Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem    2. Bagatelle for Keyboard    3. Baroque Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    4. Baroque Variations for Keyboard    5. Berceuse for Keyboard    6. Cantata    7. Canzona for Keyboard    8. Chamber    9. Chamber Music & Recitals    10. Character/Single-Movement/Miscellaneous Work for Keyboard    11. Choral    12. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    13. Classical    14. Classical Collections-Artist Desc.    15. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    16. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    17. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    18. Concerto    19. Contrapuntal/Improvisatory Keyboard Music    20. Etude for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Classical guitar lovers looking for a jazzier change of pace shouldn't be disappointed by Read more

Reviews (11)

An Oasis of quality music.
The tracks on this recording vary from exuberant latin-american jazz - like 'Beyond The Mirage'- to more introspective music like 'The Grand Passion'. 'Northern Lights'is very sensitive as well, it makes you a little bit melancholic. Between all the noisy dance-music we have nowadays, 'Nylon & Steel'is an oasis of quality and high standard.(Though there is no classical music played on this cd - apart from Villa-Lobos - don't let that spoil the fun). Something about this music reminds me of the piano-music of Brad Mehldau: it sounds familiar and at the same time it's something new.
Wonderful CD
I didn't think I would like this CD.However, after the first listen, I had to admit this is a fantastic CD!

cool classical/rock/jazz fusion
This is a very interesting combination of the classical and rock/jazz worlds of guitar playing. All four guitarists have amazing chops and they're all quite tasteful on this recording. If you're a fan of Barrueco, DiMeola, Morse, or Summers, check out this CD. I had heard Barrueco and Summers before, and knew of DiMeola and Morse by reputation, so I had an idea of what to expect...but "Nylon & Steel" surpassed those expectations. Very cool, indeed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. Ballet    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Artists    8. Classical Music    9. Film    10. Film Music    11. Keyboard    12. Miscellaneous    13. Miscellaneous Music    14. Tango for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

A large sampling of Stravinsky's piano music.
I bought this cd primarily for "Movements for Piano and Orchestra", a short piece (about 9 minutes) using the 12 tone serial technique developed by Arnold Schoenberg. It is intriguing to hear the "neo-classicist" Stravinsky write in this style. To my ears, and I'm a fan of 12 tone, no new ground is broken here by Stravinsky (the piece was written in 1958-9, seven years after Schoenberg's death) but it's a good piece. The rest of the works are tonal.
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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Concerto    5. Etude for Keyboard    6. Keyboard    7. Keyboard Music    8. March for Keyboard    9. Orchestral & Symphonic    10. Piano Concerto    11. Rag for Keyboard    12. Scherzo for Keyboard    13. Serenade for Keyboard    14. Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    15. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    16. Tango for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

A great release of Nazareth!
I 'discovered' Ernesto Nazareth about 8 years ago while surfing the internet. I found him in a composer alphabet: N is for Nazareth, the only entry under N. I always have my eye out for Brazilian music because of fond connections there. Further, Nazareth was billed as the 'King of Brazilian Ragtime' (or some such grandiose title). I play rags (please don't call me a ragtime piano player), and I have come to object to Nazareth's music being considered 'ragtime'. Nazareth's music is unique music with complex influences of which ragtime is not one. Nazareth's music is a cousin of ragtime; both are rooted in Gottschalk. It is uniquely Brazilian music- and influenced even Villa Lobos as such. It is fun, lively, witty, teasing; Nazareth makes Joplin seem very serious. Yet, the moods of Nazareth are deep. I call the music 'Nazareth'.
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Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Keyboard    5. Keyboard Music    6. Polka for Keyboard    7. Tango for Keyboard    8. Waltz for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Uruguayan pianist Polly Ferman has made a specialty of the piano music of South America. Her previous CDs of music by Ernesto Nazareth and Ernesto Lecuona were thoroughly delightful. Now she offers a wide-ranging program of mostly brief, dance-based piano music in forms from South America, although written by composers from many countries. You have to follow the track listing inside the booklet (the listing on the tray card is virtually illegible) to find out whether the delightful piece you are hearing was written by Gottschalk, Chabrier, Stravinsky, Weill, or Ginastera. But whatever the music, it's all entertaining and sometimes (as with Piazzolla) considerably more than that. Ferman's playing encompasses all these styles convincingly, and the recording conveys the piano sound with considerable realism. Romeo needs to clean up its presentation; aside from the badly-designed tray card, the pianist's biography comes right in the middle of the program notes on the music. But for its contents, this is the most entertaining piano collection since Gloria Cheng's Read more

