The life story of the American composer and pianist George Antheil is the tale of a multiple taming. Almost a hundred years ago the young Antheil set out to conquer Europe with his 'ultramodern' piano compositions and soon came to regard himself as the enfant terrible of contemporary music. His early concerts created sensational public scandals; audience members laughed and exchanged blows when he performed, and the press corps polarized the public. The present production follows the winding path taken by this composer with four standout works exemplifying his various creative periods. Golden Bird (1921), an exotically instrumented miniature of »Chinese coloration,« is followed by the iridescent music for the ballet Dreams (1934), which Antheil wrote in response to a commission from the famous choreographer George Balanchine. The two Serenades (1947-48) show us a composer of digestible and easily graspable music who was searching for a genuine 'American tone' and during the course of his life learned that modesty can be a key to success.

This highly acclaimed production from the Bayerische Staatsoper, a powerful and fascinating re- interpretation of Dvorak's fairy-tale opera Rusalka, was a revelation: the young, up-and-coming Latvian soprano, Kristine Opolais, whose performance was rightly hailed by the press as 'one of the most vivid and striking accomplishments seen on an opera stage in a long time' (Vienna's leading daily Der Standard). With her supple and velvety soprano voice, her captivating physical beauty and her hauntingly moving stage presence, Kristine Opolais perfectly embodies the role of the water nymph who becomes a human being in order to find love.

Eight lively, virtuosic Bill O Connell originals, plus two 20th century classics by Thelonius Monk ( Round Midnight ) and Kurt Weill ( Speak Low ). Monk's signature composition has been totally re-harmonized here, and Paquito D Rivera s sweet-toned clarinet work is the perfect complement to O Connell s lush chords. Bill s colorful career is notable for his extensive accomplishments in both Latin music and modern jazz, from serving as Mongo Santamaria s pianist; through his long association with flutist Dave Valentin; to working with Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Gato Barbieri, and the fabled Fort Apache Band; followed by a stellar career as a band leader and solo artist since the 1990s.

After her acclaimed complete recording of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, Mari Kodama returns with a programme consisting of Beethoven string quartets transcribed for piano by Saint-Saëns, Mussorgsky and Balakirev, as well as Beethoven’s variations on the finale of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Most pieces are recorded for the first time. Kaleidoscope is designed as a homage, considering and experiencing Beethoven through the lens of other great composers. Mari Kodama is one of the most extraordinary pianists of our age, and has an impressive PENTATONE discography, featuring Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas (2003-2014), piano concertos of Loewe and Chopin (2003), Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites for Piano Duo (2016), De Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2017) and Martinů’s Concert for Two Pianos (2018).

Parlophone Records is happy to announce that DAVID BOWIE CHANGESNOWBOWIE, a previously unreleased nine-track album, is to be made available early for fans on streaming services to mark the original date of Record Store Day 2020, which was to feature the LP and CD but has now been postponed to 20th June. CHANGESNOWBOWIE is a 9-track album, recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on David’s 50th birthday on 8th January, 1997. This mostly acoustic session was a stripped back affair featuring some of David’s favourites of his own compositions and was produced by Bowie himself, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati.

The vibraphonist and composer, Pascal Schumacher has made a name for himself in a variety of collaborative endeavours. From quartets to symphonic orchestras, jazz tunes to classical chamber music, he has built a unique relationship with his instrument and has been relentless in assuring his position as a versatile and adventurous musician. Now he launches his first solo album, SOL via Neue Meister label. SOL captures Pascal’s newfound passion for solitude in all its magnetism. Yet, it remains true to a relationship’s main characteristic; intimacy. First imagine empty space. Darkness, then a spark, a central light. A lone figure stands revealed by in a strange ambience of purple and blue and white. In front of him, the metallic edifice of a vibraphone.

Willkommen zur Milchbar Seaside Season 12. Als Blank & Jones vor zwölf Jahren gemeinsam mit dem Milchbar Team überlegten, wie sie die erste CD der Serie wohl nennen könnten, war ihnen sofort klar, dass die Musik definitiv alle Jahreszeiten in der Milchbar abbilden sollte. Die magischen Momente des Sonnenuntergangs erlebt man auf Norderney im Winter, Herbst und Frühling mindestens so intensiv wie im Sommer. "Seaside Season" ist quasi 365 Tage im Jahr an der Milchbar. Das ist auch bis heute die größte Herausforderung beim Zusammenstellen der Musik: der Soundtrack für jeden Tag an der Milchbar. Blank & Jones versuchen genau diese Momente mit der Milchbar Sammlung festzuhalten, und wenn man beim Hören die Augen schließt, kann man die Seeluft schon riechen. Der Milchbar Sound ist zeitlos und hält doch jedes Jahr wieder neue musikalische Entdeckungen und Experimente parat. Inspiriert von ihren Aufenthalten auf Norderney komponieren Blank & Jones natürlich jedes Jahr neue Songs ganz speziell für diese Sammlung, aber auch andere Künstler stellen viele Aufnahmen exklusiv zur Verfügung. Der Album-Opener "Crosswinds" versucht, die friedliche und fast schon meditative Morgenstimmung an der Milchbar einzufangen.

