Emma Peters Fous

Stars And Fishes (2004). The Mediterranean is a wonderful symbol of warmth, and it's the inspiration behind this disc, masterminded by producers Marco Bussian and Jean-Charles Vandermynsbrugge. They provide the music and beats, which shimmer in a lovely heat haze, and bring in vocalists to add some magical singing. Often it works well, as with Ozlem Cetin's "Le Reve Est Mort," or "Conmigo," with Sol Ruiz de Galarreta providing the vocal cords. At times, however, it can veer perilously close to the murky terrain of lounge music, as on "Cosmic Lullaby," where even Clair Dietrich's singing can't rescue something mediocre. However, that's the exception to the rule: the vast majority of this disc positively glows and sticks like a burr in the mind…

These little pieces for saxophone, largely unknown even to saxophonists since their composition in 1929, may be viewed in several ways. The composer, the mostly Leipzig-based Sigfrid Karg-Elert, termed them "in primary respects higher studies for the development of new paths in technique and expressive means" for the saxophone. But saxophonist Christian Peters argues for their wider expressive significance. He himself wrote the booklet notes, which include a good deal of interesting biographical information (he was born simply Sigfrid, or Siegfried, Karg, but was urged by teachers to append his mother's maiden name to his surname to deflect "Semitic suspicions").

The debut album by Emma-Jean Thackray feels exactly like the sort of thing we’ve been longing for over the last 12 months: a transcendent, human, shared experience. Across its 49 minutes, Yellow draws glowing lines between ‘70s jazz fusion and P-Funk, the cosmic invocations of Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane, and the gorgeous orchestration of the Beach Boys.

Emma Stevens swaps folk convention that marked her previous records for brighter pop waves. Her fourth studio record, Light Year, out today (April 30), remains earth-bound with her rootsy songwriting style, yet leaps through the stratosphere with starry patterns, decorative synths, and programmed beats. “When I write an album, I don’t tend to specifically set out to make sure all the songs blend well,” she tells American Songwriter. “I really like a lot of different music, and that gets reflected in what I make. This album has a lot of ups and downs, I’ll give you that.”

Boireann features two compositions specifically crafted for this release. “Five Études for Two Flutes” reimagines earlier pieces for two violins, demonstrating Buckley’s ability to transpose musical ideas across different instrumental settings. “In Memoriam Doris Keogh,” a three-movement piece for flute and piano, reflects the broad musical interests of Buckley’s flute teacher, Doris Keogh, offering a touching tribute to her influence.

Happy the couples for whom Bach wrote wedding cantatas! BWV 202 and BWV 210 are two of his most attractive and charming works. BWV 202, the earlier and shorter of the pair, evokes the joys of both spring and true love in a succession of lively dance tunes, while BWV 210’s tongue-in-cheek account of music’s effect on lovers includes five exquisite arias, not least the teasing lullaby ‘Ruhet hie’. Emma Kirkby sings these cantatas – plus three songs from Anna Magdalena’s music-book – with a natural fluency and grace that is always engaging, despite a few uncomfortable moments in the highest registers.

Emma Myldenberger have a unique sound, essentially acoustic, mixing various elements from authentic pagan folk to medieval and psych-progressive rock. Their first album was released in 1978. Musical themes are closed to ancient music, ritualistic in nature. The instrumentation essentially refers to a nice orchestration made of guitars, oboe, ocarina, mandolin, crumhorn, hand percussions, with addition of a fragile female voice and an almost eastern-like exoticism. Their second album called "Tour de trance" is considered to be one of the most achieved psych-folk listenings. A very ambitious effort made of high quality kraut-folk improvisations. After two releases the band formed the Radio Noisz Ensemble (Third Ear Band, Between similar musical experiences). Garden of Delight reissues contain some precious informations about the band short history. An important document.

Emma Kirkby, doyenne of the Early Music scene, here shows that she's just as comfortable in music of a more recent vintage. Amy Beach was a woman ahead of her time, performing as solo pianist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra by the age of 18. The same year (1885), she married Henry Beach and, no longer able to perform publicly (it would have gone against her social status), she instead settled down to composing. And delightful stuff it is, too, as Kirkby and friends demonstrate in this charming recital. A number of the songs add violin, cello, or both to the piano and voice combination. "Ecstasy," for instance, has a most effective violin part that is an ideal foil to the purity of Kirkby's voice. Other highlights include the Schumannesque Browning Songs and the amiable Shakespeare Songs (the last of which, "Fairy Lullaby," is irresistible). The final item here, "Elle et moi," is an upbeat little number that suits Kirkby's lithe soprano to perfection. Occasionally, in some of the more lushly textured songs, such as "A Mirage" and "Stella Viatoris," perhaps a fuller voice would have been preferable, but then sample "Chanson d'amour" (written when Beach was only 21 and with a wonderful cello part in addition to the piano) and try to imagine it being better sung. The purely instrumental items are played with unfailing sensitivity and elegance. The Romance is straight out of the salon, while the much later Piano Trio (though actually based on early material) packs plenty of emotion and variety into its 14 minutes. The recording is exemplary, as are the concise notes and texts and translations.

With her almost supernaturally clear and agile soprano, Emma Kirkby has enchanted audiences ever since she first appeared on the Early Music scene in the 1970s. And as the art of historically informed performance has become more and more widely appreciated, so has her style of singing, to the extent that she in 2007 was included in a listing of ‘the 20 greatest sopranos ever’ made by the BBC Music Magazine. Throughout her career, Emma Kirkby has made a large number of recordings of a wide range of music. Released on the occasion of her 60th birthday, the present collection celebrates her collaboration with BIS, which has resulted in ten discs to date.