Recommended Classical music (#1 - #10)
Classical
- Arias
- Art songs
- Bach
- Ballet
- Band Music
- Baroque
- Bartok
- Beethoven
- Brahms
- Brass quintet
- Cantata
- Chamber Music
- Chopin
- Choral Music
- Classical era
- Concerto
- Contemporary
- Copland
- Debussy
- Dvorak
- Early Music
- Film Music
- Gregorian Chant
- Handel
- Impressionism
- Keyboard Music
- Madrigals
- Mahler
- Mass
- Medieval
- Minimalism
- Modernist
- Mozart
- Musical Theater
- New Age
- New Music Ensemble
- Opera
- Operettas
- Oratorios
- Orchestral
- Organ
- Percussion Ensemble
- Piano quintet
- Piano solo
- Postmodern
- Programmatic music
- Puccini
- Renaissance
- Rock Opera
- Romantic Era
- Serialist
- Shostakovich
- Sinfonietta
- Sonata
- Stravinsky
- String Quartet
- Symphony
- Tchaikovsky
- Tone Poem
- Traditional
- Twentieth Century
- Verdi
- Virtual Orchestra
- Vivaldi
- Vocal Music
- Wagner
- Waltz
- Woodwind Quintet
VOICE TREK: Angels, Celestial Voices of Harmony
Something like Enya meets the Cambridge Singers, Voice Trek’s new release, Angels: Celestial Voices of Harmony gorgeously blends classical melodies and cherished pieces such as Clair de Lune and Gymnopedie, as well as hymns such as The Lord Bless You and Keep You, arranged with human voices and lush orchestration, often punctuated by piano. This album blends classical compositional style with new age approaches, founded on soundscape-like atmospheres of lush backdrops and a soothing, fully fleshed-out sound worlds. Exceptionally relaxing and calming, it’s one of the more unique and fresh new age/classical crossover albums to come through in quite some time. Perfect for use in meditation, sleep promotion and general relaxation.
CD price: $9.99 / MP3 price: $9.99
QUARTETTO GELATO: Neapolitan Cafe
An international favorite with sold-out repeat performances in New York, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Milan, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong among others, Quartetto Gelato blends a classical approach with various folk songs from around the world to tangos to gypsy fiddling, to Dvorák Bagetelles and even a splash of classical aria. With distinct instrumentation of oboe and English Horn (Cynthia Steljes), tenor, violin, and mandolin (Peter De Sotto), accordion and piano (Alexander Sevastian), and cello (Kristina Reiko Cooper), Neopolitan Café definitely captures the romantic and whimsical mood its title suggests as well as taking us through quiet and contemplative intermissions. Always with insightful and thoughtful instrumentation, allowing each of these top-notch musicians to be featured, their collective artistry and musical dialogue results in an absolutely delightful album full of humor, flirtation, courtship and European enchantment.
CD price: $12.97
DAVID PRITCHARD: Air Patterns
David has a tangible way of transporting you beyond the guitar, the sound of it and particularly, its contextual associations. From the opening number, with cascading musical lines evoking water or wind playing with trees, he instantly engages the feeling centers, bypassing the mind’s impulsive need to scope things out and participate. He goes right to the emotional heart of the music, removing his instrument from a family of instruments, from any prior preconceptions and simply moves through its voice with mesmerizing grace. The guitar is no longer the sound of the guitar, but instead, a language which only your body and heart speak and which is so abstract to your brain that it tunes out beautifully. Composing for multiple guitars, Pritchard builds intricate and yet natural textures of interplaying counterpoint but in the most organic sense; there is a distinctive ease about his writing and performing. Definitely with a minimalistic approach, his lines easily move in, out and around each other with a purpose that is transfixing and dramatically lulling. While they’re not really “songs” or “pieces,” these explorations in theme, color, mood and emotion have bright and bold personalities, from clever and assertive to sleepy and enormously broad. Don’t be surprised if your mind starts taking you towards spirals and images of infinite waves. Whether it’s intentional or not, Air Patterns is an ideal album for disengaging and unplugging from the agitations of daily life, allowing the listener to fall back into an arm chair of sound.
CD price: $12.97 / MP3 price: $12.97
VENERE LUTE QUARTET: Palestrina's Lute
Specializing in historically-informed adaptations of Renaissance music, in this case, that of Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), the Venere Lute Quartet delightfully showcases some of the finest works of this heralded composer. Made up of soprano, alto, tenor and bass lutes, the ensemble’s members arranged noteworthy works, including his masses, spiritual madrigals, and polychoral motets, to suit and feature their artistic teamwork and elegant contrapuntal conversation. Remaining true to the spirit and intention of the originals, the generous twenty-two tracks of Palestrina’s Lute largely center around the Missa Brevis and selections from the Song of Songs, delivering a notable and fresh approach to truly timeless compositions.
