Eingya Helios

On Unleft, Keith Kenniff collects previously unreleased Helios material recorded between 2000 and 2009, sequencing the resultant tracks as a self-contained album. The resultant fifty minutes plays out as a wonderfully varied sequence that focusses on melodically resonant electronic music. You'll hear some of the compositional techniques Kenniff has become known for at work, cutting a tuneful, glitched-up swathe through opener 'Convivium', while the crunchily filtered, slow-core beats of 'Friedel' and 'Distance' channel a hazy, opiated quality. Taking this a little further, the creaking deep bass and beautiful electronic post-rock of 'Cross The Ocean' is touched by the influence of Boards Of Canada, something that could also be said of the downtempo, beat-heavy ambience of 'Bounce Dive'…

Built around Smetana’s famous piano trio, one of the most renowned in Czech chamber music, this recording highlights two more confidential composers from the land of Bohemia, Zdeněk Fibich and Vítězslav Novák. Their trios, true gems of the repertoire, have not yet been recorded by a French trio; this album intends to revive the brilliance of these poignant works, both of which reflect the intensity of this Mittel Europa at the meeting point of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.2 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55132 rec 1992}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 202 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 153 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1992, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55132
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'Scharwenka could not have been better served. He deserves no less' (International Record Review). 'The recorded sound has all the freshness needed for this music' (Pianist). Many young pianists of my generation cut their teeth on one or another of Xaver Scharwenka's Polish Dances; he composed about thirty of them. The Op. 3, No. 1 was immensely popular, selling millions of copies and that's the one I learned to play when I was about ten or so. On this release are the two Polish Dances, Op. 29, and they are mazurkas in all but name. They are lively and set your toe tapping as played by Seta Tanyel.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.1 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55131 rec 1991}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 178 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 148 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55131
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'The recorded sound has all the freshness needed for this music' (Pianist). 'Seta Tanyel plays her well-contrasted selection with obvious affection and persuasive charm … playing of outstanding drive and verve' (International Record Review). Hyperion's series of the solo piano music of Xaver Scharwenka (reissued from Collins), played by Seta Tanyel, is worth getting to know for everyone who appreciates romantic piano music. It reveals Scharwenka as a deft craftsman with plenty of good ideas and deep knowledge of how to utilize the potential of his instrument to full effect. Volume 1, however, is far from the strongest installment in the series, and if you started with this one, were disappointed and decided to stop investigating, I encourage you to reconsider - volume 2, for instance, is definitely superior (though Scharwenka's concertos and chamber works are superior still).

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.3 - Seta Tanyel (2002) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55133 rec 1992}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 202 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 148 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1992, 2002 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55133
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'Tanyel's clear enthusiasm for this unhackneyed programme is utterly refreshing … The performance reminds us again just how well she understands the piano's Romantic repertoire' (Classic CD). 'the music here could hardly be more sympathetically presented than by Tanyel, whose performances are immaculate in their musicianship and virtuosity' (Gramophone). Seta Tanyel, the Armenian pianist, demonstrates a flair for the virtuosic style of German-Polish Scharwenka. She projects a well-rounded tone, a flexible sense of rhythm, a seamless technique, a fertile imagination and a daring panache. She seems to genuinly love these beautiful, light-hearted compositions. Scharwenka's music (who lived in the States for seven years) possesses energy, harmonic interest, strong rhythm, many beautiful melodies and much Polish national character. A highly enjoyable recording.

Ever since forming nearly 16 years ago, Irish quartet God Is an Astronaut has reigned as one of the premier post-rock groups. With its fusion of intense rock instrumentation, ethereal and emotional soundscapes, awe-inspiring dynamics, and transfixing melodies, it’s easy to hear why the band is constantly ranked alongside fellow genre champions like Sigur Rós, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, and Maybeshewill. Each of their prior releases has offered a breathtaking sonic journey, and their opus, Helios | Erebus (2015), definitely earns its place alongside them.

Franz Xaver Scharwenka - Piano Music Vol.4 - Seta Tanyel (2003) {Hyperion-Helios CDH55134 rec 1995}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 198 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 167 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1995, 2003 Collins Classics / Hyperion Records / Helios | CDH55134
Classical / Romantic / Early 20th Century / Piano

'… brimful with alert character and beauty whilst the two piano pieces are delightful in their raucous melodies … briliantly done by Tanyel' (Classical Net Review). It was brave and useful and laudable of Seta Tanyel and the now-defunct label Collins Classics to have embarked, in the 1990s, in a thorough exploration of the music of Xaver Scharwenka (1850-1924), and one must be grateful to Hyperion to have reissued almost all of it. The 4-volume traversal of his solo piano music doesn't embrace I think Scharwenka's complete piano output, but it is still very substantial. Add to that the three first piano concertos (apparently Collins didn't live long enough to record the Fourth, and the first is the one disc that Hyperion did not reissue, Piano Concerto 1, obviously because they already had another one in their catalog, Rubinstein: Piano Concerto No. 4; Scharwenka: Piano Concerto No. 1) and what I think was the complete chamber music. However, I didn't always feel that the results lived up to the project's promises.