Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques make a foray into the Romantic repertoire with this tribute to Pauline Viardot, who was not only the most influential singer of the nineteenth century, but also a pedagogue and composer, whose gifts, personality and incomparable aura made her one of the leading figures of French Romanticism. Together the mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti and Christophe Rousset retrace Pauline Viardot’s versatile career and, taking up her great roles, present a musical portrait of a unique performer, who was unanimously acclaimed by the audiences of her time.
Pianist Marina Baranova looks at Christmas through the eyes of an outsider. “I was born into a Jewish family in Ukraine and am the great-granddaughter of a rabbi. So I've never celebrated Christmas before, which allows me to look at it from the outside.“ On her new album “White Letters“ she makes her experiences audible. “This album reflects those sensations.” In her unique musicality, which combines light-fingered virtuosity with compositional sensitivity, she creates a world between Christian melodies, Ukrainian winter tunes and Jewish festival of lights sounds. All works oscillate between original, sensitive arrangement and free improvisation. The musician feels home in the space between the classical piano repertoire and her own modern classical compositions, both discographically and in concerts. The fact that she now allows such a personal musical look at her origins is also due to the current situation. “I return inwardly to my then peaceful home, the landscape outside covered with snow and inside warmed with parental love.“
The second studio album from Marina Lambrini Diamandis finds the mercurial Welsh singer/songwriter assuming the role of diva in waiting, trading in the ballsy, quirky retro-pop of her 2010 debut, Family Jewels, for the glitzy (and still relatively ballsy) electro-thump pomp of Ke$ha and Lady Gaga. Produced by Dr. Luke (Katy Perry), Liam Howe (Sneaker Pimps), Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen), and Rick Nowels (Madonna), Electra Heart is a brooding, sexy, desperate, overwrought, and infectious record that's both aware and unashamed of its contrivance. In short, Diamandis is trying to expose the artifice of big-box pop music by using its own voice, and despite the obvious trappings of the concept, she does a fairly respectable job. Her resonant operatic voice is expressive enough to make a lyric like "Candy bear, sweetie pie, I wanna be adored/I'm the girl you'd die for," from the capricious opener "Bubblegum Bitch," feel less like a floozy come-on and more like a malicious schoolyard taunt.
For many years Marina Tarasova has been one of the most renowned Russian cellists; a winner of International Competitions in Prague, Florence and the Grand Prix in Paris and a laureate of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky International Competition.
Fresh, innovative indie swing from Vienna. This trio, led by the sparkling and charismatic Marina, engages spectators in her swing, swing, swing world with personal compositions and an original line-up. Racy gypsy guitars, nimble melodies, airy snare drums and Marina‘s uniquely charming voice conflate into a nostalgic cocktail. Marina & The Kats take you on a dreamy journey into the times of Django Reinhart and Cab Calloway, the Divas and the Crooners, the Lindy Hops and Radio Shows, Buick Rivieras and convertibles Cadillac… Originally a three-piece and now a quartet, Marina & The Kats has been one of the most exciting and trailblazing bands in Austria (if not Europe) for years, as anyone who has ever had the chance to catch one of their many high-octane shows will confirm.
Fresh, innovative indie swing from Vienna. Originally a three-piece and now a quartet, Marina & The Kats has been one of the most exciting and trailblazing bands in Austria (if not Europe) for years, as anyone who has ever had the chance to catch one of their many high octane shows will confirm. Their new record "Different" is, on the one hand, as coarse as it is frank, infused with a reassuringly rough and ready swagger. It is also, understandably though, a musical reflection of the last year. A rollercoaster ride of a year that started promisingly with concerts in Israel, Germany and Austria, suddenly came to an abrupt halt. So too did the band as the ingrained drive and passion for the stage hit a metaphorical brick wall, leaving them to come to terms with the fact that life and making music had come to a complete standstill.