Recommended if you like Sting, Hopkinson Smith.CD price: $15.00
QNG - QUARTET NEW GENERATION: Ethereal
If you grew up in the U.S. and thinking about the recorder brings to mind memories of grade school kids blatting out “Three Blind Mice,” you’re not alone. However, The QNG—Quartet New Generation is about to dash apart your preconceptions and expectations of such a boxed-in instrument. Founded in September 1998 at the Amsterdam Conservatoire and the University of the Arts, Berlin, QNG has been creating quite a stir on U.S. soil as “four recorder virtuosos” (New York Times) with a rare gift to bedazzle their audience. This most unique and striking ability stems from not only their willingness and passion to perform contemporary recorder music written by young composers, but also by their ability to perform it technically, musically and often theatrically, with such conviction. Mapping out new sound worlds and infinite possibilities for an instrument with such a conservative background, this talented bunch performs on upwards of 20 different recorders of varying sizes and shapes during the course of a typical performance. QNG has demonstrated with excitement the fact that the recorder is indeed, a viable contemporary instrument deserving of new repertoire.
Recommended if you like Kronos Quartet.CD price: $19.95
NAOKO TAKADA: Marimba Meets The Classics
From Bach’s dark and stormy Toccata and Fugue in D minor to the gentle and pacifying Pachelbel’s Canon, Marimba Meets the Classics features some of the best known and beloved classical excerpts, arranged and performed by multi award-winning marimbist, Naoko Takada. Creating a stir on the scene of up and coming artists, Naoko’s gift for this instrument comes through in both her exquisite and delicate touch as well as the excitement and passion she pours into each piece. Among so many virtues of this album, such as the incredible conviction and dedication with which she performs, one of the most notable is the dynamic range she captures, especially on a mallet instrument; in itself, this quality, which can make or break an album, is worthy of endless praise. It is because of this extreme musicality and attention to the finest of detail in her phrasing and shaping that Takada has caught the attention of major classical labels and is quickly gathering a devoted audience and fan base. We invite you to savor fourteen tracks of delightful mallet perfection, putting a whole new spin on pieces you may think you know backwards and forwards.
CD price: $19.99
COURTENAY BUDD, SYLVIA MCNAIR, & FRIENDS: Sleep is Behind the Door: Lullabies for Disaster Relief
Without hesitation, we can confidently award this disc Lullaby Album of the Year. "Sleep is Behind the Door" features Grammy-winning classical musicians and the stunning, heart-melting and highly-acclaimed voice of classically-trained soprano, Courtenay Budd. Ranging from simple voice and piano duets to tenderly orchestrated chamber settings, drawing from cellos, violins, flute, clarinet, guitar and a choral ensemble, this hour of exquisite and precious international lullabies truly eases the heart and lulls the mind, working just as effectively on adults as it does with little ones. Centering around the classical art song form and varying from crystalline impressionistic styles to playful and simple folk-like songs, these 25 tracks sing, waltz and lilt their way into your fanciful thoughts and daydreams. With all profits going to aid victims of natural disasters, this disc brings ease and comfort in more ways than one.
Recommended if you like Sarah Brightman, Dawn Upshaw.CD price: $17.98
ANTI-SOCIAL MUSIC: ...Sings The Great American Songbook
Called "Punk Orchestra" by the NY Press, Antisocial Music puts a whole new spin on the meeting of contemporary classical trends with rock and popular influences. A stunning collage of sound and ideas, their pieces are inexplicably bold and dynamic, in places programmatic enough in emotion to be a remarkably clever film score and in other places, beautifully splattered and random feeling, milking an avant garde animal for all its genius. But holding it all together is the consistently stunning and imaginative color, drama and personality. There is barely a moment to breathe for being on the edge of your seat. If you think you aren't one for classical music, you need to get your head out of the sand, put away the "dead white guy" albums momentarily and see what's going on with today's living composers.
CD price: $9.99 / MP3 price: $9.99
CINDY HORSTMAN: Christmas Harp
Matt Weitz of the Dallas Observer was right in saying about this album, "if there's anything more timeless at Christmas than mistletoe and candles all aglow, it's angelic harp music." "Christmas Harp," features accomplished harpist and thoughtful musician, Cindy Horstman, gracefully performing Christmas favorites in simple and elegant arrangements. From the rhythmic and haunting Carol of the Bells to the ever calming and moving Silent Night to the celebratory Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, this disc is packed with 16 tracks of holiday cheer and a gentle seasonal Spirit.
CD price: $14.99 / MP3 price: $14.99
NED ROREM / PHYLLIS CURTIN, SOPRANO: Ariel: For Soprano, Clarinet and Piano
This stunning release from Eroica Classical Recordings, CD Baby's top classical label, is one of many gems we have received lately with great excitement. This particular album features music of one of America's most notable and followed living composers and diarists, Ned Rorem. His "Ariel" for soprano, clarinet and piano, "Gloria" for two voices and piano as well as the "King Midas' cantata for voices and piano are brought to life on this disc, giving a broad and dramatic experience of his special knack for songs and song setting, of which he is highly regarded. Directed and powered by the commanding and yet intensely elegant voice of Phyllis Curtin, this is a disc that, no doubt, belongs in many a classical library. When you have thoroughly soaked in the magic of this disc, we'd also like to invite you to go to Eroica's other album of Rorem's on CD Baby, "Day Music, Night Music."
CD price: $15.99