ANALEKTA is proud to announce that five of its recordings are nominated for a Juno in the categories “Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble”, “Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment” and “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance.” These nominations confirm the quality and diversity of the recordings produced by ANALEKTA, featuring the finest Canadian musicians. The winners will be announced on April 18, at a ceremony to be held at St. John’s (Newfoundland) Mile One Centre (broadcast on the CTV network).

In the category “Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber Ensemble”, jurors recognised three Analekta recordings. Philip Glass: Portrait, hailed as “best classical album of the year” at the ADISQ Gala 2009, gets a new nomination. On it, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà performs some of the composer’s most significant works, such as Mishima, Company, the suite The Hours and Closing.

I Musici de Montréal and its music director Yuli Turovsky once again approach Tchaikovsky’s universe in Souvenir de Florence. Reputed as “one of the best chamber orchestras of the Americas”, I Musici de Montréal has earned over the years prestigious recognitions, including for the recording Shostakovich’s Circle on the Analekta label.

Reviewing Joel Quarrington’s debut recital for the International Society of Bassists’ Oklahoma City convention in June of 2007, England’s Double Bassist magazine declared, “his performance was mesmerizing.” With Garden Scene, he offers a rich and varied journey through the double bass repertoire, accompanied by pianist Andrew Burashko.
In the category “Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble
Accompaniment”, Mathieu, Shostakovich, Mendelssohn: Concertos & Concertino, a recording by pianist Alain Lefèvre, with the London Mozart Players, under the direction of Matthias Bamert, was chosen. The album also features his brother David Lefèvre and trumpet player Paul Archibald.

In the category “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance”, Melodiya, featuring Marianne Fiset, one of Radio-Canada Musique 2009 Revelations, has also earned itself a nomination. This second album of the soprano on the ANALEKTA label is devoted to Russian repertoire. She is accompanied by pianist Marie-Eve Scarfone and the Orchestre de Radio-Canada Musique, under the direction of Jean-Philippe Tremblay.

With these nominations, ANALEKTA confirms its unique status on the Canadian classical music market and establishes itself as one of the major labels in Quebec — all genres taken together.

Founded in 1988 by François Mario Labbé, Analekta has become the largest independent classical record company in Canada. The label recently launched its new online download boutique, Classics on the go. The recipient of many distinguished prizes, notably for the quality of its recordings and the rigorous musicianship of its artists, Analekta has earned a reputation of excellence on the international music scene.

ARVO PÄRT : PORTRAIT

AN 2 8731

ANGELE DUBEAU

Release date : March 2, 2010

Analekta presents the new album of Angèle Dubeau, who leads her ensemble La Pietà in a program devoted to Arvo Pärt, composer born in Estonia, a unique voice of the contemporary scene. “His music has touched me deeply in the last few years, as does the music of Philip Glass. Even if he’s different, Pärt has a unique signature. To draw a faithful portrait of this exceptional composer, I had to search for raw material: music of deceptive simplicity, freed from all artifice, in which silence becomes music. All-wisdom, this language calms me and it is almost with devotion that I performed this luminous and vibrant music,” states the violinist.

Arvo Pärt: Portrait comprises some of the composer’s masterworks, including his Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, for string orchestra and tubular bell, Tabula Rasa, a fragmented Baroque concerto grosso, written for two solo violins, strings and prepared piano, as well as Spiegel im Spiegel, one of his most performed works. A search for simplicity is to be found in all those pages, as well as in his religious works. Among those, featured here are Summa, featuring the catholic text Credo in unum deum (“I believe in one God”) and WallfahrtsliedSonata K. 280 (Pilgrim's Song), from Psalm 121, reworked for men’s chorus and string orchestra in 2001. As a complement to the program, Angèle Dubeau performs, in trio formation, Pärt’s Mozart-Adagio, an arrangement of the slow movement of Mozart’s that heightens the tragic nature of this epitaph.

