Record Reviews

RICHARD GALLIANO ~ AROUND GERSHWIN PENTATONE 8717306262293 (Barcode: 8717306262293) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2023 - 2024 Released: 2024 This is a solo album by French Jazz accordion / bandoneon virtuoso Richard GallianoFind albums by this artist, which as the title indicates, is dedicated to the music of George GershwinFind albums by this artist, but also other early 20th Century composers, like Sergei RachmaninoffFind albums by this artist, Eric SatieFind albums by this artist, Claude DebussyFind albums by this artist, Maurice RavelFind albums by this artist and Gabriel FaureFind albums by this artist, all adapted for accordion by Galliano, and also including a couple of pieces composed by himself. The album presents fourteen tracks and offers a splendid sound quality. I have been following the career of Galliano since as long as I can remember (he is almost exactly one year older than me) and he was always one of my favorite Jazz musicians, long before he achieved the international fame and recognition. His incredible sensitivity and power of expression are almost unparalleled, and his openness to other musical cultures and genres makes him a true total Artist. His accumulated contribution to European Jazz is simply colossal. This is not the first album which finds Galliano interpreting Classical music, and his earlier albums with music by Johann Sebastian BachFind albums by this artist, Antonio VivaldiFind albums by this artist or Wolfgang Amadeus MozartFind albums by this artist are all warmly recommended, but this album is closest to my heart, for several reasons. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is my all-time favorite piece of music (as irresponsible as that kind of statement might sound), and Galliano’s interpretation of it is simply Godly. I have heard hundreds of recordings of RIB, but this is definitely one of the most profoundly moving ones, especially in view of the completely new environment and the ability to overcome the devilishly difficult score and underlying changes of mood / melody / tempo, etc., which Galliano conquers with his usual wit, intelligence and charm. But perhaps more important is the statement, subtly hidden behind the vail, which places Gershwin with his “serious” Classical Music contemporaries, recognizing his position as a no less “serious” composer, which is more often than not denied from Gershwin, mostly recognized for his work as a songwriter, with his Classical compositions often ignored and neglected, and which deserves to be put straight. Overall, this is a marvelous album, full of delightful music, brilliantly performed and cleverly put together, which puts a new light on the sublime music composed by Gershwin, and offers an hour of tete-a-tete between the listener and one of the greatest musicians out there. Another great production by the PentatoneFind albums on this label label and of course, this is something way beyond recommendation…

Updated: 04/10/2024Posted: 02/10/2024

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KRZYSZTOF HERDZIN ~ COMPOSER`S CONCERT LIVE DUX 0970 (Barcode: 5902547009704) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 Polish pianist / composer / arranger / conductor Krzysztof HerdzinFind albums by this artist, who is in his early forties at the time these words are being written, managed to create an entire universe of music in the relatively short span of his life so far; a universe so diverse and overwhelmingly rich in forms, idioms and palette that one begins to wonder if the Artist will ever reach his limits and become finally content and contained. Herdzin has been tightrope walking for some time now between Jazz and Classical Music, obviously deeply involved in both genres. Sometimes his works try to amalgamate the genres, creating a Jazz-Classical Fusion, but he also composes "strictly" Classical Music, which is presented on this live recording. Here Herdzin conducts the Polish Radio Symphony OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which performs seven of his compositions. Five of these compositions are orchestral works, with two involving only strings and the other three the entire orchestra, another one involves an improvising saxophonist – in this case the brilliant Piotr BaronFind albums by this artist – and the last one is a piano concertino in three parts, on which the composer also plays the piano. Contrary to what one might expect, Herdzin as a Classical Music composer does not follow the Polish "modernist school", which includes such distinguished composers as Krzysztof PendereckiFind albums by this artist, Witold LutoslawskiFind albums by this artist, Henryk GoreckiFind albums by this artist and Wojciech KilarFind albums by this artist, to mention just the most renowned names. His inspiration is obviously much closer to the French modernists / impressionists like Claude DebussyFind albums by this artist and Maurice RavelFind albums by this artist and the more Avant-Garde "Les Six" group, but of course many other distinguished composers he admires. His works are always full of romanticism and lyricism and are beautifully melodic, which makes them sound "easy" / "pleasant", even if they are in fact quite complex in their structure, harmony and form. The music presented here follows Herdzin´s tendency for creating melodic, romantic and mostly joyful music, which can be enjoyed by a wide spectrum of listeners, which can encompass his Jazz listeners as easily as fans of Classical Music. His Jazz persona is evident in the piece involving the saxophone improvisation, which is stunningly performed and definitely is one of the album´s highlights. The piano concertino also includes quite a few Jazzy hints and undercurrents. Herdzin does not present any groundbreaking discoveries herein, but his music is a very solid statement and pays tribute to his many talents. Overall this is a lovely and aesthetically pleasing piece of music, excellently performed and very well recorded, as much as being a great listening experience. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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IMPROOPERA ~ IMPROOPERA REQUIEM / LYDIAN 2021/18 ~ POLAND ~ Pop-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the debut album by Polish duo ImprooperaFind albums by this artist comprising od mezzo soprano opera singer Aleksandra OpalaFind albums by this artist and Jazz keyboardist Piotr MatusikFind albums by this artist. The album presents six tracks, three composed by Polish Classical composer Karol SzymanowskiFind albums by this artist and one each by Maurice RavelFind albums by this artist, Pyotr TchaikovskyFind albums by this artist and Stanislaw NiewiadomskiFind albums by this artist, all arranged by Matusik. Most of the material is treated very closely to its original form, as composed, with Matusik employing some synthesizer parts in addition to his acoustic piano playing. There are just a few moments of instrumental improvisation by Matusik, and his arrangements of the original music are extremely respectful and delicate. The vocal parts are beautifully performed and Matusik already proved himself as an excellent keyboardist playing on several records in the past, which of course makes this album a true pleasure to listen to. Although personally I’d prefer to hear the duo taking a bit more risks and moving further away from the Classical core into open ventures, but I respect their choices. This album is closely linked to the “Stanislaw Moniuszko: Z Domowego SpiewnikaFind albums with this title” album, also featuring Opala and Matusik and following a similar musical concept, which I also liked very much. Overall this is a very unusual and stimulation album, definitely worth being discovered, and it might build another bridge between Classical Music and Jazz, or in this case Opera and Jazz to be more specific. Well done!

Updated: 15/07/2021Posted: 15/07/2021

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