and European Economics Preview: Bank Of England Rate Decision Due By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 04:02:02 GMT The outcome of the monetary policy committee meeting of the Bank of England and the monetary policy report are due on Thursday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news. Policymakers are likely to unanimously vote to hold the benchmark interest rate at 0.10 percent and quantitative easing unchanged at GBP 645 billion. Full Article
and China's Exports Expand Unexpectedly, Imports Fall By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 05:34:11 GMT China's exports expanded in April despite the global outbreak of coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic hurting global demand, data from the General Administration of Customs revealed Thursday. In dollar terms, exports grew 3.5 percent on a yearly basis in April, confounding expectations for a decline of 12.1 percent. Shipments had declined 6.6 percent in March. Full Article
and Bank Of England Maintains Stimulus; Signals More Easing By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 12:10:27 GMT The Bank of England maintained its key interest rate at a record low and refrained from unveiling additional quantitative easing, on Thursday, as the economic outlook remains uncertain due to the impact of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic. However, Governor Andrew Bailey kept the door open for further easing as the economy is set to contract the most in more than 300 years due to the lockdo Full Article
and New Zealand Unemployment Rate Rises To 4.2% By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 23:26:42 GMT The jobless rate in New Zealand came in at a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2020, Statistics New Zealand said on Wednesday. Full Article
and Constellation Brands Raises Stake In Canopy Growth To 38.6 Percent By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Tue, 05 May 2020 05:00:04 GMT Brewer Constellation Brands, Inc. has raised its stake in Canopy Growth Corp. to 38.6 percent, indicating its confidence in the Canadian cannabis company's future growth. Full Article
and Strategy To Expand Coronavirus Testing In US Unveiled By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 13:35:37 GMT President Donald Trump on Monday announced a strategy to expand coronavirus testing facilities in the United States, which the White House described as a decisive step to ensure States have the testing system required to reopen the nation. The Trump Administration released its blueprint for State testing plans and rapid response programs as a follow up of the "Opening Up America Again" guidelines Full Article
and Alliance Resource Partners Says Q2 Results Will Suffer Due To COVID-19 Pandemic By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 12:02:38 GMT While reporting its first-quarter financial results on Friday, Alliance Resource Partners LP (ARLP) said its second-quarter results will suffer due to the demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Article
and The Tie That Binds These Grandparents In Isolation? TikTok By www.npr.org Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 08:00:00 -0400 NPR's reporter in Nairobi finds his parents connecting with his kids through TikTok. Formerly the realm of Gen Z, the app's now a family board game where Grandma and Grandpa reveal their silly selves. Full Article
and How To Say No: 'Anti-Guru' Sarah Knight Suggests You Do Less And Live More By www.npr.org Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 08:00:00 -0400 Knight has written a series of books about "mental decluttering" — her latest is called F*ck No! "Most people will take no for an answer much more easily than you think they will," she says. Full Article
and How The Pandemic Is Making Kids Feel, In Their Own Words By www.npr.org Published On :: Sun, 03 May 2020 08:00:48 -0400 We hear from kids around the country about how the coronavirus pandemic — the lockdown, the school shutdowns, the economic uncertainty — has made them feel. Full Article
and Baseball Star Andre Dawson On Running A Funeral Home During The Pandemic By www.npr.org Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:59:00 -0400 NPR's Scott Simon talks to baseball legend Andre Dawson, a Hall-of-Fame member and National League MVP for the Chicago Cubs, about his second career as a Miami funeral director. Full Article
and These Scientists Are On A Quest To Understand How Prevalent Coronavirus Is By www.npr.org Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:59:00 -0400 A team of scientists at Oregon State University are trying to measure the true prevalence of the coronavirus in Corvallis, Ore., by taking a random sample of the population. Full Article
and Writer Caitlin Flanagan On Having Stage IV Cancer During The Pandemic By www.npr.org Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:59:00 -0400 NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Caitlin Flanagan about her new piece in The Atlantic called "I Thought Stage IV Cancer Was Bad Enough." Full Article
