Le vin herbé was written by the reclusive Swiss composer, Frank Martin (1890-1974), in the late 1930s. It was conceived originally in response to a commission from Robert Blum for his Züaut;rcher Madrigalchor – as a miniature, at 30 minutes. And with minimum instrumental forces supporting a dozen voices. As Le philtre, Martin's first exploration of the Tristan and Isolde story was restricted to the love potion part of Joseph Bédier's retelling and was first performed in April 1940. But Martin – not wanting to relinquish his fascination with the legend – decided ……

Mark Sealey @ Classical.net

Enescu's Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 dates from 1901. Although its popularity tends to eclipse other equally deserving works in Enescu's oeuvre, the first rhapsody deserves its universal acclaim, for its succinct encapsulation of the Roumanian gypsy style of music, as well as its masterful deployment by a virtuosic composer. Though in later years Enescu relied less on quotation of actual folk music, allowing the elements of folk style to …..

Gene Bertoncini and Frank Vignola have been performing together for over 8 years now all over the world. This brand new release is the follow up to the critically acclaimed disc, "Meeting of the Grooves". There unique style of interplay is beyond description and was recorded in Sept 2006 by Gene Paul in NYC at DB Plus.

In 2011, I began recording the vocals using a vintage AEA Ribbon microphone, which gave my singing an old fashioned sound that I thought was more appropriate for this type of material. Legendary singers like Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee all recorded on Ribbons, and I hope I was able to capture a smooth and smoky feeling similar to early jazz and swing styling. Very old tunes like “The Night Wind” which hasn’t been recorded since vocalist Helen Ward laid it out with Benny Goodman in 1935, and “Melancholy Lullaby” which was recorded by Peggy Lee early on in her career…

The second volume of Neil Young's Archives series, Live at Massey Hall, preserves a 1971 acoustic show at the Toronto venue. It may seem to cover familiar ground to the outside observer who assumes all solo acoustic Young concerts sound the same, but that, of course, is not the case with an artist as mercurial and willful as Young. Live at Massey Hall is a remarkably rich set of songs, touching on nearly every aspect of Young's personality, whether it's his sweetness, his sensitivity, his loneliness, or even his often-neglected sense of fun. This concert was a legendary bootleg for nearly four decades, and its release is something special: it adds detail, color, and texture to a familiar chapter of his career, rendering it fresh once more.

Having heard the sixth symphony on a radio broadcast (albeit missing the second movement because of problems at the station), I decided to go out on a limb and buy the complete symphonies, being completely unfamiliar with Atterberg.
It was a decision I do not regret.