Five Element

The new album "Ice" by German producer, musician and Lemongrassmusic label manager Daniel Voss, alias Five Seasons, takes us on a musical journey to the realms of snow and ice. The 12 tracks were inspired by the mere beauty and grandeur of this wonderful element and the music swings our imagination aloft to powerful and aesthetic inner landscapes. As the album artwork allegorizes, ice does also have a fragile character, deserving of protection and being a key element in the global climate change which is proceeding so quickly…

While The Professional marked the American breakthrough of populist French director Luc Besson (and his long-time composer, Eric Serra), the ambitious, futuristic sci-fi adventure The Fifth Element proved to be Besson's stateside sophomore jinx at the box office. Still, Serra's score shouldn't be overlooked. Easily the composer's most digitally daring studio concoction, The Fifth Element offers up a brave stew of synth beats, orchestral flourishes, and ethnic influences ranging from Middle Eastern modalities to Italian operatic arias.

It is no secret that there are quite a few excellent recordings of the Five Beethoven Piano Concertos available – especially Brendel (both sets with Chicago and Vienna), Kempff, Perahia, Schiff, the list goes on. However, what I find particularly stunning about Rudolf Serkin's readings of the Beethoven Concertos is the pure human element he somehow employs in his playing and at the same time his ability to transcend that same element.