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Opinion: Endangered Bird Couple Returns To Chicago's Shore

NPR's Scott Simon tells a tale of two piping plovers, endangered birds who've returned to Chicago to pair up and possibly raise another family of chicks.




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Sensex, Nifty Seen Higher On Firm Global Cues

Indian shares may open higher on Friday, mirroring positive global cues after several U.S. companies posted better-than-expected earnings overnight and the Bank of England kept the door open for more stimulus next month.




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Sensex, Nifty End Lower On Virus Worries

Indian shares ended lower on Thursday as coronavirus cases continued to rise in the country, putting pressure on an already slowing economy. India has been under the world's most extensive lockdown since late March.




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Greece Consumer Prices Fall For First Time In 6 Months

Greece's consumer prices fell for the first time in six months in April, data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed on Friday.




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Czech CB Lowers Rate For Third Time, Unveils More Stimulus

The Czech Republic's central bank cut its key interest rate in May for a third policy session in a row and unveiled additional measures to provide more liquidity to the financial market after the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic hurt economy severely.




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WEBER, C.M. von: Freischütz (Der) [Opera] (Cornet, Muirhead, Banješević, Trinsinger, Aalto Theatre Opera Chorus, Essen Philharmonic, Netopil) (OC988)




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Vocal Recital: Sternberg, Deborah - SIMPSON, A.E. / KITCHEN, E. / THIBAUDEAU, G. (Birds of Love and Prey) (8.579064)

Soprano Deborah Sternberg brings together three song cycles themed on birds, each with its own unique flavour and expressive vocabulary. Andrew Earle Simpson’s eloquent skills as a composer and pianist are united in Birds of Love and Prey, in which both antique and modern textual sources contrast songbirds and predators in a variety of ways. Eric Kitchen uses transcriptions of actual birdsong in The Olney Avian Verse of William Cowper, while Gabriel Thibaudeau’s Cycle Avicellus portrays birds within landscapes using a language of modern impressionism.




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SKORYK, M.: Violin Concertos (Complete), Vol. 1 - Nos. 1-4 (Bielow, Ukraine National Symphony, Sirenko) (8.574088)

Myroslav Skoryk, a postgraduate student of Dmitry Kabalevsky, is one of Ukraine’s leading composers and teachers. His works range from opera and ballet, a symphonic transcription of Paganini’s 24 Caprices, and his cycle of nine Violin Concertos written over a 45-year span. They draw on elements of Carpathian folklore and are saturated in expressive dialogues, lyricism and elegy while also exuding powerful intensity. Skoryk’s sensual writing is frequently contrasted with syncopated motifs, cadenzas, fugal episodes and march rhythms. This is the first of two volumes.




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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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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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GOULD, M.: Symphonettes Nos. 2-4 / Spirituals for Orchestra (Vienna Radio Symphony, Fagen) (8.559869)

Morton Gould was an American musical phenomenon, equally at home in classical, crossover and film genres, and the recipient of both GRAMMY and Pulitzer awards during his long and distinguished career. The Symphonettes represent Gould’s best crossover work—the Symphonette No. 4 deriving its character from Latin-American dance forms to make it one of his most popular compositions. The first movement of Symphonette No. 3 has been described as “a collection of dance band licks, full of bent notes and syncopations” and the central Pavanne of Symphonette No. 2 with its bluesy trumpet motif is one of Gould’s biggest hits. Spirituals for Orchestra utilizes the strings as a choir, with antiphonal responses in the rest of the orchestra.




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EŠENVALDS, Ē.: Choral Music (Translations) (Portland State Chamber Choir, Sperry) (8.574124)

The multi-award-winning Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds’ 21st-century choral sound is both exquisite and angular, and in this album he explores ideas of ‘translation’, legend and the divine. With his expanded tonality and employment of shimmering singing handbells in Translation, and the angelic use of the viola and cello in In paradisum he creates music of ravishing refinement. In Legend of the Walled-In Woman Ešenvalds transcribes and employs an authentic Albanian folk song.




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O'BRIEN, F.: At Swim-Two-Birds (Unabridged) (NA0476)

More preoccupied with drinking, sleeping and writing, an unnamed student neglects his studies and invents three separate openings for a novel. The first introduces the Pooka MacPhellimey, ‘a member of the devil class’, the second involves Mr John Furriskey, a character belonging to another of the student’s creations (writer Dermot Trellis), while the final opening features legendary Irish heroes Finn Mac Cool and Mad King Sweeny. Soon, Trellis’s creations rebel against him, doing as they like while he sleeps, and the characters from each story begin wandering in and out of each other’s tales. Published in 1939, At Swim-Two-Birds is a madcap exploration of Irish literature and mythology, and the unending possibilities of fiction.




