Nonetheless

Francis Poulenc’s corpus of songs is one of the most generous and accomplished in the French repertoire. Born in 1899 and living until 1963, he inherited the art of the 19th century, which he succeeded in renewing while remaining within the bounds of tonal language, setting mostly contemporary poets (Apollinaire, Éluard, Aragon, Louise de Vilmorin). He drew his inspiration from the atmosphere specific to each text, but also from listening attentively to the timbre and rhythm of the poet reading his or her own works. This was, in the composer’s view, an essential key to penetrating the mystery of their creations. Associating the specific experience of the poet with his own personal memories, Poulenc created an expressive aura unique in the song output of his time.

‘Mendelssohn in Birmingham’ is an exciting new recording project with the CBSO and its Principal Guest Conductor, Edward Gardner. It celebrates Mendelssohn’s special relationship with the city’s Town Hall and will feature the complete symphonies recorded there. It was a venue much loved by Mendelssohn and saw him conduct many of his own works there, including premieres. ‘Mendelssohn in Birmingham’ also encompasses a major concert series at the Town Hall which will run alongside these recordings.

Busoni’s opera, Doktor Faust is unquestionably one of the experimental operatic masterpieces of the twentieth-century. The composer wrote his own libretto and worked on the composition for nearly two decades, although it remained unfinished on his death in 1924. Doktor Faust was completed the following year by Busoni’s pupil, Philipp Jarnach.

In 1965 and 1966 tenor giant Sonny Rollins issued three albums for the Impulse label. They would be his last until 1972 when he re-emerged on the scene from a self-imposed retirement. This date is significant for the manner in which Rollins attacks five standards with a quartet that included pianist Ray Bryant, bassist Walter Booker and drummer Mickey Roker. ~ AllMusic

One of the most dramatically accomplished of all the bands lumped into Britain's late-'60s prog explosion, Curved Air was formed in early 1970 by violinist Darryl Way, a graduate of the Royal College of Music, and two former members of Sisyphus, keyboard player Francis Monkman and drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa. Adding bassist Robert Martin, the band named itself from avant-garde composer Terry Riley's A Rainbow in Curved Air, a touchstone that would inform much of their early work…

Busoni’s opera, Doktor Faust is unquestionably one of the experimental operatic masterpieces of the twentieth-century. The composer wrote his own libretto and worked on the composition for nearly two decades, although it remained unfinished on his death in 1924. Doktor Faust was completed the following year by Busoni’s pupil, Philipp Jarnach.