Angèle Dubeau has always remained faithful to today’s composers. She bowled over audience and critics alike with her remarkable album devoted to Philip Glass, hailed “best classical album of the year” at the ADISQ Gala in 2009. An artist of rare versatility considered one of the most prominent violin virtuosos in Canada, for over 33 years Angèle Dubeau has had a dazzling career in the great concert halls of the world. With a string of some 30 recordings, many concerts with renowned orchestras and as the conductor of her own ensemble, her talent, passion and musicality have won her uncommon acclaim. She is the only Canadian classical musician to have been awarded two gold records for sales exceeding 50,000 albums sold in one year and has already succeeded in selling over 400,000 discs, an unheard-of exploit and an accomplishment that she continues to improve on, making her the most famous Canadian classical musician in the field.

In 1997, she founded Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, a string ensemble with piano, consisting of women, which she conducts and acts as their artistic director. Known for their exceptional virtuosity, their impeccable precision, their magnificent interpretations, but above all the contagious thrill they communicate when playing, these musicians have travelled throughout North and South America, as well as in Asia for over a decade.

“I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener”
Arvo Pärt

You can stream the album for free and download Arvo Pärt: Portrait in "better than CD" studio quality (FLAC) on Analekta.com

Analekta is very proud to invite you to discover classics on the go with its new online download boutique. Entirely secure, user friendly and state-of-the-art, ANALEKTA.COM offers a higher quality of downloadable music, plus Radio-Analekta and the possibility of browsing through the complete Analekta catalogue in streaming. With this new online store, ANALEKTA.COM wants to become the definitive classical music rendezvous.

Quality has a sound

Always on the lookout for the newest technologies offering unparalleled sound quality, ANALEKTA.COM allows you to download music in a remarkable MP3 format  (320kbps) and now gives you the possibility to get sound quality equal to or superior to that of a CD, thanks to the new lossless audio format (FLAC ), in which music can be compressed without any loss in quality. Indeed, the “lossless” files sold on the ANALEKTA.COM Website are equal (FLAC 44.1 kHz, 16 bits) or even superior (88.2 kHz or 96 kHz, 24 bits) in quality to that of a CD. When you buy a work in FLAC, you will be listening to the sound equivalent to that heard by a sound engineer while recording. By choosing studio quality (88.2 kHz, 24 bits), you will be listening to sound impossible to find on CD and available only at Analekta.com.

ANALEKTA.COM allows you not only to download each track of the album separately but to download the whole work with a click, for less than if you were to buy each movement separately.

In order to simplify the “lossless” experience, audiophiles who decide to download the FLAC format will also automatically receive the corresponding MP3 files, free of charge.

Exclusives

On ANALEKTA.COM, you will find exclusive projects, specially recorded for the store’s users. Bonus material will also complement the launched albums. Finally, exclusively on ANALEKTA.COM, you will be able to listen to our new releases in streaming even before the albums are officially released.

Secure and easy purchases

You can now easily and quickly download music performed by the greatest Canadian artists, buy or offer prepaid packages, subscribe, collect Analekta points and exchange them for download credits.

All music bought on ANALEKTA.COM remains accessible on your account, without term limitations. You bought your album at home but would like to listen to it at the office? Nothing is simpler. Just log on to your account and download the music once more. Now the only thing you need to access your Analekta music is an Internet connection.

Furthermore, Radio Analekta users will be able to access the album page with a click and download it without leaving the radio.

Mobile services available soon

Keep your eyes open to find out what new ideas Analekta has in store for you! The iPhone Radio Analekta mobile application and other mobile services will soon be available.

BEETHOVEN LIVE

9 SYMPHONIES

AN 2 9975‐9 (5 CD)

