Silent City

Reference Recordings proudly presents two new works from leading American composer Jonathan Leshnoff. Distinguished by The New York Times as “a leader of contemporary American lyricism,” Leshnoff is renowned for his music's striking harmonies, structural complexity, and powerful themes. These world premiere recordings showcase the Kansas City Symphony performing his third symphony, inspired by World War I letters home, with texts sung by baritone Stephen Powell. It is coupled with Leshnoff ’s new and exciting piano concerto, dedicated to and performed by pianist Joyce Yang. This is the eighth album in Reference Recordings’ series with Kansas City Symphony.

Felix Mendelssohn did visit the city of Birmingham several times, but the Chandos label's Mendelssohn in Birmingham series refers for the most part to these contemporary performances by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Edward Gardner. If you've been interested in trying out an item from the series, this one can be recommended strongly. The low-key, lyrical approach of conductor Gardner works beautifully in these two pieces. Especially effective is the Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, in the hands of violinist Jennifer Pike: she catches the novel role of the soloist in this concerto in a way that bigger performances do not.

The return of the Memphis soul/funk/jazz trio The City Champs. Members, Al Gamble (St. Paul & The Broken Bones), George Sluppick (Chris Robinson Brotherhood) and Joe Restivo (Don Bryant) have been secretly concocting these tasty, solar expansing nuggets since their last output in 2010.

City Boy's self-titled debut ranges from blues/funk tunes to mellow AOR songs to progressive, melodic tracks - there's something on the album for most everyone to like. From the Sweet-ish anthem "The Greatest Story Ever Told" to the quirky "Oddball Dance," City Boy is an eclectic, interesting and notable introduction.

On this album, the band focuses on the glam rock sound of the mid- to late-'70s (swirling guitars, high-pitched harmonies) on tracks like "Dear Jean (I'm Nervous)" and "The Man Who Ate His Car," but City Boy maintains its soft rock sound with light keyboard touches and soft vocals on songs such as "One After Two" and the title track. Young Men Gone West has an interesting, albeit uneven, mix of songs that doesn't have the same quirky, eclectic feel of the first two albums - but it is a worthy effort nonetheless.

With a captivating collection of lush new arrangements for violin and orchestra of film and TV scores, classical music from the movies, anime hits and new compositions by Oscar-winning composers, the album Cinéma showcases Esther Abrami’s versatility, musical sensitivity and technical mastery. Available on CD, Cinéma features unique new arrangements of blockbuster hits such as ‘Naruto’, ‘Demon Slayer’, ‘The Witcher’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ alongside iconic French music such as ‘Amélie’ and ‘Les Choristes’ as well as beloved classics by Pjotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich and Astor Piazzolla.

'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.

Contemporary cuts, but with a vibe that resonates with the best modes of 70s mellow soul and AOR – an impeccable selection of tracks that we might have missed otherwise, pulled from a range of releases from around the globe! Some of these are artists that have more presence in the digital market than the physical one, others are maybe older acts that have continued to make great music underground – and together, the 19 tracks in this set deliver plenty of the promised sparkle throughout! Titles include "Fireplace" by Penthouse, "On The Very Low" by Ivan Ave, "Call It Home" by Ginger Root, "1/7 (10*9)" by Julia Wu, "Goddess" by Matt Johnson, "You'll Never Get To Heaven" by Workshy, "Lose June" by Randy Goodrum, "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me" by Young Gun Silver Fox, "Another One" by Mandoo, "BMPD" by Smooth Reunion, "Aim High" by 9m88, "Cauliflower" by Jak Lizard, and "Live Learn" by The California Honeydrops.

'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.