... CD

An opera in three acts from pianist Anthony Davis – features Marty Ehrlich on reeds, Abdul Wadud on cello, Mark Dresser and Mark Helias on bass, Pheeroan akLaff on drums, Marilyn Crispell on piano, and Davis on celeste. (Jazz, Classical) CD

A smaller-form piece by Philip Glass, but still an opera of sorts – billed as a "space fiction music drama" – with reeds from Jon Gibson and Jack Kripl, and some vocals from Linda Ronstadt! (Out Sound, Classical) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

The birth of a key moment in avant garde music – served up here in a series of recordings that are nicely different than some of the other musique concrete material on the market! The package brings together some early "panorama" presentations of the work – two from the Club D'Essai program on French TV, with crucial work from Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaeffer, working in that blend of acoustic instruments with electronic results that seemed to grace so much of these early experiments! There's also contributions from Philippe Arthuys on one of the programs – and the set then moves onto CD2, which has even more variety in the music. The first section of CD2 features selections from a 1959 showcase of musique concrete by the Groupe De Recherces Musicales – with work by Iannis Xenakis, Henri Sauget, Luc Ferrari, Michel Philippot, and Schaeffer. The second part of that CD features the soundtrack to the film Malefices D'Henri Decoin by Pierre Henry – a selection of very cool songs! (Out Sound, Classical) CD

Two wonderfully fresh works for orchestra – both conducted with plenty of inventive touches by Howard Hanson during his tenure with the Eastman Rochester Orchestra! "The Black Maskers" is a piece originally penned for a production of the dramatic work by Leonid Andreyev – but it works beautifully here on its own, in theses very vivid passages on woodwinds and percussion – recorded superbly, so that all of Hanson's energy from the stand flows through the playback of the performance. The flipside features "Tabuh Tabuhan" – a toccata for orchestra by Colin McPhee, done in a very modern sort of mode – one that mixes work on percussion that's almost gamelan-like at times, with brightly vivid orchestrations. The piece is beautiful – and almost seems like a precursor to later work by Lou Harrison, but mixed with some of the energy of the early century Russian composers. This CD version also includes Virgil Thomson's "Symphony On A Hymn Tune" and "The Feast Of Love". CD

(Rock, Classical) CD

A seminal set of recordings of material from Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" hs a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. (Out Sound, Classical) LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal set of recordings of material from Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" hs a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. (Out Sound, Classical) LP, Vinyl record album

Hosted by Bing Crosby. (Soundtracks, Classical) LP, Vinyl record album