New Release from Con Brio- Richard Arnell Symphonies

British composer Richard Arnell is a contemporary of Benjamin Britten, and absorbed many of the same influences. Arnell's not as well-know internationally as Britten, but Warren Cohen and the Musica Nova Orchestra hope to change that with their new CD.

Con Brio's latest release features Cohen and the Orchestra performing Arnell's fourth and fifth symphonies. These are well-crafted post-romantic works that continually reward the careful listener.

We'll definitely be including some excerpts on our next podcast.

- Ralph

Podcast episode #043 posted

This episode of the "DCD Classical 'Cast" we present an assortment of choral music. You'll hear selections from groups large and small. We play selections from the Seattle Pro Musica, Rutgers Collegium Musicium, and the Consort Chorale.

The podcast was easy to put together, but the title was a little tricky to come up with. What is the proper word for a group of choirs? I'm not sure it's the correct answer, but I went with "A Collection of Choirs."

- Ralph

Podcast Epsisode 043 published

"A Collection of Choirs" is the latest episode of the "DCD Classical Cast." This time we look at choral music from some of the labels we carry. You'll hear two selections from the Seattle Pro Music, as well as the Rudgers Collegium Musicum and the Consort Chorale.

Compositions range from the renaissance to modern-day England and America.

- Ralph

Podcast episode #042 posted

Con Brio's latest release, "Saudade," features some exciting classical guitar performances by up-and-coming artist Stephen Reck. It's such a great recording, I made it the centerpiece of this edition of the "DCD Classical Cast."

To round out the podcast, we revisit the first release from our own records, "Music from Bales Organ Recital Hall." James Higdon is a great organist, as this CD amply proves.

- Ralph

WVTF and the Soul Masters

Today public radio station WVTF aired another installment of "Captive Audio." This on-going series by reporter Connie Stevens has been profiling some of the artists found on Arcania International's releases.

This week she interviews some surviving members of the Soul Masters, a racially mixed band from the Danville, Virginia area. As with Gene and Teen/Team Beats, who Stevens featured last week, you can find the Soul Masters' recordings on "Ol Virginia Soul, Volume 1."

- Ralph

Podcast episode #040 posted

The first of our two-part look at Musica Rediviva's new releases just got posted today. Episode 40 of the DCD Classical 'Cast looks at two releases that are concerned with new sounds.

The Tribukait/Pettersson/Berg Trio is all about new sounds. This contemporary chamber group comprises of a keyboardist, a flutist and a percussionist, giving them a wide variety of new and unusual instrumental combinations.

Torbjörn Näsbom and Andreas Edlund play music from the Baroque period, but they, too are concerned with new sounds. Näsbom performs on the nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish folk instrument that's a distant cousin to the medieval hurdy-gurdy (it's that fiddle-like thing in the image above, left).

So our podcast alternates between old music with a new sound, and new music with a new sound. And it all sounds great.

- Ralph

Arcania International Back on the Air!

WVTF reporter Connie Stevens, using Arcania International's CD compilations as a starting point, continues her look at the forgotten soul and rock artists from 1960's Virginia. In the current segment of "Captive Audio, " aired the other day during Morning Edition, she interviewed Gene Brumley, of Gene & the Teen Beats from Martinsville, Virginia. As the band aged, they became Gene & the Team Beats.

If you dig the sound of the Teen/Team Beats Stevens plays in the background, then check out Ol'Virginia Soul, Part 1: Jump Up and Down. You'll find tracks from both versions of the band.

She also mentions Captain Darby and the Buccaneers, a garage/psych band based out of Roanoke, Virginia. Their tune "Look Out" shows up on "Aliens, Psychos & Wild Things, Volume Fore."

- Ralph