Avie label - CDs

Jacob Heringman is one of the world's most respected and innovative solo lute players. He is well known for his extensive discography of over 50 CDs as a soloist, collaborator and ensemble player. His well-earned reputation for seeking out rare and unjustly neglected renaissance repertoire is borne out by The Siena Lute Book, one of the richest and most important sources of 16th-century Italian lute music. Represented in this expansive anthology are the great Francisco da Milano, the neglected master Fabritio Dentice, Giulio Severino, Pierino Fiorentino, as well as the mysterious FB and BM, the latter described by Galilei as a "Florentine gentleman".

The title, taken from the opening Gershwin track, says it all. Each of the gems presented here by Austrian violinist David Frühwirth tells its own unique and captivating Short Story. David takes the listener on a musical journey through Western and Eastern Europe with an intriguing collection of miniatures, many by virtuoso violinists of the 19th and 20th centuries who applied their personal touch to the range and idiosyncrasies of their instrument to create these small but perfectly formed masterpieces. Works by relative unknowns such as Joseph Achron, Ovid Musin and Hans Sitt mingle with popular transcriptions by Kreisler, and arrangements of works by Glazunov, Ravel and Weill, including several world-premiere recordings.

David Frühwirth garnered international attention with his Gramophone Editor’s Choice Avie debut, Trails of Creativity (AV 0009). On Short Stories, he applies the same ingenuity for seeking out unknown but deserving and striking repertoire.

The internationally best-selling, Grammy Award-winning partnership of Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony continue their critically acclaimed Mahler cycle with Symphony No. 4. Mahler's Fourth is the most tuneful and upbeat of his symphonies. Its gloriously expansive slow movement offers a picture of heavenly terrain and its vocal finale, with American rising star soprano Laura Claycomb, is as freshly innocent as a folk tune. The exceptional standards set by this notable cycle are upheld in the outstanding performance, SACD production and luxurious packaging.

This is the second AVIE recording by the powerful, Barcelona-based violin-piano duo of Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau in Avie’s Crear Classics series, named for the spectacular studio space on the western coast of Scotland. Their debut recital of works by Janácek, Prokofiev and Shostakovich (AV 0023) was critically acclaimed and caught the attention of music aficionados worldwide. This release features three contrasting yet complimentary works from the second half of the 19th century.

Peace is a choral album for our times, a rich collection of popular a capella works such as Barber’s Agnus Dei, John Tavener’s Song for Athene and Elgar’s Lux Aeterna (Nimrod), alongside lesser-known compositions by Rachmaninov, Schoenberg and American composers Randall Thompson and Morten Lauridsen. Quite simply, Peace is over one hour of gorgeous and inspiring music.

Grant Llewellyn, conducting the chorus of the Boston, Massachusetts-based Handel and Haydn Society, appropriately describes the spirit of Peace:

“I arrived in Boston to take up my appointment with the Handel and Haydn Society on the evening of September 10, 2001. I awoke early the following morning to witness the horror taking place in the skies over America. Growing up in Wales, I was sandwiched between the English and, just across the water, the Irish between whom the “troubles” raged throughout my childhood, and still simmer. For years, we have borne witness to tragedies in the Middle East, the Balkans, Chechnya, the Koreas, Afghanistan, and many other lands. It would seem this species of ours is hell bent on conflict. What can we as mere musicians possibly do to alleviate this situation?

“We have tried to find here music that can convey a sense of calm and tranquillity that will compel the listener to slow down, even stop and reflect on life and its beauty for a moment. We have chosen music from many lands, religions and cultures that is solemn, sometimes profound and always uplifting. We hope that in this small way we are contributing to Peace on Earth.”

Acclaimed violinist and prolific recording artist Philippe Graffin scored a major coup when he unearthed the Violin Concerto of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the Afro-English composer whose star has waned since the height of his fame at the turn of the last century, but has rapidly risen again on the strength of this world-premiere recording.

Coleridge-Taylor's education was as English as they come - studying at the Royal College with Stanford alongside such luminaries as Vaughan Williams and Holst - but his most powerful influences were the folk music and poetry of African-Americans and American Indians, reinforced by his first visit to the US in 1900. References to and inspiration from spirituals and slave songs abound in the Violin Concerto, making the coupling of the Violin Concerto by Dvorák, who was equally inspired by American idioms, apt indeed. In fact, the great American violinist Maud Powell who championed Coleridge-Taylor's works and premiered his Violin Concerto in June 1912 - called him the "colored Dvorák". In an interesting twist, the US premiere was nearly derailed when the original parts sank with the Titanic!

Under the inspired direction of British-born conductor Michael Hankinson, the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra is a musical miracle in a country whose national priorities seem a far cry from promoting Western classical music. Established in 2000 by a multi-cultural group of committed musicians, the JPO have created an exciting ensemble whose aims extend to the musical education of their public and, thanks to this recording, resound worldwide. Their motto: "A nation that turns its back on its culture turns its back on itself".

Jacob Heringman is one of the foremost lutenists of his generation, “a master of his instrument” according to Classical Guitar magazine. He is the lutenist of choice for leading international musicians, including Barbara Bonney, Michael Chance, and The King’singers. His reputation for seeking out rare and unjustly neglected repertoire is well earned: previous solo recordings include the only solo lute CD devoted to Josquin des Prez. A veteran of the recording studio, Jacob appears on over 50 CDs as soloist, collaborator and ensemble member.

Jan Latham-Koenig is one of the most exciting and engaging conductors working in Europe today. As Music Director of l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg he built it into one of Europe’s most prestigious and active orchestras, giving over 100 concert performances and, with Opéra du Rhin, numerous operas each season. They scored a major success with their critically acclaimed DVD release of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, which received the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, and a rosette in the new Penguin Guide to Compact Discs. Strasbourg has grown increasingly important as a European centre of culture and business, as the quality of their orchestra attests, and they have cultivated a captive musical audience. There are no other pairings of these two key Franck works currently available.

Jeffrey Khaner is one of today’s most notable orchestral musicians. Principal flautist of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1990, he has won numerous accolades for his silvery tone, soaring phrases, remarkable breath control and nimble virtuosity. This CD, featuring a diverse collection of accessible American flute sonatas, is Jeff’s debut solo recording. Jeff has become particularly associated with American repertoire. He has given several performances of Lowell Liebermann’s Flute Concerto and Sonata, the latter with the composer at the piano, at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and premiered Ned Rorem's Flute Concerto which was commissioned for him by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Dufay Collective is one of the most established and successful early music ensembles in the world. Their extensive international touring has resulted in sell-out performances throughout Europe, the Americas, Australasia and the Middle East. Their award-winning discography has garnered critical acclaim and popular enthusiasm alike. The Dufay Collective has made numerous film, television and radio appearances. Their presentations are informative and innovative, recreating the rich variety of the music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Cancionero, which was nominated for a Grammy Award, explores courtly music from Spain at the end of the 15th century. The romantic villancicos and spicy instrumental numbers count among today’s most compelling and popular styles of early music.