Showing posts with label Classical Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classical Music. Show all posts

3/07/2022

Guitar Virtuoso Harvey Valdes’ Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar Breaks New Ground with a Fresh, Ear-Opening Interpretation of Music for the Ages

Harvey Valdes is a fantastic guitarist” - Andy Summers

Guitar Virtuoso Harvey Valdes’ Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar – to be released by Destiny Records on April 8, 2022 – features sublime scores long performed by the world’s greatest lutenists and classical guitarists, but these pieces sound more timeless than ever in the hands of Valdes on steel-string electric guitar.

Harvey Valdes is a fantastic guitarist – musical to the nth degree and with chops to spare, as anyone knows who has heard the way he handles standards and ballads with astonishing contrapuntal virtuosity. Now, with this new album, the special logic in his playing of Bach is wonderfully revealed.” - ANDY SUMMERS of The Police

Like the art of Shakespeare or Van Gogh, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach has been recognized the world over as universal and timeless – sounding as moving and miraculous now as the day these Baroque scores were written, some three hundred years ago. The lute works that J.S. Bach composed have been recorded by the world’s greatest lutenists and guitarists across the past century, from Segovia to Julian Bream to John Williams to Hopkinson Smith, among a myriad of others. It would take a stroke of something approaching genius to enable us to hear these pieces truly anew. But that is just what Harvey Valdes has accomplished with Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar.

To be released digitally and on CD by Destiny Records on April 8, 2022, the album presents Valdes playing 10 of Bach’s pieces not on the age-old lute or the nylon-string classical guitar but on the modern steel-string electric guitar. The result is ear-opening; the notes are the same ones Bach put to paper in the 18th century, but Valdes performs them with a tone and texture that sounds extraordinarily fresh and of the moment, without ever trying to unduly “modernize” the music. Over the past few years, Valdes has attracted famous fans among iconic guitarists, including Andy Summers of The Police, ECM luminary David Torn and avant-garde notable Elliott Sharp, who says: “With Novare, Harvey brings Bach’s works into the 21st century with a sensuous tone and an articulation that is simultaneously precise and dynamic, even at breakneck tempi. His playing reveals the contrapuntal lines in all their permutational glory.”

But it isn’t just world-renowned guitarists who have been impressed by Novare. Classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein, celebrated for her playing of Bach on the modern grand piano, says: “Harvey Valdes brings an improviser’s sensibility to this music, which is in so many ways the most authentic approach to Bach. There is an understated quality to his interpretations that allows a listener to hear the architecture of the music, and there is a rhythmic malleability that gives breath and presence. The Prelude and Fugue in D-flat stands out in the way that Valdes enjoys the sustained possibilities of the electric guitar. It’s a beautiful new take on old gems.”

Why Bach on electric guitar? Says Harvey, “Why not?! The electric guitar has a capacity for tone, color and dynamics that moves beyond what the acoustic classical guitar can do. There have been some past recordings of electric guitarists who have played Bach or works by Mozart, Beethoven, etc. These often feature the instrument using high gain and distorted sounds with fast virtuosic playing. I respect this approach, but it’s not the one I wanted to take. I was interested in honoring some of the delicate classical guitar approaches and while also taking advantage of the sonic dimensions of the electric guitar.

“For listeners who are guitar players, I want to share with them how it’s possible to play Bach’s lute works on an electric guitar. You can bring a classical guitar approach to the electric guitar that expands the sonic landscape for this historical music and gives it a space to live in the present. As for everyone else, enjoy! I hope it can soothe a listener’s life. Making it certainly brought some peace into my life during a challenging time that has affected us all.”