and Want To Adopt A Dog? First Ask Yourself: Can You Still Commit Post-Pandemic? By www.npr.org Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 07:59:00 -0400 Many people stuck at home are interested in adopting a dog. Rescue groups and shelters want them to really consider if they can still commit to being a dog owner after they return to the workplace. Full Article
and Amended: Finland Industrial Production Rises For Second Month By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 06:40:41 GMT Finland's industrial production rose for the second straight month in March, figures from Statistics Finland showed on Friday. Full Article
and German Exports Log Record Fall Amid Covid-19 Pandemic By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 11:39:24 GMT German exports declined at a record pace in March as widespread lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, or Covid-19, across major economies hurt the demand, official data showed Friday. Exports fell by seasonally adjusted 11.8 percent month-on-month, in contrast to February's 1.2 percent rise, Destatis reported. This was the strongest decline since the beginning of the time series in August Full Article
and Finland Trade Deficit Widens In March By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 12:08:10 GMT Finland's trade deficit widened in March with exports falling more than imports, preliminary figures from the Finnish Customs showed on Friday. Full Article
and German Companies See Decline In Sales In 2020 Due To Covid-19 Pandemic: DIHK By www.rttnews.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:07:59 GMT Most of the German companies expect decline in sales in the whole year of 2020 as coronavirus related crisis is expected to last longer, a survey from the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or DIHK, showed Friday. Full Article
and BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 6 (fragment) / Piano Concerto, WoO 4 (S.-M. Vetter, Hamburg Symphony, Ruzicka) (OC1710) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and Harp Recital: Bianchi, Cristina - SCARLATTI, D. / TAILLEFERRE, G. / BACH, C.P.E. / BALTIN, A.A. (Scarlatti and More) (OC1715) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and EÖTVÖS, P.: Tri sestry (Three Sisters) [Opera] (Chenez, David DQ Lee, Egorov, Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, D.R. Davies, N. Petersen) (OC986) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 01 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and GLANERT, D.: Oceane [Opera] (Bengtsson, Schukoff, Pohl, Deutsche Oper Berlin Chorus and Orchestra, Runnicles) (OC985) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and STRAUSS, R.: Symphonic Poems (Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, Weigle) (6-CD Box Set) (OC033) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and MAGNARD, A.: Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 (Freiburg Philharmonic, Bollon) (8.574083) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT The tragic death of Albéric Magnard, killed defending his home against German troops in 1914, brought a premature end to the composer’s life but not before he had completed four powerfully expressive symphonies (the Third and Fourth are on 8.574082). Symphony No. 1, with its strangely beautiful chorale, was first performed in 1893 but was then not heard again for a century. Symphony No. 2 caused a scandal at its premiere due to its length and complexity, but in its revised version offers radiant serenity and a dazzling confidence that reveals Magnard’s true compositional voice. Full Article
and LISZT, F.: Later Piano Music (Historical Hungarian Portraits) (Jandó) (Liszt Complete Piano Music, Vol. 54) (8.574059) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and FARIA GOMES, P.: Chamber Works (Thurlow, Santos, N. Johnson, M. Fernandes, Picado) (8.579029) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT This selection of chamber music by leading Portuguese composer Pedro Faria Gomes was written between 2007 and 2018. The works encompass themes of memory, change and waiting, with the concept of time being a central preoccupation. Though he has drawn on music from his country’s folk traditions—in Memória and in the Sonata—it is always with new harmonic insights and subtlety, creating undeniably invigorating additions to contemporary chamber music repertoire. Full Article
and BEETHOVEN, L. van: Fugues and Rarities for String Quartet (Fine Arts Quartet) (8.574051) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT The string quartets of Beethoven are among the greatest works of their kind, but he composed other works for quartet which have been neglected. This album is dedicated to these intriguing rarities. Alongside the wild and monumental Grosse Fuge, in many ways the culmination of Beethoven’s achievements in the string quartet genre, this recording further displays his mastery of counterpoint by bringing to light brilliant yet forgotten original versions of his quartets Op. 18, No. 1 and Op. 131, plus six virtually unknown miniatures, including his Preludes and Fugues. Full Article
