Oliver Reed

Calefax is an internationally acclaimed ensemble of reed players renowned for performing their own arrangements and newly commissioned compositions for the unique combination of oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon. Switching genres and periods with consummate ease, this adventurous new release for PENTATONE from the reed quintet Calefax is a superb collection of well-honed arrangements of less familiar works, all played with the ensemble’s customary verve, passion, and mellow sound. From the frothy virtuosity of Corelli and Locatelli to the haunting beauty of Gesualdo, Satie, and the heartfelt introspection of Nina Simone, it’s an astonishingly varied and intriguing programme.

After fifteen years of playing mostly ‘groundbreaking’, modern music, slowly but surely more Romantic composers entered Calefax’s repertoire. This album is the Romantic Anthology that was bound to happen, filled with voluptuous nineteenth-century compositions.

The reed players of Calefax go on a musical road trip across the United States on An American Rhapsody. The programme captures several iconic composers from different periods and backgrounds, ranging from Florence Price, Harry Burleigh,
George Gershwin, Samuel Barber and Moondog to Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Billie Strayhorn, Stevie Wonder and Kinan Azmeh. Taken together, these pieces reflect America’s kaleidoscopic diversity and its rich yet complex culture and history. The album is a declaration of love to a country that Calefax has frequently visited over the last two decades and continues to fascinate.

On February 27, 2001, nearly a year after the first soundtrack's release, Universal/Decca released Gladiator: More Music From the Motion Picture. This CD contained an additional 18 cuts from the film (including remixes of earlier scores, such as "Now We Are Free"). Many tracks also use dialogue from the movie, such as Maximus Decimus Meridius' quote "Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife… and I will have my vengeance."

As its name suggests, Quiffs At The Flicks is a celebration of music from the rock n roll era, as included in feature films of the time. More than that, it is a celebration of specifically British feature films.