Album Leaf

Founded in 2003 the band first started to play some sort of doom/dark metal with a strong Katatonia influence. 2007 marked a big turning point for LAST LEAF DOWN with singer and drummer leaving the band. Replacements have been found soon with Benjamin Schenk as the new vocalist and guitarist. The change in the line-up also marked the change in the band’s sound away from Metal to their present direction, which reminds on Shoegaze-Bands from the 80s, but without sounding outdated. They will release their second album, this year on March 31st via Lifeforce Records.

They are widely recognised as the most exciting young string quartet of the present moment, bringing new insights to contemporary composition and core classical repertoire. In parallel, they have also made surprising and impressive forays into the world of Nordic folk music. Their 2014 album Wood Works (Dacapo Records) was a left-field hit, and audiences around the world have been delighted by concert performances of the music. Now the Danish String Quartet bring their folk project to ECM with a stirring new recording.

An expert in the delicate art of miniature, Walter Gieseking excelled in short evocative pieces in which his technical mastery and unique sensitivity worked wonders. The numerous albums of Lyric Pieces by Edvard Grieg were a constant source of inspiration for him: he recorded some selections on many occasions, and added excerpts to his concert programs with the same enthusiasm. This album includes the complete set recorded at the very end of his life, coupled with some earlier renditions from the 1948 sessions.

Gently played solo piano recordings have long served as a gateway drug for nascent classical music fans. They’re often a sufficiently easy listen as to be accessible, while at the same time offering listeners a welcome degree of sophistication. Arguably, music is most powerful when it inspires an audience to dig into other styles and genres. The great pianists demonstrate this time and again. It’s why 1631 Recordings’ series of solo piano collections has such extraordinary potential. The label’s fourth release under the Piano Cloud Series title furthers the Swedish imprint’s reputation for exquisite new classical music. These 18 short pieces are world class…

Cet ouvrage décrit les quarante années de carrière de ce groupe à contre-courant, et révèle les ficelles de son triomphe international. Il est composé de trois parties : une autobiographie orale du groupe, une série de propos rapportés à l'occasion de sa reformation, et un examen approfondi de sa discographie. …

This is a very pleasing assortment from among Grieg's 66 short Lyric Pieces, written between 1866-1891. There were 6-8 pieces in each of the 10 "books", and this collection of 30 pieces contains selections from 9 of the books (there is no selection from Book 62 for some reason). Each and every one presented here is a pure delight, and represent Grieg's life-long desire to create a true Norwegian music genre derived from the folk music, dances, stories and natural environment of Norway. Every piece is evocative and the entire disc is delightful, thanks to the colorful and imaginative piano of Balazs Szokolay.