More about Harvey Valdes

A guitarist of searching, sophisticated musicality, Harvey Valdes can traverse styles from avant- jazz and Middle Eastern/Balkan music to improvised film scores and the compositions of Bach. Harvey has an intrepid curiosity about the guitar’s sonic and expressive range; he is also a trained player of the Arabic oud, as well as the Turkish cümbüş. To date, he has released three albums as a soloist/leader: “Solitude Intones Its Echo” (Destiny, 2019), a set of concise, engaging solo improvisations praised by the likes of Guitar Moderne as “18 lyrical solo performances of compositions that hook you”; “Roundabout” (2015), his solo debut featuring lyrically inventive takes on jazz standards; and “PointCounterPoint” (2015), a bristling, Mahavishnu-meets-math-rock trio album with violinist Sana Nagano and drummer Joe Hertenstein. All About Jazz hailed “Pointcounterpoint” as “cosmic,” while the Free Jazz Collective described Roundabout as “sublimely beautiful.” In April 2022, Destiny Records will present Harvey’s newest album: “Novare: J.S. Bach Lute Works on Electric Guitar.” Underscoring his achievements, Harvey’s venturesome work in the studio and on stage has attracted fans among iconic guitarists, including Andy Summers of The Police, ECM luminary David Torn and avant-garde notable Elliott Sharp.

Based in Brooklyn, NY Harvey earned a BFA degree from The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. He has worked with artists from Butch Morris, Karl Berger and Rhys Chatham to Daniel Carter, and the Middle Eastern/Balkan ensemble Anistar, among many others. His score for Utopians, which premiered at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, constituted “one of the longest-lasting guitar improvisations since (Neil Young’s score for) Dead Man.” The Valdes composition “Listen” was chosen as an Editor’s Pick by Guitar Player magazine. Harvey has also performed extensively in New York theater. He held the guitar/oud chair as an onstage musician and cast member for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Band’s Visit, having originated the role Off Broadway at The Atlantic Theater before moving with the ensemble for the hit run at Broadway’s Barrymore Theater. He played on the show’s 2019 Grammy Award-winning cast album, and he received a daytime Emmy Award for his broadcast performance with the ensemble, along with participating in the 10 Tony wins as a cast member. Harvey has also worked with renowned downtown theater ensemble The Wooster Group, including its presentation of Cavalli’s 1640 opera “La Didone”; for that production, which toured the U.S. and Europe, he provided a modern interpretation of the Baroque lute, playing electric guitar and guitar synth within an ensemble that also included harpsichord, theorbo and accordion.

Harvey has played on stages from Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and St. Ann’s Warehouse to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Cultural Center, CalArts’ Redcat Theater in Los Angeles, Scotland’s Royal Lyceum Theatre, the United Nations. Harvey has also featured in broadcast performances for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, The Today Show and WNYC-FM, as well as the 72nd annual Tony Awards. Additional collaborators over the years have included Noël Akchoté, Gerry Hemingway, Lukas Ligeti, Killick Hinds, Jamshied Sharifi, Sean Sonderegger, Henri Scars Struck and Bern Nix. Harvey has recently featured on multiple compilation albums, including the fifth in Elliott Sharp’s anthology series “Never Meta Guitar,” and “Walk My Way,” a five volume 577 Records set featuring 49 guitarists of 32 different nationalities from six continents and virtually every sort of musical background. He also played on Eight Hands, One Mind by the Dom Minasi Guitar Quartet with Briggan Krauss and Hans Tanmen, as well as recorded the duo album Nueva Guitarra with avant-metal guitarist Alvaro Domene.

About the imaginative virtuosity of Valdes, guitarist extraordinaire David Torn says: “When I first heard Harvey, I thought: ‘Well, here’s another badass mother on the scene – wow.’”

Harvey Valdes record release show at Barbes in Brooklyn, NY on April 9th 2022

For more information:
harveyvaldes.net
destinyrecordsmusic.com
instagram.com/harveyvaldes
facebook.com/harveyvaldesmusic

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

10/26/2019

Classical/New Age Instrumental Review: Gabriele Saro-SensationS

Release Date: October 9, 2019
Label: Independent

Gabriele Saro gets across the meaning of his recent release SensationS with a cover that says it all. I cannot say that I have seen a more sensual cover come across my desk in the classical-new age genre. It threw me off at first glance and created a different impression in my mind, which of course, was totally off base.

