Richter plays Bach English Suites

Sviatoslav Richter - Bach: English Suites 1, 3, 4 & 6 (GH 5601)
Delos' first release in the GREAT HALL SERIES is a two-disc set recorded live on May 20th 1991 by the great Russian Pianist Sviatoslav Richter in Moscow. The Bach English Suites 1, 3, 4 & 6 provide Richter with rich musical material in which he demonstrates his exceptional grasp of Bach's genius.
As Shostakovich observed, "Richter is an extraordinary phenomenon. The enormity of his talent staggers and enraptures."
Piano aficionados in the West first became familiar with Richter's artistry through recordings in the 1950s, but it was not until 1960 that the Soviet government permitted him to perform outside of Eastern Europe. International recognition and accclaim followed immediately. His talents remain legendary to this day.

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SHOSTAKOVICH: Complete Songs Volume 4

Shostakovich: Complete Songs Volume 4, 1932-68 (DE 3313)
This fourth installment in Delos' projected 5-volume Shostakovich Complete Songs CD set fills in various gaps between 1932 and 1968 not covered in the other recordings. The familiar singers include Victoria Evtodieva, Fyodor Kuznetsov and Liudmila Shkirtil, directed by pianist and redoubtable musical authority Yuri Serov. Subtitled "Unknown Shostakovich," the recording includes songs from motion pictures, Satires set to words by Sasha Chorny, and the unusual Anti-Formalistic Raree Show, a single act satiric opera/cantata created in response to the repressive resolutions passed by the Communist Party Central Committee in 1948. It vividly illustrates and comments on the political and artistic climate of the time.
The music on this disc cannot be viewed apart from the era in which Shostakovich lived and worked. These pieces form an integral part of the total song output of this great Russian composer.

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Zhou Long's Tales from the Cave

Delos' exciting new release, Tales from the Cave (DE 3335), features the music of contemporary Chinese composer Zhou Long and the superb ensemble of musicians called "Music from China," a group formed expressly to acquaint western audiences with music being produced by today's musicians in China and the far east. Although all selections included on this CD are modern compositions by Zhou Long, their titles — Tales from the Cave, Heng (Eternity), Valley Stream, Secluded Orchid and Five Elements — are indicative of the exotic and unusual flavor of the music.
To quote Zhou Long: "The age-old tradition of Chinese instrumental music has bequeathed us immortal classical music and folk arts with rich native taste and spirit. Writing new music for Chinese instruments and mixed ensembles has proved a rich opportunity to experiment with texture, timbre and performance techniques guided by new concepts and ideas."

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Favorite Ukrainian Songs - Baritone Vassily Gerello

Vassily Gerello, baritone - Favorite Ukrainian Songs - DE 3274
Delos' debut recital recording of Ukrainian baritone Vassily Gerello spotlights the individual beauty of his voice and his special affinity to the songs of his homeland.
Gerello's unmistakable timbre and exceptional artistry have made him a favorite on the international opera and concert stage, as evidenced by his participation in previous Delos operatic recordings, but these Ukrainian songs lie closest to his heart.
Blending lyricism, drama, pathos and humor, and the unique character of Ukrainian melody, these 18 songs survey some of the very best of this unique heritage.
Constantine Orbelian, conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, is especially sensitive to the mood and structure of Ukrainian music and leads an ideal orchestral accompaniment to the definitive interpretations of Vassily Gerello.

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Sibelius Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7 - DePreist

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7, DePreist & Oregon Symphony DE 3334
This recording of these two symphonies forms part of a wish fulfillment for conductor James DePreist and the Oregon Symphony. The Gretchen Brooks Recording Fund for the Oregon Symphony has enabled Maestro DePreist to set down definitive versions of some of his favorite works in state-of-the-art recordings for all to enjoy.
Symphonies Nos. 2 and 7 stand at almost opposite ends of Jean Sibelius's career and, between them, encompass much of his musical philosophy. The 2nd (1901), probably his most popular symphony, is imbued with a strong nationalistic flavor, and, in four traditional movements, delivers its message with richly intense romantic melody and fierce drama. The 7th (1924) is in one movement, severe, lean, and somber. It's serious profile reflects the expression and temperament of a much older composer. Both works demand the maximum from a conductor and orchestra.
James DePreist and the Oregon Symphony, his instrument of choice, are recorded at the peak of their long and productive relationship.

