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DAX Edges Lower As US-China Tensions Simmer

German stocks edged lower in cautious trade on Wednesday as the latest batch of earnings proved to be a mixed bag and U.S. President Donald Trump again took aim at China, urging the country to be transparent about the origins of the novel coronavirus outbreak.




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U.K. Airlines, Airports Fear 'Devastating Impact' Of Possible Quarantine Rules

Trade groups expect the British government to roll out new coronavirus travel restrictions on Sunday, including a quarantine for out-of-country arrivals. And they're already pushing back publicly.




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Baseball Star Andre Dawson On Running A Funeral Home During The Pandemic

NPR's Scott Simon talks to baseball legend Andre Dawson, a Hall-of-Fame member and National League MVP for the Chicago Cubs, about his second career as a Miami funeral director.




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'It's Unbelievable': Shutdown Of Philippines' Major Broadcaster Worries Many

Government regulators in the Philippines ordered the major broadcaster ABS-CBN off the air. Critics worry the shutdown stifles an important source of information in the age of the coronavirus.




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Week In Sports: Competitive Cornhole To Air On ESPN, NASCAR Slated To Return

Cornhole is making a comeback on ESPN. And NASCAR is slated to return to TV, but questions still remain about football, baseball, basketball and football.




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Want To Adopt A Dog? First Ask Yourself: Can You Still Commit Post-Pandemic?

Many people stuck at home are interested in adopting a dog. Rescue groups and shelters want them to really consider if they can still commit to being a dog owner after they return to the workplace.




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Asian Markets Rise Ahead Of U.S. Jobs Data

Asian stock markets are higher on Friday following the positive cues overnight from Wall Street on upbeat corporate earnings results and continued optimism about easing COVID-19 restrictions. A continued decrease in the number of new jobless claims in the U.S. also boosted sentiment. Investors now look ahead to the release of the U.S. jobs data for April later today.




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Asian Shares Rise As Trade War Fears Ebb

Asian stocks moved mostly higher on Friday as trade-war fears receded and investors awaited the latest U.S. jobs report to gauge the economic impact of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.




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Asian Markets Mostly Lower

Asian stock markets are mostly lower on Thursday after a fall in commodity prices overnight and as investors digested dismal economic data that reflected the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Data showing that U.S. private sector employment nosedived last month and China's service sector also continued to contract in April dampened investor sentiment.




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Asian Shares Mixed After Chinese Data

Asian stocks pared early losses to end mixed on Thursday after data showed Chinese exports unexpectedly rose in April, aided by stronger shipments to South East Asia. The surprise helped investors shrug off dismal economic data from the U.S. and renewed U.S.-China tensions.




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Asian Shares Mostly Higher As Lockdown Curbs Ease

Asian shares ended broadly higher on Wednesday as several countries announced plans to ease lockdown measures amid falling coronavirus infection rates.




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German Exports Fall At Fastest Pace On Record

German exports declined the most on record in March as foreign demand was dampened by coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic, official data showed Friday.




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Spain Industrial Output Declines At Fastest Pace Since 2017

Spain's industrial production declined at the fastest pace in nearly three years in March, data from the statistical office INE showed Friday.




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Taiwan Trade Surplus Decreases In April

Taiwan's trade surplus decreased in April as exports declined more than expected amid rising imports, figures from the Ministry of Finance showed on Friday.




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Norway Industrial Production Rises Faster

Norway's industrial production grew at a faster pace in March, figures from Statistics Norway showed on Friday.




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MASCAGNI, P.: Cavalleria rusticana / LEONCAVALLO, R.: Pagliacci [Operas] (Di Toro, Iversen, Graz Opera Chorus, Graz Philharmonic, Lyniv) (OC987)




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MATHIAS, W.: Choral Music - A May Magnificat / Learsongs / Riddles (St. John's Voices, The Gentlemen of St. John's, G. Walker) (8.574162)

William Mathias wrote some of the most imaginative, communicative and joyful choral music of the mid-to late 20th century. These qualities are perhaps most clearly represented in his substantial catalogue of works for choir and, in particular, his settings of sacred texts, notably the invigorating A Babe is Born and the hauntingly beautiful Ave verum corpus, one of his last compositions. This selection also includes the both serious and entertaining sequence of Riddles and the rapt, ecstatic A May Magnificat. More Mathias choral music can be heard on 8.573523.




