MARCE & DANZE

Marce & Dance 2008 is a celebration of the 75th birthday (June) of Claudio Abbado.

With a program that moves gracefully from Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven to Berlioz, Hindemith, and Prokofiev, Abbado creates a collection filled with charming contrasts and piquant juxtapositions. Anyone looking for a disc of classical music at its most approachable and enjoyable will surely get pleasure from this release, but those who have known and admired Abbado's work for the past 40 years may find it just a bit sad. Deutsche Grammophon's digital sound is typically clear, crisp, and detailed.

ENCHANTMENT

"This is an excellent collection of works that show off the talents of this amazing young singer. Ignore the glossy photos and listen to the music...the music is every bit as beautiful as the singer." -MusicWeb July 2006

Magdalena Kožená is one of the most well respected contemporary singers. She is in demand as a guest at leading world operas and concert stages. Her position as one of the most sought-after and distinctive mezzosopranos is borne out by a number of awards, which she has won throughout her career in the Czech Republic and abroad, as well as an exclusive contract with the recording company Deutsche Grammophon. 

CLASSIC YO-YO

Except for one "previously unreleased" recording and two new ones, this is a compilation of segments taken from older Yo-Yo Ma CDs, perhaps to whet listeners' appetite to hear the entire records. The disc represents a triumph of performance over material. The program consists of short pieces and single movements of long ones and serves to display Yo-Yo Ma's extraordinary versatility, his spectacular instrumental and musical gifts, and his remarkable ability to invest everything he plays with the same commitment and emotional concentration. 

There is no logic to the sequence, except that it begins and ends with solo cello. Bach, whom Ma plays tuned normally when unaccompanied and tuned low with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, may justify the CD's title but seems out of place. Moreover, juxtaposing him with O'Connor and Piazzolla is jarring, though the Tangos are beautiful. The transcription of Dvorák's lovely E-minor Slavonic Dance, despite the participation of violinist Itzhak Perlman and his golden tone, sounds like a movie soundtrack: all bravura and cheap effects.

The playing's the thing, and it is stunning, not only Yo-Yo Ma's, but that of all his collaborators, from vocalists Bobby McFerrin and Alison Krauss to pianist Emanuel Ax, Ma's duo partner of 25 years. Ax joins Ma for the Finale of Brahms's second cello sonata; that is what you may find yourself humming at the end. --Edith Eisler

For LOVERS Romantic Classics

Wild happiness, butterflies in your stomach, an all-consuming longing - anymore who has been in love knows the emotional ups and downs involved. No other art form can reflect and express romantic love as directly and intensely as music. This CD contains some of the most romantic compositions ever written - as background music for dreams filled with yearning, or to enjoy together with the person that sets your heart aflutter!

Kovacevich · Menuhin · Meyer · Haitink · Karajan · Marriner

ROJOTANGO

“[Ziegler] shows real empathy for the material and, with what one assumes is a scratch band of musicians, provides an excellent platform to support Schrott's dark-hued and gripping performances. Schrott may have made his name in opera but he proves a vital exponent of these smaller forms...Sony's recording is excellent” --Gramophone Magazine, Awards Issue 2011

“Schrott is at his best in up-tempo numbers such as Violeta Parra's Gracias a la Vida, where you hear the laughter and pleasure in his tone, or Piazzolla's throbbing Rinascerò, which he snarls very sexily. Jobim's languid Insensatez is bliss” --The Guardian, 12th May 2011 ***

Erwin Schrott, (bass-baritone), Pablo Ziegler (piano)

Celebrated opera star Erwin Schrott dedicates his debut album on the label to the irresistible and passionate music of his Latin American origin.

This highly personal album has great significance for Erwin and comes from the depth of his heart. He chose to collaborate with Astor Piazzolla’s former pianist Pablo Ziegler, who not only plays piano on the album, but also provides both authentic musical arrangements, as well as his own original compositions.

The imaginative and intriguing program features a varied and exciting selection of passionate tangos by Astor Piazzolla, Pablo Ziegler and Juan Carlos Cobian as well as a number of evocative Argentinean and Brazilian folk songs.

Rojotango (Red Tango) forms a leitmotiv to the whole album and illustrates the emotional range featured in Tango: “ a mixture of passion, excitement, pain, bliss, torment and freedom” as Erwin Schrott puts it.

The music of South America, steeped in sultry passion, irresistible dance rhythms and melancholic reflection is a unique challenge for the vocal and interpretive abilities of a great singer. “Rojotango” promises to reveal new facets of Erwin’s sensuously dark, chocolatey voice.

This album will appeal to opera fans, a contemporary lifestyle audience and genuine fans of tango nuevo.