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Classical Music Page of Rainlore's World
News
2013/05/16 After some delays and including a couple more reviews than would originally have been scheduled, here's a bevy of reviews - four gig reviews, two illustrated by Rainlore's World Artist in Residence Alban Low, and two illustrated guest reviews by him, a solitary album review (I know, we're getting further behind again with albums at the moment but hope to catch up a good bit soon) and an article. Just one concert review in this category though, and the article should beof interest here too. The article, The Reviewer & The Reviewed examines the roles of both. This had been held over from previous updates to fine-tune it. It's funny how there's just the odd exception that does not seem to grasp the fundamental 'rules of engagement!' A truly magical night was Sally Silver Et Al - Elizabeth Connell Memorial Concert, St. John's, Smith Square, London SW1P, Saturday 27th April 2013 (Illustrated by Alban Low), presenting ultimate class from the operatic world. The list of performers almost reads like a 'who's who' but also includes some amazing young talent. Please be aware that there may be delays to forthcoming updates due to the current - generously donated - stop-gap laptop computer being very near breathing its last and hence a (tower) replacement or parts having to be found urgently, which may occupy a good bit of time. Most regrettably I have to severely curtail gig and other live event reviews from now on due to severely constrained finances and in the absence of substantial donations to the site or sponsorship. I shall of course honour most events I have already committed to until August this year. However, beyond that, things are highly uncertain at the moment, and unless there is a positive change in circumstances, I shall not be able to attend more than one event per month at best. Expenses such as fares are simply too much to bear out of my own limited pocket. Hence, an appeal for donations will be re-launched shortly, as soon as mechanisms for anonymous donations via PayPal have been put in place.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/04/19 Two albums reviewed this time, but straight out of heaven. However, another item or two had to be still withheld due to last minute further editing being required and insufficient time being available. There's Maurizio Minardi's The Cook The Clown The Monk And The Accordionist, the piano and accordion maestro's ninth studio album. His accordion dominates here, and Minardi delivers another drop-dead-gorgeous album. Cinematic in character and scale, with a cast of thousands... err, two trio configurations plus cellist Shirley Smart guesting on a few tracks. This album is almost the perfect counterfoil to the previous My Piano Trio. As it touches on 'Third Stream' territory, it should be of interest to contemporary classical music lovers. And we have Sally Silver, Richard Bonynge's Massenet Songs - Ivre D'Amour, another album straight out of heaven. The Star Soprano shines brightly! This album is almost too beautiful for words. Perfection itself. Among other news, the long overdue Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will of course follow ASAP but maybe a while yet. However, the good news is that the winners will henceforth receive a commemorative plaque, and Rainlore's World is proud to announce that the Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will be sponsored by the prestigious Sampson Low Ltd., one of the UK's oldest publishing houses! Most regrettably I have to severely curtail gig and other live event reviews from now on due to severely constrained finances and in the absence of substantial donations to the site or sponsorship. I shall of course honour most events I have already committed to until August this year. However, beyond that, things are highly uncertain at the moment, and unless there is a positive change in circumstances, I shall not be able to attend more than one event per month at best. Expenses such as fares are simply too much to bear out of my own limited pocket.
