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George Zacharias
"Nel cor pi√π non mi sento, Op. 38, MS 44" (mp3)
from "Unaccompanied"
(Divine Art)

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Artist: George Zacharias

It takes a particular and extreme level of skill and dedication to perform virtuoso works for unaccompanied solo violin; suffice it to say these are qualities held by George Zacharias without doubt. This is a tour-de-force of musicianship and technique - and wonderful music too. Bartok's Sonata is presented in its original version and of the two awesome Paganini works, the 'God Save the King' Variations are very rarely heard.



Dejan Laziƒ?, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Petrenko
"Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18" (mp3)
from "Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 - Moments Musicaux, Op. 16"
(Channel Classics Records)

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Artist: Dejan Lazic

Pianist Dejan Lazic was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and grew up in Salzburg where he studied at the Mozarteum. He is quickly establishing a reputation worldwide as ìa brilliant pianist and a gifted musician full of ideas and able to project them persuasivelyî (Gramophone). The New York Times hailed his performance as ìfull of poetic, shapely phrasing and vivid dynamic effects that made this music sound fresh, spontaneous and impassionedî. As recitalist and soloist with orchestra, he has appeared at major venues in Berlin, Paris, London, Vienna, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Sydney, and at the Edinburgh, Schleswig-Holstein, Verbier, Huntington and Menuhin/Gstaad Festivals. In the 2006/2007 season he gave his debut at the New York Lincoln Center and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw to great critical acclaim. Orchestral engagements included the Philharmonia Orchestra London with Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rotterdam and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, Australian and Netherlands Chamber Orchestras, Danish Radio Sinfonietta and Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming engagements are with London Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras and Basel Chamber Orchestra. He will be in season 2008/09 ìartist in residenceî at the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra. He has a growing following in the Far East where he returns in spring 2008 for engagements with the Sapporo Symphony and for recitals in Tokyo and Beijing as well as for an engagement with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2009 a national Australian tour is planned with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. In the next season he will appear in recitals at the BBC Belfast, in Istanbul and Salzburg, Queen Elisabeth Hall London and at Vienna Musikverein to mention just a few. Alongside his solo career, Dejan Lazic is also a passionate chamber musician. He collaborates with artists such as Benjamin Schmid, Thomas Zehetmair, Gordan Nikolic and Richard Tognetti. Dejan records exclusively for Channel Classics. In autumn 2007 the first publication of the double portrait series with a Scarlatti/Bartok program is planned. The second CD will be released in 2008 with a Schumann/Brahms program as well as a recording of the Khachaturian Concerto and the Rachmaninov Paganini Rhapsody with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and a CD with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2. His last recording of Schubertís sonata D960 and his earlier one with Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 have earned rave reviews. His compositions include various chamber music and orchestral works. In 2007/08 he will premiere his ìKinderszenenî op. 15 for piano solo.


Album Notes:

You're going to compose your concerto. You will work with great ease. The concerto will be of excellent quality

So spoke Dr. Nikolai Dahl, of one of the pioneers of psychiatry in Russia, and in this way he successfully restored Sergey Rachmaninov's concentration during a period of creative despair after the failure of his first Symphony. Later, Rachmaninov himself was to write: ìEven though it seems unbelievable, this therapy truly helped me. I was already starting to compose by summer!î
Although they were separated by the crisis which interrupted his work, both the second Piano Concerto and the ìMoments Musicauxî date from the composer's early period, during which he was active primarily as a composer rather than a pianist. This explains the character of the second Piano Concerto, which partakes of both chamber music and symphony, despite the dazzling virtuosity of the solo piano part. Unlike many of Rachmaninov's other works, the concerto, dedicated in thanks to his doctor, was never revised after the first performance-another indication of the ease and freshness with which Rachmaninov went to work.

The formal simplicity (e.g., in the first movement: main theme in the minor, second theme in the relative major, the development section laid out as a large-scale accelerando with gradually increasing dynamics, recapitulation with both themes, although given out with different instrumentation) is just as classically conceived as the choice of tonalities for the three movements (opening and closing movements in C minor, the slow central movement in E major, just as in Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, except for the introductory modulations), and the balanced alternation between the freely improvisatory, martially strict, and dancelike, as well as between polyphonic and homophonic writing. However, all three movements are in 2/2 time, making the frequent shifts between 2/2 and 3/2 in the third movement all the more refreshing....

http://www.channelclassics.com/

New Century Saxophone Quartet
"The Art of Fugue" (mp3)
from "Bach: The Art of Fugue"
(Channel Classics Records)

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Artist: New Century Saxophone Quartet


The New Century Saxophone Quartet is a pioneering and versatile group winning new-found enthusiasm for its diverse repertory of innovative contemporary works and imaginative adaptations comprising an extraordinary range of musical styles. The only ensemble of its kind to win First Prize of the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the quartet is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and in its home state from the North Carolina Arts Council. New Century has been heard in major concert venues and on radio and television throughout the Americas and Europe; in recordings for the Channel Classics label; and in unusual performance settings including two Command Performances for President Clinton at the White House, an appearance with the United States Navy Band, and a Chinese New Year broadcast seen by a television audience of over 300 million worldwide. Peter Schickeleís Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra is among the ensembleís numerous and widely-performed commissions and premieres, which also include works from Saturday Night Live bandleader Lenny Pickett, Bob Mintzer, Ben Johnston, David Ott, and Sherwood Shaffer.



Album Notes:
This project then is the culmination of over eight years studying, rehearsing, and performing Bach, and even in its "final" form on this disc represents a work in progress. As the quartet has discovered, one is never through learning Bach. Faced with the infinite possibilities of interpretation, one never plays it the same way twice. (Even in "extreme" interpretations, the music almost never suffers.) Also, one cannot spend this much time in the presence of the master without being fundamentally changed as a musician. The quartet has become keenly aware through this process that playing "The Art of Fugue" has changed everything ?ó the way they listen to each other, hear and experience an individual musical line and its relation to the surrounding parts, balance a chord or section of counterpoint, and even tune. The New Century Saxophone Quartet simply sounds different now, and they approach every piece, new and old, with a fresh perspective. It is their sincere desire to present the music of Bach in a way that is true to his intentions and the stylistic practices of the period, and yet with a vitality and freshness that can come from over 250 years of perspective. It is hoped you are as moved and inspired by the mastery of "The Art of Fugue" as they are.

http://www.channelclassics.com/