Peter Nagy

This is a very pleasing assortment from among Grieg's 66 short Lyric Pieces, written between 1866-1891. There were 6-8 pieces in each of the 10 "books", and this collection of 30 pieces contains selections from 9 of the books (there is no selection from Book 62 for some reason). Each and every one presented here is a pure delight, and represent Grieg's life-long desire to create a true Norwegian music genre derived from the folk music, dances, stories and natural environment of Norway. Every piece is evocative and the entire disc is delightful, thanks to the colorful and imaginative piano of Balazs Szokolay.

Five of the discs on this six-CD set are previously released Naxos recordings of a broad variety of works by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. The set offers a generous sampling of works spanning the composer's career, from his polystylistic Collage über BACH (1964) for orchestra to his 2001 Nunc dimittis for a cappella chorus.

Formed by world reknown keyboardist Jim Alfredson (organissimo, Dirty Fingers, Janiva Magness, Greg Nagy Band, Root Doctor) Theo harkens back to the keyboard-centric superbands of the 1970s like Yes, Genesis, and Emerson Lake and Palmer, but with a distinctly modern and bold approach. Theo also represents a return to the concept of the keyboardist as a vital and irreplaceable part of the group, rather than a mere sideman. The intrepid and dynamic music is paired with auspicious lyrical themes of corporatization, consumerism, loss of innocence, exile, and the obsession with celebrity. Lead vocals are handled by Alfredson himself. Usually relegated to background duties, Alfredson's surprisingly flexible baritone voice shifts from soaring muscularity to intimate falsetto and everything between. The eponymous debut album features six tracks including an epic three song opening suite comprising 24 minutes.