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GLASS, P.: Violin Concerto No. 2, `American Four Seasons` / Violin Sonata (Plawner, Vila, Bern Chamber Orchestra, P. Bach) (8.559865)

Philip Glass has become an iconic figure in American music. His works are often inspired by collaborations with other leading musicians, and the proposal of an “American Four Seasons” by the violinist Robert McDuffie to reflect Vivaldi’s famous masterpiece resulted in a concerto which evokes the Baroque spirit of early 18th-century violin tradition. With the Concerto’s range of moods, listeners are invited to decide for themselves which season the music evokes. The Violin Sonata sees Glass’s melodic and harmonic language haunted by the ghosts of Brahms, Fauré and Franck, “the meditativeness of this piece bringing a unique energy” for award-winning violinist Piotr Plawner.




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CASTÉRÈDE, J.: Flute Works (Complete), Vol. 2 - Ombres et clartés / Sonate en forme de Suite / Musique / Wind Quintet (du Toit, Doreen Lee) (8.573950)

Jacques Castérède was one of many composers who refused to abandon tonality and traditional forms amid the stormy avant-garde of the 20th century. The Quintette for winds was written in 1953, the same year that Castérède won the Prix de Rome, and touches of Gershwin appear among its witty colours. Neo-Classical restraint in the Sonate en forme de Suite contrasts with the grittier and more modernist Musique for flute, harp and string trio, and La Belle Époque takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Classical repertoire, parodying famous tunes by Haydn and Mozart.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: König Stephan / Leonore Prohaska (excerpts) (The Key Ensemble, Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, Turku Philharmonic, Segerstam) (8.574042)

Aside from his only opera Fidelio, Beethoven’s general link with the theatre in Vienna came about largely with incidental music or songs to be inserted into the works of other composers—insertion arias. König Stephan was written to celebrate the politically significant opening of a new theatre in Pest, its triumphant mood honouring the ruling Austrian Emperor. Standard-bearer of female heroism Leonore Prohaska is commemorated with a Soldier’s Chorus and a Romance with harp accompaniment. In Friedrich von Matthisson’s poem Opferlied (‘Sacrificial Song’), a young man prays to Zeus to bestow upon him beauty and goodness in youth and old age. Two of Beethoven’s four settings are heard on this wide-ranging programme.




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SKALKOTTAS, N.: Sinfonietta / Classical Symphony / 4 Images / Ancient Greek March (The Neoclassical Skalkottas) (Athens State Orchestra, Tsialis) (8.574154)

Despite his tragically short life, Nikos Skalkottas has now become recognised as one of the most important Greek composers of the 20th century. The modernist style of his earlier period is balanced by the four important mature neoclassical works presented here. Both the Sinfonietta and the Classical Symphony are expressions of the deep regard Skalkottas had for traditional forms blended with his unique musical language. Skalkottas was a violinist with the Athens State Orchestra, who are honouring his memory with this and future recordings of his works.




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PERFECT PIANO - Best Loved Classical Piano Music (8.578180)

The piano is one of the most universal and popular of all instruments, from the grand pianos found in prestigious concert venues to battered uprights providing entertainment in pubs and bars. Early keyboard masters such as J.S. Bach laid the foundations for composers and performers to expand the piano’s expressive range, exemplifi ed in the emotive depths of Beethoven’s sonatas against the lightness of his famous musical gift Für Elise. From the tender romance of Schumann and the power and poignancy of Chopin, to the virtuosity of Liszt, the impressionistic magic of Debussy and the enigmatic beauty of Satie, the piano offers a true abundance of musical riches.




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Opera Scenes and Orchestral Songs (Soprano) - RAVEL, M. / BARBER, S. / BIZET, G. / SZYMANOWSKI, K. / PUCCINI, G. (Femmes Fatales) (Nasibli) (8.579066)

Composers of every era have drawn on the strengths, sorrows and joys of women for operas and vocal works, inspiring some of their most powerful music. From the heartbreaking tragedy of Samuel Barber’s Andromache’s Farewell to the magical storytelling of Shéhérazade and the Fairy-Tale Princess, acclaimed soprano Seljan Nasibli takes us on a timeless journey through female musical ancestors whose courage is as relevant in today’s society as it has ever been.




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MORLACCHI, F.: Tebaldo e Isolina [Opera] (1825 Dresden version) (Polverelli, Pastrana, Giustiniani, Baglietto, Vlad, Virtuosi Brunensis, Fogliani) (8.660471-72)

Francesco Morlacchi was a native of Perugia, but early success led him to become music director of the Dresden Opera where he remained for the rest of his life despite having an opportunity to succeed Rossini in Naples in 1822. He did make tours to Italy however, and Tebaldo e Isolina received its triumphant premiere in Venice, becoming the most successful of all his operas. Morlacchi’s gifts as a lyricist and for characterisation are heard here at their best, with showpiece arias and duets in a version of the Romeo and Juliet story that ends in happiness and the victory of reason over vengeance.




