Homer's Secret Iliad Kenneth Wood

Prima Facie presents Salon and Stage, the second volume of Kenneth Hamilton's internationally acclaimed Liszt series. In contrast to the first album, Death and Transfiguration, this recording offers a life-enhancing selection of virtuoso transcriptions from song and opera. But it happily shares with its predecessor Hamilton's passion for these pieces. He has sought out Liszt's oft-ignored recommendations on their interpretation and studied the reminiscences and recordings of his students. He has, in effect, tried to think like a Liszt pupil, and to immerse himself in a performance tradition that goes well beyond the printed text.

Although familiar with the Art of Fugue for much of my life, I did not set about learning it in its entirety until 2020. When Covid-19 put all concert life on hold, like my fellow musicians, I was left homebound with an ever increasing calendar of cancellations; my first Art of Fugue recital was the one I mourned the most. I took advantage of the time of seclusion to immerse myself in the work. Day after day, I turned to it for comfort, for inspiration and for connection in an unsure world. To be in constant awe at Bach’s limitless imagination and skill while challenging myself to hear - really hear - all that was going on, elevated my mood and gave me great joy. It was an act of devotion. I cherish the memory of it.

“Movement” is a work based on various piano sketches by Kenneth Kirschner, which Orphax edited, added synthesizer and organ, and mixed. The title “Movement” for this work comes with the idea that the music is continuously moving and never really stands still. It is also a reference to classical music, where a composition can be built up from different movements. This work has something similar, and consists of 5 different movements coming from multiple piano sketches (often combined).

Mit seinem elaborierten, polyphonen Schaffen gilt der "Römisch Kayserliche Cammer-Organist" im Dienst des Habsburger-Kaisers Ferdinand III. in Wien als Schlüsselfigur der Musik im 17. Jahrhundert. Er ist der erste expressive Virtuose und Komponist für Tasteninstrumente, der Begründer eines idiomatischen deutschen Clavierstils. In allen Clavier-Gattungen seiner Zeit setzte der Frescobaldi-Schüler Froberger dabei Maßstäbe, komponierte Fantasien, Canzonen, Suiten, Ricercare und Capriccios für Orgel, Cembalo und Clavichord. Für Johann Sebastian Bach wurde das innovative Suitenwerk zum Vorbild. Vor allem seine Toccaten im sogenannten "stylus fantasticus" sorgten mit eruptiven Wechseln von rhapsodischen und fugierten Abschnitten für Furore.

From 1990 to 1993 Kenneth Weiss was Musical Assistant to William Christie at Les Arts Florissants. He has since focused on harpsichord recitals and Baroque chamber music performing in numerous festivals and concert halls around the world. Kenneth Weiss performs as a soloist with Europa Galante, direction Fabio Biondi, and the Collegium Vocal Gent directed by Philippe Herreweghe, and since 2005 has been giving Bach recitals with Fabio Biondi, including concerts at the Aix en Provence Festival and the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest written literary text in Middle Eastern/Western cultural history, predates the Hebrew Bible. The epic relates the story of King Gilgamesh, partly divine, partly human, who may have existed historically circa 2800 BC. From immature youth and a belief in his immortality, he eventually comes to accept the power and reality of Death. The Resurrection of the Soldiers for string orchestra was commissioned by George Vass, to whom it is dedicated, and the English Symphony Orchestra.

Der französische Komponist und Organist Louis-Nicolas Clérambault war auch ein guter Geiger und entstammte einer musikalischen Dynastie. Sein Stil war von den großen italienischen Komponisten seiner Zeit geprägt, vor allem von Corelli. Und so schrieb er eigene Werke mit italienischem Flair in französischen Stil.