Reviews (2)

From Africa to Cuba and from Cuba to Argentina
I don't mean to be over zealous with my Cuban/Spanish Moorish heritage, and I agree with my Argentinean counterpart soldiers who are here in Eastern Europe with me serving as peace keepers with NATO, that certain things have to be clear and made public, so that people can be educated. This is the purpose of this review. This CD is an excellent recording of the different styles of Habaneras, Milongas and Tangos, they all are related. The roots are from Africa/Cuba brought to Argentina by Cuban sailors. The great German writer Rodolfo A. Windhausen states in one of his research report on the roots of the Tangos the following: "I learned about the Cuban roots of Tango. The Habanera rhythm was brought to Argentina by Cuban sailors in the nineteenth century. In fact, there is still one Milonga in Havana, once a week, for a small Tango community". If you want to hear Habaneras check the CD " Habaneras By Maria Teresa Vera" and Habaneras by Marco Rizo on both of these CD's you will hear the roots of Tangos played by one of the most respected Cuban guitar player(Maria Teresa Vera) of all times. I first heard of the Habaneras when I was young. My father would play them on his guitar while my mother would join him in singing the songs. My favorite was "twenty years" which is a classic! This is a good starting point for those who enjoy the Tangos, Milongas and the Habaneras interpreted here by this great pianist from Uruguay.Che, buy it, you will not regret it! It's part of your rich Argentinean culture.

Habaneras, Milongas, Tangos
This is delightful! The pianist is superb in her interpretation of the pieces. The music takes you away to another world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Chamber    3. Chamber Music    4. Chamber Music & Recitals    5. Classical    6. Classical Artists    7. Classical Music    8. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    9. Individual Dance for Keyboard    10. Keyboard    11. Keyboard Music    12. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    13. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard    14. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    15. Tango for Keyboard    16. Vocal   

Subjects:  1. Argentina    2. Chamber    3. Chamber Music    4. Chamber Music & Recitals    5. Classical    6. Classical Composers    7. Classical Music    8. Guitar Solo    9. Keyboard    10. Latin Continuum    11. Latin Jazz    12. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    13. Tango    14. Tango for Keyboard    15. Vocal   

Editorial Review

This record represents an interesting combination of styles: two works by Stravinsky, one neo-classical (Duo concertante--1932)and one quasi-baroque (Suite Italienne--1933), based on themes by Pergolesi and taken from his ballet Read more

Reviews (4)

the magic duo strikes again!
Kavakos and Nagy bridges the gap between the two ages in classical music in this recording,baroque and modern,chosing excellent works,once again.The whole disc is breathtaking,full of lyrical,dramatic and esoterical moments,especially Stravinsky cuts,which are less performed.It has the charismatic property,very few discs have,to be heard from the beginning to the end,enjoying the brilliant playing and the discrete but equal roles of both musicians.The sound is typical ECM,means excellent.Highly recommended,don't miss it.

A gorgeous album, not to be missed!
This is one of those rare CDs that one cannot do without. In other words, I purchased it a month ago and I haven't been able to take it off my CD player ever since. To be brief and to the point:
Stravinsky and Bach Would Have Loved This Recording!
Though at first the album cover stating the pairing of Bach with Stravinsky may seem bizarre, nothing could be further from the truth. Brilliant Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos has elected to pair Stravinsky's neo-classical 'Duo Concertante' and 'Pulcinella Suite or `Suite Italienne' (with fine accompaniment from pianist Peter Nagy) with Bach's unaccompanied G-minor Sonata and B-minor Partita. Meshing the virtuosity of these two composers' demands is what makes this recital absolutely pulsatile!
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Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Keyboard    6. Tango for Keyboard    7. Violin Solo    8. Violin with Keyboard   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (1)