JEAN‐PHILIPPE TREMBLAY, CONDUCTOR

ORCHESTRE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE

CHOEUR DE LA FRANCOPHONIE

MARIE‐JOSÉE LORD, SOPRANO

GENEVIÈVE COUILLARD DESPRÉS, MEZZO‐SOPRANO

GUY BÉLANGER, TENOR

ÉTIENNE DUPUIS, BARITONE

Release date: January 26, 2010 ― Analekta is proud to announce the Orchestre de la Francophonie’s latest recording, Beethoven Live, first commercialisation of all nine Beethoven symphonies by a Canadian orchestra.
This project has been recorded live in Quebec City, during a series of four concerts also performed in Montreal, hailed by critics. Le Devoir didn’t hesitate to choose the first concert of this series as one of the year’s ten best concerts of 2009. This project was initiated by 31‐ year‐ old Québécois conductor Jean‐Philippe Tremblay, music director of the Orchestre de la Francophonie since its founding in 2001 and guest conductor of various European and North American orchestras such as the Orchestre national de France, the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington), the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the London Philharmonia Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchestra of the Americas. In 2004‐ 2005, he was selected by Kurt Masur and Christoph von Dohnanyi as one of three participants in the Allianz International Conductors Academy in London.
Entrusted to a young musicians’ orchestra, this Tremblay complete recording of Beethoven’s symphonies is quite a feat. “Beethoven’s work, bearing the stamp of passion, impetuousness, fraternity, love, and above all integrity, communicates a host of emotions that leave no soul indifferent. Beethoven is, for me, the greatest among the greats: the liberator, the guide. To interpret his music is one of the most incredible experiences that can be granted a musician. It is in this spirit that my colleagues of the Orchestre de la Francophonie and myself have approached his music,” explains the young conductor.
The Orchestre de la Francophonie was founded in 2001 for the Fourth Jeux de la Francophonie in Ottawa‐Hull. It rapidly became an important stepping stone for young Canadian musicians embarking on a professional career. It has given more than 200 concerts across Canada and, in 2007, embarked on a tour of China, played in thirteen cities. Two of the concerts were broadcasted on Chinese television reaching out to more than 8 million viewers. The Orchestre de la Francophonie was nominated for a prize at the 2008 ADISQ and as concert of the year at the Opus Prizes in 2007.

The Beethoven Live project was made possible thanks to the participation of Espace musique.

ALAIN LEFÈVRE

JARDIN D’IMAGES

AN 2 9279

MICHEL DONATO, DOUBLE BASS

PAUL BROCHU, DRUMSET

WITH THE KIND PARTICIPATION OF

CHRYSTINE BROUILLET

Release date: November 3, 2009

Alain Lefèvre’s recording world would not be complete without mentioning the importance of the composer he has become in recent years. Jardin d’images, his fourth CD featuring his own compositions, is a much-awaited opus after his Blissfully Sleepless, which earned him a Félix at the 2006 ADISQ Gala. This recording aims to be a collection of musical memories.

The album features Dis-moi tout, a strong expression of all that is left unsaid; Promenade italienne; Le Panda magique, only performed on the black keys, that bears Oriental colours; Jour de pluie;  Sous le ciel de Cap-Santé; Tendresse; a new reading of Ville-Émard la Belle, with double bassist Michel Donato and drummer Paul Brochu, also found on the irresistible Fafoune, a knowing wink to Alain’s cat, with the exceptional participation of success novelist Chrystine Brouillet who whistles her way through the piece.

“Intimate letters at the piano” (La Presse), his compositions, much like snapshots of life, are tonal and their pianistic writing, “absolutely gorgeous and musically sophisticated” (Times Argus).

REVELATION

RECITAL DE HARPE

AN 2 9974

VALÉRIE MILOT, HARP

 Release date: October 27, 2009

Montreal, October 27 2009 ― A refined and versatile artist, the young Québec harpist Valérie Milot has a flawless technique and a style that is both colourful and powerful, thus challenging the clichés one associates with the instrument. On this first Analekta recording, she gives a unique recital that illustrates the possibilities of the instrument, its resonance, sonic volume and contrasts, as well as its particular effects. Among the repertoire performed, we find works by Dieudonné-Félix Godefroid, Henriette Renié and Carlos Salzedo, three composers who had a determining influence on the evolution of the language of the harp, but also Caroline Lizotte’s La Madone, a work expressly composed for her by her former teacher.

The winner of numerous competitions, Valerie Milot was the first harpist in nearly 100 years to receive the Prix d’Europe in 2008. In 2005, she was a laureate at the American Harp Society National Competition, where she won the “Salzedo Centennial Fund” award for her interpretation of Carlos Salzedo’s Scintillation. In November 2008, she was named Young Soloist 2009 by the Radios francophones publiques. In January 2009, she was unanimously crowned the Discovery of the Year at the Prix Opus, a gala event organized every year by the Conseil québécois de la musique. In 2009, she gave recitals at the Lanaudière International Festival and Lachine Music Festival. Soon she will be a soloist with the Violons du Roy as well as the SMCQ and she will undertake a national tour for the Jeunesses musicales du Canada. For her prodigious career she was named Révélation Radio-Canada Musique for the year 2009-2010.

