Quasthoff Elias

From the first note it is apparent that this is an extraordinary recording. "Crossing" is a recording for anyone looking to rediscover the FOLK tradition in a contemporary expressive format. It has the songs and the musicians performing that are capable of recreating what many consider to be a lost or at least an endangered art.

It is impressive how, over the last three years, the Austrian keyboard instrumentalist Elias Stemeseder and the German percussionist Christian Lillinger have developed a remarkable artistic partnership, which has already found expression in a series of different recordings. Expanding into a quartet with Peter Evans and Russell Hall, they reveal further facets of their collaboration on Umbra II. Unlike its production-heavy predecessor Umbra, the music on Umbra II is entirely acoustic and the band’s sound has a classical feel. This album, which has the strongest and most direct connection to the jazz tradition to date, was recorded at the venerable Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. “The duo are always looking ahead, whether that means bringing in new collaborators, embracing novel techniques, or adding new tools to its instrumental arsenal. Umbra ll represents one leg of an ongoing journey. Here’s hoping the destination always remains elusive”, writes Peter Margasak in the liner notes.

From the first note it is apparent that this is an extraordinary recording. "Crossing" is a recording for anyone looking to rediscover the FOLK tradition in a contemporary expressive format. It has the songs and the musicians performing that are capable of recreating what many consider to be a lost or at least an endangered art.

Music can possess the power to take hold of our emotions, guiding us along an imagined journey that stirs our inner being, a concurrently unique and familiar experience. Critically-acclaimed composer Rain Worthington writes music to captivate the listener, creating textural and lyrical worlds that are inhabited by various colors and tones. In this live performance of her piece Dream Vapors Suite from the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the composer presents intense dreams, intangible perceptions, and musically evocative elaborations.

Three Dutch composers, Hans van Eck, Xander Hunfeld and Norbert Wissing are the featured composers in this varied and exciting compilation of musical styles. Inspired by Classical, Romantic, Serialism, Avant-Garde and Electronic music, Free Game does not shun traditional ways of composition but rather a magnificent testament of free.

Music can possess the power to take hold of our emotions, guiding us along an imagined journey that stirs our inner being, a concurrently unique and familiar experience. Critically-acclaimed composer Rain Worthington writes music to captivate the listener, creating textural and lyrical worlds that are inhabited by various colors and tones. In this live performance of her piece Dream Vapors Suite from the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the composer presents intense dreams, intangible perceptions, and musically evocative elaborations.