and BEETHOVEN, L. van: Celebrate Beethoven - Symphonies and Orchestral Music (9.30209) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and Vocal Recital: Sternberg, Deborah - SIMPSON, A.E. / KITCHEN, E. / THIBAUDEAU, G. (Birds of Love and Prey) (8.579064) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Soprano Deborah Sternberg brings together three song cycles themed on birds, each with its own unique flavour and expressive vocabulary. Andrew Earle Simpson’s eloquent skills as a composer and pianist are united in Birds of Love and Prey, in which both antique and modern textual sources contrast songbirds and predators in a variety of ways. Eric Kitchen uses transcriptions of actual birdsong in The Olney Avian Verse of William Cowper, while Gabriel Thibaudeau’s Cycle Avicellus portrays birds within landscapes using a language of modern impressionism. Full Article
and Opera Scenes and Orchestral Songs (Soprano) - RAVEL, M. / BARBER, S. / BIZET, G. / SZYMANOWSKI, K. / PUCCINI, G. (Femmes Fatales) (Nasibli) (8.579066) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Composers of every era have drawn on the strengths, sorrows and joys of women for operas and vocal works, inspiring some of their most powerful music. From the heartbreaking tragedy of Samuel Barber’s Andromache’s Farewell to the magical storytelling of Shéhérazade and the Fairy-Tale Princess, acclaimed soprano Seljan Nasibli takes us on a timeless journey through female musical ancestors whose courage is as relevant in today’s society as it has ever been. Full Article
and HANDSOME HARPSICHORD - Best Loved Classical Harpsichord Music (8.578184) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT While the keyboards of the piano and harpsichord are similar, their playing techniques are quite different. The strings of the harpsichord are plucked with a quill rather than struck with a hammer, so every nuance of phrasing is down to the subtle touch of the player. There is something special about hearing music on the instrument for which it was originally written, and this programme treats us to dances from England with Byrd and Purcell, Baroque masterpieces by Bach and Handel, and elaborate and descriptive French works by Couperin and Rameau, whose Les Sauvages was inspired by Native American chieftains who danced for king Louis XV. Full Article
and FARRENC, L.: Symphony No. 1 / Overtures Nos. 1-2 / Grand Variations on a theme by Count Gallenberg (J. Muller, Solistes Européens, Luxembourg, König) (8.574094) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Louise Farrenc was renowned in her lifetime as a pianist, composer and teacher, but it is only recently that her compositions have emerged from many years of neglect. Symphony No. 1 in C minor—cast in the German tradition—is an exceptionally accomplished work, finely orchestrated, lyrical and fiery, and a substantial contribution to the canon. The Grand Variations on a Theme by Count Gallenberg is a showcase for virtuosic elegance, and the two overtures demonstrate real theatrical drama—Overture No. 2 was admired by no less a figure than Hector Berlioz. Full Article
and BEETHOVEN, L. van: Piano Pieces and Fragments (Gallo) (8.574131) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Including premiere recordings, this programme provides us with a privileged opportunity to engage with 36 of Ludwig van Beethoven’s rarely heard sketches, variations and briefest of compositions, even the earliest of which have much to teach us about the emergence of his unique voice and style. The range of Beethoven’s musical experimentation reveals a lasting interest in counterpoint, as well as practical pages such as cadenzas for a Mozart concerto, an incomplete sonata and a second version of the famous bagatelle Für Elise. A significant supplement to his greatest works, these miniatures bring the full arc of Beethoven’s singular genius into ever clearer focus. Full Article
and ZÁDOR, E.: Sinfonia Technica / Music for Clarinet and Strings / Trombone Concerto (Sólyomi, Fejér, Budapest Symphony Orchestra MÁV, Smolij) (8.574108) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT The music of Eugene Zádor is both warmly expressive and colourful. The composer took great delight in writing for overlooked solo instruments, as his Trombone Concerto, garnished with elements of Hungarian folklore, clearly shows. The easy-going, gypsy-influenced Music for Clarinet and Strings is a beautifully proportioned quasi-concerto. The Sinfonia Technica, composed much earlier when he was living in Vienna, and something of a one-off, is an enchanting and exuberantly orchestrated example of ‘industrial music’. Full Article
