With Spring in the air and Summer on the horizon, some great new arrivals in classical, jazz, musical theatre, popular and rock music feature the following sounds of the season.   

The Haydn Album by Australian Haydn Ensemble.

ABC-Universal, 2016

ABC-Universal, 2016

The Iridescent Flute : Australian music for flute and piano.

Stone Records, 2014

Stone Records, 2014

The debut album from the Australian Haydn Ensemble features three of Haydn’s best-loved compositions including Cello Concerto in C major and Harpsichord Concerto in D major.   Since its formation in 2011, The AHE has established a reputation as a high calibre period instrument group specialising in late baroque and early classical music.  Check out the sample film clip above.

Some excellent flute works by a group of Australian composers are showcased on The Iridescent Flute, a two-disc set from English independent label Stone Records.  It features two local musicians in Neil Fisenden, principal flute of West Australian Symphony Orchestra and pianist David Wickham, who also lives in WA.

Jankowski Originals, Vol. 1.

Universal, 2011

Jazzclub, Universal, 2011

Trajectoire by Ingrid James, vocal ; Alexis Tcholakian Trio.

Newmarket Music, 2016

Newmarket Music, 2016

A Walk in the Black Forest was a huge chart-topping hit when released in 1964.  It is featured on a great compilation of music by renowned German jazz composer and pianist, Horst Jankowski.  Jankowski Originals, Vol. 1, comprises two, million selling 1960s albums, The Genius of Jankowski and More Genius of Jankowski, that showcase his successful blend of easy listening instrumental pop and jazz.

Trajectoire is the 5th CD release by award winning Queensland jazz singer, Ingrid James, on a collaboration of original compositions with French jazz pianist/composer Alexis Tcholakian.  The title track and Midsummer Flower are highlights.

All of these CDs are currently available on the Listening Posts in Arts.  The online catalogue indicates which Listening Post the CD is available on.  There are eight jukebox listening posts in the Arts Reading Room, where you can listen to CDs from the audiovisual collection.

Group of people using listening post in Arts room © Andrew Lloyd

Group of people using listening post in Arts room © Andrew Lloyd

John, Paul, George, Ringo…& Bert : original cast recording.

Gonzo Multimedia, 2016?

Gonzo Multimedia, 2016.

Charlotte Sweet : original cast recording.

DRG, 2016

DRG, 2016

In musical theatre original cast recordings from two lesser known shows are featured.   John, Paul, George, Ringo…& Bert is an RSO release of a 1974 musical based on the story of The Beatles.  It features the music of The Beatles performed by Scottish singer, Barbara Dickson.

Charlotte Sweet is an all-sung, all-rhymed original musical with libretto by Michael Colby and music by Gerald Jay Markoe.  It is a sequel to Ludlow Ladd (1979), a comic Christmas musical that Colby and Markoe created for The Lyric Theatre of New York, off-off Broadway in 1982.

Together by Marina Prior and Mark Vincent.

Sony, 2016

Sony, 2016

Dami Im.

Sony Music, [2013]

Sony Music, [2013]

In popular music, three major local performers feature.  Together is a recent duets studio album of popular classics and opera favourites by two singers and stars of musical theatre, Marina Prior and Mark Vincent, that peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA albums chart when released earlier this year.  Tracks include hits from Phantom of the Opera (The Music of the Night and All I Ask of You), The Prayer, La Vie En Rose and Amigos Para Sempre.

Dami Im is the self-titled 2013 ARIA chart-topping hit album by South Korean born Australian singer, Dami Im, who won the fifth season of The X Factor Australia, the TV music reality competition.  It includes the ARIA chart-topping single, Alive, that preceded the albums release.

Wild Men of the Seicento : 17th century music for recorder and harpsichord by Piers Adams and David Wright.

Red Priest Recordings, 2015

Red Priest Recordings, 2015

Zoot Live : the reunion.

EMI, c2013

EMI, c2013

Wild Men of the Seicento features one half of the baroque music super-group, Red Priest, with Piers Adams on recorder and David Wright on harpsichord, playing a selection of 17th century music.  Above is a film clip of Red Priest playing Vivaldi’s Spring (Pastoral Dance).

A one off 2011 reunion performance by Australian rock band, Zoot, who found popularity in the late 1960s and early 70s, features on Zoot Live : the reunion, a dual CD-DVD release.  Original band members Darryl Cotton, Beeb Birtles, Rick Brewer and Rick Springfield perform, with bonus footage: interviews and live acoustic tracks included on the DVD.

Stravinsky, I.: The Rite of Spring : The Nightingale (online)

Naxos, 2005

Naxos, 2005

The above album featuring Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring performed by The London Symphony is also available through the Naxos Music Library database.  It is available free online in the Library, or from home if you are one of our Victorian registered users.

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