A singular achievement, a unique pleasure
These two young Europeans have done an inspired and remarkably attentive job of translating the orchestral music of Stravinsky's Russian folk ballet "Petrushka" for their two great button accordions.The score itself seems at times to have been inspired by the quaint, wheezy dance music often played on the accordion in Old Russia, making it a particularly apt choice for this unusual duo.I have saved for last the most compelling reason to buy this disc:the level of technical skill and the range of expression on display will leave speechless any music lover in your circle who dismisses the accordion as a mistake of creation.Music of such interpretive richness and rigorousness cannot be dismissed.(I may add, if you are the sort of person who likes to dance to the music, these two will not let you down.)Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Ballet    2. Ballet    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Keyboard    7. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    8. Tango for Keyboard   

Reviews (7)

Even my kid likes this!
This is an amazing collection of songs, all performed with such skill that even my 8-year-old son likes this CD.Brahms and Beatles, Mozart and Ellington, there is something here for everyone.And thank you, thank you, thank you for "Bassoonist's Holiday."

Bassoon Me!
I delight in the bassoon!What a unique and great sound, throaty and thrillingly coarse, yet soaring to sound at times like sax, like oboe, like cello, like a bunch of bassoonatics!
Brilliant Bassoonastics
This would have to be the best bassoon ensemble cd on the market. The arrangements are stylish and clever, and the performances brilliant!Fraser Jackson must be the most accomplished contrabassoonist I have ever head. This cd is a must for any bassoonists collection be you amateur or proffessional. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Incidental Music for Orchestra    2. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    3. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music    4. Band    5. Band Music    6. Chamber    7. Chamber Music & Recitals    8. Classical    9. Classical Collections-Composer Desc.    10. Classical Music    11. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    12. Duo for Two String Instruments    13. Eclectic selections from classical, world and jazz genres played with virtuosity and flair by the best bassoon quartet going.    14. Gigue for Keyboard    15. Keyboard    16. Miscellaneous    17. Miscellaneous Music    18. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    19. Music Theater    20. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard   

Editorial Review

To speak of Conlon Nancarrow's music for player piano shouldn't be mistaken to suggest some still broader range of musical output of which the composer's piano rolls are but a subset. Quite the contrary: Nancarrow's meticulous scores--generally unplayable, at least by most primates--are the body of his life's work. This five-CD set contains dozens upon dozens of his studies, each a fairly self-contained exploration of tempo, pitch, rhythm, counterpoint--and the interaction between pairings of those core musical categories. Certainly, this is "difficult" music, hard on the ears, off-kilter in a manner that both demands attention and may repulse listeners unfamiliar with experimental composition. After initial exposure, this collection is the sort of thing that sits on the shelf for some time, before your imagination breaks its internal code. Once that code is broken, though, the vast life inherent in this "mechanical" music becomes almost intoxicating. On some of the quieter pieces, the piano's tone is similar to that of a harpsichord. On others, the palimpsest of ragtime is undeniable. Yes, some pieces seem overly chaotic, but spend some time with them and you'll see, in your mind's eye, dozens of hands working the keys. Read more

Reviews (9)

symphony of a thousand (pianos)
Imagine for a moment that you have entered a room full of slightly beat-up upright pianos. These pianos begin to come to life by sputtering out unusual, irregular melodies. The melodies don't fit together exactly, but somehow they seem right sounding together. Before you know it, there are so many pianos playing that you can't keep track of them all and they begin to accrue into an impossibly dense spray of sound. Even if you had a roomful of humans playing these pianos they wouldn't get the overwhelming, unswerving independence of each individual line in each piano. The pianos stop playing and you wonder what just happened....
piano revelations.
This stuff influenced Ligeti's "Etudes" for solo piano. The music is mind-blowing.

Dizzying experiments by a brilliant maverick
A true compositional original, Conlon Nancarrow is best known for these mind-blowing pieces for player piano.Why this particular instrument?Because most of these short works are utterly unplayable by human beings, unless you are capable of say, depressing all 88 keys at the same time.While later in life Nancarrow also wrote a few small pieces for chamber ensembles, his work here is the core of his output and where his imagination truly took flight.Read more

Subjects:  1. Canon for Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Composers    5. Classical Music    6. Etude for Keyboard    7. Keyboard    8. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    9. Tango for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. Avant-Garde Music    3. Cantata    4. Choral    5. Classical    6. Classical Artists    7. Classical Music    8. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    9. Contrapuntal/Improvisatory Keyboard Music    10. Keyboard    11. Keyboard Music    12. Music Theater    13. Music for Four Hands at One Keyboard    14. Music for Two Keyboards    15. Musical Theater    16. Prelude for Keyboard    17. Rag for Keyboard    18. Tango for Keyboard    19. Vocal    20. Waltz for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