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Delos Diary

Years ago there was a popular play which made the rounds of regional theatres called "Springtime for Henry."
This coming year, 2005, will see a period during April and May which opera lovers may dub "Springtime for Dmitri."
Between Thursday April 21 and Saturday May 21, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Delos' Russian baritone par excellence, will appear at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in eight performances of Gounod's Faust. The opera is being given a new production to be conducted by James Levine. Other celebrated singers in the cast include Soile Isokoski, Roberto Alagna and René Pape.
Hvorostovsky will portray Valentin, Marguerite's soldier-brother who gets to sing one of Gounod's most renowned arias. He also will be a guest artist at a Met Gala Concert honoring Mirella Freni on Sunday May 15th. Sharing this event, conducted by James Levine, will be mezzo Frederica von Stade and tenor Salvatore Licitra.
Hopefully by this time, Hvorostovsky's newest Delos CD Moscow Nights will have been released. Although the songs recorded on this CD are primarily popular, their lyricism and melodic beauty bear favorable comparison with many operatic favorites.
Hvorostovsky brings the same attention to musical detail and his signature dramatic involvement to the selections in Moscow Nights which he gives to his operatic offerings. Supported by the loving accompaniments of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Constantine Orbelian, Hvorostovsky's newest release should get the spring season off to a rousing start.

Delos Diary

Christmas approaches!
Depending on your state of readiness, these two words, plus the exclamation point, may delight or depress you. The weary grind of sending cards, shopping for gifts, wrapping them, decorating the house, etc., etc., can be daunting, especially if you've already gone through the entire cycle thirty or forty times over the years. On the other hand, for those who are relatively young, mobile and prosperous, the holidays can be a time of great delight.
A Christmas manifestation I personally dread is the prospect of hearing the same dozen or so Christmas carols being sung or played over and over on radio, TV, store and mall sound systems, by church choirs, amateur choruses, and local glee clubs from mid November through December 25.
Here at Delos we have a couple of antidotes to alleviate this glut of Christmas standards. A Kremlin Christmas (DE 3271) for one. The wonderful Capella of the Moscow Kremlin Museum, under its director Gennady Dmitriak, dips into the rich reservoir of Russian Orthodox Christmas music developed over the last four centuries and comes up with a recording, rich in Christmas spirit, with music mostly unfamiliar to western listeners.
Closer to home, Christmas by the Bay (DE 3238), brings us the renowned San Francisco Symphony Chorus, conducted by Vance George, in a concert with some familiar holiday favorites but many other rarely heard gems extending from the French and Italian Renaissance to contemporary compositions such as Eric Whitacre's setting of e.e. cummings' poem little tree. Truly refreshing, touching and unhackneyed music.
Enough said. Now get back to your wrapping and decorating. It's closer than you think.

Delos Diary

Scanning music reviews published in the New York Times from our home base in Hollywood, California sometimes yields pleasant surprises, especially when something is said we can relate to Delos.
In the Wednesday November 10th edition, Allan Kozinn gave a very favorable review of a Saturday, November 6th concert by a group called Music from China. The event was part of a new music series at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Music from China, founded in 1984, was organized to acquaint Western audiences with traditional Chinese music and, more recently, with music by contemporary Chinese composers.
Mr. Kozinn focused on two pieces by composer Zhou Long, the organization's music director, another composition by composer Chen Yi, and the virtuosic playing of erhu soloist Wang Guowei.
Two recent Delos CD releases can bring you up to date on this very special group, both composers mentioned, the erhu soloist and many other personalities and composers involved in the contemporary Chinese music scene.
Zhou Long - Tales from the Cave (DE 3335), features five compositions by Zhou Long played by Music from China, conducted by the composer. Wang Guowei, the brilliant erhu player mentioned, can be heard on several tracks on this recording.
Another Delos release, HUAXIA (DE 3299), was recorded with a completely different group of musicians playing works by other contemporary Chinese composers, among them Tan Dun and Chen Yi.
So there you have it! Much of this week's revelation in New York City is already available on Delos.

