Classical Music Vinyl 537 Items

In November 1985, Bérurier Noir and his band of agitated*e*s returned to the studio, in the middle of a social strike. The surprise strikes that plunged the country into a "Joyeux Merdier" were the ideal setting for this new Christmas prank and tinged with rage but also with fun, 4 new tracks and not the least. It is THE record that contains "Salut à toi" and opens the door to the first radio broadcasts of the group, before becoming the eternal anthem of a youth always in solidarity with the peoples of the world zone.

Manchester Collective today announce their fourth studio album Neon, released on the Bedroom Community label. Journeying into the darker side of our urban dreams, the album takes audiences on a sonic adventure of discovery through sleepless nights and crowded streets, evoking glass, concrete and slow, incessant rain. Released on Friday 23 June, daring collaborations with high-profile composers and electronic artists are at the heart of the album. Scored for strings with flute, clarinet and percussion, the album includes newly commissioned music from Ivors - nominated, Emmy-nominated and RTS-winning composer Hannah Peel and Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Lyra Pramuk, alongside minimalist masterpieces by Steve Reich and Julius Eastman. Released today, Hannah Peel’s titular Neon – commissioned by Manchester Collective and premiered at Kings Place in 2021 – is inspired by light and life, fusing layers of live electronics and field recordings from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station with the acoustic performances of the Collective. Hannah says ‘Born of breath, heat and a spark, neon has an enigmatic presence of meaning and significance, all things and nothing. A symbol of the city at night, iconic landmarks and urban design – ablaze light waves vibrating through the air … I hope the interplay in this piece between the 'digital tape' performer and the acoustic instruments, allows for a reflection on the presence and value of the hand, as we move ever quickly forward, into the future.’ The album also presents the premiere recording of Lyra Pramuk’s Quanta, the artist’s first major chamber commission and her first foray into the classical world. Known for fusing classical vocalism with pop sensibilities, contemporary club culture and futurist folk music, Lyra’s new piece for Manchester Collective is a meditation on the nature of time, memory and human experience. Taking inspiration from Carlo Rovelli’s critically acclaimed book The Order of Time, Quanta expands on philosophical notions of time and light with a sensual music score for violin, cello, flute, clarinet and vibraphone. Quanta opens with the sound of a huge grandfather clock, at first keeping regular time, and then slowly dancing to a more flexible meter, waxing and waning, stuttering, and finally, stopping. ‘There is no universal time,’ says Pramuk. ‘Quanta explores the notion that each of us has an individual sense of how time traces through our lives.’ Completing the programme are two masterworks of minimalism – Steve Reich’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, monumental Double Sextet and Julius Eastman’s much-maligned 1974 work Joy Boy, which will be available as a bonus track for the digital release. Closing the album, Steve Reich’s Double Sextet sees six members of the Collective performing against recordings of themselves in a virtuosic race to the finish. Released as a bonus track on digital only, Joy Boy by Julius Eastman echoes Lyra Pramuk’s obsession with time, instructing the performers to ‘create ticker tape music’. In a time before the digital revolution this means spools of tape, indented and pierced, transmitted messages across distance. Following their Neon tour of the same programme in May 2022, Manchester Collective will give audiences the opportunity to see music from the album performed live later this year – with an appearance at the Manchester Classical festival on Saturday 24 June, and further live dates to be announced. Known for their experimental programming and daring artistic collaborations, Manchester Collective were formed in 2016 by Adam Szabo (Artistic Director & Ceo) and Rakhi Singh (Music Director). The ensemble crosses different genres and artforms, bringing together cutting-edge contemporary music, classical masterpieces and multimedia work to concert halls, gig venues and festivals in the UK and internationally. Manchester Collective’s previous record releases have featured music by composers including Edmund Finnis, Philip Glass, Arnold Schoenberg, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Reflections is a recording of Sufjan Stevens' sixth collaboration with acclaimed ballet and dance choreographer Justin Peck. Originally composed for World Premiere and performances (May 17-26, 2019) by Houston Ballet, the piano duet was recorded at Oktaven Studios by Ryan Streber and performed by pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick. Reflections is imbued with Stevens' memorable and emotionally resonant melodies and arrangements and continues to establish Stevens as a contemporary composer.

* In Katta's music, ancient and modern worlds come together, the sacred meets the profane, and technological chasms are crossed: you might hear her play on some of the world's most treasured pipe organs in churches and cathedrals, or on her state-of-the-art, custom-built electric touring organ - and whether the ambience is provided by the dreamy acoustics of vaulted sacred spaces, or electronic soundscapes weaving in and out of her organ lines, the spirit of her music is unmistakable: ethereal, experimental, arresting.

* Katta first came to international prominence as a classical organist and harpsichordist, performing with orchestras such as Anima Eterna (with Jos van Immerseel), Zurich Chamber Orchestra (with Sir Roger Norrington), the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra - but it was when she started writing and performing her own music that her artistic identity truly asserted itself. 2016's 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' album was the first to showcase her compositions – other-worldly, spiritual works featuring distinctive vocals and tinkling, percussive bells: by turns lyrical and jarring, they seemed to come from a distant and mysterious past, and yet to belong entirely to the present. Katta’s original vocal/instrumental project Vox Organi won a prize at 2018 Classic Prague Awards.

* Katta also finds inspiration in collaborating with other artists, from British violinist Daniel Hope to American organ sensation Cameron Carpenter. This year she performed at Olavsfest in Norway, taking the stage right after a set from Björk. Her new album 'Vox Organi' will be released soon on Berlin label Emika Records, and Katta has been performing material from the album on her recent tour of the same name.

* Unconfined by genre, yet always instantly recognisable as her own, Katta's music is living proof that the organ remains a vital instrument in the 21st century.