Morricone, E: Gabriel's Oboe

Arrangements by Craig Hella Johnson.

This CD captures the exquisite sound of Conspirare's Company of Voices, as heard and seen on national television in the US. In this one-hour concert contemporary music blends seamlessly with classical favourites, taking the listener on a journey of innovative sound, vibrant images and thought-provoking ideas.The concert was performed and taped live on October 12 at Austin's Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Now in its 17th season, Conspirare is recognised for its emotionally resonant performances and an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences, providing listeners with an evocative and often transformative cultural experience. Under the artistic leadership of Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare has recorded 3 CDs and received four Grammy nominations. Its inaugural project for harmonia mundi usa, Threshold of Night, was released in September, 2008.

Håkan Hardenberger has earned a reputation of breaking new ground for the trumpet, commissioning works from the world’s foremost composers.

On this disc, he shows a different side to himself in arrangements of his favourite songs and film themes.

Hardenberger is joined by his long-standing collaborators: the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the pianist Roland Pöntinen, who also has orchestrated several of the arrangements.

New Zealand born soprano Hayley Westenra celebrates ten incredible years in the music industry with the release of her fifth studio album, 'Paradiso' -- a collaboration with master Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

Well known for his iconic film scores including 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' and 'Once Upon a Time in the West', Morricone received an honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the art of film music in 2007 and is regarded as one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era. The album features new compositions written by Morricone for Hayley, as well as some of his best-known film compositions of the last 50 years.

With Ennio making new bespoke arrangements for every track, he produced all of Hayley's vocal performances, as well as conducting each session with his own 120-piece orchestra -- Sinfonietta di Roma. 'Paradiso' marks the first time ever Ennio has allowed -- and in Hayley's case encouraged -- anyone to write new lyrics for his classic themes such as for Gabriel's Oboe (Whispers In A Dream), the theme from the 1986 film classic, 'The Mission'. Hayley has also written English lyrics to two more of the album's tracks: La Califfa and the album's final track, Malena.

Oscar winning lyricist Don Black and Sir Tim Rice and Marilyn and Alan Bergman have all also contributed lyrics to this album.

Adriano Del Sal is one of the most significant young guitarists of recent years, whose extraordinary musical talent and total technical control make his performances truly unforgettable, and have earned him a dozen first prizes at national and international competitions. For his Naxos recital album he performs a wide-ranging selection of music by much-loved Spanish and Italian composers which showcases his affinity for the Romantic guitar repertoire.

‘Cello Diverse’ is the debut release for Susanne Beer on Divine Art Records. The two featured sonatas differ in apparent scale, quite apart from the very obvious matters of harmony and style. Stravinsky’s ‘Suite Italienne’ is based originally on a theme by Pergolesi, and arranged for cello and piano at the request of the legendary Piatigorsky. The final piece is a transcription of the key theme to the movie “The Mission”.