Alycia Baumgardner Vs. Christina Linardatou

Messiaen’s most famous work, Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time), was composed while a captive in a German prisoner of war at Stalag VIII A, located near the town of Görlitz-Moys in Silesia, Germany. Messiaen met there three fellow prisoners who were also accomplished musicians: Etienne Pasquier, a world-class cellist who had already secured an international reputation as a member of the Pasquier Trio; Jean Le Bou-laire, a violinist who had studied at the Paris Conservatory; and Henri Akoka, a clarinetist who was a member of the Paris-based Orchestre National de la Radio. Together, this unusual ensemble formed the basis for one of the most extraordinary works of the 20th century.

That's right, King! in Swedish, "Kong" rather than "Drottning"! Christina (1626-1689) was the only surviving child of Sweden's greatest monarch Gustavus Adolphus Vasa, who raised her to rule as a king and whose ministers executed his will by crowning the six-year-old girl King! Christina ruled under a regency until age 18, and then personally and earnestly over some eight years until her abdication in 1654. Her involvement in Swedish affair didn't terminate with her abdication, however. She returned to Sweden several times, on the last of which she might well have resumed her throne but for her whimsical conversion to Catholicism. She also drew her wealth, in her initial years in Italy, from vast estates in Sweden.

Christina Pluhar & L'Arpeggiata - Mediterraneo (2013) [CD+Bonus DVD] {Virgin Classics Deluxe Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 371 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 158 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.69 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | ~ 27m | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 107 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Virgin Classics / EMI Records / Christina Pluhar | 5099946454720
Classical / Early Music / Vocal Music / Chamber Music / World Music / Folk

Christina Pluhar and l'Arpeggiata invite you on a musical cruise that will take you from Portugal to Turkey, following the coasts of Spain, Catalonia, Greece, and Italy, caressed by the rocking of the waves and the captivating dialogue between traditional plucked instruments of the Mediterranean region the qanun, saz, Greek lyre and lavta, the oud and Portuguese guitar and the Baroque strings of l'Arpeggiata. Mediterraneo is truly a musical exploration of the Mediterranean Sea. The recording features the fabulous voices of Mísia, Nuria Rial, Vincenzo Capezzuto, Raquel Andueza and Aikaterini Papadopoulou who perform traditional tarantellas, sung in Greek. These folk pieces were a custom in the Baroque era in the Greek-Albanian villages of Calabria. Join Christina Pluhar on this unique musical odyssey. The deluxe casebound edition of Mediterraneo includes a bonus DVD featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes recording sessions of Are mou Rindineddha, Sem saber, Hasapiko, and Tres sirenas.

Christina Gustafsson - Moments Free (2007)
Label: Porophone | MP3 @ 192Kb/s | 72.5 MB
Genre: Vocal-Jazz

"Moments Free" is Christina's long-awaited debut album and it's scheduled for release on the 19th of April. All songs but one are written or co-written by Christina and she is superbly backed up by her own band as well as the likes of Daniel Karlsson (piano), Per-Erik Domargård (vocals) and Magnus Lindgren (sax, clarinet, flute). Magnus has also produced the album together with Christina.

Although the 37-year-old singer Christina Gustafsson has been performing in her native Sweden for quite a few years, Moments Free is her long overdue recording debut. She wrote all but one selection (the pop song "Daydream") and sings throughout in English without any real accent. The music is certainly diverse, from swinging jazz and ballads to folk music and pop that slightly recalls Norah Jones. Gustafsson's voice is quite attractive and flexible, and she shows consistent enthusiasm, clearly loving singing. In addition, her lyrics are quite intelligent and occasionally insightful. Her backup group is impressive, with guitarist Max Schultz getting a fair amount of solo space and the musicians having a very good feel for her originals. Clearly Christina Gustafsson has a potentially significant future, no matter which direction she ultimately decides to take.