Here we have all of the solo and concerted stereo Beethoven repertoire featuring Rudolf Serkin released by Sony Classical, gathered together in an 11-disc budget boxed set. It does not include mono Beethoven items that Serkin remade in stereo. However, Serkin's great mono-only Diabelli Variations is present, along with alternative live Marlboro Festival recordings of the Fourth concerto and the Choral Fantasy, plus two stereo versions of the Op. 110 sonata (one from 1971, the other a posthumously released 1960 recording).

A conceptual collaboration album by both participants. A 33-minute one-track, a suite that transcends both space and time. The long pilgrimage of sounds that have been heretical here echoes here as a proof of the inevitable promise.

Throughout 2020, the 100th anniversary of Peggy Lee’s birth—May 26, 1920—will be commemorated around the globe with music releases, notable exhibitions, special events, programming and a host of tributes and concerts, including a just-announced Hollywood Bowl tribute concert in August, “Miss Peggy Lee at 100 with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra.”
Kicking off The Peggy Lee 100 celebration is the release of Ultimate Peggy Lee, a new collection from Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) available April 17. The 22-track comprehensive set features her hits, five songs she co-wrote, as well as the previously unreleased “Try A Little Tenderness,” which makes its world debut 57 years after it was recorded. A full track listing is below.

Psychedelic forest folk-rockers Hexvessel will release their new nature-mysticopus, Kindred, via Svart Record. Taking a darker and more esoteric path, Kindred sees Hexvessel re-forge their eclectic melting cauldron or "vessel" of sound into a potent "hex" of spell-binding songcraft. Blues-laden psych-rock and progressive structures harken back to King Crimson, giving way to dark earthen balladry reminiscent of early Nick Cave and the doom-laden atmospheres of Dead Can Dance. The band returned to their original studio in Tampere, Finland, where they recorded their cult classic No HolierTemple, which fused Hexvessel's folk roots with an occult undercurrent, with thenew album mastered by John Davis (The Killers / Gorillaz / Led Zeppelin / LanaDel Rey) in the UK. Through Kindred's 10 song rites of passage, Hexvessel cover Coil's Fire Of The Mind live from a mental institution and delve into the Druidicsa crificial swamps with songs like Bog Bodies, which conjures the deep Lynchian night with muted trumpet and foggy rhodes piano.

Hailing from Indiana, USA, Stencil Forest was formed in 1980 and led by brothers Frank (guitars, vocals) and Rick Cassella (keyboards). Other members of the early days were Rob Nilson on guitars, Stan Swaim on drums, Doug Andresen on lead vocals and Scott Noyes on bass. Influenced by both British and US prog acts Stencil Forest managed to release the album ''Opening Act'' in 1983 on Realtime Records. Of course these were the hard years for producing quality Progressive Rock music and Stencil Forest had to add some commercial touches among the more progressive tunes to become more acceptable. These touches though did not prevent the band from falling into obscurity, however their debut is an interesting mix of Pomp Rock, AOR, Classic 70's Prog and Symphonic Rock as played today by acts like Glass Hammer or Ajalon…

Electric Castle Live and Other Tales is a live album and DVD/Blu-ray by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's progressive rock/metal rock opera project Ayreon, that was released on March 27, 2020. It is a live version of the 1998 studio album Into the Electric Castle, performed as an actual rock opera, complete with mise-en-scène; it is a recording of one of four live performances between September 13 and 15, 2019 in Tilburg, to celebrate the original album's 20th anniversary in a way similar to The Theater Equation, with songs from other Lucassen projects performed once the songs from the albums were all performed…

It's a beautiful, impressionistic tribute to Miles Davis which extends Wilson's eclectic "folk jazz" approach, itself owing a great deal to Miles' 80s music. Wilson, as producer, should take much of the credit for the coherence of vision. The quintet behind her on Resurrection Blues is entirely different to the one on the following track, Sky and Sea - but the tracks fit together like fine joinery. The core band and all of the guests are superb, as is the production. Everything is crystal clear, but warm.

Manifold Records presents Mykonos Chillout Café (Feelings Del Mar) Vol. 1-5. Frank Borell, Paradise Blue, Orange Music, Chillwalker, Noise Boyz, Mahoroba, Cafe Americaine and many others.