Chet Atkins And Hank Snow C. B. Atkins And C. E. Snow by Special Request (1970 2021)

After its rediscovery in the second half of the 20th century, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has become so popular that it has become a model of inspiration for similar collections that have the same subject matter, use similar instrumental forces and, often, are commissioned to be played alongside the original. Issued in conjunction with the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Astor Piazzolla (4 July 1992), Sixteen Seasons brings together on disc for the first time the four most famous Four Seasons : hence alongside Vivaldi’s Italian concertos, also the Argentinian Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas of Piazzolla (in the version by Leonid Desyatnikov, a composer of Ukrainian origin), The American Four Seasons of Philip Glass, and the “Vivaldi recompositions” of British Max Richter. To guide us through these seasons – which are spread over different continents, climates and musical styles – is Concerto Mediterraneo, an ensemble made up of musicians from all over Italy and directed by Gianna Fratta, while the eclectic Alessandro Quarta shares the solo violin role with Dino De Palma. The liner notes by historian Alessandro Vanoli and meteorologist Luca Mercalli complete a project that also stands as a reflection on the profound relationship between man and the alternation of the seasons and the role played by climate change from Vivaldi’s day to the present.

“Honestly,” the new collaboration from Will St Peter, Steven Heffner, and Steve Barnes, exudes synergy, sensitivity, and vitality. Featuring compositions by St Peter alongside new arrangements of recognizable standards, “Honestly” puts on display what is possible when three friends gather to create in an environment of trust and vulnerability. In the space between their rendition of Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses” and St Peter’s tribute to his local “Windsor” community, the trio expresses themselves in the only way they know how: honestly.