The music compositions and violin are provided by Gabriele, Andrea Del Piccolo is on piano and Francesco Pinosa rounds out the bottom end with his cello. It is a very effective and poignant trio that delivers the vastness in musical compositions and execution throughout the fifteen tracks. The tradition and discipline of classical music is on display in all its glory on this release.

The maestro on the violin is amazing. Some of the sounds Gabriele coaxes from that instrument sound as if two people are playing not just one. It is very different from what I have been accustomed to on instrumental albums like this.

What you will experience are all kinds of SensationS consistently. I must say that this group of tracks was aptly titled by the creator. And not to mention of course the perfect title for the album. It all comes together for you the listener when looking at all aspects offered on this broad selection of songs. As it mentions in the liner notes of the CD, this is “to reach states of deeper harmony with our ego, through the harmony that only its vibrations can give.” Yes, the harmony of the music and the vibrations of those sounds can sync with your heartbeat, your thought process will hopefully translate with ringing truth in your soul. For my senses that is what I look to discover in instrumental music of this nature.

Every track can bring moments of beauty, perfection, the silence of your emotions, and ultimately the focus you seek arrives through that process. Everything in life is about the process, through our minds, hearts and innermost beliefs. The only thing that heals as it does, is music. It comes with no orders from your doctor and it’s not a prescription to fix you. This is the purity of the heart translated through gifted musicians.

SensationS is everything it can be and everything you desire it to be. The giving of the music and the elegance of the classical foundation, with a new age flair, is the perfect marriage for the creators and all listeners ready to embrace it. What more can one ask for from a shiny metallic disc producing all of this sound? It is just what you need at any time during the day or evening to breath in and feels the gratitude of the wonderful artists that give us this gift of music.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
October 26, 2019

Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks:
 
01. Morrow
02. Stilness
03. Bliss
04. Merriment
05. Enchantment
06. Contrasts
07. Regrets
08. Accord
09. Torments
10. Chills
11. Nostalgia
12. Gracefulness
13. Delicacy
14. Liberty
15. Serenity 

5/03/2018

Curved Air Founding Member & Legendary Violinist Darryl Way to Release First Ever Rock Version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Out Now!


Almost 50 years after the creation of his classic rock anthem Vivaldi, Curved Air's trail blazing violinist Darryl Way, has arranged and recorded the whole of Vivaldi's masterpiece The Four Seasons and given it the same 'rock' treatment.

Way said of the project: “You cannot improve upon perfection, which the Four Seasons undoubtedly is, but I felt that the Four Seasons, a piece that has been a seminal influence in my life, would be fertile ground for a reinterpretation. Having said that, I have not changed any of the notes, except in some of the slow movements, where it is generally accepted that the written notes can be embellished. I have just added to the mix, rock instrumentation and rhythms, synth textures and in the slow movements, some chill out beats.”

The album is entitled Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Rock and is released on the 4th of May 2018 via Cherry Red Records.

“I already had a good idea that a rock arrangement could work with Vivaldi's music, from my work on the Curved Air track 'Vivaldi'. The challenge was, to maintain Vivaldi's original concept of the piece and tell the same story. Whether I have risen to that challenge is not for me to say, but if you were a fan of my Curved Air track 'Vivaldi', there's a good chance you're going to like this as well.”  

To purchase Darryl Way's Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Rock:
Amazon CD: http://geni.us/Vivaldi
iTunes: http://geni.us/VivaldiDig

Official website: www.darrylway.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Curved Air Founding Member & Legendary Violinist Darryl Way to Release First Ever Rock Version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Out Now!


Almost 50 years after the creation of his classic rock anthem Vivaldi, Curved Air's trail blazing violinist Darryl Way, has arranged and recorded the whole of Vivaldi's masterpiece The Four Seasons and given it the same 'rock' treatment.