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MAYR, J.S.: Mass in E-Flat Major (Szczepańska, Krödel, M. Schäfer, Ochoa, Simon Mayr Choir, Concerto de Bassus, Hauk) (8.574057)

Mayr’s great Mass in E flat major is a late work, largely composed in 1843. It conforms to the prevailing Italian messa concertata tradition with its clear divisions into distinct vocal numbers, as opposed to the symphonic Mass which held sway north of the Alps. In this reconstruction and musical revival, Mayr’s imposing, tonally consonant and expressive setting can be heard in all its grandeur and eloquence. With its striking vocal solos and choruses, and characteristically songlike instrumental roles, Mayr contributed a late pinnacle in the long history of this form of the Mass.




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HANDSOME HARPSICHORD - Best Loved Classical Harpsichord Music (8.578184)

While the keyboards of the piano and harpsichord are similar, their playing techniques are quite different. The strings of the harpsichord are plucked with a quill rather than struck with a hammer, so every nuance of phrasing is down to the subtle touch of the player. There is something special about hearing music on the instrument for which it was originally written, and this programme treats us to dances from England with Byrd and Purcell, Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, and elaborate and descriptive French works by Couperin and Rameau, whose Les Sauvages was inspired by Native American chieftains who danced for king Louis XV.




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Guitar Recital: Park, Ji Hyung - ALBÉNIZ, I. / BROUWER, L. / CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO, M. / SCARLATTI, D. / TAKEMITSU, Toru / THIELEMANS, T. (8.574140)

Ji Hyung Park has won numerous prestigious competitions, with the 7th Changsha International Guitar Competition in 2018 his most recent triumph. The diverse selection of music performed in this programme features three virtuoso sonatas by Scarlatti, the world premiere recording of Leo Brouwer’s evocation of ancient Greek culture Las Cíclades arcaicas, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonata ‘Omaggio a Boccherini’ in its original, pre-Segovia manuscript form, Takemitsu’s final work In the Woods and rare selections from Albéniz’s masterpiece Iberia. The programme ends with a colourful arrangement of Toots Thielemans’ gorgeous Bluesette.




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AWESOME ORGAN - Best Loved Classical Organ Music (8.578179)

Mozart referred to the organ as ‘the king of instruments’, and with the breathtaking sound produced by huge cathedral organs glistening with thousands of pipes it is easy to hear why. This introduction takes us from one of the most famous pieces ever written for the organ, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, to Widor’s wedding favourite Toccata from the Symphony No. 5, taking in masterpieces from the distinctive German and French schools of organ composing along the way. This album also features genial and spectacular music by Handel and Pachelbel and the ‘devastating tornado’ of Jehan Alain’s Litanies.




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Wind Band Music - MASLANKA, D. / PERRINE, A. / WALCZYK, K. (Freedom from Fear) (University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Popiel) (8.574169)

Contemporary American music for wind band continues to offer a rich combination of colour and variety. David Maslanka was one of the most prolific and admired of all wind band composers, and in Liberation he utilises plainchant in a moving exploration of death, the afterlife and the continuance of hope. Inspired by Walt Whitman, Aaron Perrine’s In the Open Air, In the Silent Lines creates a rich sense of space, while Kevin Walczyk’s moving Symphony No. 5: Freedom from Fear – Images from the Shoreline is unified by its themes of adoption, segregation and immigration.




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SCARLATTI, D.: Keyboard Sonatas (Complete), Vol. 23 (Monteiro) (8.574075)

Domenico Scarlatti’s distinguished career included a royal post in Rome where he competed against Handel, the latter being declared the better organist and Scarlatti the better harpsichordist. Written for his pupil the Infanta Maria Bárbara, Scarlatti’s legacy of hundreds of single-movement keyboard sonatas forms a valuable resource for performers today. This collection includes a wealth of Spanish dances with virtuoso leaps, unusual modulations, flourishes and ornamentation, as well as Scarlatti’s irrepressible verve and energy.




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Flute Sonatas (20th Century) - Lupachev, Denis - HINDEMITH, P. / NAGOVITSIN, V.L. / DENISOV, E. / PROKOFIEV, S. (Lupachev, Laul) (8.579069)

Written over the course of a quarter-century, these four flute works reflect the individual approaches to the flute sonata taken by their composers. Hindemith’s aim was to offer new music of buoyancy and brio, tempered by elegiac moments. Prokofiev’s famous sonata has Classical formal elegance, while the sonatas of Denisov and Nagovitsyn are single movement works that explore the flute’s extreme registers, as well as its dynamic contrasts and virtuosic capacities.




