2016 Classical

Pretty Yende, a rising star soprano with a modern fairy-tale story releases her debut album A Journey. Born in a remote town in South Africa, Yende was first introduced to opera music at the age of sixteen when hearing the Flower Duet from Delibes opera Lakmé in a British Airways commercial.

Orphée is the tenth and final full-length studio album by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, released under Deutsche Grammophon on September 16, 2016. The music is inspired by Ovid's interpretation of the Orpheus myth.

The ever-expanding catalogue of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach on Brilliant Classics (most of it contained in a 30-CD box, 94640), now reaches his music for clarinet, which has received much less attention on record than his orchestral or keyboard works but is no less melodically fertile and formally inventive than his better?known music.

It is curious that only a few Classical string trios survive as celebrated works for today s performers and audiences. These are Beethoven's Op.9 set of three trios, the two youthful works of Schubert, and the grand 6- movement Divertimento in E-flat by Mozart, notably the sole representative from the 18th century. All are truly masterful works, frequently performed and recorded, but which naturally beg the question: Is this really all there is? A little research quickly unearthed a whole history of string trios from many of the 18th century's most prolific and eminent composers. Those represented on this CD alone collectively contributed upwards of 200 works, exhibiting an extraordinary variety of textures and expressions, as well as astonishing instrumental techniques.

This album exemplifies the depth to which Larry Polansky (b. 1954) explores and connects different musical ideas: In Three Pieces for Two Pianos and Old Paint, mathematical models and algorithmic processes are used to set folk songs; in k-toods, simple text scores outline complex musical processes that Polansky has theorized extensively; and the Dismissions are culminations of lifelong musicological investigations. His unique compositional style is unified through diversity and a constant reexamining, questioning, reformulating, and mixing of ideas.

Combining aspects from classical, pop, jazz, and electronica in his works, Bates has created new possibilities of sound for the modern orchestra. The atmospheric Liquid Interface moves effortlessly through many spaces, evoking both the grand post-minimalism of composers like John Adams and the jazzy big-band feel of the musicals and noir films of the '40s and '50s. In the rambunctious “Chicago, 2012” movement of Alternative Energy, Bates’ electronics add stunning texture and color to the orchestra, pushing the range of sound far beyond what one would normally expect to hear in the concert hall.

The internationally based electro-classical project SYMPHONIACS refuses to be categorized; with its futuristic classical-meets-club mix, SYMPHONIACS brings together two genres which at first glance might seem an unlikely pair, but with the help of the project’s visionary sound, century-old tradition is awakened and given new life – welcome to the future!

For her first collaboration with the period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, violinist Isabelle Faust performs the five Violin Concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, along with three shorter concertante works. This is an extraordinary set, for the historically informed performances, the polished sound of the group, the almost palpable presence of the players, which Harmonia Mundi has captured with superior engineering, and for the unrepressed joy in the music. Faust is the center of attention, naturally, and her refined and expressive playing immediately pulls the listener in. These are far from the most demanding concertos in the repertoire, so Faust is less concerned with technical execution than with conveying the pure feeling of the music, which is delightfully buoyant and uplifting. Under the direction of Giovanni Antonini, the group provides warm and sparkling accompaniment that gives Faust all the support she needs, but there's no doubt that she sets the emotional tone for these exquisite recordings. Highly recommended, especially for devotees of Classical style at its finest.