Way said of the project: “You cannot improve upon perfection, which the Four Seasons undoubtedly is, but I felt that the Four Seasons, a piece that has been a seminal influence in my life, would be fertile ground for a reinterpretation. Having said that, I have not changed any of the notes, except in some of the slow movements, where it is generally accepted that the written notes can be embellished. I have just added to the mix, rock instrumentation and rhythms, synth textures and in the slow movements, some chill out beats.”

The album is entitled Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Rock and is released on the 4th of May 2018 via Cherry Red Records.

“I already had a good idea that a rock arrangement could work with Vivaldi's music, from my work on the Curved Air track 'Vivaldi'. The challenge was, to maintain Vivaldi's original concept of the piece and tell the same story. Whether I have risen to that challenge is not for me to say, but if you were a fan of my Curved Air track 'Vivaldi', there's a good chance you're going to like this as well.”  

To purchase Darryl Way's Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Rock:
Amazon CD: http://geni.us/Vivaldi
iTunes: http://geni.us/VivaldiDig

Official website: www.darrylway.com



Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

3/06/2018

Classical-New Age Review: Symphonex Orchestra-Music That Tells A Story

Release Date: March 1, 2018
Label: Music with No Expiration

Peter Xifaras is the creative force behind the Symphonex Orchestra. All the music on Music That Tells A Story was written, mixed & produced by Peter. Guest Artists include Felicia Farerre, Scott Jackson, Trammell Starks, Nic Xifaras, TheLivingPen and Joan Jacobs.

The one thing that rings true about this recording is that it is very ambitious. The twenty-one tracks encompass 2 CDs. This is like watching a Broadway play in your mind with all the music to accompany the visuals.

The music is a kaleidoscope of sound. The violins, violas, percussion, bass, guitar, piano and the orchestrations are absolutely beautiful. Peter is the creator and master conductor of all this music. It fits together quite nicely. The one thing you have to keep in mind is that the listening experience may be a bit unconventional for some folks. The first disc is more about the instrumentals. The emphasis for my ears was all the layers of instruments coming together to create this magic carpet ride of sound. The elegance and stunning pictures it can create is the charm of this music.

The opening track “Dreams in Bloom: The Encounter” is an ear opening experiencing with all the impactful instrumentation to lead the way. It is full of life and energy and the perfect way to open the curtain to this musical journey and story.

Disc two has music but a lot of narration, which puts more emphasis on the story that is being told. It was like listening to an audio book with music. As I said before, this is quite different for a listening experience. I could see this music being a musical/opera or a soundtrack to a movie. The possibilities for Music That Tells A Story can be a multitude of things because each disc is quite different.

I think the most impressive elements of this mixture of poems, stories, classical and new age music and the plethora of instruments involved, makes this project very compelling. For my personal tastes I would likely be reaching for disc one more often than disc two. To each his own. There is quite a lot for a listener to digest in the two CDs offered, including the beautiful vocalizations of Felicia Farerre.

If you are in the market for an entirely different listening experience, and, you are an appreciator of the arts (all inclusive), then give Music That Tells A Story a spin.

4/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
March 6, 2018
Founder of:

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks:
01. Dreams in Bloom: The Encounter
02. Dreams in Bloom: Falling
03. Dreams in Bloom: Garden by the Sea
04. Dreams in Bloom: The Letter9
05. Dreams in Bloom: The Quest
06. Dreams in Bloom: Reunion
07. Dinner with Friends
08. Variations on a Theme of Tromboncino-#1
09. Variations on a Theme of Tromboncino #2
10. Variations on a Theme of Tromboncino #3
11. Gymnopédie Variations: Jaune
12. Gymnopédie Variations: Blu
13. Hevene Quene: Introduction
14. Hevene Quene: Edi Beo Thu
15. Dreams in Bloom: Introduction (Story)
16. Dreams in Bloom: The Encounter (Story)
17. Dreams in Bloom: Falling (Story)
18. Dreams in Bloom: Garden by the Sea (Story)
19. Dreams in Bloom: The Letter (Story)
20  Dreams in Bloom: The Quest (Story)
21. Dreams in Bloom: Reunion (Story)

 



7/22/2016

Music For Radura 'Life Is A State Of Mind' Review


'Life is a State of Mind' is an extremely meditative piece that I found myself drifting into an alternate state. It's rare that a piece of music can have such an effect on someone when it is not specifically for that purpose. Continuing on with the dominant string parts the track features reverberant percussion and a deep sombre overall vibe. 

