Antwerp Symphony Orchestra – Peter Benoit: Heaven and Hell (Live) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 04:56:40 minutes | 2,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Fuga Libera
Peter Benoit (1834-1901) inspired a renaissance in Flemish music, composing magnificent choral works in Flemish despite the cultural predominance of French in Belgian society. Many of his compositions were performed during open-air concerts attended by large crowds. Moreover, this changemaker also helped found several Antwerp art institutions that define local cultural life to this day. Benoit’s extensive and timeless oeuvre spans numerous genres, from religious music in Latin to monumental oratorios in the vernacular. As a proud ambassador of Benoit’s music, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra pays the ultimate tribute to the spiritual father of Flemish music with this CD box, featuring a collection of his greatest masterpieces, performed live with an international cast of soloists, choirs and conductors.
Read more
Altan – Donegal (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 38:35 minutes | 451 MB | Genre: Folk, Celtic, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Compass Records
Altan is arguably the most iconic band working in traditional Irish music today. For the past 35 years, they have been bringing the music of their native County Donegal to the world stage. Irish-language songs and dynamic twin-fiddling, the hallmarks of Altan’s sound, framework the band’s newest album, aptly titled ‘DONEGAL’. The album’s 10 tracks pay homage to Donegal’s rich musical heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant culture. The authenticity and allure of the music transports listeners to a bygone time in rural Ireland while simultaneously forging a connection between the past and modern times.
Read more
Various Artists – Kabeláč: Complete Chamber Music (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:52:09 minutes | 3,26 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capriccio
After decades of neglect, many collectors will feel that it’s high time to revisit the eight symphonies and grand orchestral passacaglia Mystery of Time by Miloslav Kabeláč (1908–1979); and those who are appreciative of those works will surely find this compendium of his complete chamber music highly attractive. The programme represents the full gamut of his fifty-year development as a composer, with examples of both conventional and experimental forms, and ranging from the early horn and cello sonatas, to his Suite for Saxophone, and concluding with the dramatic chamber cantata Osudová dramata člověka. This 3-CD set happily includes performers who are noted enthusiasts for Kabeláč’s music, not least Albrecht Mayer, Sarah Willis and Jan Vogler.
Read more
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers – Masters of Imitation (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:06:35 minutes | 1,14 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © CORO
Imitation is the ultimate compliment. To take inspiration from someone else’s work, to borrow and rework it to form another piece…what could be more flattering? This technique, known as ‘parody’, was hugely popular in late 16th-century Europe and Orlande de Lassus was one of its most famous advocates. The Sixteen’s programme showcases the master of parody at work and also features a new commission from the extraordinarily inventive composer Bob Chilcott parodying one of Lassus’ finest secular madrigals.
Read more