in his double-choir Magnificat which ends the recording, the composer is constantly changing the texture and colour of the music by re-grouping his vocal forces in different combinations. There is never a monotony of thick polyphony.All the music so far discussed is liturgical or votive within the liturgy, that is to say normally usable as part of the Roman Rite. The group of motets from the ‘Song of Songs’ is of extra-liturgical pieces intended for devotional use, possibly in church but probably intended for devout recreation. Church music in the liturgical sense or not, Palestrina’s set of twenty-nine motets on selections from the ‘Song of Songs’ (Canticum Canticorum Salomonis, ‘The Song of Solomon’) was tremendously popular in his own time; after its publication in 1584 it was reprinted frequently until nearly ten years after the composer’s death. There seems little doubt that Palestrina knew well and subscribed to the church’s allegorical interpretation of these extraordinary Hebrew love poems. Removed from carnality by Jewish and Christian acceptance in the Bible, transformed by doctrine into the union of Christ and His Spouse the Church, ritualized by the Latin and woven into the medieval tapestry of Marian mythology, the ‘Song of Songs’ still spell-binds in Palestrina’s delicate hands as he balances between the sacred and the erotic.Suffice to say that performances of these extraordinary pieces may emphasize either the intimate, secular and madrigalian side of the music or stress their public, sacred and motet-like nature. There can be no doubt that in Quae est ista quae progreditur Palestrina has in his mind the Catholic vision of the Virgin ascending in triumph, her foot on the crescent moon, crushing the serpent of evil. Yet in Duo ubera tua something strange and mysterious seems to have happened. Has the lofty Palestrina let his guard down for once? Is there something private, deep in there, that Palestrina should sing so passionately … ‘the hair of thy head is as royal purple braided in strands’? Fanciful perhaps, but the more you go into Palestrina’s music the more full of wonders it seems to be
Tracklista: 1. Thank You Lord2. God Is Good All the Time3. God Will Make a Way4. Here We Are5. I Just Want to Be Where You Are6. He Never Sleeps7. Mi Corazon8. I Offer My Life to You9. Great Is Your Mercy10. Give Thanks11. Worthy, You Are Worthy12. Blessed Be the Name of the Lord13. I Am the God That Healeth Thee14. I Will Sing
Tracklista: CD 1 1. God Bless The Child 2. That Old Devil Called Love 3. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) 4. Mean To Me 5. Summertime 6. These Foolish Things 7. My Man 8. No Regrets 9. Billie's Blues 10. A Fine Romance 11. The Way You Look Tonight 12. Pennies From Heaven 13. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 14. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 15. I Must Have That Man 16. Carelessly 17. Moanin' Low 18. They Can't Take That Away From Me 19. Easy Living 20. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man CD 2 1. Strange Fruit 2. Good Morning Headache 3. Willow Weep For Me 4. You Go To My Head 5. I'm Gonna Lock My Heart 6. The Very Thought Of You 7. Long Gone Blues 8. Fine And Mellow 9. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 10. Them There Eyes 11. Night And Day 12. Body And Soul 13. St. Louis Blues 14. All Of Me 15. Am I Blue? 16. Solitude 17. I Cover The Waterfront 18. Gloomy Sunday 19. Trav'lin' Light 20. I'll Be Seeing You CD 3 1. The Man I Love 2. Love Me Or Leave Me 3. Lady Sings The Blues 4. Lover Come Back To Me 5. Love For Sale 6. Don't Explain 7. The Blues Are Brewin' 8. T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do 9. Crazy He Calls Me 10. Blue Moon 11. Stormy Weather 12. Stormy Blues 13. Everything Happens To Me 14. It Had To Be You 15. Come Rain Or Come Shine 16. Moonlight In Vermount 17. One For My Baby (And One For The Road) 18. Just One Of Those Things 19. You Don't Know What Love Is 20. I'm A Fool To Want You
Tracklista:1. Let Me Take You Out2. Desertbed3. Everywhere And All Time4. Takbir5. These People Ought To Know Who We Are And Tell That We Are Here6. The Bride7. Four Xs8. Love9. When The Women Come Out To Dance
LEADSINGER OF CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH'S SOLO-DEBUT 1. MODERN GIRL (. . . WITH SCISSORS) 2. BONES IN THE GRAVE 3. HOLY, HOLY, HOLY MOSES (SONG FOR NEW ORLEANS) 4. THAT IS NOT MY HOME (AFTER BRUEGEL) 5. IDIOTS IN THE RAIN 6. SOUTH PHILADELPHIA (DRU