Music for Radura is out now
Links:

12/18/2015

Featured Stream: Tim Neumark-You Are Here

Tim Neumark's Moments-Solo Piano Op.7 is another collection of instrumental piano tracks.

I would have to say that Tim is rapidly becoming one of my favorite artist to listen to. His music is serene and at the same time uplifting and full of positive energy.

"You Are Here" is the focus track and it is a beautiful sojourn into a billowing cloud of sound that lets you float away with it.

The key to Tim's music is the rhythm and ever changing tones and colors that make it interesting from start to finish. 

"You Are Here" is another fine example of his abilities to deliver excellence through the keyboard. Listen once and you will become a fan forever.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck



More About Tim:
A picture of Tim Neumark.Tim was born and raised in the Mid-Atlantic, spending much of his youth in Frostburg, Maryland. In his childhood and early adulthood his foremost passion was athletics, and he participated in baseball, basketball, tennis, soccer, and track. He also developed a taste for classical and new age music in his teenage years, but it wasn't until his later high school years that he discovered his talent for the piano.

For years, Tim travelled the country for work, frequently playing his own compositions in hotel lobbies. At the urging of his wife and others, he finally released his debut CD in 2007.
Tim currently lives with his wife and two daughters in the Washington, DC area.


About Tim's Music:
Tim composes solo piano music that is "emotional, beautiful music that tells a story." Featuring a combination of classical and new age styles, he has released six solo piano albums.

His 2014 album Storm was named Best Solo Piano Album of 2014 by One World Music. In addition, Storm was named one of the best CDs of 2014 by Audiosyncracy, received two Hollywood Music in Media Award (HMMA) nominations, and was nominated for Enlightened Piano Radio's 2014 Album of the Year award. His 2013 album Opus Four was nominated by SoloPiano.com for Classical/Neo-Classical album of the year and received two HMMA nominations. 


Tim's music can be heard on the following internet radio broadcasts (Note that these links open a new tab.)
Moments (2015)
Moments is Tim's seventh CD, released in October 2015. 

The best moments and memories aren't necessarily the weddings, graduations, and births, but the smaller events in your life: your child dancing, pets greeting you at the door, a touching book or piece of music. A happier, shorter, more major-key album, Moments tells the story about some moments in Tim's life while giving the listeners time to reflect on their own personal moments. For the full background about this album and its tracks, see Moments: Behind the music.
Download the CD liner notes in PDF, or visit the store to buy the CD and sheet music.

11/11/2015

Holiday/New Age Review: Steven C.-Christmas Beyond

Release Date: November 26, 2014
Label: Steven C Music

It never seems too early for Holiday music when artists like Steven C. (Anderson) release a set of recordings that combine elements of classical and new age to formulate something beyond what one would normally hear this time of year. In fact, the best way to describe it is Christmas Beyond. So forget about everything you know that is associated with this type of music, open your mind and heart and listen intently to what this talented man has to offer. It was very appropriate that the artist recorded this album in the majestic Cathedral of St. Paul, MN featuring his Bosendorfer Grand Piano.