ANALEKTA WINS 4 FÉLIX AT THE ADISQ GALAS

WEBSITE OF THE YEAR AS WELL AS ALBUM OF THE YEAR IN THE CATEGORIES “ORCHESTRA AND LARGE ENSEMBLE”, “SOLOIST AND     SMALL ENSEMBLE” AND “JAZZ CREATION”

Montreal, October 27, 2009 – Analekta is proud to announce that it has received 4 Félix at the ADISQ Galas, held yesterday in Montreal, including “Website of the year”.  This brand new site, more convivial, has been entirely designed and programmed by the dynamic team at Motion in Design. Aiming to become the meeting ground for classical music lovers, the Website grants the possibility of accessing and listening to the complete catalogue in streaming. It also includes exclusive videos, the downloadable Analekta Radio and a blog. A forerunner in its domain, Analekta will soon initiate new and important developments that, without a doubt, will maintain ANALEKTA.COM at the avant-garde of the Canadian musical industry.

Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà were recognized in the category “Classical Album of the Year: Orchestra and Large Ensemble” for the recording of Philip Glass: Portrait, unanimously acclaimed by critics. In addition, this recording has been nominated in the “Sound Recording and Mixing Award” category for the outstanding work of Carl Talbot, the official producer at Analekta. This Félix is the eleventh won by Angèle Dubeau for a recording on the Analekta label.

In the category “Album of the Year: Soloist and Small Ensemble”, the first collaboration on disc of brothers Alain and David Lefèvre, won a trophy. On this album, they performed sonatas by César Franck and Guillaume Lekeu and presented the first recording of André Mathieu’s Ballade-fantaisie. This Félix is the sixth awarded to Alain Lefèvre for his recordings.

Lorraine Desmarais – Big Band, the tenth recording in the career of Lorraine Desmarais, and the first produced with a big band, has, moreover, been recognized in the category “Jazz Album of the Year – Jazz Creation”. Let’s recall that two of the previous Lorraine Desmarais albums – including Jazz for Christmas, on the Analekta label – have previously won Félix.

The label had received 11 nominations in 7 categories. With these three new awards, ANALEKTA confirms the unique position it holds in the Canadian music market and maintains its standing as one of the most important recording houses in Canada, all categories taken together. ANALEKTA wants to salute the talent of the nominated artists and the excellence of their performances.

BACH

MAGNIFICAT BWV 243

CANTATE BWV 191

VIVALDI

GLORIA RV 589

AN 2 9873

THE BACH CHOIR OF BETHLEHEM

THE BACH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

GREG FUNFGELD, CONDUCTOR

Release date: October 20, 2009
The Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, led by Greg Funfgeld, perform Bach’s Magnificat and Cantata BWV 191, as well as Vivaldi’s Gloria. Countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and bass-baritone Daniel Lichti are among the soloists.

Bach’s Magnificat (BWV 243) was originally composed in Leipzig in 1723 to be heard in the service of Vespers. There are interesting connections between Luther’s commentary on the Magnificat, written in 1521, and Bach’s setting of the same text composed some two hundred years later.

Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major (RV 589) – Vivaldi’s best-known sacred work – is divided into twelve somewhat brief movements that are contrasted by musical texture, instrumental and vocal color, occasioned by the respective sections of the text, but the work is essentially characterized by its two outer movements, the energy of celebration in the same bright key of Bach’s Magnificat, D major.

Bach’s Gloria in excelsis Deo (BWV 191) is unique among Bach’s cantatas in that it is the only one to have been written to a Latin rather than a German text and comprises re-workings of movements from the Gloria of the Mass in B Minor (BWV 232).