Tracklista: CD 1 1. Won't Don't Blues 2. Mr. Johnson's Blues 3. Falling Rain Blues 4. Five O'clock Blues 5. Mean Old Bedbug Blues 6. Dope Head Blues 7. 6/88 Glide 8. I'm Not Rough 9. Savoy Blues 10. Hotter Than That 11. Sweet Potato Blues 12. Stompin' 'Em Along Slow 13. Playing With The Strings 14. No More Women Blues 15. Deep Blue Sea Blues 16. Move Over 17. The Mooche 18. Paducah 19. Star Dust 20. Toothache Blues - Part 1 21. Have To Change Keys (To Play These Blues) 22. Mahogany Hall Stomp 23. Jet Black Blues 24. Guitar Blues CD 2 1. Handful Of Riffs 2. She's Making Whoopee In Hell Tonight 3. No More Troubles Now 4. You;Re Getting Old On Your Job 5. You Had Too Much 6. Got The Blues For Murder Only 7. Beautiful But Dumb 8. Not The Chump I Used To Be 9. Men, Get Wise To Yourself 10. Racketeer's Blues 11. I'm Nuts About That Gal 12. Why Women Go Wrong 13. I'm Just Dumb 14. Red Onion Blues 15. Gravier Street Blues 16. New Orleans Hop Scop Blues 17. Keystone Blues 18. Crowing Rooster Blues 19. He's A Jelly Roll Baker 20. Tomorrow Night 21. Pleasing You 22. So Tired 23. Confused 24. You Can't Buy Love
Tracklista: CD 1 1. When It Started To Begin 2. Blue Hat For A Blue Day 3. Two Make It True 4. On A Sunday 5. Club Boy At Sea 6. Whistle Down The Wind 7. Take That Situation 8. The Kick Of Love 9. The Day It Rained Forever 10. Atlantic Monday 11. Don't Get Me Wrong 12. Stolen Tears 13. Cafe Canada 14. Love At The Door CD 2 1. Take That Situation 2. Two Make It True 3. On A Sunday 4. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) 5. Milk Film 6. Love Plus One 7. Atlantic Monday 8. More Than A Dream 9. Fantastic Day 10. Whistle Down The Wind 11. Take That Situation (Rhythm Mix) 12. Love Sublime On A Sunday 13. Atlantic Monday (Early Version) 14. When It Started To Begin (Re-Recorded) 15. The Kick Of Love (Instrumental) 16. Take That Situation (Instrumental) 17. Whistle Down The Wind (Instrumental Reprise)
Druga, płyta z cyklu koncertów skrzypcowych Mozarta wykonywana przez skrzypaczkę Julię Fischer. Płyta wydana przez wytwórnię Pentatone, znaną z audiofilskiego brzmienia, nagrywającą w formacie Super Audio CD.Opera senza paroleIt is likely that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart planned the three violin concertos he composed between October 12 and December 20, 1775 as (part of) a cycle. This is indicated by both the proximity of the dates of these works and the systematic design of the keys – G major, D major and A major: in other words, covering three of the open strings of the violin. Furthermore, the last movement of all three concertos is a French “Rondeau”. Strangely enough, after writing his Concerto in A, Mozart appears to have lost all interest in the genre. The following year, he added a kind of violin concerto, consisting of an Andante, Minuet and Rondeau, to his Haffner Serenade K. 250, but that signalled the end of his interest in the violin. From that moment onwards, the piano was the instrument he preferred to use in expressing himself. This caused his father, Leopold, great displeasure, by the way: more than once, he admonished his son as follows: “Du weisst selbst nicht, wie gut Du Violin spielst...”.Although as a rule Mozart’s letters provide an excellent insight into his life and ideas, we have no idea what caused this sudden loss of interest in the violin. Was it just a case of the adolescent rebelling against the authoritarian father? Or did Mozart associate the violin too closely with the oppressive Salzburg court of archbishop Colloredo, who in fact dismissed Mozart summarily in the August of 1777?Perhaps the reason is a far simpler one: the young composer just fell under the spell of a new toy – the fortepiano. The letters sent home by Mozart from Augsburg in November 1777 point in the latter direction. During that tour, he enjoyed great success as a violinist. Among others, he played a violin concerto by his colleague Johann Baptist Vanhal: “Ich machte eine Sinfonie und spielte auf der Violine das Konzert B von Vanhall mit allgemeinem Applaus.” But he also placed one of his own violin concertos, the so-called Strasburg Concerto, on the music stands: “Auf die Nacht beim Souper spielte ich das Strassburger Konzert; es ging wie Öl; alles lobte den schönen reinen Ton.” But that is all Mozart had to say about his violin-playing. His other letters from Augsburg contain an impassioned account of the new pianofortes being built by Johann Andreas Stein, from which Mozart succeeded in coaxing an as yet unprecedented range of expression.Pastoral concertoAs far as Mozart was concerned, the instrumental solo concerto was closely related to the operatic aria. This is apparent from the numerous oratorical figures which turn up especially in his piano concertos, such as the recitative-like passages in the slow movements, with the first – and most beautiful – example in the famous Jeunehomme Concerto K. 271 dating from 1777. Furthermore, it is not so much Mozart’s symphonies as his piano concertos and operas which demonstrate the development of his style of writing for the orchestra. One of the most remarkable facts here is that Mozart continued to develop in the opening movements of his solo concertos the thematic structures and proportions he had previously employed in his early opere serie. He also applied the principles of rhetoric to instrumental music.His violin concertos in G and D contain many theatrical elements. Thus Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G, K. 216 – completed on September 12, 1775 – begins with an orchestral ritornello, which