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MUIR, J.: Yosemite (The) (Unabridged) (NA0410)

For two years Scots-born John Muir lived in a small cabin along the Yosemite creek, observing the valley’s natural beauty and reading Emerson under the stars. The experience forged a lifelong affinity with the site, which would result in its establishment as a national park in 1890. Originally written as a guidebook to the park, The Yosemite describes every aspect of wildlife and landscape that one might encounter there. In exuberant and reverent language, Muir presents its scaling peaks, winding rivers and thunderous creeks, and gives observations on nearly every plant, animal, and geological feature. With childlike awe he rides in avalanches, rushes to witness floods, and climbs rocks under waterfalls. The Yosemite is Muir’s ode to nature and the magnificence of the outdoors.




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BURKE, E.: Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful (A) (Unabridged) (NA0413)

In A Philosophical Enquiry… Edmund Burke sets out to define the nature of beauty and sublimity, and establish an objective criterion for discussing aesthetics. His definition of beauty as rooted in pleasure and sexuality, and the sublime in pain and survival, aligned him with the empiricists John Locke and David Hume, as he replaced the metaphysics of Plato’s aesthetics with a psychological and physiological perspective. According to Burke, the sublime and the beautiful are experiences that can be explained by biological and sensual factors; thus he proceeds to explain how smooth lines, sweet tastes and middle frequencies of sound can be considered beautiful, and the terror created by high mountains and dark forests can be sublime. These revolutionary ideas ushered in the age of Romanticism, and the Gothic genre of novels, with their delight in horror and fright, and continue to influence aesthetic theories today.




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EŠENVALDS, E.: Choral Music (Translations) (Portland State Chamber Choir, Sperry) (8.574124)


Review by Malcolm Riley
Gramophone, May 2020




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RESPIGHI, O.: Bella dormente nel bosco (La) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2017) (NTSC) (2.110655)




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RESPIGHI, O.: Bella dormente nel bosco (La) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2017) (Blu-ray, HD) (NBD0106V)




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MOZART, W.A.: Mass No. 18, `Great` / MOZART, L.: Litaniae Lauretanae de BVM (Salzburg Bach Choir, Camerata Salzburg, Manze) (NTSC) (BVE08057)




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MOZART, W.A.: Mass No. 18, `Great` / MOZART, L.: Litaniae Lauretanae de BVM (Salzburg Bach Choir, Camerata Salzburg, Manze) (Blu-ray, HD) (BVE08058)




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Orchestral Music - TCHAIKOVSKY, P.I. / STRAUSS, R. / STRAVINSKY, I. / SHOSTAKOVICH, D. (City of Birmingham Symphony, Nelsons) (9-CD Box Set) (C987199)




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KAPUSTIN, N.: Saxophone Chamber Music (E. Blumina, P. Bruns, Clair-Obscur Saxophone Quartet) (C5369)




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Vocal and Piano Recital: Miedl, Christian / Springer, Jendrik - PFITZNER, H. / SIRODEAU, C. / LOEWE, C. / RIHM, W. / LISZT, F. (Songs of the Night) (C3009)




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BERNSTEIN, L.: Mass (Dyk, Vienna State Opera Children's Choir, Company of Music, Wiener Singakademie, Vienna Radio Symphony, D.R. Davies) (C5370)




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Zo creëer je energieke virtuele workshops die impact maken

Normaal gesproken doen we onze workshops altijd live met een groep van tien tot vijftien deelnemers van verschillende afdelingen van een organisatie. Maar dat ging hem dus niet worden deze keer. Tijd voor een online experiment, vonden we. Dat experiment werd een succes! In deze blog deel ik zeven tips zodat ook jij energieke virtuele sessies en workshops kunt verzorgen.




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GOMES, C.: Schiavo (Lo) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2019) (NTSC) (DYN-37845)




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GOMES, C.: Schiavo (Lo) [Opera] (Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (DYN-57845)




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DONIZETTI, G.: Elisir d'amore (L') [Opera] (Dalla Benetta, R. Hernández, Esposito, Salerno, Bergamo Musica Festival Chorus and Orchestra, De Marchi) (CDS577)




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MOON, F. / PRICE, D.: Mother (The) [Ballet] (Bird and Carrot, 2019) (NTSC) (OA1321D)




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MOON, F. / PRICE, D.: Mother (The) [Ballet] (Bird and Carrot, 2019) (Blu-ray, HD) (OABD7280D)




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DEBUSSY, C.: 12 Études / Préludes, Book 1 / Images / Suite bergamasque (Idil Biret Solo Edition, Vol. 10-11) (8.571401-02)