Delos Diary

This past weekend a news release from Associated Press caught my eye. November 6, 2004 was the 150th anniversary of John Philip Sousa's birth. The great "march king," once the most famous American musician alive, is now largely neglected, at least as a "serious" composer. A number of his marches such as Stars and Stripes Forever and Semper Fidelis are still enormously popular, but not much else.
The newspaper article goes on to say that Sousa's complete archive of compositions and arrangements is housed at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. During his long career Sousa composed 137 marches, 5 overtures, 15 operettas, 11 suites, 24 dances, 28 fantasies, and 322 arrangements of 19th century symphonic works for band. Today, of these hundreds of entries, we hear only a few of the more famous marches. One would think that there ought to be at least a few other musical gems to be mined from this mass of musical material stashed away in Illinois.
Fortunately, for Sousa's sake, we at Delos can boast of being well ahead of the curve. Delos' CD DE 3102, The Original All-American SousaThe Original All-American Sousa featuring Keith Brion and his New Sousa Band, offers a generous sampling of thirteen Sousa marches, famous and less well-known, all played by Keith Brion's re-creation of the authentic Sousa touring band (In fact, in live concerts, Brion often conducts costumed and made up to resemble old photos of the real John Philip Sousa).
As a bonus, the album includes a number of historical "acoustic" recordings of the real Sousa band, dating from 1917–1923, plus a half-minute introduction spoken by Sousa himself in 1929.
It all makes for a very exhilarating mix.
Now, what about those 15 operettas, 5 overtures and other works? When will some group take the plunge and give us a chance to hear a few of them? Hopefully before the Sousa Bicentennial in 2054.

Delos Diary

Hello again! Yes, we're still here at Delos International, working like Santa's helpers, trying to survive the rigors of the autumnal political season, to make sure that classical music fans will have some fascinating new recordings to listen to and hopefully buy in the very near future.
One long awaited project involves a new CD featuring Paul Galbraith, our distinguished 8-string guitarist. His previous releases of Bach, Haydn and folk song transcriptions, plus his light-hearted collaborations with the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, have all been Delos bestsellers and have helped build Paul's international fan following, whose members wait impatiently for every new Galbraith release.
Even ordinary music lovers and concertgoers are intrigued by Paul's 8-string guitar and the unique way he plays it (in cello position) with its long spike inserted in his custom-designed acoustical enhancement box, which nests between his feet.
On his new recording, Galbraith is devoting himself to what he calls music of the French Impressionists school, principally Debussy and Ravel. Transcribing these pieces from their origins as piano solos, so that they retain their special qualities on the 8-string guitar, is no mean feat. Paul has been laboring over just the right notes and fingering and the endless chore of bringing the interpretation of these pieces close to perfection by repeated performances for at least two years.
We were lucky enough to hear a live recital Paul gave in Dabney Lounge at Cal Tech on Sunday afternoon, October 3rd, before an overflow crowd. For his program he played virtually the same pieces slated for the new recording.
The audience sat in rapt attention and seemed mesmerized by the music. Much applause and stand ovations!
A few days later Paul began recording this very same music for Delos. All reports from Delos producers and engineers point to outstanding results.
Just wait till you hear Paul's Golliwog's cake walk and the enchanting final movement from Ma Mere l'Oye (The Mother Goose Suite). The French title of this piece — Le jardin fèerique — just begins to describe the wonderful uplift Paul achieves simply by using his few fingers and his ever-amazing instrument.