Fretwork – John Jenkins: Complete Four-Part Consort Music (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:22:58 minutes | 1,58 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Signum Records
For a good third of a century, the Fretwork ensemble has been constantly sifting through the immensely rich repertoire for consort of violas, generally from the British sphere, from Taverner to Purcell — so, the 16th and 17th centuries — while never hesitating to commission entirely new works from modern-day composers. The combination of the viola’s “ancient” sound with modern writing brings forth the most unlikely sonic spheres… This album keeps both feet firmly in England’s 17th century with John Jenkins (1592-1678), famous in his own day, and consistently one of the most essential composers for any self-respecting viola player from the very start of his career — both in England and abroad, which is unusual in itself — thanks to his output of literally hundreds of pieces for various viola ensembles. A number of them were written for “family”-style consorts, in large part due to the ban on all forms of public music implemented by Cromwell’s religious dictatorship. Once the monarchy was restored, the fashion for groups of amateurs playing concert violas would endure long enough to bring fame and fortune to composers such as Jenkins. Here we will discover a language which is at once conservative in terms of form, and very daring, explosive even, in terms of content, rather like the work of a 17th century Haydn.
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Frequency Disasters – Frequency Disasters (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 52:22 minutes | 1,06 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Confront
Low-frequency, high-impact events such as earthquakes and tsunamis are not preventable, three bodies in a room sonically engaging are even less so. Beresford’s architectural narrative drives Magaletti and Martino’s rhythmic interventions into compelling short stories about dancing, dressing in rags, dreaming, swallowing, flight, famine, transformation, and dystopias/utopias.
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Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmoniker – Puccini: Madama Butterfly (1974/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:25:42 minutes | 2,50 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
A 1974 recording of Puccini’s classic opera Madama Butterfly, one of the most-performed operas in the world. Herbert von Karajan conducts The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with a compelling Mirella Freni in the title role, up-and-coming superstar Luciano Pavarotti as Pinkerton, Christa Ludwig as Suzuki and Robert Kerns as Sharpless.
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Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker – Puccini: La Boheme (1972/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:50:14 minutes | 2,06 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
The role of Rodolfo from Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème launched Luciano Pavarotti’s career in 1961 when he made his professional debut in a small regional production in Reggio Emilia, Italy. He would revisit the role several times over his career, including this 1972 album considered to be one of the finest versions of La Bohème ever recorded. Equally impressive here is Pavarotti’s childhood friend Mirella Freni as Mimi. Conductor Herbert von Karajan proves himself a masterful, sensitive interpreter of Puccini as he leads the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
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Sharon Bezaly, Love Derwinger, Barbara Hendricks – French Delights (2007)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:02:29 minutes | 524 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © BIS
During long periods the flute has been almost synonymous with France, the country from which the music, the great players and the finest instruments all came. The French flute – whether dreamy as in Debussy’s Syrinx or sprightly as in Poulenc’s Sonata – is simply unmistakeably French, in all its delights. On her new release, renowned flutist Sharon Bezaly – who herself studied in Paris – celebrates this tradition, with a programme consisting of works composed between 1889 and 1946. Among the composers, some – Widor and Milhaud – are more famous than others, but not necessarily for their flute works. (Widor, for instance, is mainly known for his organ compositions.) Others are closely associated with the flute and, indeed, with the works here recorded. Roussel’s Joueurs de flûte is a case in point: a panorama of the flute through the ages in which each of the four movements evokes a mythical flutist, such as the Greek god Pan and the Hindu deity Krishna. Roussel has also composed the settings of two poems by Ronsard, in which Sharon Bezaly is joined by Barbara Hendricks. French Delights is something of a companion piece to a previous Bezaly disc: Café au Lait, a predominantly French flute recital accompanied by Roland Pöntinen. Upon its release that disc, and the artistry of Sharon Bezaly, were highly acclaimed, for instance in French magazine Diapason: ‘The flute turns into the voice of enchantment, a lullaby of the senses or an invitation to dreamfulness, into planing light or the glitter of light on water – an instrument almost too beautiful.’ Here again, with the support of eminent pianist Love Derwinger, Sharon Bezaly displays her prodigious talent.
