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Benaud Trio with Greta Bradman sopranoA gorgeous musical snapshot of what it means to be Australian in the 21st-century.The Benaud Trio return with The Aussie Album, a beautiful and arresting collection of works that captures modern-day Australia through music.Using Percy Grainger’s ‘Colonial Song’ as its starting point, The Aussie Album touches on questions about what it means to be here and now: our ‘it’s complicated’ relationship with Europe, finding community in our modern lives, the development of a uniquely Australian artistic sensibility and, of course, cricket.Featuring works by Percy Grainger, Paul Stanhope, Nicole Murphy, Carl Vine, Iain Grandage and Matthew Hindson – including six world premiere recordings and four works commissioned by the Benaud Trio – The Aussie Album explores the fundamental question: “What does it mean to be Australian?”They are joined in this stunning recording by star soprano Greta Bradman, whose recent stage performances and recordings have cemented her status as a singer of immense warmth and artistry.The Benaud Trio is one of Australia’s finest chamber ensembles. Formed in Melbourne in 2005, pianist Amir Farid, violinist Lachlan Bramble, and cellist Ewen Bramble have established themselves as formidable performers of both the standard repertoire and music with a pop/jazz influence, and great champions of works by Australian composers.Soprano Greta Bradman is one of this country’s most celebrated operatic and concert artists. Her two albums, My Hero and Home have both been tremendous critical and commercial successes, and recent appearances with Opera Australia and Victorian Opera have been widely praised. TRACKLISTINGPERCY GRAINGER 1882–19611 Colonial Song PAUL STANHOPE born 1969Three Lorca Songs2 I. Song for the Moon3 II. Madrigals4 III. Song of the Seven Maidens (Theory of the Rainbow) NICOLE MURPHY born 19835 Spinning Top CARL VINE born 19546 Piano Trio ‘The Village’ IAIN GRANDAGE born 19707 Richie – In Memoriam MATTHEW HINDSON born 19688 Rush9 1915 Greta Bradman soprano [2]-[4]Greta Bradman appears courtesy of Decca/Universal Music Australia Pty Limited BENAUD TRIOAmir Farid pianoLachlan Bramble violinEwen Bramble cello
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The world’s most popular children's entertainment group The Wiggles are delighted to unveil their brand new musical feature, THE EMMA & LACHY SHOW! In the entertainment world there's been Sonny & Cher, Fred & Ginger, Beyoncè & Jay-Z and now for the first time ever, pre-schoolers have their own dynamic duo - Emma and Lachy! Following on from the phenomenal popularity of The Wiggles Nursery Rhymes 2 (which reached #3 on the ARIA album chart – the band’s highest chart position to date), THE EMMA & LACHY SHOW is an exciting adventure for the yellow and purple skivvy-wearing Wiggles. Join Emma and Lachy as they dress up, sing and dance with their friends, and enjoy a variety of fun activities including; an Irish Jig with Lachy as he meets Phil the Fluter and attends a traditional Irish dancing ball; a dance ballet with Emma and the fairies as they learn some new moves to teach their dollies; a gallop along with Ponso the Pony as he trots around to the beautiful sounds of Lachy’s grand piano, and listen to the sound of Emma’s music box that is filled with exciting trinkets that spark dances from far and wide!Track Listing:Welcome To The Emma & Lachy ShowEmma & Lachy ThemeDance With Emma BallerinaThe GiraffeThe ABC SongPrince PurpleGalloping BalletMadame, Will You Walk?Emma's Music BoxLet's Dance With The FairiesStretch and BreathePhil The Fluter’s BallI’m Looking For A HouseAre You Ready To Go Explore?Five Fingered FamilyEmma’s Music Box Part 2Apusski DuskyExploring TimeSigning ColoursDance With The Dolls and FairiesWhen You’re Tired and Feel SleepyDream SongCook ItThank You For The FoodJohn PatrickDial E For EmmaTime For SleepLachy’s GoodbyeEmma’s Reverence
