Dux Teven

This release is the last in a series of nine Josquin mass recordings by The Tallis Scholars and their director, Peter Phillips. The series began in 1986, and Phillips has been the group's director since it was founded in 1973. The Tallis Scholars are, thus, a well-oiled machine, and they're capable of a flawless vocal blend that's hard to match even among England's superb collection of small choirs (the Scholars are ten strong). There are other ways to sing Josquin, but their hyper-clarity works well in his music, for it brings out the music's striking, Bachian complexity. This particular album, despite its ultimate position, is especially good, for in the Missa Hercules Dux Ferrarie and Missa Faysant Regretz, it's best to have no distractions from the strikingly bold underlying structure.

Adam Maksymienko - Reminiscence of the Future - Gubaidulina, Zolotaryov, Semionov (2019) {DUX 1470}
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© 2019 DUX Recording Producers | DUX 1470
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Accordion

Reminiscence of the Future, Sonatas for accordion is one of the few albums presenting original literature for a concert accordion. Among numerous emerging musical projects, it is certainly a unique one, showing the sound qualities of this instrument and extremely valuable works, until now undiscovered in the world of classical music. In each of them, it is the above-average dose of content that plays the supreme role. The programme content of each sonata is closely related to the fate of a given composer. What connects the composers present on this album is the experience of the hardships of creating in the authoritarian regime. Adam Maksymienko is one of the most prominent accordionists of the young generation, a laureate of numerous competitions, and an artist with considerable stage performance achievements even at such a young age.

Dux, in fact, is the project band of Orthanc’s members. They come from the French underground, they were formed in 2007 and they have released a demo and the full length album “Vintras”. This album was released some time ago (March 2012) and it contains eight compositions of forty five minutes of duration. Musically, Dux hardly reminds of Orthanc, more in the fast parts and in the depressive atmosphere that is created by some passages. Generally their music is more oriented to the traditional, harsh and raw Black Metal sound. But what draws the attention and makes this project more interesting is the combination of that kind of sound with several traditional Heavy Metal touches.

Paweł Szymański - Dissociative Counterpoint Disorder - Małgorzata Sarbak (2016) {Bôłt‎ DUX 1332}
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© 2016 Bôłt: New Music In Eastern Europe / Dux‎ Recording | DUX 1332
Classical / Contemporary Classical

Andrzej Chlopecki, the late critic and animator of the music scene, wrote extensively about Szymanski's music as well as supporting the composer by means of his longtime role with the Warsaw Autumn festival. Chlopecki puts things thus: "the formal structure is beautiful while stylistic expression is calculated: for Szymanski's music is a continual game." He then offers precedents in Johannes Ockeghem and Anton Webern, deducing that Szymanski's "guiding principles would be speculation and constructivism." Rendering the loaded quality in the composer's works, Chlopecki adds that the aim of Szymanski's music is the creation of symbolic entities within abstract art forms."

"In 1976-77 I had written my trilogy, Hubert Greenery Peck, Moments, and Egg Soup, the latter of which comprised ‘A Hypothetical Simulation’ followed by ‘Those and The Eggs.’ Egg Soup originally had lyrics and singing. These songs gradually became finished with the genius of fellow band member James Strain adding his undeniable, unbelievable musical dexterity to the mix. Moving forward close to 46 years later is the brand new ‘The Strainge Case of Steve’ project, an album which is the consummation of all that’s been learned, well trodden, and procured through the years. And James with his mellifluous original songs adding spice and variety, the genius cornerstone of the new Reporters sound! Enjoy!” - Steve Kretzmer

Paweł Szymański - Camerata Silesia Sings Szymański (2016) {DUX 1223}
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© 2016 Dux‎ Recording | DUX 1332
Classical / Contemporary Classical / Choral

In Britain, Paweł Szymański’s name began to appear a few decades ago, seeming to be a natural successor to such composers as Tavener and, particularly, Górecki, but to have taken such an aesthetic in a more overtly postmodernist direction. However, his interest in music of the past, and the way in which he interacts with it, was in any case perhaps closer to Schnittke in many ways. At all events, in his native Poland, and far beyond, he has continued to be a respected and innovative force, as this magnificent disc of four of his works for choir (and instruments) demonstrates.