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DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] (UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Falletta) (8.559885-86)

Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio The Passion of Yeshua—a work which has evolved over the last 25 years—is an intensely personal telling of the final hours of Christ on Earth. It incorporates texts from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Gospels inspiring extraordinarily beautiful music that stresses the need for human compassion and forgiveness. Danielpour returns to the scale and majesty of Bach in this oratorio, creating choruses that are intense and powerful, and giving both Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene a central place in a work of glowing spirituality. Conductor JoAnn Falletta considers The Passion of Yeshua to be “a classic for all time.”




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BROUWER, L.: Guitar Music, Vol. 5 - Danzas Rituales y Festivas, Vol. 2 / Guitar Sonatas Nos. 3, 4, 5 (P.M. González) (8.574016)

Leo Brouwer is universally acclaimed as an innovative composer, and this fifth volume of his complete guitar works contains some of his longest and most ambitious pieces. Danzas Rituales y Festivas Vol. 2 covers the gamut of virtuosic techniques and includes a movement dedicated to Pedro Mateo González, while Brouwer considers the Sonata del Pensador to be ‘one of my most valuable pieces’. Rich in Cuban rhythms, introspection and astonishing virtuosity, Brouwer’s work is the result of a lifetime of musical exploration alongside a passion for music of the past.




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TURNER, K.: Horn Works (Complete), Vol. 1 (K. Mascher-Turner, K. Turner, F. Lloyd, Bloomer) (8.579050)

Kerry Turner made his mark on the global music community through his association with the illustrious American Horn Quartet. Turner’s compositional goal is to communicate to the listener a vivid picture through his highly melodic musical language. Many sources provided the inspiration for the works on this album, ranging from the spiritual, to the literary, and even Turner’s powerful response to the music of J.S. Bach.




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ST. TERESA OF AVILA: Interior Castle (The) (Unabridged) (NA0405)

In The Interior Castle, Carmelite nun, mystic and patron saint of Spain Teresa of Ávila uses the metaphor of a giant crystal castle to explain her theory of the soul and the various stages it passes through as it progresses towards God. Beginning in the outer rooms, where demons are fought and vices are purged, the soul must reach the inner chambers, where it will enter betrothal and intimate union with God. Prayer is central to the journey, as the soul is guided by its practice and each phase represents a different category of devotion. Originally written as counsel for the sisters in her convent, The Interior Castle is a poignant and poetic reflection on prayer, humility and self-knowledge, and the path towards a deeper communion with God.




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ZOLA, E.: Masterpiece (The) (Unabridged) (NA0417)

Perhaps the most autobiographical of Zola’s Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels, The Masterpiece is a hard, bleak and raw portrait of unrecognised artistic genius. Claude Lantier, brother to Nana and son of Gervaise, is a struggling painter who dreams of conquering Paris’s art scene with his revolutionary ‘open air’ style of painting. Discouraged and mocked, Claude retreats to the countryside with a young woman from Clermont, with whom he has fallen in love, before returning to Paris, where he continues to experience rejection at every turn. Zola’s depiction of a frustrated artist is said to have drawn heavily on the real-life experiences of Édouard Manet and Paul Cézanne, the latter of whom broke off his friendship with the author upon reading the novel.




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JAMES, H.: Beast in the Jungle (The) (Unabridged) (NA0416)

Bachelor John Marcher is haunted by the premonition that something terrible lies in store for him, like a ‘beast in the jungle’ lying in wait. So he spends his life in idleness, unable to carry out his dreams or desires, while his friend May Bartram, curious to see how this spectacular fate will manifest, helps watch out for the arrival of the beast. The two develop a strong platonic relationship, stoked by this mystery, and gradually the best years of their life roll by, unfulfilled—lost to John’s dread and fear of the unknown. Written soon after The Wings of the Dove, The Beast in the Jungle is a haunting story of crippling obsession and a life unlived.