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Tami Neilson won’t be staying New Zealand’s secret for much longer. For the past decade, the Canadian-born, New Zealand-based singer/songwriter has been the queen of her adopted homeland’s country and roots music scenes. In Australia, Tami toured to rave reviews in 2017 and has plans for a return trip in 2018.With her new album, SASSAFRASS! Neilson takes a giant step that should only bring her more widespread acclaim. On this 11-track effort, she places a heavier emphasis on soul music while not abandoning her country and rockabilly roots. Track Listing:Stay Outta My BusinessBananasDiamond RingA Woman's PainDevil In a DressOne Thought of YouMiss JonesSmoking GunKitty CatManitoba Sunrise at Motel 6Good Man
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This album brings together two impressive Australian musical talents: composer Stuart Greenbaum and guitarist Ken Murray.Greenbaum is an award-winning composer whose ever-expanding body of work is heard around Australia and internationally. He has written operas, symphonies and concertos, but here he focuses on the intimate sound world of the solo guitar, with a series of evocative musical landscapes that take us from the bustle of suburban train stations to the loneliness of the endlessly open sea, from historical battlefields to the ‘Thin Blue Line’ of the album’s title track: Earth’s ozone layer as seen from space. Says Greenbaum: ‘My music aims to evoke an atmosphere apart from the routine of modern life. I believe in the need to allow space in a world increasingly filled with commercialism, light and noise pollution and 24/7 thinking.’Ken Murray is Head of Guitar at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, The University of Melbourne, with a career stretching back more than 20 years, combining performance, teaching, research and composition. He has worked extensively with Greenbaum and is a keen exponent of contemporary music, with over 100 premiere performances to his credit; he is also a champion of Spanish, Brazilian and South American guitar music. He has featured on CD recordings for Mode Records in the USA, the Austrian label Kairos, and in Australia on Move Records, and his CDs and concerts have been broadcast on ABC Classic FM. This is his first solo album for ABC Classics. TRACKLISTING STUART GREENBAUM b.1966Sonata for Guitar1. I. resolute 2. II. mysterious 3. III. elated4 SynthesisFive Tales of Human Endeavour5. I. yellow canary 6. II. eleven months at sea 7. III. light, sweet crude 8. IV. into the forest 9. V. the thin blue line10. Rushall Express11. Polar Wandering12. Fairfield Days Ken Murray guitar
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Alexandre Oguey cor anglaisNeal Peres Da Costa piano The natural music of the mountain reedPipes in the liberal air,Mix’d with the sweet bells of the sauntering herd;My soul would drink those echoes.From ‘Manfred’, by George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788–1824)On Pastoral Fables, Alexandre Oguey and Neal Peres da Costa take famous sonatas by Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann and rearrange them for cor anglais and period piano.The cor anglais (woodwind instrument of the oboe family) is the instrument used by many composers in some of the most arresting moments of the symphonic repertoire, from Berlioz and Wagner to Shostakovich and Ravel, but its solo repertoire is unfortunately very restricted.To bring this beautiful, expressive instrument and its dark, flexible tone into the light, Alexandre (Principal Cor Anglais in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) and Neal (Professor of Historical Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music) undertook extensive research into historical performance techniques. The end result is a gorgeous, beautifully performed disc of several well-known works of the classical music canon in fresh and thought-provoking interpretations. TRACKLISTINGLUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN1-3 Sonata in F major for cor anglais and piano, Op. 17Originally for natural horn and piano ROBERT SCHUMANN4 Alpenkuhreigen (Ranz des vaches) from Manfred, Op. 115 5 Träumerei (Reverie) from Kinderszenen, Op. 15Originally for solo piano 6-8 Sonata in A minor for cor anglais and piano, Op. 105Originally for violin and piano 9 Abendlied (Evening Song), Op. 85 No. 12Originally for piano four-hands JOHANNES BRAHMS10-12 Sonata in E-flat major for cor anglais and piano, Op. 120 No. 2Originally for clarinet or viola and piano 13 Wiegenlied (Cradle Song), Op. 49 No. 414 Die Mainacht (May Night), Op. 43 No. 2Originally for voice and piano All arrangements by Alexandre Oguey Alexandre Ogueycor anglais Neal Peres Da CostaHistoric Viennese-action grand pianoafter J.B. Streicher and Sons (1868)by Paul McNulty
