Final Twelve Days

Finally, a compelling narrative history of the Lincoln assassination that refuses to ignore John Wilkes Booth's motivation: his growing, obsessive commitment to white supremacy.

In September 2009 Alan Gilbert began his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, the first native New Yorker to hold the post. "Passion & Pain: Adams, Haydn & Schubert" is one of four individual performances produced and distributed by the New York Philharmonic and personally selected by Alan Gilbert for commercial release during his inaugural season with the Philharmonic.

The compositions on this CD mark the final forays of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco into expansive works crafted for concert guitarists, bound together by a cohesive concept and a consistent unity of inspiration. Most importantly, they stand as the ultimate pieces for solo guitar that the Italian composer managed to fully complete. “Appunti” op. 210, his final composition for solo guitar, commissioned by Ruggero Chiesa, remain unfinished, albeit of notable merit: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s death precluded their completion, with just the initial two notebooks fulfilled. Moreover, these notebooks were expressly designed for a student audience, since they are characterised by their approachability and mechanical simplicity.

The compositions on this CD mark the final forays of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco into expansive works crafted for concert guitarists, bound together by a cohesive concept and a consistent unity of inspiration. Most importantly, they stand as the ultimate pieces for solo guitar that the Italian composer managed to fully complete. “Appunti” op. 210, his final composition for solo guitar, commissioned by Ruggero Chiesa, remain unfinished, albeit of notable merit: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s death precluded their completion, with just the initial two notebooks fulfilled. Moreover, these notebooks were expressly designed for a student audience, since they are characterised by their approachability and mechanical simplicity.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’s 150th anniversary (12th October) is one of the major musical commemorations of this autumn. It is marked on our side by the release of a 30 CD boxset spanning his major achievements by the greatest performers. Adrian Boult, Janet Baker, Vernon Handley, the Choir of King’s College, Simon Rattle and more are all gathered in this collection of the 70 best tracks from the boxset. The title, An English Music, reflects Vaughan Williams’ commitment to using elements from British folklore and the Elizabethan masters to forge his own musical personality and become the figurehead of a typically British school.

The compositions on this CD mark the final forays of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco into expansive works crafted for concert guitarists, bound together by a cohesive concept and a consistent unity of inspiration. Most importantly, they stand as the ultimate pieces for solo guitar that the Italian composer managed to fully complete. “Appunti” op. 210, his final composition for solo guitar, commissioned by Ruggero Chiesa, remain unfinished, albeit of notable merit: Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s death precluded their completion, with just the initial two notebooks fulfilled. Moreover, these notebooks were expressly designed for a student audience, since they are characterised by their approachability and mechanical simplicity.

The ‘fount of grace’ of the title is the Virgin Mary, to whom Machaut addresses his appeals for mercy during a turbulent period in France’s history.