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Freiburger Barockorchester, Petra Müllejans & Gottfried von der Goltz – Handel: Concerti a due cori (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 48:44 minutes | 927 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
It was for the occasion of the Covent Garden premiere of his oratorio Joshua in 1748, that Handel composed – or rather arranged – the first of his three Concerti a due cori (« Cori » does not mean here a vocal group, but two instrumental groups – two oboes, two horns, and one bassoon each, a total of ten soloists – answering to each other on the playing grounds provided by the strings), namely the HWV 332. At that time, it was customary to lighten up performances of the largest compositions, especially oratorios, with a sprinkling of instrumental pieces. But as Handel was a busy man and a businessman, and producing so much music so fast was no easy feat. This accounts for the fact that so many of his instrumental pieces are in fact recyclings – transcriptions, reorchestrations, transcriptions, according to what was available and requested – of earlier works, mostly his own, sometimes that of fellow composers – who would not necessarily be informed of the pillage. In the case of Concerto a due cori No. 1, Handel plundered a handful of his own operas and oratorios.
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Freiburger Barockorchester and René Jacobs – Beethoven: Leonore (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 02:20:03 minutes | 1,40 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
From Leonore (1805) to Fidelio (1814) there were three successive versions of Beethoven’s opera, only the last of which has been in the repertory since the 19th Century.
Going against tradition, René Jacobs has chosen to revive the earliest version, reworking the librettos and the spoken dialogue: a genuine tour de force, this still unknown Leonore forms an incomparable musical and dramatic structure requiring exemplary mastery on the part of both orchestra and singers. This landmark recording proves its case in every respect.
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Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado – Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:34 minutes | 1,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
In later life, Mendelssohn always opposed the use of the terms ‘Scottish’ and ‘Italian’ for his symphonies in A minor and A major respectively, as if to emphasise their qualities as ‘pure’ music. Yet they were directly inspired by his European Grand Tour of 1829-32: from the gloomy ruins of Holyrood Abbey to the sun-drenched landscapes of Rome and Naples, his imagination fashioned masterpieces that have seldom been surpassed for their sense of orchestral colour, vividly brought out here by the period instruments of the Freiburger Barockorchester.
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Freiburger Barockorchester & Gottfried von der Goltz – Telemann, Platti, Vivaldi & Geminiani: Concerti all’arrabbiata (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 49:25 minutes | 1,46 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Aparté
Italy. Home to the spicy arrabiata pasta sauce made with tomatoes and dried chillis, and also home to fierily explosive baroque music. I’m not entirely convinced we needed that link in order to best appreciate or understand these five works presented by the Freiburger Barockorchester, but there’s no question that this programme fulfils its aim to showcase the blazing, virtuosic concerto style of eighteenth century Italy, while highlighting the influence it had on German composers, represented here by Telemann.
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Freiburger Barockorchester, Gottfried von der Goltz – Telemann: Seliges Erwägen – Passion-Oratorium (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:52:27 minutes | 1,16 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Aparté
From the start of the 18th century, Lutheran Germany has kept the tradition of performing an oratorio for the Passion in Holy Week. In Hamburg, where Telemann is said to have spent 46 years as musical director, he would have overseen as many Passions. But if we include his previous jobs, that would take the number of works by Telemann for this theme alone to over sixty! These Passions could be strictly liturgical, that is, they could closely follow the text of one of the Gospels; but they could also liberally paraphrase the story of the Passion, following a version by a contemporary author; or they could represent a meditation on the events. And so Seliges Erwägen by Telemann, whose full title leaves no doubt as to the content: Oratorio of the Passion, or Spiritual Contemplation on the bitter suffering and death of Jesus Christ, to inspire prayer, in several meditations taken from the account of the Passion. Not a linear account of the Passion, as with Bach: but a series of individual meditations set to music. The work was first composed in 1719, and then reviewed and completed three years later for Hamburg, where the first performance took place on 19 March 1722 the success was considerable, and the work was performed again and again many times throughout the following decades. This was probably the most-performed work on the Passion in the 18th century, out ahead even of Telemann’s Brockes Passion… There is no evangelist here, nor storyteller, but rather an evocation of the main events of the Passion. That is why there are only two main “roles” here: Christ, with six airs and six recitations, and the allegory of the Devotion (soprano or tenor) as the mouthpiece for the thoughts of the faithful, with eight airs and eight recitations. The sole narrator is Peter, with his denial and despair, and Caiaphas, the high priest who condemns Jesus, comes on for a single, very violent, air. This is very much a series of individual devotional meditations. The instrumentation in particular is extraordinarily rich. Alongside the strings, the continuo and the standard woodwind, a dash of colour is added by two horns, two chalumeaux, ancestors of the clarinet – what a pity that Bach never made the most of this sound – echoing recorders, a magnificent bassoon solo that intermingles with the soprano’s voice; in short, once again, Teleman proves to us that far from being a mill for middle-of-the-road baroque, he is in fact one of the most imposing musical minds of his age. The Freiburger Barockorchester and a lovely soloists come together to perform this work..
