& Jazz Spring 2023

Mendelssohn: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2

The Quatuor Van Kuijk concludes its complete recording of Mendelssohn’s string quartets with Op. 44 Nos. 2 and 3 and the Quartet Op. 80, which bears the mark of the sudden death in 1847 of his sister Fanny, to whom he was very close. As Stéphane Goldet writes in the booklet: ‘The act of resistance that is the Quartet Op. 80, written in a single burst during the summer of 1847, its overwhelming “No, not that, not her!” shouted by four instruments for twentyfive minutes, was to be the composer’s last completed work. (Alpha) 1CD# ALPHA931 $18.99

Elfman: Violin Concerto; Hailstork:" Piano Concerto No. 1

This recording presents brand new concertos from two vibrant and contrasting American composers. Adolphus Hailstork’s First Piano Concerto draws on his African American heritage to create a work brimming with energy and high spirits. The Violin Concerto “Eleven Eleven” by Danny Elfman – renowned for his many film scores including Batman – has its roots in the composer’s rock, film and television background, but also illustrates his love for the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev. (Naxos)

1CD# 8559925 $13.99

Forgotten Voices – A Song Cycle for Voices & Strings

Multi-award-winning violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins is the entrepreneurial spirit behind Music Kitchen. Forgotten Voices is a song cycle commissioned by Music Kitchen – Food for the Soul, with support from Carnegie Hall, comprising works by 15 of today’s foremost composers featuring evocative and poignant texts by homeless shelter clients that have provided a profound source of inspiration and reverence. Forgotten Voices premiered to a sold-out Carnegie Hall audience in March 2022 and inspired a short film that has won multiple awards at festivals around the globe. (Avie)

1CD# AV2582 $17.99

Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright

Named ‘2022 Composer of the Year’ by Musical America, Missy Mazzoli inhabits an exquisite and mysterious sound-world in which indie-rock sensibilities meet American minimalism, European modernism and classical traditions. The album is bookended by two versions of the same work: loosely based on baroque idioms the violin concerto Dark with Excessive Bright is first heard with string orchestra accompaniment and then in a chamber version. The soloist is in both cases Peter Herresthal, who also performs Vespers for Violin, a piece for amplified violin and electronics. (BIS)

1SACD# BIS-2572 $19.99

Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet Fantasy Overture – Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite

What made Mariss Jansons different from many of his colleagues? What was the key to his success? And most importantly, after all his artistic experiences, what brought about his maturity and artistic completion? In addition to his own willpower and his work ethic, his extraordinary musical life was determined by many factors; they included an open-minded and supportive environment, and an orchestra of outstanding musicians. Jansons leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in these magnificent recordings. (BR Klassik) 1CD# BRK900016 $17.99

New Year's Concert 2023 / Welser-Most; Vienna Philharmonic [2 CDs]

The annual New Year's Day concert in Vienna has been a major event for over eight decades! On January 1st of this year, this prestigious concert was conducted by Austrian conductor Franz Welser-Möst for the third time (2011, 2013) The Vienna Philharmonic sends people all over the world a New Year's greeting in the spirit of hope, friendship and peace with the lively and light-hearted and at the same time nostalgic and profound music from the vast repertoire of the family of Johann Strauss and its contemporaries. (Sony)

2CD# 19658717392 $17.99