Styles p

The Father, the Son and the Godfather is a snapshot from a time when art music escaped from the courts and churches. Domestic music-making in the company of close friends became a treasured extension of social interaction, and the resulting boom in ‘market opportunities’ offered composers a tremendous freedom in their choices of genres and styles, as demonstrated by this colourful programme. It features three composers whose music could not be more different, taking into account that all works were composed during the span of only two generations by authors who knew each other better than just well: J.S. Bach (the father), C.P.E. Bach (the son) and Georg Philipp Telemann (CPE’s godfather).

The Stories of H.P. Lovecraft is an inspired and exciting musical journey through "weird fiction" as explored by twenty modern Progressive rock bands from around the globe. Jointly published by Colossus and Musea, this boxset includes three discs and a gorgeous sixty-four-page booklet. H.P. Lovecraft was one of the most influential writers of the XXth Century. A pioneer of "weird fiction", he influenced Stephen KING and helped create the subgenre which includes "The Twilight Zone", "The X-Files" and "Fringe". Each participating band chose a different novel, and then composed a musical piece based on, or inspired by, the story. These weird tales proved to be a fantastic launching pad for the bands' imaginations, as this project contains track after track of fantastic and creative Progressive rock…

Almost three centuries ago, in 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) finished writing his Two-Part Inventions, BWV 772–786. Designed for the education of his son Wilhelm Friedemann, these fifteen works explore contrapuntal writing and a variety of different dance styles. Then as now, musicians learned their trade by mastering performance technique and the idiomatic characteristics of their instrument. On this album, pianist Moisés P. Sánchez reinvents this extraordinary set of pieces by employing Bachian principles: reworking on well-known works to translate them into a modern idiom, while retaining their essence. Commissioned by the Fundación Juan March, this project harks back to the original spirit of Bach’s Inventions, taking a creative idea and reimagining it in order to stimulate the musical imagination and seduce the listener with new sonorities.

This LP is actually split between William Bolcom playing five Scott Joplin rags and William Albright performing five James P. Johnson songs. The two solo pianists show that they know their material very well. The Joplin pieces are a bit unusual, for two were originally collaborations with Arthur Marshall while the remaining three were co-written by Joplin and Scott Hayden. These numbers include "Swipesy Cake Walk," "Sunflower Slow Drag," and "Something Doing." The Albright portion of the album has such piano solos as "Mule Walk Stomp," "Eccentricity Syncopated Waltz," and the old showpiece "Carolina Shout." This is classic music that is played with respect and an understanding of the vintage styles.

Marking the 300th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach’s birth in 1714, this 13-CD box at budget price presents a survey of his greatest works, performed by some of the most renowned musicians in the world of historically informed performance. Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach (1714-1788), the second son of JS Bach, was a celebrated figure in his lifetime and is recognised as a crucial figure in the transition from the Baroque to the Classical styles. Mozart, no less, said of him: "He is the father, we are the children.”