Kevin Aiyers June

The Flute Concertos of C.P.E. Bach are among the most dramatic and engrossing of this important composer's works. This Bach was a major influence on Haydn and Mozart, but the music is worth hearing in its own right, and the Concerto in A Minor, which opens this set, is one of the masterpieces of its era. Gallois and the Toronto Camerata use modern instruments, but their performances are permeated by the sensibility of Bach's era. They are clear and forceful, responding beautifully to the pre-romantic elements in the music, and Gallois even adds appropriate embellishments to his playing.

Kevin Mallon leads a Toronto-based, 34-person group of period instrumentalists called the Aradia Ensemble on this new, bargain issue, and it's a terrific, ear-opening show. The music is, above all, joyful, with dance movements galore and plenty of giddy pomp. Mallon has rethought the tempos, almost all of which, he feels, should be quicker than we're accustomed to hearing. If you listen to the Air, the fourth movement to Suite No. 1, you'll be surprised at how good it sounds played without the usual serious "aura" that drags it down. Mallon writes in the accompanying notes that he looked at an 18th-century score for the piece and discovered it was marked "presto".

Innovative string trio Time For Three (TF3) – praised by Simon Rattle as “benevolent monsters, monsters of ability and technique surely. But also conveyors of an infectious joy that I find both touching and moving”– releases the new album Letters for the Future with the Philadelphia Orchestra led by Xian Zhang on Deutsche Grammophon on June 10. The album comprises world premiere recordings of two technically demanding and musically virtuosic concerti for trio and orchestra by two Pulitzer Prize-winning composers, written fifteen years apart but both commissioned for the group: Jennifer Higdon’s 2007 Concerto 4–3 and Kevin Puts’s brand-new Contact, the first track of which is available May 20.

Descended from a noble Dutch family, Count van Wassenaer was a statesman and amateur musician. After his university education and grand tour of Europe, he established in The Hague a Collegium musicum, a group of enthusiastic players who met every week, under the direction of Carlo Ricciotti. He limited his musical activities after his marriage in 1723, going on to serve as a diplomat in Paris and then in Cologne.

Harmonic Oasis (2002). In February 2002 Kevin Wood released his debut CD, "Scenic Listening". Each song on this album takes you to a different setting, such as a cathedral, a mountainside, a waterfall, etc. "Scenic Listening" earned the #4 top-album on the NAV Airwaves Chart, and is now licensed with Orange Music under the revised title name, "Harmonic Oasis". "Harmonic Oasis" stimulates the senses with artfully woven tribal grooves, Gregorian chants, and beautiful melodies. Rich string harmonies and fluid piano conjure vivid images and lush mindscapes.
Sacred (2006). Gregorian Chant, Native American voices, and various world vocals are artfully woven to create a rich tapestry of music that channels the wisdom of the ages. Let the rhythms, the beautiful melodies, and the ancient voices transport you to a place of wisdom, peace, and sanctity - to a place that is truly… Sacred.