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Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce a new remastered edition of the classic 1972 album A Tear And A Smile by Tir Na nÓg Full Description This legendary Progressive Folk duo featured the talents of Leo O'Kelly and Sonny Condell. Formed in Dublin in 1969, the duo travelled to London to make a name for themselves on the UK folk circuit, earning a contract with Chrysalis Records in 1970. Securing a support slot with Jethro Tull, Tir Na nÓg came to the attention of a rock audience. The duo became a fixture on the concert circuit, opening for acts such as The Who, Elton John and Procol Harum and were also championed by John Peel. A Tear And A Smile was released to acclaim in 1972 and featured a host of original, haunting and emotive music. This Esoteric Recordings reissue has been newly remastered from the original Chrysalis Records master tapes and features two bonus tracks…

This is a fine recording of two vastly under-appreciated works by young cello virtuoso Han-Na Chang. She has the extraordinary technique to play the excruciatingly difficult cadenza in the central movement of the Sinfonia Concertante and the sustained tone to play the long, lyrical melodies in the opening movement of the cello sonata. Antonio Pappano is a faithful accompanist whether he's directing the London Symphony Orchestra in the Sinfonia Concertante or playing the piano in the cello sonata.

Young cellist Han-Na Chang, Korean-born and trained in the U.S. by Mstislav Rostropovich, is a newcomer to Baroque music, having released a mixture of cello classics and late-Romantic and contemporary concertos up to this time. Here she delivers a set of seven Vivaldi cello concertos that Rostropovich himself might have helped her shape; it's something of a throwback to the way Vivaldi was played 30 or 40 years ago.

This 2005 recording of Han-Na Chang performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 and Cello Sonata is a follow-up to her 2003 recording of Prokofiev's Cello Concerto and Cello Sonata. In both cases, Chang is accompanied by Antonio Pappano either leading the London Symphony Orchestra or playing the piano. As on the earlier disc, Chang is primarily a soloist with a strong arm and a dazzling technique, and her performances sparkle with energy and twinkle with enthusiasm.