Many musicians dream of making a record with a symphony orchestra, but few can afford to make it a reality. Thanks to an extraordinary ability to compose melodies that take root in his listeners’ minds and because he has, for years, patiently performed these compositions on stage to the point where they are practically a part of him, Avishai Cohen was well-positioned to execute such an ambition. As Cohen himself notes, his songs seem predisposed to adaptation at an orchestral scale, and the fact that they retain the same intensity that has provoked such widespread admiration demonstrates the vigor of his music.

"Eight cellos in a circle. The audience can sit around the octet, or even inside the circle. The cellists start to play, and the resulting music spirals around like a moving object. 8 is part of a series of works that started with Timber for six percussionists playing amplified simantras, and includes Rushes for seven bassoonists and Amplified for four electric guitarists. Each of these works is meant to induce a quasi-meditative, almost ecstatic state, in the listener as well as the performer."

Composer/violist Christopher Lowry's incredible performance of my Fantasy, for Viola & Piano is going to be re-released by Centaur Records on Friday, April 16th, 2021. Chris's Milestones is a gorgeous collection of pieces of his own marvelous music for viola in addition to music by me and composer Christopher Hallum.

Pierre Henry - Polyphonies (2017) {12CD Set, Decca ‎4814504}
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© 2017 Decca Records / Radio France / Universal Music France | 4814504
Classical / Avant-Garde / Modern Classical / Experimental Electronic / Musique Concrète

This is a massive testament to the one of the most innovative and influential bodies of work in 20th century music. Pierre Henry (who died in 2017 at the age of 89) was one of the pioneers of musique concrète. His work and ideas resonate through the spectrum of electronic music, from tape collage to the theme from animated series Futurama (which was based on his track Psyché Rock). This artist-compiled 12-disc box samples his output from the 1950 collaboration with Pierre Schaeffer, Symphonie Pour Un Homme Seul, to some of his final works, with nine pieces seeing their first release. Contains an 112-page booklet with extensive notes with artwork displaying Henry’s “concrete paintings”.

"As a composer, I was feeling helpless at home during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, I realized I could at least provide my musical friends with new compositions while they were spending time in self-isolation. So in the Spring of 2020, I composed 31 new short pieces of music for an unaccompanied solo instrument or voice, or for a duo of musicians self-isolating together. With the cancellation of all performances, COVID-19 has adversely impacted the world’s music community. This project is my attempt to raise the spirits of fellow musicians, and the community at large, as we continue to traverse through uncertain times. We might be self-isolating but we are never alone…we have music."

Pierre Henry - Galaxie Pierre Henry (2021) {Decca Records France rec 1958-2017}
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© 2021 Decca Records France / Universal Music | 4855652
Classical / Avant-Garde / Modern Classical / Experimental Electronic / Musique Concrète

‘Galaxie Pierre Henry’ features landmark and previously unreleased compositions by one of the 20th Century’s most influential composers. Galaxie Pierre Henry, a new 13CD box set and eAlbum featuring compositions by musique concrète pioneer and one of the 20th Century’s most influential composers Pierre Henry, is out now. The new anthology includes a selection of 33 works composed between 1958 and 2017, a third of them released for the first time. Galaxie Pierre Henry compliments the 12 CD box set Polyphonies, released in 2017, and together they present a comprehensive anthology of Pierre Henry’s work.

Take a journey deep into the mystical world of Studio Ghibli, guided by ARIA award-winning pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska.

Building on the musical material of the first record, Voices 2 extends the musical language into a purely instrumental and abstract direction. Where the first part of the project is very focused on the text of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, the 2nd part opens up a musical space to let these words and ideas sink in.

Born in 1968, the Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon writes music that has been described as 'driven by a playful modern sensibility' (New York Times). His work list includes all genres, from solo pieces to large orchestral works, such as the Helvetia Symphony, scored for the same forces as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

Roland Kayn - A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound (2017) {16CD Set, frozen reeds fr7/22}
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© 2017 frozen reeds | fr7/22
Experimental / Modern Classical / Cybernetic Music / Electroacoustic / Electronic

Twenty-two movements, 14 hours and 16 CDs worth of spangling cosmic sound play: this premiere release of the magnum opus by German composer Roland Kayn is a colossus and a marvel. Roland who? In a profession that glorifies big egos and fetishises the kind of creative genius that demands total control, Kayn went to more selfless extremes. He worked in the pioneering electronic studios of Germany and the Netherlands in the mid-20th century and built fastidious command systems with the aim of making “self-sufficient cybernetic music”.

"Beginning with his expansive concerto for recorders and large orchestra, Territorial Songs (2008-09), Rasmussen sought to expand the instrument's persona and possibilities, freeing it from its historic associations with the music of the Renaissance and Baroque, pushing it into new territories. In this mission, the composer has been exceptionally fortunate to have as muse and musical partner one of the greatest recorder players ever, Michala Petri. The current project represents an overview of works composed from 2009 to 2020. All are scores featuring the recorder: as concerto soloist with a symphony orchestra, (Territorial Songs), a string ensemble (Winter Echoes), an obbligato in a complex choral setting ('I' ), chamber music (Flow), and unaccompanied (Sorrow and Joy Fantasy), each work a milestone in Rasmussen's musical development . As always, Michala Petri brings each score to life with consummate artistry and is perfectly matched by each of the ensembles performing with her.

The Soul of Things – a fusion of solo piano, harp, cello and electronics – draws inspiration from the mundane. The album can itself be heard as an ode to the ordinary things – a particularly good fountain pen, an old radio receiver – that somehow, in their very familiarity become extraordinary to us.

Recorded at the prestigious Studio Piccolo in the heart of Montreal, Quebec, Canadian duo Stick&Bow bring life and energy to ‘Studio Piccolo Sessions’. This audio release accompanies a series of five videos presenting works by: Sting, Pau Casals, Luis Naon, Jason Noble and Carlos Puebla. The dynamic duo highlight the technical finesse and energetic performance between cello and marimba.

Roland Kayn - Etoile du nord & Ghyress für Ilse-Emily Kayn (2005) {2CD Set, Reiger-records-reeks KY-CD 005-1/2}
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© 2005 Reiger-records-reeks ‎| KY-CD 005-1/2
Experimental / Modern Classical / Cybernetic Music / Electroacoustic / Electronic

A pioneer of electronic, computer, and instrumental avant-garde music, for the majority of his life, the German composer Roland Kayn remained one of the great unheralded figures in the landscape of 20th century sound - a founding member of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, who delved into singular territories entirely his own. Fortunately, in the last few years, in part due to the release of his monumental work, A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound, by Frozen Reeds in 2017, and Die Schachtel’s deluxe vinyl reissue of his seminal composition, Simultan, last year, the scope and depth of his efforts have begun to take centre stage in the public mind.