As we celebrate Holy Saturday, we offer this, perhaps my favorite liturgical chant, for you, the reader, courtesy of Les Grandes Voix Bulgares.
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No reviews today, as I will be celebrating Easter weekend (for those who are confused, it is because most Eastern Orthodox celebrate Easter using the Julian Calendar) with my friends. To honor Good Friday, I offer to you Tatar-Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina’s magnum opus, Sieben Worte for cello, bayan and strings. It is a composition dedicated to the last words of Jesus Christ during His passion. For those who celebrate today, Είθε ο Θεός να μας δείξει έλεος.
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Julia Hülsmann is a pianist from Bonn, Germany who has recorded quite a few stellar albums for the legendary record label ECM. This particular song is a fine rendition of This Is Not America, originally performed by David Bowie and Pat Metheny as part of the soundtrack to the film The Falcon and The Snowman.
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Today, thanks to a busy schedule, no reviews will be put up (one will be edited), so I bring for your viewing pleasure the Catalonian maestro, Jordi Savall, and his troupe, Hespèrion XXI performing Lachrimæ Caravaggio. Audiophile Audition has a great writeup on the album here.
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Because this isn’t a Bandcamp release, and because I should be exploring more sites so that readers can enjoy an ever-widening array of music, I am happy to offer for your ears a track by Berlin-based composer (and an alum from the Musician’s Institute in my home town of Los Angeles), Rettward von Doernberg. Though the headline in his webpage had me a bit worried, reading “Indian, Chinese, Electronica and Orchestra: Four Musical Traditions – One Piece of Music,” it turns out that Rettward has the skill to blend these traditions into a quite workable piece of music. I do…
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Today is Saint Patrick’s Day for Western Christians, and is also celebrated by my fellow Orthodox, though his feast day on the Julian Calender is March 30. I thought I would share a bit of Irish music, but something not so common. I’m sure a great many of you know the work of Ireland’s third-most famous export (after Guinness Beer and U2), The Chieftains. They have toured the world bringing Celtic music to the masses, even making a legendary appearance at the Great Wall of China in 1983. The band got their start after the members of the above band, led…
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Los Angeles produces scores of great rock bands, and has since before I was born. Tara Who? continue the tradition of mixing elements of straight-ahead rock, punk, and the kind of metal that seems to only come from the area of the city near venues like The Roxy or bars like The Rainbow. Pretty solid stuff. From their promo bio: Los Angeles, CA. – Tarah Who? is back with “Manners” February 19, 2021, the follow-up single and video to their eruptive song, “Swallow That Pill”. The L.A. based firebrand frontwoman, Tarah G. Carpenter (vocals/guitar) and Corale Hervé (drums/backing vocals), complete this duo who have carefully crafted songs…
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For my ears, Silvestre Revueltas‘ Homenaje A Federico García Lorca is the finest piece of classical music to come out of Mexico in the 20th Century.
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Though long out-of-print, this album screams for a proper reissue. The album combines a fine jazz quartet with Yamamoto’s sublime shakuhachi playing. The personnel on this album were: Bass – Gary Peacock Drums – Hiroshi Murakami Piano – Masabumi Kikuchi Shakuhachi [Bamboo-Flute] – Hōzan Yamamoto
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While I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day too seriously (traveling and lack of a suitable mate at this time will do that), and adding that Eastern Orthodox don’t celebrate the venerable Saint’s day until July 30, I do want to wish my friends and the kind readers who show up here a lovely day with your partner. A bit of Roberta Flack singing Ewan MacColl’s masterpiece, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, should set the mood for the day nicely. Tell me these words wouldn’t make your lover swoon: The first time ever I saw your face I thought…