From a statistical point of view, Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" probably belongs to the top ten most popular pieces of classical music recorded and played (sometimes even overplayed) on classical music radio stations. Not daunted by its overwhelming popularity, neoclassical composer Max Richter set to revisit Antonio Vivaldi's ... [Continue Reading]
Contemporary
Erik Truffaz & Murcof: Al mediodia
Erik Truffaz Ever since his appearance on the contemporary jazz scene in the early 1990s, and all the more since Dawn (1998), his breakthrough recording for the Blue Note label, Swiss born Erik Truffaz (b. 1960) has never ceased to explore new sounds with various formations, experimenting and fusing his music with rock, hip-hop, ... [Continue Reading]
Lubomyr Melnyk: The six day moment
Lubomyr Melnyk is a Ukranian pianist and composer who pioneered the concept of "continuous music" in the 1970s. "Continuous music" can be described as a never-ending and unbroken stream of notes played very quickly with both hands while holding down the sustain pedal. From a technical point of view, these continuous waves of ... [Continue Reading]
Cesária Évora: Mãe Carinhosa
A new song by Cesária Évora is certainly a good excuse to open the floodgates of nostalgia! The Cape Verdean singer passed away in December 2011 after a very successful "late" international career. The singer was 47 when she recorded her first breakthrough album La Diva Aux Pieds Nus in 1988. Her record company has just ... [Continue Reading]
Max Richter: The haunted ocean
Waltz with Bashir (2008) is a groundbreaking animated documentary by Israeli film maker Ari Folman. One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli ... [Continue Reading]
Max Richter: Shadow journal
The Blue Notebooks "Shadow journal" was originally released in [amazon text=The Blue Notebooks&asin=B00BAFMQ24] (2004), the second solo album by German born British composer Max Richter. While classically trained, the musician is also influenced by Rock and Electronic music or by modern minimalists such as Philip Glass, ... [Continue Reading]
Antony and the Johnsons feat. Björk: Flétta
This exquisite collaborative track comes from Antony and the Johnsons' 2010 recording Swanlights. The track was originally composed in 2006 during the recording sessions for Björk's album Volta which includes two duets with Antony Hegarty. In "Flétta", Antony and Björk sing to actual Icelandic words and interweave vocal lines ... [Continue Reading]