Nesles Blanche

When Gabriel Fauré was a boy, Berlioz had just written La damnation de Faust and Henry David Thoreau was writing Walden. By the time of his death, Stravinsky had written The Rite of Spring and World War I had ended in the devastation of Europe. In this dramatic period in history, Fauré strove to bring together the best of traditional and progressive music and, in the process, created some of the most exquisite works in the French repertoire. He was one of the most advanced figures in French musical circles and influenced a generation of composers world-wide.

This fourth volume in Christopher Guild’s ongoing survey of the piano music of the pianist-composer Ronald Stevenson (1928–2015) – a major figure in the cultural life of twentieth-century Scotland – presents works inspired by the human voice, where Stevenson was concerned above all to make the piano sing, to allow it to express human feeling as naturally as possible. That concern can be heard both in his own pieces and his many transcriptions of music by other composers, which balance sophisticated craftsmanship and a refreshing emotional directness.

Four CD set featuring mono and stereo mixes of the three albums The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band recorded for Reprise Records, marking the first time the mono mixes have been available on CD. In addition to the mono and stereo mixes of the albums and some edited 45 releases, this set also features an abundance of previously unissued recordings, including out-takes from 'Volume 2' and an entire alternate version of 'A Child's Guide To Good And Evil' that offers a fascinating insight into the production of that album, as well as a rare radio promo spot. The set has been lovingly remastered by Alec Palao and also includes a 40-page booklet featuring an extensive history of the WCPAEB by Gray Newell packed with rare photos and other memorabilia. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, an unlikely musical collaboration between a trio of well-heeled teenage musicians from the Hollywood Hills and a wealthy wannabe- hipster playboy in his mid- 30s, are regarded by those in the know as one of the most idiosyncratic groups to emerge during the psychedelic era, attracting a devoted cult following thanks to their unique sound. The WCPAEB recorded three albums for Reprise between 1966 and 1968, and this collection captures the group at their creative peak.

For his debut on Warner Classics, Samoan tenor Pene Pati matches favourite showpiece arias with rarer operatic gems in a programme of Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Gounod and Benjamin Godard. Pati has been called “a revelation … stunning for his generosity of voice, top notes of apparently invincible power, and alluring timbre, “ (Forum Opéra) and praised for his “gleaming, sensuous stream of sound” (San Francisco Chronicle). A singer of glowing lyricism who establishes an immediate rapport with his audience, Pati hopes that the album will leave listeners with a sense of “warmth, tenderness, and the sincerity of storytelling. To me, this is the essence of opera and the reason why I sing.” He is joined by conductor Emmanuel Villaume and the Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine.

The T.S.O.B. Anthology: The Funk & Disco Sound Of Brooklyn provides a comprehensive overview of the cutting edge New York based record label that specialized in funk and disco in the early 1980's known as T.S.O.B. (The Sound Of Brooklyn). The original 12” vinyl singles that originated from this label now command top dollar among collectors not only for their rarity, but for the quality of funky music the label produced. Featured artists include Blanche Carter (of The Night People), The Night People, The Live Band, Zalmac featuring Zulema, Mel Sheppard, Wild Sugar, Cory and more. All 13 tracks feature the original 12” mixes and are newly remastered.