Gillian Wech

Unearthed from a cache of home demos and reel-to-reel recordings, Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs is the second release of archival music from the vault of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. This remarkable 48 song collection, spread over three volumes, was recorded between the making of Time (The Revelator) and Soul Journey. It is an intimate glimpse at the artist’s sketchbook, containing some lifelong themes as well as some flights of fancy. The versatility and quality shown here greatly expand the Welch/Rawlings canon, and confirm that the acclaimed studio albums from the pair have never been an accident but a clear artistic choice.

I am thrilled to have been able to commission five new works for solo violin for this album from five wonderful Canadian composers: Carmen Braden, Amy Brandon, Derek Charke, Corie Rose Soumah, and Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu. The existing works of these composers represent a broad spectrum of stylistic approaches, technical perspectives, and thematic choices, and I feel that this collection of new works is an exciting, important, and varied contribution to the Canadian repertoire for solo violin. I have dreamt of finding a way to commission new works to add to that repertoire since I released my first album of music for solo violin, Into the Stone, in 2019, and this project is the fulfillment of that dream.

In the 250 years since the death of Handel, the Organ Concerto of Francis Poulenc is the only work of its kind which has established a place in the standard concert repertoire. This is an extraordinary situation in itself, and it becomes even more extraordinary on closer inspection, for this was an uncharacteristic work composed for an unexpected medium by the most unlikely composer.

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have released a new album of covers titled All the Good Times. It features two Bob Dylan tracks, John Prine’s “Hello in There,” a song by folk guitarist Elizabeth Cotten, and a version of “Jackson,” which Johnny Cash and June Carter made famous. The album takes its title from the traditional tune “All The Good Times Are Past and Gone,” which also appears in the collection. Check it out below.

Since the late 18th century, art songs have combined poetic vocals and equally intricate instrumental accompaniments to delight listeners with intimate compositions across the globe.

Volume 3 of Boots No. 2: The Lost Songs will come out in two weeks on November 13th. You can listen to two songs now, “Peace In The Valley” and “There’s A First Time For Everything.”

Regular performances in some of the world's most prestigious venues have confirmed Florilegium's status as one of Britain's most outstanding period instrument ensembles. Since their formation in 1991 they have established a reputation for stylish and exciting interpretations, from intimate chamber works to large-scale orchestral and choral repertoire.Florilegium regularly collaborate with some of the world's finest singers in programmes from the 17th and 18th centuries.

This new album features premiere recordings of contemporary works for solo violin composed by Canadian women and performed by Nova Scotia violinist Dr. Gillian Smith. Works include ""Cinque Danze per Violino Solo"" by JUNO award winning composer Ana Sokolovic, ""Versprechen"" by Kati Agocs (now a composition professor at New England Conservatory) and ""Inside the Stone"" from Canadian-Australian composer Veronika Krausas. Recorded at the beautiful stone sanctuary at First Baptist Church Halifax, these recordings show the intense, passionate and imaginative works of Canadian women composers for solo violin, very few of which have been previously recorded.

What a treat to get another album from this fascinating creative and personal partnership. Although Woodland is technically only the second album credited to Gillian Welch and husband David Rawlings as a duo, after 2020's Grammy-winning All the Good Times, the couple's collaborations go all the way back to Welch's 1996 debut Revival.

A one-night-only concert was held at New York City's Town Hall last fall, to celebrate the music of the Coen brothers film "Inside Llewyn Davis". The evening was filmed for a documentary that was broadcast by Showtime last winter, and now Nonesuch Records releases a live recording of the concert, Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis”. The concert, documentary, and live album were produced by the film writer/director/producers Joel and Ethan Coen and soundtrack producer T Bone Burnett.