Alongside a starring role at the Royal Opera House, internationally-acclaimed tenor Charles Castronovo takes to the King's Head stage for six special performances. Charles performs songs from his CD Dolce Napoli, the Neopolitan Songs, which features new interpretations of classic songs from Italy with his band. Charles captures the spirit of Naples in English and Italian, introducing these songs to new audiences in the same manner as the great Italian-American singers of the last generation, but with a beautiful operatic voice that does them justice. Feat. Romano Viazzani, accordion. Presented by Glen Roven, in association with the King's Head Theatre. For tickets go here. Remaining performances on: 29 Apr, 2013, 7.15pm and on 29th April at 11pm! at Kings Head Theatre. Looking forward to July, The London Piano Trio & Friends, in association with The Inter-Cultural Society of London, will be at St John's, Smith Square, in London on 6th July 2013, 7.30pm. The London Piano Trio, Robert Atchison, Olga Dudnik, and David Jones are pleased to return to St John’s with renowned friends William Hawkes and Christopher Laurence. The concert features two very well known pieces by Mozart and Schubert together with the world premiere of Jed Balsamo’s work, Piano Trio No.2, commissioned for the London Piano Trio by The Inter-Cultural Society of London. This work is very innovative, accessible and pleasing to the ear, and marks the first time a work by a Filipino classical composer has ever been premiered in London. The evening promises to be a feast of wonderful music, full of inspiration and distinction. Concert sponsored by PLDT UK Limited and Manning Impex Limited Artist Information:
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/04/05 Just a gig review this time. But what a gig! It's tango singer extraordinaire, Martín Alvarado - 'Asi Es Mi Tango' With Mikko Helenius Live At Lauderdale Hs., Highgate, London N6, Thursday 21st March 2013 which is sumptuously illustrated by Rainlore's World Artist in Residence, Alban Low. Special Guest was classical tango pianist and composer Juan María Solare. Alvarado, the voice that melts hearts, true to form proved once again why he is the Carlos Gardel of the 21st century, 'El Mago!' The King is dead - long live The New King of Tango! And the good news is, Alvarado will be back for a further UK tour in June! So if you haven't had a 'tango epiphany' yet, don't miss out then. No matter what. In other news, the long overdue Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will of course follow ASAP but maybe a while yet. However, the good news is that the winners will henceforth receive a commemorative plaque, and Rainlore's World is proud to announce that the Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will be sponsored by the prestigious Sampson Low Ltd., one of the UK's oldest publishing houses! Most regrettably I shall have to severely curtail gig and other live event reviews from now on due to severely constrained finances and in the absence of substantial donations to the site or sponsorship. I shall of course honour any events I have already committed to until August this year. However, beyond that, things are highly uncertain at the moment, and unless there is a positive change in circumstances, I shall not be able to attend more than one event per month at best. Expenses such as fares are simply too much to bear out of my own limited pocket.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/03/27 Much delayed, alas, but you will surely find this update was worth waiting for! Just one CD review in this section. This is Juan María Solare's Tango Monologues, a solo piano album of classic and contemporary tangos from a classical angle. Bristling with excellence, you have to hear this wonderful album. Solare, an Argentinean based at various German universities, is not only an excellent pianist but also a highly original composer, as he more than amply demonstrates here. In other news, the long overdue Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will of course follow ASAP but maybe a while yet. However, the good news is that the winners will henceforth receive a commemorative plaque, and Rainlore's World is proud to announce that the Rainlore's World Albums Of The Year 2012 will be sponsored by the prestigious Sampson Low Ltd., one of the UK's oldest publishing houses! Most regrettably I shall have to severely curtail gig and other live event reviews from now on due to severely constrained finances and in the absence of substantial donations to the site or sponsorship. I shall of course honour any events I have already committed to until August this year. However, beyond that, things are highly uncertain at the moment, and unless there is a positive change in circumstances, I shall not be able to attend more than one event per month at best. Expenses such as fares are simply too much to bear out of my own limited pocket.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/02/28 An album review that should be of great interest here this time, and some major archiving of inactive pages. The album reviewed comes from the amazing Kobi Arad Band and Inner Hymns - Creative Exploration of Traditional Jewish Hymns. Very esoteric, highly creative 'Third Stream' from the modern master of this jazz/classical blend. And very deft ivory work from Arad too, as usual. You can catch him live if you're on the US East Coast, particularly the NYC area. The 'A/V Pages' section of Rainlore's World has now been permanently moved to archive. It had long become impossible to maintain/update this. Please note that some of the links may no longer work. The 'Artists' section will be next to be archived as soon as time permits, for the same reason.