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Melbourne-based pianist and composer Nat Bartsch spent a decade writing, recording, performing and touring with her jazz ensemble Nat Bartsch Trio. She has now shifted her focus to the creation of chamber music and solo piano music combining post-classical and contemporary jazz influences. When she became a parent herself in 2017 she was inspired to consider the potential of composing a new set of works specifically for babies and their parents – particularly those who find repeats of Twinkle Twinkle on the baby monitor infuriating!The result is Forever, and No Time At All, a gorgeous album of quiet, hypnotic, simple piano pieces – often written with one hand while her baby Will was in the other. With echoes of Michael Nyman and Philip Glass, but also of Erik Satie and Elena Kats-Chernin, these enchanting lullabies have a unique beauty and freshness. Quiet but full of personality; intricately composed but beautifully simple; background music that will make you sit up and listen: Forever, and No Time At All is a fascinating and soothing experience that will intrigue children of all ages. TRACKLISTING 1 Breathing In and Out2 Guy Smiley3 Forever, and No Time At All4 Rockabye5 Lights and Shadows6 Grizzlepot7 Here I Am, Just For You8 And Until Tomorrow9 Day Past Due10 Leap One11 Lullaby for Hugo12 The Little Possum13 Call and Response All tracks written by Nat Bartsch except track 8, written by Nat Bartsch and Luke Howard Nat Bartsch piano & celeste
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“...guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority. Musicality, expressivity and daring...” - The New York TimesABC Classics are thrilled to announce the reissue of three albums by acclaimed Australian guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.Distance was the fourth duo release from the Grigoryans, and reveals their love of jazz and improvisation. The album title hints at a theme of geographical distance, borne out by the varied and far-flung homelands of the musicians involved here: US jazz icon Ralph Towner, Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, Australia’s own Nigel Westlake, Brazilian guitarist Paulo Bellinati and England’s William Lovelady.But this album also hits a little closer to home: the brothers’ parents Edward and Irina Grigoryan appear on this recording, as do compositions by some of Australia’s finest contemporary composers in Jeremy Alsop and Shaun Rigney.Showcasing a variety of genres as well as their extraordinary technical prowess, Distance ranges from playful to pensive as it envelopes and beguiles the listener. Named by UK magazine Mojo as the second best Jazz release of 2010, Distance evokes a response that is anything but distant.The Grigoryan Brothers, individually and as a duo, are counted amongst the finest musicians of their generation. Between them, they have clocked up an incredible 21 ARIA Award nominations and their recording and performing careers – and popularity – continue to flourish. TRACKLISTING 1. PAULO BELLINATI Jongo2. LEONARD GRIGORYAN Distance3. RALPH TOWNER with Edward Grigoryan – violinIrina Grigoryan – violaSlava Iourgaev – celloBen Robertson – double bass4. WILLIAM LOVELADY Nartuby River5. WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL Everything Happens to That Dogwith Daniel Farrugia – drums6. NIGEL WESTLAKE Shards of Jaisalmer with Doug de Vries – guitar7. EDWARD GRIGORYAN Tian Shan8. JEREMY ALSOP Mandalay to Melbourne9. SHAUN RIGNEY Prayer Flags in Bright Wind Slava GrigoryanLeonard Grigoryanguitars
