Beyond O.k.

Alessandro Stradella’s colourful life and eventual murder have since furnished writers with material for novels and stageworks. But he was very highly regarded as a composer during his short life, and made important contributions to several musical forms with operas, instrumental sinfonie and cantatas. This programme features five seldom performed chamber cantatas and two of his sinfonie or sonatas. Soprano Christine Brandes has a light, pleasing voice, and an athletic technique which enables her to circumnavigate most of Stradella’s often demanding vocal writing. But she is stretched to her limits, perhaps even a shade beyond, in the virtuoso, fiendishly difficult ‘Ferma il corso e torna al lido’.

O.R.k., comprising some of contemporary music’s most revered artists, have combined their creative forces once again for a new studio album; their first for the ground-breaking UK label Kscope; O.R.k’s Ramagehead will be released on 22nd February 2019. The band feature Italy’s celebrated vocalist, producer and award-winning film score composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari a.k.a LEF (lead vocals), King Crimson‘s Pat Mastelotto (drums), Porcupine Tree‘s Colin Edwin (bass), Marta Sui Tubi‘s Carmelo Pipitone (guitars); Ramageheadalso features a superstar collaboration in the form of Grammy Award-winner Serj Tankian of System of a Down, who is undoubtedly one of metal’s greatest and most renowned vocalists.

This one is not for sale, produced for promotional purposes only, deserves a review nevertheless I want to assert forcefully. Five years Trail Records - that means 'Five Years In Space 2007 - 2012' - here we have a sampler which passes through all those albums which this exceptional New York City based label has released so far. So this is something like a best-of collection, sending us on a journey entering psychedelic, ethno/oriental, trippy and spacey fields from all over the place. Due to the fact that Alexander Tsalikhin and Vlad Milyavsky are continously searching for talented artists around the globe.