My glimpse of the new vision of the traditional Holiday season was on our Rate The Tracks site when the focus was “Still,Still, Still.”  This track is a perfect blend of Holiday, New Age and Classical music. It gives the listener a crossover appeal and opens the door to some opportunity for a larger audience than what the genre would normally command. This is not clearly defined music as it stands alone and allows each listener’s own personal interpretations, which any good instrumental music will do. The difference is this release is special because of what it stands for. When I first heard “Still, Still, Still”  it initiated a sequence of feelings internally, first sadness that summer had past, then the joy and beauty of the annual foliage…as if God had a huge paint brush and carefully designed each tree with its own color. Now with those two seasons behind me my thoughts turned to Christmas, the most special and sacred time of year. This is when one wants to be surrounded by loved ones, friends, and thoughts of all those that have passed that built those yearly traditions long ago.

Music engages you and brings forth many feelings and visions, if it accomplishes that it has completed its mission, Christmas Beyond does that and so much more. 
 
“The Angel Gabriel” draws the curtain open to a story and it unfolds before you. The significance of Gabriel is documented in the Bible and in the story of Christmas. I think it was a great choice to start the recording. I like the way Steven intersects the winter season with the Holiday and how it is forever linked, particularly for those not living in year round warm climates. He also makes sure the importance of Thanksgiving is not forgotten and how it segues into the birth of Jesus. There is a lot to think about in this music and what actually makes it more contemplative is the fact that it is all instrumental. Without words there is one less thing to be distracted with or focus on, this way the music is completely absorbed and you reflect back on your own life and personal experiences of the Holiday.

“Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Winds” is an invitation to the elements of earth to work freely and perhaps is an indication of something on a spiritual level that says “Let the winds of change come through, we welcome them and the season and the beauty it offers us all.” This can be looked upon as a change in life or the effects it has on an individual. It is all in the way you perceive things happening in front of you. I thought the pace of the song was gentle and inviting even though winter winds can be brutally cold and wreak havoc, this gave me a different perspective on what it can mean.

As with anything in life it is all in your attitude, and what you believe is your truth or can be. Steven C. has created a masterful interpretation of the winter season and the most cherished Holiday of them all through beautiful piano based music. It is spiritual, relaxing and in sync with the upcoming Holidays right around the corner. I highly recommend you give it a listen; you may step away with some different ideas of what this time of year means. There is nothing like great music to reveal the truth and put a different spin on things. Christmas Beyond can be your North Star to follow to enlightenment this year.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Still, Still, Still, The Angel Gabriel, Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Winds         

Tracks:
01. The Angel Gabriel   
02. Sing We Now of Christmas   
03. Still, Still, Still    0
04. Ah, Bleak and Chill the Wintry Winds
05. In the Bleak Midwinter
06. Blow, Blow Thou Winter Winds
07. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly   
08. Carol of the Birds and Bells   
09. Little Drummer Boy   
10. Beyond a Midnight Clear   
11. Ave Thanksgiving   
12. Angels Heard: Do You Hear? I Heard!   
13. The Road Home
 
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck- New Age Music Reviews Founder
November 11, 2015
Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews



9/16/2015

Track Feature: Angelo Râpan-Remember

Angelo Râpan has released his album Songs of Leaving and with that successfully weaved a tapestry of instrumental tales of the heart.

"Remember" is the focus track and my initial thoughts are similar to what Will Ackerman said about the artist. He transfers his mind, body and soul through his fingers to make beautiful and moving music.

Like a clear running stream of cool water ready for consumption he lets his fingers do all the talking. His message to us is to "Remember" who you are, where you have been and where you are going. Listen and you will be able to relate easily!

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

Rating 5/5 Stars


More About Angelo Rapan:

http://angelorapan.com/

Angelo Râpan inhabits the smallest ecosystem known to musicians: The place where heart and mind are perfectly in balance.   Angelo comes to us from years of training and discipline to a place where his skills are immediately and dramatically apparent.  What makes him stand apart, however, is the passion of his composition and performance which force us to encounter him on an emotional level far beyond what mere skill can provide.  Those skills are certainly breathtaking, and his composition unique, but ultimately it is what he has to tell us of a life deeply and richly lived that matters.

 ~ Will Ackerman