Founded in 1898, The Bach Choir of Bethlehem is the oldest American Bach Choir and gave the first complete American performances of Bach’s Mass in B Minor in 1900 and Christmas Oratorio in 1901. Under Greg Funfgeld’s passionate and experienced direction since 1983, the 100 dedicated volunteer singers of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, performing with the Bach Festival Orchestra and distinguished soloists, have received international acclaim. The Choir has released five recordings of works by Bach, in addition to the popular four-volume Christmas in Bethlehem. This recording is The Choir’s first for Analekta

BEETHOVEN

PIANO TRIOS

OP. 1 NO. 2

OP. 97 “ARCHDUKE”

AN 2 9858

GRYPHON TRIO

ANNALEE PATIPATANAKOON, VIOLIN

ROMAN BORYS, CELLO

JAMIE PARKER, PIANO

Release date: October 20, 2009
After acclaimed recordings devoted to Mozart and Schubert’s complete works for piano trio, the new ANALEKTA recording of The Gryphon Trio features two Beethoven’s trios. The first is a youthful work while the second, the famous “Archduke”, is Beethoven’s last work of the genre.

In late 1792, just one year after Mozart’s death, Beethoven arrived in Vienna. He dug up some old sketches from Bonn and dashed off new material to produce a set of three piano trios. Each of considerable scope, they are an artful synthesis of Haydn and Mozart, to which Beethoven grafted elements of his nascent revolutionism. Most obvious is the novel four-movement design, a first for the piano trio genre. More significant, however, are the new relationships Beethoven forged between the piano and strings. Beethoven dedicated his Op. 1 trios, published in 1795, to Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, a Viennese musical patron, who had taken the young composer under his wing upon his arrival in Vienna.

Among Beethoven’s other devoted benefactors was the Archduke Rudolph, a talented amateur musician and younger brother of the Emperor of Austria. In gratitude, Beethoven dedicated his last piano trio, composed in 1811, to him. The “Archduke” trio is not only Beethoven’s masterpiece in the genre but also one of his finest lyrical achievements. Compared to the Op. 1 trios, the string texture is far richer. Most striking, perhaps, is the carefully-wrought balance between piano and strings, the latter often serving as inner voices. The result is a finely blended sonority that rivals that of the more homogeneous string quartet.

Formed in 1993, the Gryphon Trio continues to delight audiences around the globe with their highly refined and dynamic performances. Based in Toronto, the Trio tours regularly throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Their celebrated recordings include works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Lalo and Shostakovich. With a strong commitment to expanding the piano trio repertoire, the Trio has commissioned and premiered over 50 works. Their 2004 recording, Canadian Premieres, features the work of leading Canadian composers and was awarded a Juno. This is their eleventh CD for the Analekta label.

VIRTUOSE

WORKS BY LOCATELLI, PAGANINI, MENDELSSOHN, GLAZUNOV, TCHAIKOVSKY, SARASATE, CHOPIN, PROKOFIEV,  MOZART, SCHUBERT, MARTINU, SIBELIUS

AN 2 8729

ANGÈLE DUBEAU, VIOLIN

Release date: October 13, 2009
 
Montreal, October 13, 2009 - Virtuoso: “1. someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field. 2. a musician who is a consummate master of technique and artistry” (Webster’s). Two definitions, two complementary ways that may describe Angèle Dubeau’s talent and charisma. An artist of rare versatility considered one of the most prominent violin virtuosos in Canada, for over 32 years Angèle Dubeau has had a dazzling career and she is as much at ease in the great concert halls of the world as in the intimate setting of a recording studio. At the age of 23, while already in demand as a violinist in Europe as well as in Asia and the US, she made a recording, the first of a series of some 30 albums that have won her uncommon acclaim. Gramophone (United Kingdom) in 2007 hailed the quality of Solo, which marked the thirtieth anniversary of her career, with these words: “Dubeau plays everything with alluring sweetness and sophistication.”

It is with great pleasure that the violinist is offering music lovers a box set featuring excerpts from some her most acclaimed recordings, all milestones of a remarkable journey. These CDs demonstrate the multiple talents of Ms. Dubeau, whether as a soloist with the great orchestras, a chamber musician with her friend, the late Alain Marion and with the extraordinary Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti,  a soloist and artistic director of her ensemble La Pietà or alone with her violin. She is heard in concertos by Mendelssohn, Sibelius and Glazunov, as well as works by Locatelli, Martinù or Schubert.