A good budget introduction to Nancarrow's "live" music
Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997), one of the greatest of the American musical mavericks, is primarily known for a huge collection of studies for player piano (available on Wergo) which were a significant influence on major later 20th century figures such as Ligeti. This disc (which originally appeared on Musical Heritage Society) is a sensible choice for Naxos to reissue on their American Classics series, as by concentrating on music for live instruments it helps round out the image of the composer, as well as providing an accessible introduction to his work for those who don't want to drop $60 on the player piano studies. Much of the music on this disc is early Nancarrow, but Naxos do score by including two late works, the piano piece Tango? and the Second Piece for Small Orchestra, which was written for Continuum, the ensemble performing on this disc.
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Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Formal Description    2. 20th/21st Century Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    3. Canon for Keyboard    4. Chamber    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Composers    8. Keyboard    9. Miscellaneous    10. Miscellaneous Music    11. Orchestral    12. Quartet for Four String Instruments    13. Tango for Keyboard    14. Two Woodwinds with Keyboard/Continuo    15. Violin with Keyboard   

Editorial Review

Stravinsky, who was a good pianist, wrote surprisingly little music for his own instrument. His two largest works for solo piano, the Sonata of 1924 and Serenade of 1925, last about 11 and 12 minutes, respectively. Except for some obscure piano transcriptions, all of Stravinsky's well-known piano music is included on this disc. Peter Hill has the neoclassical style nailed. The dry delight with which he plays those two "big" pieces, the small exercises, and the Tango is right on the mark and would have delighted the composer, who said he wanted his music just to be played, not interpreted. Stravinsky's big virtuoso transcription, Three Movements from Read more

Reviews (1)

Steely
The piano was central to Stravinsky's work as a composer: he was a formidable player and loved the way in which the instrument allowed him to shape his music throughout the process of composition. It is therefore surprising that so little of his total output is for piano solo. This disc only weighs in at about fifty-five minutes (although Naxos' budget price means that this doesn't chafe quite so much as it would in the case of a full price CD). Additionally, I am aware of certain other miniatures and arrangements that are do not appear in this programme, although they are hardly of a length that would make much difference to the running time.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Chorale Prelude or Chorale Treatment for Keyboard    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Classical Music    7. Keyboard    8. Rag for Keyboard    9. Serenade for Keyboard    10. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    11. Tango for Keyboard   

Reviews (4)

On David Burgess.....
I bought this CD directly from the artist himself after hearing him perform several of the pieces live.David Burgess is guitarist of extraordinary talent and broad interest.This CD contains beautiful pieces from both South America and Spain that are intricately performed with great depth of emotion.I would recommend this disc for any true music lover.

Waiting for Another Great CD
Wherever you are, David Burgess, don't get exhaust yourself concertizing.Get back in the studio and record another excellent CD!Your talent is much too good to let slip away in the ephemeral wind; crystallize it on CD for everyone to hear long after your fine concerts are memories.Yeah, I guess I'm begging you to lay down more brilliant recordings.It can be Latin American, Spanish, Brazilian--anything.Just do it!...

great variety, a true virtuoso
David Burgess is one of those artists that is a total gem to find.He doesn't have a "big name" or a huge recording contract, but when it comes down to what matters (namely playing well) he can totally deliver the goods.Not only is he technically amazing (I've seen him in concert and he honestly didn't hit a single bad note), he plays with an incredible amount of soul.You can tell both on record and live, that he breathes this music and that it truly means the world to him.Read more

Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Classical    5. Classical Artists    6. Classical Music    7. Classical Sonata/Sonatina for Keyboard    8. Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.    9. Guitar Solo    10. Keyboard    11. Miscellaneous    12. Miscellaneous Music    13. Tango for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Adagio for Keyboard    2. Chamber    3. Chamber Music & Recitals    4. Choral    5. Classical    6. Classical Composers    7. Classical Music    8. Duo for Two Brass Instruments    9. Duo for Two Woodwind Instruments    10. Keyboard    11. Mixed Chamber Ensemble without Keyboard    12. Octet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    13. Secular Choral Music    14. Septet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    15. Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra    16. Tango for Keyboard    17. Violin Solo    18. Vocal   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Music for Voice and Keyboard    2. American 20th/21st Century Opera    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Artists    8. Concerto    9. Duo for Two String Instruments    10. Keyboard    11. Keyboard Music    12. Miscellaneous    13. Miscellaneous Music    14. Opera    15. Orchestral    16. Prelude for Keyboard    17. Rigaudon for Keyboard    18. Romantic Music for Voice and Keyboard    19. Scherzo for Orchestra    20. Song Without Words for Keyboard   

Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Classical Composers    4. Impromptu for Keyboard    5. Keyboard    6. Keyboard Music    7. Miscellaneous    8. Miscellaneous Music    9. Polka for Keyboard    10. Tango for Keyboard    11. Waltz for Keyboard   

Editorial Review

For sheer entertainment value, it's hard to find a classical CD that will beat this one. Gloria Cheng has chosen an astonishing variety of 20th-century piano music with nothing in common except brevity and dance origins. The disc is full of familiar pieces (Debussy, Scriabin, Ravel, Prokofiev) and entertaining novelties (Albright, Martinu, Poulenc, Ginastera). Donald R. Davis's exercise in creative plagiarism, "Illicit Felicity," rates a special mention for its ingenuity. But really, unless you're allergic to Philip Glass, there isn't a loser on the entire program. Cheng plays brilliantly, with appropriate special emphasis on the dance rhythms of the music, and Telarc's sound engineering is typically realistic. It ain't profound, but this is still a marvelous program. Read more

Reviews (2)

Fun to listen to!
Listening to this CD is fun.The CD has a diverse selection ofcontemporary dances for solo piano, ranging from familiar favorites, suchas Gollywog's Cakewalk by Debussy, to lesser known and unconventional butcharming works, such as del Aguila's Conga.The dances are varied andwell-interpreted by Ms. Cheng, who brings poignancy to each one whilemaintaining throughout the CD a fun and energetic mood. An interesting concept not quite realized
A very good concept. Take a noted pianist, in this case Gloria Cheng, and work with her on a program of 23 short works or short sections of larger works, all of which are one form or another of Dance--and you might come upwith something good or possibly just a mixed bag. The Telarc releaseRead more

Subjects:  1. Chaconne for Keyboard    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Classical Artists    5. Classical Music    6. Collection of Preludes for Keyboard    7. Dance-Based Keyboard Music    8. Folk Dance for Keyboard    9. Keyboard    10. Keyboard Music    11. Keyboard Work Entitled "Piece" or "Stück"    12. Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title    13. Mazurka for Keyboard    14. Miscellaneous    15. Miscellaneous Music    16. Prelude for Keyboard    17. Suite/Partita for Keyboard    18. Tango for Keyboard    19. Waltz for Keyboard   

Reviews (1)

Absolutely Stunning
I was a big fan of Gomalan's first album -this one blows the first out of the water. Just listen to the first track and you'll see why these Italians are the world's hottest brass quintet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th/21st Century Tone Poem/Symphonic Poem    2. Band    3. Chamber    4. Chamber Music    5. Chamber Music & Recitals    6. Classical    7. Classical Artists    8. Film    9. Keyboard    10. Miscellaneous    11. Miscellaneous Music    12. Miscellaneous Vocal Music    13. Music Theater    14. Musical Theater    15. Orchestral    16. Tango for Keyboard    17. Vocal   

Reviews (2)

Neoclassicism in Chamber Music with Multicultural Overtones
These offerings of Stravinksy portray his interest in exploring Neoclassical clarity and notation in these wind and keyboard offerings. Fine Performances of Stravinsky's Chamber Pieces for Winds
These are fine performances of four of Stravinsky's chamber pieces for winds.Because the piano is used in the Septet and Cin the Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments we also get the Tango for Piano and Piano Rag Music.Read more

Subjects:  1. Band    2. Band Music    3. Chamber    4. Classical    5. Classical Composers    6. Concerto    7. Keyboard    8. Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard    9. Octet for Mixed Instruments without Keyboard    10. Orchestral & Symphonic    11. Piano Concerto    12. Rag for Keyboard    13. Tango for Keyboard