Harvest of Sorrow

Sergei Rachmaninoff is now widely regarded as one of the greatest 20th-century composers and pianists. He was born on April 1, 1873, on a large estate near the ancient city of Novgorod, Russia. His father was an army officer and his mother was a wealthy heiress. His father gambled, drank, and squandered his wife's money. He deserted his family when Sergei was nine years old.

Robert Conquest's The Harvest of Sorrow helped to reveal to the West the true and staggering human cost of the Soviet regime in its deliberate starvation of millions of peasants and remains one of the most important works of Soviet history ever written.

Soprano Natalya Romaniw and pianist Lada Valešová take us on a journey through Slavic song on this sumptuous album. Welsh-born soprano Natalya Romaniw is of Ukrainian descent, roots she explores in this recital, which is dedicated to her Ukrainian grandfather. The generous programme encompasses a wealth of music by Russian and Czech composers. Dvorák's Love Songs, Op.83, are at the heart of the album, and his idiomatic Czech style influenced Janácek, from whom we hear a selection of Moravian folk songs. Novák in turn was fascinated by Moravian folk music and was influenced by Janácek; Novák's gift for melody shines in Romaniw's interpretations of his songs. From Russia, meanwhile, we hear magical, almost operatic music from Rimsky-Korsakov, powerful passion from Tchaikovsky, and some of Rachmaninov's most exquisite songs. Natalya Romaniw is often noted for the Slavic character of her voice, a quality heard to full effect on this recording.

Soprano Natalya Romaniw and pianist Lada Valešová take us on a journey through Slavic song on this sumptuous album. Welsh-born soprano Natalya Romaniw is of Ukrainian descent, roots she explores in this recital, which is dedicated to her Ukrainian grandfather.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded edition of the legendary self-titled debut album by Barclay James Harvest. Produced by Norman Smith (also famed for his work with Pink Floyd and the Pretty Things), Barclay James Harvest was dominated by the twelve minute epic Dark Now My Sky and also featured such wonderful material as The Iron Maiden, Mother Dear, When the World Was Woken and the fine rock tracks Taking Some Time On and Good Love Child. The album established Barclay James Harvest as a unique group and paved the way for a remarkable career and a catalogue of music that continues to endure. This deluxe edition features a new remaster of the original album, along with stunning new stereo and multichannel mix.

The second instalment of the complete Piano Works by Earl Wild! Earl Wild (1915-2010) was without doubt one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. His immense repertoire, his staggering virtuosity, his warmth and his charm deserve him the epithet legendary. Wild was a great improviser as well, and he frequently played his own fantasies in his concerts. Fortunately he wrote these wonderful pieces down, and his creative legacy contains a wealth of transcriptions, fantasies and paraphrases, as well as original piano works.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Official Soundtrack is arriving December 8.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s Official Soundtrack is scored by Emmy-nominated composer Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel). “My goal is to create a score that resonates with people’s hearts and minds, that will stay with them,” Toprak explains. “It’s such a stunningly told, beautiful story, I want to make sure that the audience is engaged in that. The music has a part in that storytelling.”

Tunesmith: The Songs Of Jimmy Webb is a 2CD 2003 compilation from Australia honoring the music and songwriting of Jimmy Webb. Raven Records made this.