Prestigious prizes and numerous official honours have rewarded Angèle Dubeau’s excellence including 10 Félix awards, an Opus Prize (Audience Prize), several Chocs de la musique, a Diapason d’or and the title of Soloist of the Year 1987, awarded by the French-language public radio networks, which took her to France, Belgium and Switzerland. She has also received the Tibor Varga Prize in Switzerland (1983) and the Prize of the Americas at the Viña del Mar International Competition Prize in Chile (1985). She has also become a Member of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec and has been awarded the Calixa-Lavallée Prize of the St-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal for her outstanding contribution to music in Canada.

Her talent, passion and musicality have won her uncommon acclaim. After a recital at the prestigious Southbank Centre of London in April 1988, The Times described her as “a brilliant violinist… her performance was distinguished by fieriness of tone, absolute security of pitch… and pointing a requisite sense of fantasy and imagination.” “Angèle Dubeau is an artist who does not leave one indifferent. Her fine musicality, affecting sound and assured taste are all qualities that one doesn’t often encounter,” was Le Monde de la Musique’s comment. The Ottawa Citizen paid homage to her as “one of the few true virtuosos”, Répertoire (France) as a “first-class violinist”, while the Toronto Sun stressed that she was “everything a soloist should be” and The Globe and Mail spoke of her as “a brilliant performer”, “simply marvellous.”  Whether standing alone, in front of an orchestra, or in the intimacy of chamber repertoire, Angèle Dubeau, with La Pietà, continues to move and astonish the audience.

AN 2 9919

ENSEMBLE CAPRICE

MATTHIAS MAUTE

Release date: October 6, 2009

Telemann and the Baroque Gypsies is meant as the natural extension of Vivaldi and the Baroque Gypsies, the penultimate recording on the Analekta label by saluted Ensemble Caprice. This album was nominated for 2009 Echo Klassik awards in Germany in two categories: Ensemble/ Orchestra of the Year and Classics Without Borders. Ensemble Caprice’s most recent CD, Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels won Canada’s 2009 prestigious JUNO award in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance.

As mentioned in his autobiographies, Telemann’s encounters with Eastern European gypsy music influenced his own compositions. The prolific composer must have been enthralled by the wonderful inventiveness of this music, as typified in this recording with the last movements of the Caprice Symphony and the Concerto in e minor for recorder and flute. As it was the case with Vivaldi and the Baroque Gypsies, melodies and dances from the spectacular Uhrovska Collection (1730) have been integrated, with arrangements by Matthias Maute. The musicians are musically re-enacting the encounters of Telemann with the gypsies of Eastern Europe. The direct dialogue between the various works depicts a conversation in which commonalities as well as differences are made unabashedly explicit.

Under the direction of Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, Ensemble Caprice is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Originally formed in Germany in 1989 and now based in Montreal, the ensemble continues to give concerts in Europe. In 2005, Ensemble Caprice made its U.S. debut in the Boston Early Music Festival’s concert series and has subsequently appeared in many parts of the United States, with additional tours of Israel and Taiwan. The ensemble has its own concert series at Redpath Hall in Montreal.

Fall 2009 New Releases

Top award winner in the Canadian Broadcasting Music Competition (1976), the Isle of Man (1978) and the Geneva International Competitions (1978), Joel Quarrington is considered one of today’s leading double bassists. With Garden Scene, he offers a rich and varied journey through the double bass repertoire.

Luc Beauséjour, Juan Manuel Quintana, Hélène Plouffe and Grégoire Jeay present a program that could have very well been performed at one of the typical concerts held in Paris in the middle of the 18th century. The album Concert Parisien features works by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jean-Marie Leclair, Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, Michel Blavet and Georg Philipp Telemann.

In Souvenir de Florence, I Musici de Montréal and his music director Yuli Turosvky once again approach Tchaikovsky’s universe. Reputed as “one of the best chamber orchestras of the Americas”, I Musici de Montréal has earned over the years prestigious recognitions, such as: a Diapason d’Or, a Rosette, a Félix, five Prix Opus, including one for their recording Shostakovich’s Circle on the Analekta label.

Pianist Alain Lefèvre has a sparkling international career and is the winner of numerous awards, including five Félix. Here, he premieres another of André Mathieu’s works, his Concertino. Recorded with the London Mozart Players, this disc also features his brother David Lefèvre in Mendelssohn’s Concerto for piano, violin and string orchestra, as well as trumpet player Paul Archibald in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Alain Lefèvre’s recording world would not be complete without mentioning the importance of the composer he has become in recent years. Picture Garden, his fourth CD featuring his own compositions, an awaited follow-up to Blissfully Sleepless, winner of a Félix at the2006 ADISQ Gala, aims to be a collection of musical memories.

