ECCD-2051

The Canadian Guitar Quartet, portrait 1
Philip Candelaria, Denis Donegani, Patrick Roux, Louis Trépanier

Patrick Roux, Les scènes de quartier
Carnaval
Le vieux carrousel
Les rues mal-famées

Johann Rosenmüller
Sonata in A minor/Grave-Allegro-Adagio_Allegro-Adagio
Largo,
Adagio
Adagio
Largo
Johannes Brahms
 

T.O.C. says “Damn these guys are good. I’ve known The Romeros for over 35 years. Their quartet recordings are the standard every guitar quartet must live up to. The Canadian Guitar Quartet reaches their heights. To match the Romeros they will have to keep it up for another 20 years of recordings in this class, but what a great start!

"…This is absolute music…I would certainly buy tickets to hear these musicians play these pieces. This is excellent, evocative music, superbly performed and recorded.", "…the disc is so outstanding as to earn the coveted "strongly recommended."—FANFARE-May 2001

ECCD-2052

The first English-language recording of Monteverdi's famous opera, L'Orfeo.  Played on period instruments, this is also the only Orfeo recording to include a reconstruction of the lost Bacchanale ending

Montevrdi
L’Orfeo (Orpheus & Eurdice)
Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor (2cds)

“…near-perfect Bach. The group sounds like it’s been playing together for something like forever.” —Indianapolis Star

Produced by N.P.R.

"L'Orfeo was a triumph for Jeannette Sorrell, showing us new dimensions of her genius."—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"As performed by these artists, Monteverdi's splendor springs to intimate life.…A splendid achievement...the performance claims elegance, vitality and fervor.…Morrell sings the part with remarkable sweetness, but what truly grips the ear is his dramatic expressivity."— Cleveland Plain Dealer

ECCD-2053

The American Muse
The New Hudson Saxophone Quartet

Paul Cohen-soprano saxophone, Avi Goldrosen-alto saxophone, Noah Getz-tenor saxophone, Timothy Ruedeman-baritone saxophone

Steven Cohen, Saxaphone Quartet
Michael Torke, July
Aaron Copland, Piano Blues
Calvin Hampton, Fugue
Alec Wilder, Suite
Elliot Carter, Canonic Suite
Caryl Florio, Quartette

In The American Muse, the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet performs American music for saxophone quartet that spans beyond a century, from 1879-1999. The CD represents a first in programming for the saxophone highlighting well-known American composers in little-known or unknown works.

"Beautiful, sensitive playing" —Lawrence Leighton Smith (MSM Philharmonia)"Stunning virtuosity; a tour de force" —Chris Wilhelm (Ridgewood Concert Band) "Soulful, impassioned playing. The spirit of this music breathes within the group." —Harry Huff (Metamorphes Orchestra)

“They wail, yes they do. A great program played by great musicians. What a lark!!”—T.O.C.

ECCD-2054

BRAHMS: COMPLETE CHAMBER MUSIC FOR STRINGS, Vol. 1

The Penderecki String Quartet

Quartet Op. 51 No. 1 in C Minor,
Quartet Op. 51 No. 2 in A Minor

This CD marks the first in a series of the complete string chamber music by Brahms to be put out by the Eclectra Label. All artists involved in this project have made names for themselves with critics and the public performing works of this composer. Furthermore, they have trained with musicians taught by musicians of the 19^th century, many of whom knew Brahms well. The Penderecki Quartet is one of the worlds most celebrated string quartets with annual tours taking them to the great concert stages of North and South America, Europe and the Far East. Their discography includes the critically acclaimed recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet

Of the Brahms Piano Quintet American Record Guide wrote, “The playing is always smoother and better than any other recording I know. The sound is perfect…I will treasure this recording as the closest I know to what I feel when I hear the music.” Strad Magazine wrote, “With a catalogue that is not exactly short of Brahms Piano Quintets, is there really a need for another one? The answer in this case is very much in the affirmative. Rarely can the work’s youthful exuberance have been so perfectly captured in a performance that comes right from the heart of these excellent musicians. …the reading has the adrenalin pumping through the body from the opening bar.”

ECCD-2055

Guitar Concertos

Rémi Boucher-Guitar
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
Jacques Marchand-director

Joaquin Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez,
Jacques Marchand Les 4 Éléments for Guitar and Orchestra
 

This CD couples the world’s favorite guitar concerto, Rodrigo’s fabulous Concierto de Aranjuez and the world premiere recording of Jacques Marchand’s Les 4 Éléments for Guitar and Orchestra. They are performed by Rémi Boucher, the hottest guitarist in the market today having in an 18 month span won first prize in five of the world’s most important guitar competitions: the Alessandria in Italy, Segovia in Spain, Havana in Cuba and the Guiliani (Turin) and Fernando Sor (Rome) in Italy. The Marchand work is a four movement program piece for guitar and orchestra using extended guitar techniques written for Rémi Boucher. These extended techniques make it possible to bring out the four elements which make up the movements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire. The program notes detail how these effects are executed on the guitar and will be of great interest to performers.

An Austrian critic called the work “concerto for three hands…!”, marveling that Boucher seemingly has no technical limits. This is a must have CD for guitar lovers who follow who’s hot on the world scene.

ECCD-2056

DEBUSSY: 24 Préludes pour Piano (2cds)
Monique Duphil-piano

The Complete Préludes of Claude Debussy performed by French pianist Monique Duphil. Ms. Duphil grew up with the music of Debussy and learned it at the knee of the composers’ friend and collaborator Marguerite Long. The illustrious old lady, already retired from the Paris Conservatory, invited Duphil to study in the private school for special talents she was leading together with violinist Jacques Thibaud. Marguerite Long had been in close contact with Debussy, worked on his pieces with him, and performed his works in countless performances. It is under her guidance that Monique became familiar with Debussy piano repertoire from a very early age, and even included “La boîte à joujoux” and “Children’s Corner” in her first Paris recital just before celebrating her tenth birthday.

The late conductor Eugene Ormandy wrote, “Monique Duphil is an outstanding interpreter of Debussy.”
 

If you press a button here and a text string appears instead of your real audio player playing the music, copy the text. Click open location on your real audio player and paste the url into the player. It should then play the file. Because of the large range of high frequencies in the piano sound a real audio file created to many sound artifacts. These three files are mp3 files.