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Romain Humeau – Mousquetaire, Vol. 2 (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 55:16 minutes | 668 MB | Genre: Rock, Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Seeds Bombs Music
Romain Humeau, le leader du groupe Eiffel, revient avec UN album solo chez Pias [Le Label]. Après 5 albums d’Eiffel (plus de 500 concerts) et le succès de ‘A tout moment’, la réalisation de 2 albums pour Bernard Lavilliers, la création pour France Culture autour de ‘Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique’ de Michel Tournier avec Denis Lavant présentée au Festival d’Avignon, il s’est enfermé dans son studio bordelais pour composer et enregistrer cet album solo. Narrateur hors pair, il cisèle la langue française et la fond avec ses références anglosaxonnes (XTC, Damon Albarn, Tom Waits, Ray Davies.). Mélodies implacables, harmonies subtiles, arrangements foisonnants cet album fera date dans la discographie de l’artiste et s’annonce déjà comme l’un des événements de la rentrée. / Romain Humeau, the leader of the group Eiffel, returns with A solo album in Pias [The Label]. After 5 albums Eiffel (more than 500 concerts) and the success of ‘at any time’, the completion of 2 albums for Bernard Lavilliers, the creation for France Culture around “Friday or the limbo of the Pacific’ by Michel Tournier with Denis Lavant, presented at the Avignon Festival, he locked himself in his studio in bordeaux to compose and record this solo album. Narrator extraordinaire, he concocts the French language and the background with its references to imperial (XTC, Damon Albarn, Tom Waits, Ray Davies.). Melodies implacable, subtle harmonies, arrangements teeming this album is a milestone in the discography of the artist and is already promising to be one of the events of the summer.
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Romain Descharmes, Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Marc Soustrot – Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 55:17 minutes | 933 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos
Saint-Saëns’s mature creative genius shines throughout these last two piano concertos, looking back over a glorious musical ancestry while at the same time opening the door to new worlds. The Fourth Piano Concerto is prescient of both his great Organ Symphony and the concertos of Rachmaninov, revealing Saint-Saëns at his most inspired and innovative. The Fifth was composed in the Egyptian temple town of Luxor, and displays a rich tapestry of exotic cultural influences from Javanese, Spanish and Middle Eastern music, as well as portrayals of chirping Nile crickets and croaking frogs, and the composer’s representation of ‘the joy of a sea crossing’.
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Rolf Lislevand – La Mascarade – Music for Solo Baroque Guitar and Theorbo (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 48:29 minutes | 822 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ECM New Series
The Norwegian early music lutenist and guitarist Rolf Lislevand has pooh-poohed the idea of historical authenticity, but it may be that the lovely program here would have appealed to listeners in the court of Louis XIV, for which the music was intended. Lislevand examines pieces by a pair of late 17th century composers, Robert de Visée (a rondeau by whom, plus some rather murky booklet ruminations by Lislevand, give the album its title) and the sparsely heard Francesco Corbetta, choosing slow, quasi-improvisatory pieces and dances — preludes, chaconnes, sarabandes, passacaglias — from each, and adding some improvised introductions. The music alternates between a very deep-voiced, many-stringed theorbo and a small, crystalline Baroque guitar. The result is an extremely reflective concert, dividing up a common stock of musical ideas in several subtle ways, that, as Lislevand points out, would have been played for a small group of connoisseurs in its own time. ECM producer Manfred Eicher is nonpareil as a recorder of music like this, but here, working in the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, he outdoes himself, evoking the “musica callada,” the music that has fallen silent, of Mompou. He draws the listener into a rich communion with a remarkable player.
