Delos Diary

This March and April the sounds of Delos are dazzlingly diverse. Releases include music for full orchestra with solos for bandoneón, piano, soprano… also music for string quintet, flute with piano, and classic Spanish guitar.
Preparing such a wide bounty for CD publication is more complex than you might think. Editor's ears have to shift gears back and forth, copywriters and graphic artists scurry about searching for biographical data and suitable artwork and photos, album notes must be written and checked for accuracy, and printers must be cajoled into meeting release date schedules.
When, finally, the packaged CD, in its pristine and impenetrable plastic wrap, is plopped into your hands, you realize that its release is finally beyond your control, and the disc is out there in the cruel world, waiting to be sniped at or adored… or sometimes simply ignored.
This particular foursome definitely should not be ignored. There's a lot of content to delight any classical music fan. You can cry with Schubert, applaud Starker, tango to Piazzolla, meditate with Trevisani and Massenet's Thaïs, and revel in Segre's Albeniz and Granados… and all this in the next 60 days.

Janos Starker Celebration - Schubert & Boccherini String Quintets
Soovin Kim, Kurt Nikkanen, violins; Kirsten Johnson, viola; Janos Starker, Zuill Bailey, cellos

The Soul of Tango - Music of Luis Bacalov & Astor Piazzolla
Gisèle Ben-Dor, conductor; Santa Barbara Symphony; Juanjo Mosalini, bandoneón; Luis Bacalov, piano; Virginia Tola, soprano

The Virtuoso Flute - Music of Donizetti, Sarasate, Boehm, Massenet, Doppler, Borne, Bazzini
Raffaele Trevisani, flute; Paola Girardi, piano

Spanish Guitar Music from the 1500s to Our Time
Emanuele Segre, guitar