Dialoghi Del Presente

Like all castrati, Gaetano Berenstadt's hormones had gone crazy, but Berenstadtis were particularly strong. With a height of about 185 cm, he is said to have had 130 cm long legs, arms that were far too short and a corpulent belly; a field day for the caricaturists. But when he stood on the opera stage and sang, he was idolised.

David Grubbs & Jim O'Rourke’s long-dormant Gastr Del Sol returns with a first “new” release in 25 years, an epic 3LP/2CD box set collecting previously unreleased recordings and rarities influenced by Derek Bailey’s free improv as much as hallowed jazz staples and musique concrète, like some irresistible force ploughing through the increasingly approachable, you might even say polite, output of their post rock contemporaries back in the late 90’s. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it sounds better now than ever, too.

The CD, as always unreleased, is dedicated to the great exponent of the Italian baroque, Antonio Vivaldi, of which six brilliant concertos for oboe and orchestra are offered. They are interpreted by the French oboist and virtuoso Fabien Thouand (First Oboe of the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia) and by Alessandro Tirotta on the podium of the Cilea Theater Orchestra founded in 2003.

The only surviving version of Carlo Gesualdo’s First Book of Madrigals was printed in Spring 1594 by the typographer Vincenzo Baldini. At the time, the composer was twenty-eight years old and had just left behind the murder of his wife, in 1590. In this first publication Gesualdo probably collected pieces composed earlier than 1591. The music is written by a young author, far away from the better-known experimental composer of later years, yet is clear and faultless, and often very effective.

There can only be one Chillout and Lounge Compilation Series being the market leader and it certainly is the Café Del Mar series! There have since been many imitators, but only one true Café Del Mar. No other album will reaffirm further this very simple statement than Volume 20 Includes exclusive tracks from Nightmares on Wax, Goldfrapp, Thievery Corporation, Rae & Christian, Penguin Café, Moby, M83, Morcheeba, Boards of Canada.

The Latin rock band Del Castillo started in the winter of 2000 in Austin, TX, as a family CD project for singer/guitarists and brothers Mark del Castillo and Rick del Castillo, who eventually added Alex Ruiz on lead vocals, guitar, and harmonica; Albert Besteiro on bass; and Mike Zeoli on drums. That CD turned out to be Del Castillo's debut release, Brothers of the Castle, in 2001. Vida followed in 2002, and Brotherhood (with special guest Willie Nelson) in 2006. The group's self-titled fourth album appeared in April 2009. Del Castillo also has contributed to several films directed by Robert Rodriguez, including Spy Kids 3D, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City, and Grindhouse. Performing with Rodriguez under the name Chingon, they recorded a version of the traditional Mexican song "Malaguena Salerosa" used in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Vol. II.

The year 2021 will mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philippe de Monte. This Flemish Renaissance master was one of the greatest composers of his generation. He held the prestigious position of Hofkapellmeister to the Imperial Court for thirty-five years, first in Vienna and then in Prague. He composed more music than any other composer during the second half of the sixteenth century, producing close to eight hundred works; these included secular and sacred madrigals; forty chansons, forty masses, two hundred and fifty motets, and a handful of other sacred works. His compositions were published and distributed in all the important musical centres of Europe; contemporary records show that they were performed from Lisbon to Danzig and from Naples to Dublin. Whilst he was much appreciated within contemporary professional circles throughout his career, the attention paid to him by musicologists and his resultant appreciation by today’s music lovers is not at all in proportion to the great reputation he enjoyed during his lifetime. This selection of madrigals, motets and chansons is a contribution to the restoration of his much-merited fame.