Read moreRolando Villazón – Mozart: La clemenza di Tito (Live) (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]
Rolando Villazón – Mozart: La clemenza di Tito (Live) (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:20:37 minutes | 2,76 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Recorded in July 2017 in the sumptuous Baden-Baden Festspielhaus, this La clemenza di Tito follows albums which had come out previously in the Mozart series with Nézet-Séguin, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and tenor Rolando Villazón, who is the only singer to appear in all these productions. It should go without saying that the music is extremely finely-chiselled: none of the singers take the slightest liberty with either the score or the style – there are no unruly Italianisms like glissandos, individual showing off, clownish high-Cs, parasitic ornamentations, warbling, trilling, sobbing – which means that we are left with one of the purest and finest performances of this work. Note that this was Mozart’s final opera, first performed just two months before he passed away; and that the recitatives were written by the faithful Sussmayr, who would go on to “complete” the Requiem. In the same period Mozart was also putting the final touches to his Magic flute and only had a few weeks to finish the work; and yet, what perfection in the arias, ensembles and choruses! And that in spite of the fact that the subject probably was not a source of tremendous interest to the composer, especially since his explosive collaboration with Da Ponte. But when given a performance like this, the work absolutely passes with flying colours.
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Ron Sexsmith – Hermitage (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 39:57 minutes | 782 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cooking Vinyl Limited
“You Don’t Wanna Hear It” is the first single from Ron Sexsmith’s forthcoming album Hermitage. The new album, due out April 17th is the first new album from the Canadian songwriting legend since his move from his longtime home of Toronto to a more bucolic life in Stratford, Ontario. Ron worked with producer Don Kerr to create this album; the two set up in Ron’s living room to record where Ron played all the instruments for the album, with the exception of the drums.
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James & The Giants – James & The Giants (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 37:57 minutes | 867 MB | Genre: Alternative Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Kill Rock Stars
Over the course of four years, James Jackson Toth and long-time collaborator Jarvis Taveniere paired newly written songs with ones drawn from decades ago and brought together musicians from across the various eras of his time recording as Wooden Wand—in the end creating an accidental self-imposed This Is Your Life. “I was bringing people together from my history and writing songs that reckon with my past.” The resulting album, James & The Giants picks at the seams of the memories borne of that experience and finds new footing in reframing memory.
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Inho Jeong – Queen Elisabeth Competition: Voice 2023 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 43:44 minutes | 715 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Queen Elisabeth Competition
Inho Jeong studied at Seoul National University, where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree after receiving his bachelor’s in 2017. He also completed the Professional Course at the Opera Studio at the Korea National Opera. He has trained under Attila Jun, David Junghoon Kim, and Jongmin Park. He has made his mark at numerous competitions, winning Third Prize at the Éva Marton International Singing Competition and First Prize at the Concours International de Chant de Marmande, the Ferruccio Tagliavini competition, and the Riccardo Zandonai competition. Inho Jeong has performed with ensembles such as the orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Veneto Philharmonic Orchestra, the Latvian National Opera Orchestra, and the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, under conductors such as Tugan Sokhiev, Sascha Goetzel, Marco Boemi, Placido Domingo, and Balázs Kocsár.
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Giovanni Sollima & Andrea Noferini – Offenbach: Complete Duos for 2 Cellos (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 07:35:00 minutes | 4,53 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Brilliant Classics
Years before he took Paris by storm as a brilliantly witty composer of operettas, Offenbach was celebrated across Europe as a virtuoso cellist. It is this lesser-known aspect of his creative personality that is explored by Giovanni Sollima and Andrea Noferini, who have spent years immersing themselves in the technically intricate but always lyrical and extrovert pieces which Offenbach wrote for his instrument.
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Gaetano Simone – Carl Friedrich Abel: The Drexel Manuscript (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:50 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Da Vinci Classics
Carl Friedrich Abel was the son of Christian Ferdinand, a renowned gambist and friend of Johann Sebastian Bach. Carl Friedrich followed in his father’s footsteps and became a virtuoso on the viola da gamba, cello and other internationally renowned instruments. Settled in London, he created the Bach-Abel concert series with Johann Christian, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian. Many of his works are designed for the viola da gamba as an unaccompanied instrument, solo or chamber music. The collection recorded in this Da Vinci Classics album includes some 27 pieces from the “Drexel Manuscript”, probably conceived by Abel as a recording of his improvisations and as a memory aid for his concerts. The Rococo style of this music makes it particularly pleasant and corresponds perfectly to the aesthetics of the time, captured by Gainsborough in his paintings – some of which depict Abel himself.