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Freiburger Barockorchester – Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 & Choral Fantasy (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:19:56 minutes | 1,28 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
First and foremost, this double album enshrines the exemplary work of an ensemble whose designation ‘Baroque Orchestra’ by no means limits its excursions into later repertories: under the watchful eye of a gifted conductor, the ‘Freiburgers’ (and co.) offer us a profoundly renewed vision of the Ninth, that myth among myths, that touchstone of a genre in quest of the absolute – and the direct descendant of a much earlier ‘Choral Fantasy’. The latter work showcased one of Beethoven’s most extraordinary talents: improvisation. Kristian Bezuidenhout has joined forces again with his concerto partners to let us experience this little-known score as if it had just been premiered… then transcribed by Beethoven himself!
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Frédérick Haas – 21 Sonates de la maturité (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:18:03 minutes | 1,54 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Hitasura
Brussels based French harpsichordist, Frédérick Haas’ passion for the harpsichord started in early childhood and he began playing at the age of twelve. He studied the harpsichord, organ and musicology at Paris and Amsterdam, and was enriched by regular contact with important original instruments and the workshops of harpsichord builders and restorers, and at master classes.
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Frederick Fennell, Eastman-Rochester Pops Orchestra, London Pops Orchestra – Frederick Fennell Conducts The Music Of Leroy Anderson (1958/2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:02 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca Music Group Ltd.
‘Sentimentality, romance, and a sense of humor–all of these things characterized Leroy Anderson’s music, attributes that somehow went missing from much of American classical symphonic repertoire during the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s (except for Bernstein and a few others). And although there’s always an important and enduring place for the more profound, timeless works, there’s also one for music that immediately recalls the sound and sensibility of a period and effectively captures its popular mood. Anderson’s music did exactly that, and if you don’t respond with smiles and toe-tapping enthusiasm when you hear Horse & Buggy, Blue Tango, Summer Skies, The Girl in Satin, China Doll, or Serenata, then you are probably beyond the reach of this light-hearted but seriously entertaining fare, and are sadly disconnected from the schmaltz and slightly tacky but still delightful pleasure of The Waltzing Cat and such classics as The Typewriter, Fiddle-Faddle, The Syncopated Clock, and the still wildly popular Sleigh Ride.
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Title: Journey – Live In Concert At Lollapalooza 2021
Released: 2022
Genre: AOR, Melodic Rock
Released: Frontiers Records
Duration: 01:38:54
Quality: Blu-ray
Container: BDMV
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio Codec: AC-3, PCM
Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 24958 kbps / 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio # 1: LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Audio # 2: Dolby Digital Audio / 5.1 / 48 kHz / 384 kbps / DN -31dB
Size: 20.12 GB
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the upcoming release of “Live In Concert At Lollapalooza”, an audio/video release of Journey’s incredible Lollapalooza performance from Chicago, IL on July 31, 2021. The stunning set, which will be released on CD/DVD, Blu-ray, and Vinyl, serves as a testament not only to the band’s enduring legacy, but their relevance to a whole new generation of rock ‘n roll fans.
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The W – Portrait (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 46:52 minutes | 790 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Ubuntu Music
The W is a newly established London-based contemporary jazz quartet of outstanding musicality creating chamber jazz that is as exciting and inventive, as it is elegant and sophisticated. Set to be released on Ubuntu Music, Portait is informed by memorable lines, melodic grooves and diverse references.
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