Telemann and the Baroque Gypsies is meant as the natural extension of Vivaldi and the Baroque Gypsies, first recording on the Analekta label of Ensemble Caprice. This album presents in an audacious superposition of  pieces by Telemann as well as Gypsy melodies and dances from the spectacular Uhrosvka Collection (1730), arranged by Matthias Maute.

Angèle Dubeau is offering us Virtuose, a box set featuring excerpts from some her most acclaimed recordings. A representative panorama of her rich career, these CDs demonstrate the multiple talents of Ms. Dubeau, whether as a soloist with the great orchestras, a chamber musician, a member and artistic director of her ensemble La Pietà or alone with her violin.

Analekta launches a first recording on the label of The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. The choir, led by Greg Funfgeld, performs Bach’s Magnificat and Cantata BWV 191, as well as Vivaldi’s Gloria. Countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Benjamin Butterfield and bass-baritone Daniel Lichti are the soloists.

After acclaimed recordings devoted to Mozart and Schubert’s complete works for piano trio, the new Analekta recording of the Gryphon Trio features two Beethoven’s trios. The first is a youthful work while the second, the famous “Archduke”, is Beethoven’s last work of the genre.

The young Québec harpist Valérie Milot has a flawless technique and a style that is both colourful and powerful. On this first Analekta recording, one of Radio-Canada Musique’s 2009-2010 Revelation gives a unique recital that illustrates the possibilities of the instrument, its resonance, sonic volume and contrasts, as well as its particular effects.

Inspired by the great tradition of boys' choirs, the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal was founded in 1956. Since its foundation, the choir has fulfilled its mission, which is to enrich the religious services at St. Joseph's Oratory and to give numerous concerts, both in Quebec and worldwide. In Pax cælestis, under the direction of Gilbert Patenaude, they perform sacred works, inspired and inspiring, that span five centuries.

Browse Analekta's catalogue to benefit from free dowloadable tracks: a good way to discover our new releases and other albums.

Founded in 1988 by Mario Labbé, Analekta has become the largest independent classical record company in Canada. The recipient of many distinguished prizes, notably for the quality of its recordings and the rigorous musicianship of its artists, Analekta has earned a reputation of excellence on the international music scene.

MATHIEU, SHOSTAKOVICH, MENDELSSOHN
CONCERTINO & CONCERTOS
AN 2 9283

ALAIN LEFÈVRE, PIANO
DAVID LEFÈVRE, VIOLIN
PAUL ARCHIBALD, TRUMPET

LONDON MOZART PLAYERS
MATTHIAS BAMERT, CONDUCTOR

Montreal, September 22 2009 - On this new Alain Lefèvre recording are assembled three giants, two of whom, particularly precocious, were compared to Mozart in their day. He is joined by the London Mozart Players, as well as by his brother, violinist David Lefèvre, in Mendelssohn’s Concerto for piano, violin and string orchestra and by trumpet player Paul Archibald in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Mendelssohn’s output in 1823 was remarkable: six symphonies, a second piano quartet, a concerto for violin, a concerto for two pianos, an opera entitled The Two Nephews and a concerto for piano, violin and string orchestra, featured here. Mendelssohn was well acquainted with the subtleties of both the piano and the violin and it was only logical that the young composer should wish to unite their forces in a work of broad scope.

A century later, André Mathieu was coined « the Canadian Mozart ». The Concertino, with its three short movements, features a cadenza, newly discovered. The piano part was faithfully transcribed by composer and conductor Gilles Bellemare, who, at most, clarified certain dynamics and articulations.

If Shostakovich cannot be portrayed as a child prodigy, he nevertheless had remarkable gifts as a performer. His Piano Concerto No. 1 is a deliciously sardonic work, close to the subtle spirit of Haydn.

Alain Lefèvre has a sparkling international career, touring repeatedly world-wide, performing in prestigious venues, in recital and with international orchestras and leading conductors. He is the winner of numerous awards, including five Felix Awards (2001-2007) and has recently received the Ordre national du Québec.