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Podcast: The resurrection of a requiem. Randall Thompson’s choral masterpiece. (Apr 10, 2020)

THOMPSON, R.: Requiem Philadelphia Singers, David Hayes 8.559789 Join Raymond Bisha in a podcast of artistic discovery as he unveils yet another American classic—Randall Thompson’s Requiem. Reckoned by many to be his most ambitious work, the composer himself considered it to be his masterpiece, yet it has languished for decades on the periphery of the choral performance repertoire. This world première recording fr ...more




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Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven. Music from his late compositional period. (Apr 24, 2020)

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven – Music from His Late Compositional Period (c.1815–1827) 9.30207 Raymond Bisha introduces the latest release in the Naxos Beethoven anniversary digital album series. Ranging from a solo piano to the huge resources required for his final symphony, the programme comprises ten works that define the last ten years of Beethoven’s creative life, exemplifying his ever more technically c ...more




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Podcast: The symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven (Feb 13, 2020)

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven – Symphonies and Orchestral 9.30209 Raymond Bisha presents an overview of Beethoven’s nine symphonies as a companion resource to the first of Naxos’ monthly digital albums presenting the music of Beethoven in this 250th anniversary year of his birth. January’s compilation album (9.30209) spotlights the symphonic journey and stylistic progression from Beethoven&rs ...more




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Podcast: Black History Month. Some musical notes. (Feb 14, 2020)

The guest host of this podcast is Ashley Jackson. She is an accomplished musician, who has studied the music of both Margaret Bonds and Florence Price, who composed and worked during the civil rights movement in the United States. In this podcast, Dr Jackson gives us both an historical and a personal perspective on how the struggles of these composers, and those of her grandmother, helped make possible what she does today. Harpist Ashley Jack ...more




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Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven. Works from his middle years. (Feb 28, 2020)

Celebrate Beethoven – Music from His Middle Compositional Period 9.30206 Raymond Bisha presents an overview of works written by Beethoven during his middle years period. It’s a companion resource to the latest release in Naxos’ monthly digital album series featuring the music of Beethoven in this 250th anniversary year of his birth. February’s compilation album (9.30206) presents a programme of wo ...more




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Podcast: Write It – Reflections on Sanctuary Road (Jan 10, 2020)

MORAVEC, P.: Sanctuary Road Laquita Mitchell, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Joshua Blue, Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dashon Burton, Oratorio Society of New York, Kent Tritle 8.559884 WQXR radio host Terrance McKnight introduces the world premiere recording of an oratorio by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell. It’s a deeply moving tribute to the men and women of the Underground Railroad and to one heroic man in ...more




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Podcast: Nino Rota’s works for solo piano. A magical melting pot. (Jan 17, 2020)

ROTA, N.: Piano Solo Works (Complete), Vol. 1 Eleanor Hodgkinson GP827 Raymond Bisha introduces this new release from the Grand Piano label. It’s the opening volume in what is to be the first complete series of recordings of Nino Rota’s works for solo piano, performed by Eleanor Hodgkinson. Nino Rota embraced neo-Classical, neo-Romantic and even neo-Baroque affiliations. His music prized melodic directness ...more




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In the Studio with Kenneth Fuchs and the United States Coast Guard Band (Jan 18, 2020)

Kenneth Fuchs, the GRAMMY Award-winning American composer, is no stranger to followers of our burgeoning American Classics Series, in which he is represented by six fine releases, including the GRAMMY-winning album with “Spiritualist” piano concerto from last year’s award ceremony. His next recording, a programme of music for wind band, will be available in August 2020. As part of the preparations for that release, Kenneth has been working on a couple of video pre ...more




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Podcast: Richard Danielpour’s oratorio The Passion of Yeshua (Mar 13, 2020)

DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta 8.559885-86 Raymond Bisha introduces Richard Danielpour’s oratorio The Passion of Yeshua, a 105-minute work for large chorus, six soloists and orchestra that takes the listener back to Jesus’ final day on earth, removing as much as possible the accretions of history since that moment in ...more




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Podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven–the concertos (Mar 27, 2020)

BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven - Concertos 9.30210 Beethoven’s concertos enjoy the spotlight in this podcast from Raymond Bisha. It serves as a companion resource to the latest digital album in our series marking the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The technical and musical demands Beethoven makes of his concerto soloists shine centre-stage in this compilation of wonderful performances of movements from his ...more




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Podcast: A 20th-century troubadour. A 21st-century tribute. (May 08, 2020)

DAUGHERTY, M.: This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie Annika Socolofsky, John Daugherty, Dogs of Desire, David Alan Miller 8.559889 Raymond Bisha introduces Michael Daugherty’s This Land Sings: Inspired by the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie. The work celebrates The Dust Bowl Troubadour’s folk songs of love, wandering and social justice through Daugherty’s own original songs and instrumental ...more




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SUK, J.: Asrael (Bavarian Radio Symphony, Hruša) (900188)

Review by Richard Whitehouse
Gramophone, May 2020




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DEBARGUE, Lucas: To Music (Documentary, 2017) (NTSC) (2.110639)