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Emmanuel Despax – Après un rêve (Belle Époque: Nights at the Piano) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:22:06 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Signum Records
“Après un rêve” is an ode to the French Belle Époque repertoire, depicting the beauty of dreams and the night. The album is an opportunity to hear and perhaps discover rarely played / rarely recorded wonderful works (Chaminade Nocturne, Duparc Aux étoiles, Poulenc Les soirées de Nazelles), alongside central pillars of the rep- ertoire, and includes a world premiere of Despax’s arrangement of Après un rêve. The album is attributed to his grandfather, Jacques Charpentreau, a French poet who adored this repertoire and frequently drew inspiration from the night in his works. Despax has curated some of his poetry, as well as works by other poets he admired to complement this music, taking the listener on an immersive poetic and musical journey through this nocturnal landscape.
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Elina Duni, Rob Luft, Fred Thomas, Matthieu Michel – A Time to Remember (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 53:31 minutes | 911 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ECM
A Time To Remember is a continuation of the special synergy that inhabited Elina Duni’s acclaimed Lost Ships and finds her regrouping with that album’s quartet of guitarist Rob Luft, Matthieu Michel on flugelhorn and Fred Thomas on percussion and piano. As the title suggests, the notion of ‘time’ pulls through the programme like a theme, connecting music from different parts of the world – traditionals, popular songs and original compositions – in performances of deep lyricism but also fleet-footed folklore. The repertory spans Albanian and Kosovan traditionals, American songs like the Broadway classic “I’ll Be Seeing You” and Stephen Sondheim’s musical ballad “Send In The Clowns” as well as originals by Rob and Elina. Commenting on the group’s last effort, Jazzwise said that “the sum of Duni and Luft’s work together seems greater than their individual achievements, where concept and conceptualisation have combined to produce a classic.” A Time To Remember should confirm that proposition and further expands on the qualities explored previously.
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Drive-By Truckers – The Complete Dirty South (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:27:51 minutes | 1,83 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © New West Records, LLC
In 2004 the Drive-By Truckers released what would become the best selling album in their illustrious catalog – The Dirty South is a concept album that examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist – The album features live show staples like, “Tornadoes”, “Where The Devil Dont Stay” and “Puttin People On The Moon” as well as rarities like “Goode’s Field Road” and “Daddy’s Cup.
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Dee Byrne – Outlines (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:02:06 minutes | 659 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Whirlwind Recordings
Dee Byrne is an artist swimming freely in a sea of creative possibilities. Her Entropi project established her reputation as a fearless explorer of the interface between composition and improvisation, structure and freedom, driven by a constant urge to create. To reconnect with the roots of that urge, she took a deep dive into her own process, using visual art as a medium to unlock fresh approaches to composition.
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Coleman Hawkins – The Hawk Relaxes (1961/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 37:16 minutes | 398 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Ancien Prodige
The Hawk Relaxes is an album by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins which was recorded in 1961 and released on the Moodsville label.
Allmusic awarded the album 4½ stars stating “This quintet – as unique as any Hawkins ever fronted – speaks to his open mindedness, but more so to his innate ability in adapting musicians to his situational hitting. The Hawk Relaxes is one of his best latter period efforts”.
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Christine Jensen – Day Moon (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 59:29 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Justin Time Records Inc.
The exceptional alto and soprano saxophonist from Canada releases the compelling Day Moon with her impressive quartet on Justin Time Records. The music is at turns, melancholic and ebullient, sober and playful. It’s a date where she creates an improvisational community of close friends in quartet and duo settings. “I got hit hard by the pandemic because I felt alone and was not doing what I’m supposed to do,” Jensen says. “So, I focused on my saxophones, teaching myself to present my sound, my solo voice. It’s almost like becoming the vocalist.”
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