Michala Petri AMERICAN RECORDER CONCERTOS

The late 17th and early 18th centuries were the Golden Age of the Recorder. Played by amateurs and professional and admire by musical connoisseurs, the recorder was everywhere. From Italy to England, the greatest composers of the day were writing hundreds of masterworks to meet the public’s demand! Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a scrappy group of colonists were carving a new nation out of the wilderness...
But where were the recorders? It is one of the great ironies of the recorder’s long history, that despite being ubiquitous in nearly every American public music school program, few composers ever explored writing for it.
In order to set this egregious state of affairs to right, Michala Petri, the first Lady of the Recorder, invited four American composers to make their own discovery of just what an Old World Recorder can do! 

For the newest installment of her ground-breaking Concerto Project, four works have been specially commissioned to showcase the sound of the modern recorder, including the late Steven Stucky’s thoroughly contemporary Etudes, Roberto Sierra’s Latin-tinged Prelude, Habanera and Perpetual Motion, Harpsichord virtuoso Antony Newman’s Neo-Baroque Concerto for recorder, harpsicord & strings, and Sean Hickey’s boldly-wrought A Pacifying Weapon.

Gérard Abiton PONCE Complete Guitar Music

The magic and mystery of Mexico make a welcome return on this recording, as the expert skills of Gérard Abiton explore Manuel Ponce’s complete works for guitar. There is a wealth of treasures to be enjoyed here, as Ponce’s vast career led him to explore a number of different styles. His time in Paris exerted a French influence on his music, heard in the wonderfully lyrical song-without-words motif in the second movement of his Sonata III. The folklike passage that follows it, alongside a daring counter-melody, are brought together in a joyous conclusion in the Sonata’s last movement, cleverly evoking a popular theme. But it is in the Tres Canciones populares mexicanas that the listener is musically transported to Central America, and Ponce’s beloved homeland. The composer’s tender nature is beautifully expressed in these three lyrical works, as, along with the Scherzino mexicano, he strives to create a testament to his Mexican roots. 

Gérard Abiton, an ‘exceptional and talented’ French guitarist (Guitare Classique), is a magnificent performer of Ponce’s works. His elegant rendition succeeds in convincingly expressing the composer’s tender emotion, paying homage to Ponce’s diverse influences and never straying far from his cherished Mexican origins. Described as ‘one of the best guitarists in the world’ (Liberation) and a ‘leading light in the profession’ (Le pays), Abiton’s understanding of Ponce has led him to be regularly invited to play his works in Mexico. Joined by harpsichordist Béatrice Martin, whose assured touch is the perfect accompaniment to the Concierto del Sur and Sonata for guitar and harpsichord, as well as Jean Thorel’s professional conducting, this CD is sure to delight fans of guitar music looking to relax and unwind. (Arkiv Music)