The Chandos Interviews |
 The Grammy-award-winning Phoenix Chorale explores the magnetic music of New York-based, Norwegian-born composer Ola Gjeilo, in this latest Chandos release. ‘Northern Lights’ contains five world premiere recordings and three choral pieces which were either commissioned, composed, or dedicated to the Phoenix Chorale. In this 5-part video series, we hear about the making of, and inspiration behind this truly stunning album.
|
 Michael Collins, the virtuoso clarinettist and exclusive Chandos artist, returns for a second volume in Chandos’ series showcasing the extraordinarily wide range of music written for his instrument. The first volume, The Virtuoso Clarinet (CHAN 10615), was described by International Record Review as: ‘…an absolute charmer, most beautifully played… difficult to imagine a finer performance than that given here.’Accompanied by Michael McHale on the piano, Collins here explores the lyrical qualities of the clarinet in a programme comprising a widely varied repertoire. One of the prime qualities of the instrument is its likeness in tone and range to the human voice, which has inspired composers to write aria- and lyric song-like pieces for it.
Video Link |
|
 Beethoven has always been a part of the concert repertoire of exclusive Chandos artist Louis Lortie, and it rose again to the top of his agenda as he prepared to complete his recorded cycle of the composer’s sonatas earlier this year. Sonatas Nos 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 31 and 32, newly recorded, will be released for the first time as part of a box set of the entire canon, which will be available at the bargain price of 9 CDs for the price of 3.
Video Link
|
|
 Christopher Gunning is perhaps most famous for his music for the TV series Poirot,
but his career in film and TV music stretches back some forty years.
In his twenties Gunning composed the music for several documentary
films and also worked as an arranger, providing the backings for a
wide variety of recording artists, including Mel Tormé, Shirley
Bassey, The Hollies, Colin Blunstone, and the saxophonist Phil Woods.
At the same time he composed the music for a lot of advertising campaigns,
some of them long-running, such as those for Martini and Black Magic.
Video Link |
|
The exclusive Chandos artist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is a master of this repertoire. This is his second concerto recording for the label, after his survey of the complete piano concertos by Bartók (CHAN 10610) which was released in September to high acclaim and voted ‘Orchestral Choice of the Month’ by the magazine BBC Music. Bavouzet’s complete recording of the piano music by Debussy also scooped awards from BBC Music and Gramophone, which wrote: ‘This could well be the finest and most challenging of all Debussy piano cycles.’ On this new release, Bavouzet is accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Yan Pascal Tortelier, a conductor steeped in the French tradition and utterly at home in this repertoire. The result is a totally idiomatic performance of these French masterpieces for piano and orchestra.
Video Link
|
|
A veritable feast of early to mid-twentieth century orchestral music by composers from Argentina, Peru, Brazil, and Columbia. The works on this disc are all premier recordings, and brimming with Afro-Cuban and Creole folk-inspired sounds, as well as dance influences from the Argentine tango. The Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen is conducted by Gabriel Castagna - Latin American music is a speciality of his, and he has received popular and critical acclaim for his many performances and recordings of works by Argentine composers, Piazzolla in particular. Performed live here, Piazzolla’s little-known Milongón Festivo shows an interesting mix of styles, in which the Argentine tango is tempered by the influences of Stravinsky, Bartók, and jazz. Commissioned by Piazzolla’s son, this version is Castagna’s own arrangement for full symphony orchestra.
Video Link
|
 American composer René Clausen and Charles Bruffy, Conductor of the Grammy-award winning Kansas City Chorale discuss their new recording on Chandos Records, "Life and Breath: Choral Works by René Clausen". The disc features a world premiere of Clausen's Mass for Double Chorus written for the Kansas City Chorale, as well as eight of Clausen's most beloved works.
|
|
|
 |