“For well versed insiders of music, Idil Biret is since years a trusted, respected and beloved artist. Her Skrjabin, Bartók and Prokofiev interpretations are exemplary classical benchmarks. The discipline of her powerful grasp and approach of the music has led, especially for works of our century, to a stylistic congruence between the written score and the interpretation, which is way outside of the unusual norms of conventions with so called “Star raving and rantings”, which, in the case of Idil Biret, makes us all aware of an outstanding artistic potency of the highest standards of excellence!” – DIE WELT, Germany 1979 “Idil Biret takes the opening movement of Debussy’s Children’s Corner very briskly and impetuously, but the performance then settles down and is sensitive and well characterized, especially the closing Golliwog’s Cakewalk. Good recording and recommendable couplings, too.” – PENGUIN GUIDE, England 2009 “There is no question whatever that Biret’s reading of the Ravel Gaspard de la nuit takes its place among the most delicately wrought Ravel interpretations by any of the many great pianists renowned for their performances of French piano music.” – SOHO WEEKLY NEWS, USA 1977 “For years, Debussy’s Études, which are dedicated to ‘the memory of Frederic Chopin’, had been distanced from the programs of pianists, seen as dry, abstract, annoying pieces. However, apart from their importance in piano learning, these études are actually concise, emotional colorful masterpieces that are products of imagination.” – Ilhan Mimaroğlu (from an article on Debussy), Turkey 1961




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RAVEL, M.: Miroirs / La valse / Le tombeau de Couperin (Idil Biret Archive Edition, Vol. 19) (8.571404)




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FRANCK, C.: Djinn (Les) / Symphonic Variations / Prélude, choral et fugue / Prélude, aria et final(Biret Concerto Edition, Vol. 9) (8.571403)




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IRAN Jon Hemmersam / Asal Malekzadeh: In the Moment (NXW76147-2)

The music on this album represents profound and direct communication between two human beings. Jon Hemmersam & Asal Malekzadeh had never met prior to the recording of this album, but they had the deep desire to create something beautiful together. In an entirely improvised set, they combine the sounds of the acoustic guitar and the Daf, a Persian drum.




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SZARZYŃSKI, S.S.: Completorium / Missa septem dolorum Beatae Mariae Virginis (Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, Kosendiak) (CDAccordACD261)




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Chamber Music (Viola da gamba) - MARAIS, M. / FORQUERAY, A. (J. and K. Karpeta, Birula, Niedźwiecka, Raczyński) (CDAccordACD259)




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MONIUSZKO, S.: Choral Music (inaczej śpiewany) (Choirs of the Choral Academy Project - Singing Poland, NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, Frankow-Zelazny) (CDAccordACD265)




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RASMUSSEN, K.A.: Four Seasons (The) (after A. Vivaldi) / Follia, follia… / RESPIGHI, O.: The Birds (arr. K.A. Rasmussen) (Fryklund, Mortensen) (8.226220)




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BRUNI, E.: Trio ricorsivo / Metatropès (Ars Modi) (Guzzoni, Barutti, Karmyzava, Tirale) (TC970202)




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JENKINS, K.: Armed Man (The), `A Mass for Peace` (World Choir for Peace, World Orchestra for Peace, Jenkins) (NTSC) (707508)




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JENKINS, K.: Armed Man (The), `A Mass for Peace` (World Choir for Peace, World Orchestra for Peace, Jenkins) (Blu-ray, HD) (707604)




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BRAHMS, J.: Deutsches Requiem (Ein) (Farcas, Goerne, State Choir Latvija, Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (NTSC) (753208)




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BRAHMS, J.: Deutsches Requiem (Ein) (Farcas, Goerne, State Choir Latvija, Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic, P. Järvi) (Blu-ray, HD) (753304)




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LA PHIL 100 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala (Dudamel, Mehta, Salonen) (NTSC) (753408)




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LA PHIL 100 - The Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Birthday Gala (Dudamel, Mehta, Salonen) (Blu-ray, HD) (753504)




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MARTINI, G.B.: Azione teatrale / Richiami degli ambulanti al mercato di Bologna (Contro, Troilo, Coro da Camera Euridice, Circe, Scattolin) (TC701307)




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Guitar Recital: Aguiar, Pedro - PEREIRA, M. / GNATTALI, R. / REIS, D. / GAROTO / GUINGA / GARCÍA AGUILERA, J. de D. / VILLA-LOBOS, H. / ASSAD, S. (8.574069)

Rooted in European music, native folk traditions and often infused by jazz, Brazilian music encompasses a huge variety of dance forms and songs. Prize-winning guitarist Pedro Aguiar has selected a panoramic recital to illustrate these elements which include the choro and music rich in melody and rhythmic vitality. From Villa-Lobos, whose Choros No. 1 is one of the most popular guitar solos ever written, through to the work of the revered Dilermando Reis, and on to contemporary examples of the genre, this is music of dazzling virtuosity and finesse.




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GAVRILIN, V.A.: Russian Notebook (The) / Anyuta (excerpts) (Shkirtil, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony, Serov) (8.573883)

Valery Gavrilin was one of the most colourful and significant Russian composers of the second half of the 20th century. He was only 25 when he composed The Russian Notebook, a ‘poem of love and death’ crafted in a new musical language that doesn’t employ folk melodies but does use folkloric texts, and with a virtuosic vocal part. These stylised tunes are combined with rich melodies to form a haunting cycle heard here in a 2018 orchestration. The ten numbers from the ballet Anyuta are lively, melodious and touchingly beautiful.




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BEETHOVEN, L. van: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Kord) (CDAccordACD075)