Protecting Veil

When it comes to the soprano saxophone, some of us might think right off the bat of New Orleans legend Sidney Bechet, which is good. But most think of Kenny G, which is not so good. When it comes to women who play the saxophone, we might think of Candy Dulfer, who is definitely a good player. However, she has a tendency to be ruthlessly commercial and suave, and perhaps that's also not so good. With Australian Amy Dickson we discover a female soprano saxophonist who is offering something far different from either of these mixed options; her main focus is with classical literature, and Dickson has a luscious, creamy tone that sounds somewhere between a clarinet and a flute, reflecting the instrument in the light of the intentions of its creator, Adolphe Sax; even Bechet would have found it tough to beat that action.

This 6CD set contains 100 tracks from the catalogues of EMI Records, EMI Classics and Virgin Classics of recordings by the London Symphony Orchestra under some of the world’s greatest conductors and with a number of famous soloists.

This release celebrates and commemorates Yo-Yo Ma's 30 year recording career with Sony Music. Created with the full participation of Yo-Yo Ma, 30 Years Outside the Box, is the definitive collection of this iconic artist. The box set contains every original album Yo-Yo Ma has recorded including 2 discs of rare and never before released material.

Neharot Neharot (2006/7) for viola solo, accordion, percussion, two string ensembles and tape by Israeli composer Betty Olivero opens a haunting album from violist Kim Kashkashian. It is a slow awakening—not into light, but into twilight—and swells with the wounds of fresh tragedy. Kashkashian arrives as if by wind and with the raw imperfection of an unpreened bird. The tone and feeling are not unlike that of John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil at its tensest moments. The strings roil like turgid waters in which eddy the relics of an unseen war. Two women’s voices reach into the storm with tendrils of mimicry. This call and response blossoms into a profound moment of rupture, at which point the orchestra and percussion spill over one another.