Violinist David Lefèvre is hailed for his talent, passion and musical versatility. He has made solo appearances with the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, I Musici de Montréal and the London Mozart Players. He is currently Principal Concertmaster with the Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and guest concertmaster of the Lisbon Gulbenkian Symphony.

Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Associate Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Matthias Bamert also conducts around the world. Music Director of the London Mozart Players for seven years, in 1999 he conducted them at the BBC Proms, in Vienna and at the Lucerne Festival and returned with them to Japan in January 2000.

Founded by Harry Blech in 1949 as the UK’s first chamber orchestra, the London Mozart Players is regarded as one of the finest ensembles, internationally renowned for its live performances and CD recordings.

TCHAIKOVSKY
SOUVENIR DE FLORENCE
QUARTET NO. 1
AN 2 9954

I MUSICI DE MONTRÉAL
YULI TUROVSKY, CONDUCTOR

 Release date: September 22, 2009
 

Montreal, September 22 2009 - I Musici de Montréal and his conductor Yuli Turosvky once again approach Tchaikovsky’s universe in this new Analekta recording.

Tchaikovsky first set foot in Florence in 1878, and fell immediately under its spell. He never forgot his “dream city”, and in the early 1890s, after the triumphant premiere of Sleeping Beauty, this is where he chose to begin his String Sextet. Somewhere between a quartet and a symphony for strings (fully justifying the decision here to record the piece in a larger version, heard in an orchestral transcription by Yuli Turovsky), Souvenir de Florence basks in a contagious joie de vivre.

While Souvenir de Florence proved to be Tchaikovsky’s final chamber music work, his String Quartet in D, Op. 11 is an example of his excellent early efforts in this line. With this work, Tchaikovsky came very close to pure music and achieved a remarkable structural balance, brilliantly exposed on this recording in a transcription from Yuli Turovsky.

Reputed as “one of the best chamber orchestras of the Americas”, I Musici de Montréal maintains an impressive calendar: more than one hundred concerts per year in Canada and abroad. Under the inspired leadership of conductor Yuli Turovsky, the orchestra has played on four continents and in twenty-four countries, appearing at New York’s Lincoln Center, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall and Brussels’ Palais des Beaux-arts to name a few. The Montreal-based orchestra has earned over the years prestigious recognitions, such as: a Diapason d’Or, a Rosette, a Félix, five Prix Opus, including one for their recording Shostakovich’s Circle on the Analekta label.

CONCERT PARISIEN

Montreal, September 15 2009 ― Grégoire Jeay, Hélène Plouffe, Juan Manuel Quintana and Luc Beauséjour present a program that could have very well been performed at one of the typical concerts held in Paris in the middle of the 18th century.

While great and small courts were building imitations of Versailles and adopting the language and style of the Sun King, intellectuals and avant-garde artists were thronging to Paris, which had become the fount of culture. The musical evenings held at the farmer-general Le Riche de La Poplinière eclipsed all other musical evenings in Paris. No one was so adept at discovering new talent, among the latter Jean-Philippe Rameau. Rameau became the herald of the most prestigious musicians of a younger generation raised on foreign music, including Jean-Marie Leclair (the greatest composer of violin sonatas in France),  Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, Michel Blavet and Georg Philipp Telemann (indefatigable promoter of French music), whose works are all heard on this CD.

An active performer in Québec and Canada, Grégoire Jeay has played in France, Belgium, Turkey, Mexico and in the United States. He is a member of numerous ensembles and can be heard on several saluted recordings.

Hélène Plouffe’s musicality and exceptional chamber music abilities are making her a very sought-after musician. She has recorded more than a hundred albums for various labels.

Buenos Aires-born Juan Manuel Quintana has appeared in Europe, the United States, Latin America and Japan as a soloist and with celebrated ensembles such as Les Musiciens du Louvre, Concerto Vocale, Hespèrion XXI and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne.

One of Canada’s finest harpsichordists in Canada, Luc Beauséjour leads a very active performing schedule in Canada and abroad. In the last few years, he has won numerous awards, including “2003 Performer of the Year” by the Conseil québécois de la musique and two Félix at the Gala de l’ADISQ (2002 and 2006).

Discover some more about Concert Parisien by watching the video available on Analekta TV