Solaria

Like alchemists of old, attempting to recombine the four elements, here Fábio Brum presents four distinct musical languages in a programme forged during lockdown. Gabriele Roberto’s Tokyo Suite charts the astonishment of a traveller dazzled by the vast megapolis, whereas Dimitri Cervo’s The Brazilian Four Seasons offers a colourful, energetic panorama of the natural and human worlds. Fábio Brum’s very personal musical journey is highlighted by the contrast between the Talmudic contemplation of Menachem Zur’s De Profundis and the abstract ruminations of Nicola Tescari’s Trumpet Concerto ‘Nine Moods’.

On their impressive 1971 debut, France's Moving Gelatine Plates create a unique brand of jazz-influenced progressive rock. Parts of the album are reminiscent of the music recorded by groups from England's Canterbury scene (e.g., Soft Machine), but the Moving Gelatine Plates' driving rhythms and catchy thematic shifts set the band apart from their English counterparts. Drummer Gerard Pons pulls the listener along at a frantic pace on tracks like "Gelatine" and "Last Song." With help from the growling distortion provided by guitarist Gerard Bertram, Pons keeps the album firmly grounded in rock. Maurice Helmlinger's jazzy horn work and Didier Thibault's hopping basslines provide a striking contrast to these rock underpinnings…

As SoloDuo, Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli have performed throughout Europe, Asia, the USA, Canada and Latin America, and have been acclaimed everywhere – from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall, from Kiev’s Hall of Columns to Vienna’s Konzerthaus – as one of the best ensembles ever heard. About one of their performances, “The Washington Post” wrote: “the duo’s playing was nothing less than rapturous – profound and unforgettable musicianship of the highest order.”