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/02/10 Somewhat delayed due to various 'interludes' of exhaustion, man flu and the like, this site update also had to be split into two parts. Today, here is Pt. 1. Pt. 2 will follow, hopefully, around next Friday. Regrettably, this causes further delays to a number of album and gig reviews long overdue. The current crop of reviews in Pt. 1 in this section consists of a solitary dance theatre review of a remarkable triple bill. This features Liz Liew & Yuyu Rau - Snapshots, Et Al, The Place, Euston, London WC1H, Saturday 12th January 2013. The live score by Liz Liew to the first piece, Liew & Rau's Snapshots, is remarkable in itself and should be of interest here. A wonderful blend of Western and Chinese classical and contemporary elements, with part Western and part Chinese instrumentation, this music is fascinating and beautiful in its own right. Definite reviews for Pt. 2 of this update include Rainlore's World's Artist in Residence Alban Low's exhibition Art of Folk at TwickFolk Twickenham on 27th January! If possible, I might try and cram in some more from what should be the next site update, but no guarantees.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/01/21 Out with the old, in with the new! The 2012 version of this page has now been archived. At the same time, the change in name to Rainlore's World is being further implemented, bit by bit! Rainlore's World is proud to announce that acclaimed fine artist Alban Low has kindly consented to be Artist in Residence of Rainlore's World as of this month. Alban Low is renowned especially for his covers and artwork for CDs, live illustrations of gigs and studio sessions (with a primary focus on jazz - see also his blog Art of Jazz), and animations, including commissions for the BBC, and in 2012 already illustrated several gigs in collaboration with reviews on Rainlore's World. We hope our collaboration will be a long and fruitful one. Some sections will be discontinued and permanently moved to archive shortly as it has regrettably become impossible to maintain them. These include the 'A/V Page' and the 'Artists' page. More on this soon. On with the reviews! Or rather, one album review in this section. A breath-taking glory of an album is Robert Atchison, Sir Michael Gambon, Altamira Chamber Orchestra's Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Music And Sonnets. A finer performance than Atchison's is hard to imagine, and each movement is preceded by a reading by Sir Michael Gambon of the matching sonnet. A feast for the senses! If you thought that yet another recording of The Four Seasons was a bit surplus to requirements, think again. You just have to hear this one. To find out why, read the review. Just around the corner is Rainlore's World's Artist in Residence Alban Low's one-day exhibition, Art of Folk, at TwickFolk, Twickenham, this Sunday, 27th January, arising from his six month residency at the well known folk club. It's from 6pm at Twickfolk, The Cabbage Patch, 67 London Rd., Twickenham TW1 3SZ. Admission is free, and music is provided by Alan Franks from 7pm to put you even more in the mood! An event not to be missed! Twickenham train station is a couple of minutes walk and on the Waterloo to Kingston-upon-Thames line. In the meantime, you can find out more about his amazing work and download a catalogue of posters and prints at Alban Low's web site.
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
2013/01/02 Hello New Year, and Hello Rainlore's World, Good Bye Rainlore's World of Music! The process of changing over of the site's name to Rainlore's World has begun with a change of the logos on all essential section pages, e.g., 'Home,' Jazz,' 'Other World Music,' 'Literary,' and so on. More will follow gradually. Also, more and more pages will have headers and other incidences of the old Rainlore's World of Music changed to Rainlore's World. This change of the site's name is intended to reflect the much broader spectrum the site has come to include over the years. Over the next year or two, a thorough revamp of the site is hoped to be carried out to take this into account and to simplify the site and make it more user-friendly too. For the time being, the domain will remain the same. Comments and suggestions always welcome. Furthermore, with the next full site update, the 2012 portion of this page and all other section pages will be moved to archive, hence the next update may be a little longer than usual. Wishing everyone a Happy 2013
Rainlore's World © 2013 Rainlore's World/Rainlore. All rights reserved.
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Reviews
Reviews added 2013/05/16 : [Article] The Reviewer & The Reviewed (2013/04/03) - on the roles of both [Concert Review] Sally Silver Et Al - Elizabeth Connell Memorial Concert, St. John's, Smith Square, London SW1P, Saturday 27th April 2013 (Illustrated by Alban Low) (2013/04/28)
Reviews added 2013/04/19 : [CD Review] Maurizio Minardi : The Cook The Clown The Monk And The Accordionist (2013/04/14) [CD Review] Sally Silver, Richard Bonynge : Massenet Songs - Ivre D'Amour (2013/04/17)
Reviews added 2013/04/05 : [Gig Review] Martín Alvarado - 'Asi Es Mi Tango' With Mikko Helenius Live At Lauderdale Hs., Highgate, London N6, Thursday 21st March 2013 (Illustrated by Alban Low) (2013/03/22)
Reviews added 2013/03/27 : [CD Review] Juan María Solare : Tango Monologues (2013/03/11)
Reviews added 2013/02/28: [CD Review] Kobi Arad Band : Inner Hymns (2013/02/18)
Reviews added 2013/02/10: [Dance Theatre Review] Liz Liew & Yuyu Rau - Snapshots, Et Al, The Place, Euston, London WC1H, Saturday 12th January 2013 (2013/01/13)
Reviews added 2013/01/21: Robert Atchison, Sir Michael Gambon, Altamira Chamber Orchestra : Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Music And Sonnets (2013/01/13)
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Articles & FeaturesBoth formal and informal articles, both on as well as off site, on all manner of topics relating to classical music. Titles are accompanied by brief descriptions of the content. A full index of articles and features is also available.
Features/Articles added 2013/05/16 : [Article] The Reviewer & The Reviewed (2013/04/03) - on the roles of both
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