Classical Sleep

Building on the international success of Max Richter's groundbreaking eight-hour work SLEEP - his "personal lullaby for a frenetic world" - and the one-hour adaptation from SLEEP, Richter now releases the 9+ hour "Faded" edition of the work.

Taking their name from a Thelonious Monk quote, I Like To Sleep are three young Norwegian musicians, all 22 years old. Nicolas and Øyvind first met in high school in Trondheim before they joined up with Amund in a youth big band. It soon became apparent that they shared the same musical background centered around 70s progressive rock, classical music, jazz and improvisation. Soon after the trio was formed, first for fun, but soon with higher ambitions, they won the prestigious "Young Jazz Musicians of the Year" award in 2018.

Virtuoso saxophonist Christian Forshaw is joined by a consort of Tenebrae singers, in an ethereal sequence of penitential settings for Passiontide. Combining elements of ancient and modern to stunning effect, Forshaw and Tenebrae bring new colors and context to music by Gibbons, Tallis and Hildegard von Bingen in a series of new arrangements and compositions.

Although Benjamin Britten's guitar music represents a very small part of his oeuvre, it contains all the dramatic genius of his greatest works. Britten’s interest in the guitar sprang from his friendship with the famous English virtuoso Julian Bream (1933-2020), to whom his guitar works are dedicated. Bream began performing with Britten’s partner, the tenor Peter Pears, in 1952. In order to expand the duo’s concert programs, Britten (1913-76) dedicated the sixth volume of his Folksongs arrangements to them. Written between 1956 and 1958, these songs illustrate both the composer’s affection for English musical heritage and his conception of the art song.