directly quotes the aria “Aer tranquillo”. This was taken from his serenata Il Re Pastore, which had received its première earlier that year on April 23. In this aria, the protagonist from the opera, the shepherd Aminta – unaware of his royal descent – sings of his love of rural life. It would not be too far-fetched to state that the simplicity and aristocratic air of the violin concerto is similar to that of the aria. Another remarkable fact is the greater independent role played in this concerto by the wind instruments, and especially by the oboes – which from time immemorial have been considered “pastoral” instruments. Furthermore, the short recitative played by the solo violin just before the recapitulation sounds like a “refugee” from an opera.The pastoral character of this concerto also continues into the second movement. Here, the oboes have been replaced by flutes and the violins con sordino are supported by pizzicati in the double-basses. The well-known Mozart-connoisseur Alfred Einstein justly characterised this movement as “ein Adagio, das direkt vom Himmel gefallen zu sein scheint.”The concluding Rondeau is interrupted by a section in 2/2 time which assumes the character of a French gavotte. This is followed by a waggish melody with a bagpipe-like bourdon accompaniment “a la musette”. According to some experts, this is a quote from a popular song known as the Strassburger and this was the concerto performed by Mozart in Augsburg in 1777.Searching for the Strassburg ConcertoNot only the Violin Concerto in G, but also the Violin Concert in D, K. 218 can lay a claim to the title of Strassburg Concerto. This concerto, which Mozart completed in October 1775, has a far more virtuoso and festive character. The music bears clear traces of the Italian violin tradition of Pietro Nardini, Gaetano Pugnani and Antonio Vivaldi, whose works Mozart must have known and probably also performed. The violin part is restricted to the higher registers, and even soars to the d’’’’ in the finale: the highest note ever demanded by Mozart in his violin concertos.The first movement begins with a dotted martial motif, which regularly appeared at the beginning of a concerto and was known in Mozart’s day as the “Mannheimer Orchestervorhang”. The curtain rises: the – instrumental – opera begins. The structural innovations in this concerto catch the eye. For instance, the violin starts off the development in B minor before returning to the main key, and the recapitulation begins with the second phrase of the solo violin. The slow movement is written in sonata form; however, it lacks the development. The coda was added later by the composer.Once again, it is the final movement – Rondeau: Andante grazioso – which gives rise to speculation. Mozart alternates between passages in 2/4 and 6/8 time. In the middle, he inserts a new Andante grazioso, this time in 2/2 time. Here too, he quotes from a folk melody with an accompaniment “a la musette”, which also appears in one of the symphonies of Mozart’s colleague Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf, entitled Ballo Strasburghese. In that case, perhaps the Strassburg concerto about which Mozart wrote was not the concerto in G, but this concerto in D? We will never know. Nevertheless, this is clearly a quote from a highly popular melody. After all, Mozart also used it in the second of his Two Contradances, K. 269b, which he probably wrote that year for Count Czernin. As a rule, this kind of dance was written for the festivities held during carnival season, and composers liked to base the dances on immediately recognizable melodies.The use of a motif from the Mannheim school and the French character of the last movement indicate Mozart’s sublime gift for charming his audiences. It so happened that Mozart brought his violin concerto on the lengthy journey he undertook in the autumn of 1777, which led him to Paris via Mannheim. Thus, he must have deliberately gambled on audiences appreciating his subtle allusions to their own musical traditions.SubstitutesMozart was not easily satisfied. He often spent quite some time perfecting his compositions, or adapting them to the demands and technical prowess of a certain musician. He did this in his operas as well – for instance, in Idomeneo, for which he wrote an entirely new version with extra arias for a performance in Vienna. But on occasion he would also substitute entire movements in his solo concertos. He wrote the Adagio in E, K. 261, in 1776, probably at the request of the Salzburg leader Antonio Brunetti, to replace the slow movement of the Violin Concerto in E, K. 219. Perhaps he also wrote his Rondo in B flat, K. 269, for Brunetti, as a replacement for the finale of the Violin Concerto K. 207, which was also written in that key.
Tracklista:1. Absorbed in the Nethervoid2. Bloodsucking Sorcery4. Casket Contagion3. Cacophonous Carrion5. Cloak of the Sacrificial6. Macabre Manifestations7. Lurking in the Catacombs8. Skeletal Reincarnation9. Abominations That Crawl Forth