and Wind Band Music - MASLANKA, D. / PERRINE, A. / WALCZYK, K. (Freedom from Fear) (University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Popiel) (8.574169) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Contemporary American music for wind band continues to offer a rich combination of colour and variety. David Maslanka was one of the most prolific and admired of all wind band composers, and in Liberation he utilises plainchant in a moving exploration of death, the afterlife and the continuance of hope. Inspired by Walt Whitman, Aaron Perrine’s In the Open Air, In the Silent Lines creates a rich sense of space, while Kevin Walczyk’s moving Symphony No. 5: Freedom from Fear – Images from the Shoreline is unified by its themes of adoption, segregation and immigration. Full Article
and STRAUSS II, J.: Blindekuh [Operetta] (R. Davidson, Kunkle, Bortolotti, Sofia Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Salvi) (8.660434-35) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Blindekuh (‘Blind Man’s Buff’) was Johann Strauss II’s sixth operetta and his least known. Neglected for well over a century, it was revived by Dario Salvi and the forces on this album in January 2019. The work’s initial lack of success is hard to explain but it may have been caused by a confusing libretto—the music itself is vibrant and captivating with waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, marches and bel canto arias. Performed in a concert version without dialogue, and in accordance with performing traditions, this production restores the work to the status of one of Strauss’s most melodically seductive works. Full Article
and SCHUMANN, R.: Arrangements for Piano Duet, Vol. 5 (Eckerle Piano Duo) - Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 (8.572881) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT The insatiable demand for sheet music for domestic use in the 19th century meant that popular works were widely disseminated in piano duet form. Robert Schumann’s own arrangements of the ‘Spring’ Symphony (in collaboration with his wife Clara Schumann) and the Fourth Symphony balance playability and fidelity to the original with tremendous skill. Clara considered the Fourth Symphony to be ‘another work from the innermost depths of Robert’s soul’, a symphony that has become one of the most quintessential of the Romantic era. Full Article
and EŠENVALDS, Ē.: Choral Music (Translations) (Portland State Chamber Choir, Sperry) (8.574124) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT The multi-award-winning Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds’ 21st-century choral sound is both exquisite and angular, and in this album he explores ideas of ‘translation’, legend and the divine. With his expanded tonality and employment of shimmering singing handbells in Translation, and the angelic use of the viola and cello in In paradisum he creates music of ravishing refinement. In Legend of the Walled-In Woman Ešenvalds transcribes and employs an authentic Albanian folk song. Full Article
and DANIELPOUR, R.: Passion of Yeshua (The) [Oratorio] (UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra, Falletta) (8.559885-86) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Richard Danielpour’s dramatic oratorio The Passion of Yeshua—a work which has evolved over the last 25 years—is an intensely personal telling of the final hours of Christ on Earth. It incorporates texts from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Gospels inspiring extraordinarily beautiful music that stresses the need for human compassion and forgiveness. Danielpour returns to the scale and majesty of Bach in this oratorio, creating choruses that are intense and powerful, and giving both Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene a central place in a work of glowing spirituality. Conductor JoAnn Falletta considers The Passion of Yeshua to be “a classic for all time.” Full Article
and Cello and Piano Recital: Smith, Brinton Averil / Chen, Evelyn (Exiles in Paradise - Émigré Composers in Hollywood) (8.579055) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Political crises and rising antisemitism in Europe during the first half of the 20th century prompted many leading musicians to immigrate to America. An influx of refugees formed a flourishing artistic community centred within a few square miles near Hollywood and this exceptional gathering of composers transformed America’s musical landscape. This survey explores their diverse output through music for cello and piano, including arrangements by the composers and their fellow expatriate performers never before heard on the cello. Full Article
and BRETÓN, T.: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 3 (Bretón String Quartet) (8.573037) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Tomás Bretón’s distinguished career as an opera composer and leading figure in Madrid’s musical life at the turn of the 20th century has tended to overshadow the significant contribution he made to Spanish chamber music. He remained true to the historic roots of the string quartet genre—his First String Quartet being a tribute to the Viennese tradition in its Classical poise. The Third String Quartet exudes Mendelssohnian inspiration in its first movement with overtly Spanish idioms, the Allegro no mucho third movement also having been turned into a version for piano trio as the Scherzo andalou. This is the first of two albums of the complete string quartets. Full Article
and WIDOR, C.-M.: Organ Symphonies (Complete), Vol. 2 - Nos. 3 and 4 (Rübsam) (8.574195) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Charles-Marie Widor was a hugely influential and venerated musician in his day, and his innovative organ symphonies are both a pinnacle of the repertoire and a testament to his creative and technical mastery of the instrument. These spectacular works are in the grand Romantic manner, but Widor was keenly aware of his musical ancestry, referring to music of the past such as Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the opening of the Third Symphony. The Scherzo of the Fourth Symphony is one of Widor’s finest symphonic movements, exploring the organ’s sonic beauties. The original E major Scherzo from the Symphony No. 2, which Widor subsequently replaced with a Salve Regina (see Volume 1: 8.574161), can be heard on Track 6. Full Article
and WEILAND, D.: String Quartets Nos. 4 and 5 (Melbourne Quartet) (8.574028) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT British composer Douglas Weiland has long been acclaimed as one of contemporary music’s most outstanding composers for the string quartet medium, and his evolving cycle has won much admiration. Composed between 2011 and 2012 the Fourth and Fifth Quartets show him at the height of his artistic powers, where he seeks connections across time, and shows a Classical commitment to form, invention and melodic beauty. His conceptions can be Schubertian in scale and scope, while also displaying the influence of Haydn and Bartók. Full Article
and SPUCK, C.: Nutcracker and Mouse King [Ballet] (after P.I. Tchaikovsky) (Zürich Ballet, 2018) (NTSC) (ACC-20449) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and SPUCK, C.: Nutcracker and Mouse King [Ballet] (after P.I. Tchaikovsky) (Zürich Ballet, 2018) (Blu-ray, Full-HD) (ACC-10449) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sun, 01 Sep 2019 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
and BURKE, E.: Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful (A) (Unabridged) (NA0413) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 20 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT In A Philosophical Enquiry… Edmund Burke sets out to define the nature of beauty and sublimity, and establish an objective criterion for discussing aesthetics. His definition of beauty as rooted in pleasure and sexuality, and the sublime in pain and survival, aligned him with the empiricists John Locke and David Hume, as he replaced the metaphysics of Plato’s aesthetics with a psychological and physiological perspective. According to Burke, the sublime and the beautiful are experiences that can be explained by biological and sensual factors; thus he proceeds to explain how smooth lines, sweet tastes and middle frequencies of sound can be considered beautiful, and the terror created by high mountains and dark forests can be sublime. These revolutionary ideas ushered in the age of Romanticism, and the Gothic genre of novels, with their delight in horror and fright, and continue to influence aesthetic theories today. Full Article
and Podcast: The resurrection of a requiem. Randall Thompson’s choral masterpiece. (Apr 10, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT THOMPSON, R.: Requiem Philadelphia Singers, David Hayes 8.559789 Join Raymond Bisha in a podcast of artistic discovery as he unveils yet another American classic—Randall Thompson’s Requiem. Reckoned by many to be his most ambitious work, the composer himself considered it to be his masterpiece, yet it has languished for decades on the periphery of the choral performance repertoire. This world première recording fr ...more Full Article
and In the Studio with Kenneth Fuchs and the United States Coast Guard Band (Jan 18, 2020) By www.naxos.com Published On :: Sat, 18 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Kenneth Fuchs, the GRAMMY Award-winning American composer, is no stranger to followers of our burgeoning American Classics Series, in which he is represented by six fine releases, including the GRAMMY-winning album with “Spiritualist” piano concerto from last year’s award ceremony. His next recording, a programme of music for wind band, will be available in August 2020. As part of the preparations for that release, Kenneth has been working on a couple of video pre ...more Full Article
and NIELSEN, C.: Flute Concerto / IBERT, J.: Flute Concerto / ARNOLD, M.: Flute Concerto No. 1 (Andrada, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, J. Martín) (ODE1340-2) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Christian Hoskins Gramophone, May 2020 Full Article
and LUTOSLAWSKI, W.: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 (Finnish Radio Symphony, Lintu) (ODE1332-5) By Published On :: May 2020 Review by Freya Parr BBC Music Magazine, May 2020 Full Article