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“...guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority. Musicality, expressivity and daring...” The New York TimesABC Classics are thrilled to announce the reissue of three albums by acclaimed Australian guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.This Time was their sixth release as a duo and defies any attempt at classifying it into a genre, straddling the worlds of jazz and contemporary classical with great energy and verve. Featuring music composed by Leonard Grigoryan, Philip Houghton, Luke Howard, William Lovelady, Shaun Rigney and Nigel Westlake, it is at times dark and moody, at times beautifully melodious, at times heartbreakingly honest.The centrepiece of the album is Westlake’s Mosstrooper Peak, a six-movement work inspired by the six sites along the Great Barrier Reef where the Westlake family have erected memorials to Eli Westlake, who was tragically taken from them in 2008.Recorded in Oslo’s RainbowStudio by ex-ECM engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, This Time is a unique and extraordinary album that reinforces the Grigoryan Brothers as two of Australia’s most exciting and innovative performers.The Grigoryan Brothers, individually and as a duo, are counted amongst the finest musicians of their generation. Between them, they have clocked up an incredible 21 ARIA Award nominations and their recording and performing careers – and popularity – continue to flourish. TRACKLISTING1. LEONARD GRIGORYAN This Time2. RALPH TOWNER Duende3. SHAUN RIGNEY Two Swings in the Heart Shaped Garden4. LUKE HOWARD Longplay with Luke Howard – pianoÓlafur Björn Ólafsson – percussionNIGEL WESTLAKE Mosstrooper Peak5. I. Burning Point6. II. Mosstrooper Peak7. III. Nara Inlet8. IV. Tangalooma9. V. Butterfly Bay 10. VI. Smokey Cape11. RALPH TOWNER Sarabande12. WILLIAM LOVELADY Incantation No. 213. LEONARD GRIGORYAN After Dark14. PHILLIP HOUGHTON Wave Radiance Slava Grigoryan Leonard Grigoryan guitars
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“...guitar playing of uncommon originality and authority. Musicality, expressivity and daring...” - The New York TimesABC Classics are thrilled to announce the reissue of three albums by acclaimed Australian guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.The Seasons is a twelve-movement composition originally written for solo piano by the great Russian composer Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky. These mini-melodic showpieces were written around the time Tchaikovsky was composing the ballet Swan Lake and were commissioned to be printed as monthly installments for readers of the music magazine Nouvellist in 1876.Each movement represents a month of year, from the bracing cold of a Russian winter in January to the vitality and energy of the June harvest. Beautifully lyrical and full of character, these beloved pieces have been arranged for two guitars by Slava and Leonard's father Edward Grigoryan.“Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons has been on the Grigoryan family ‘to do list’ for 15 years,” says Slava Grigoryan. “Many years ago I’d performed a few movements which dad had arranged for me but you really need two guitars to cover the full dynamic range and detail. Since then Leonard and I have been planning to record the complete set.”The Grigoryan Brothers, individually and as a duo, are counted amongst the finest musicians of their generation. Between them, they have clocked up an incredible 21 ARIA Award nominations and their recording and performing careers – and popularity – continue to flourish. TRACKLISTING: PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKYThe Seasons, Op. 37aArranged for guitar duo by Edward Grigoryan1. January2. February3. March4. April5. May6. June7. July8. August9. September10. October11. November12. December Slava Grigoryan Leonard Grigoryan guitars
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William Crighton is a Singer-songwriter who is known for his powerful and mesmerising live performances and has firmly established himself as ‘one to watch’ in 2018. Hailing from country girded by the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Crighton peopled the tracks of his celebrated self-titled 2016 debut with compelling, ineffably Australian figures of often-tragic resonance. Crighton identifies powerful analogues of lived experience. It’s a gift that finds its truest expression on his folk-rock second album, Empire.Produced by established collaborator and sought-after drummer Matt Sherrod (Crowded House, Beck) in close co-operation with Crighton himself, Empire finds the singer-songwriter bringing a cinematographer’s eye for detail to bear on his incomparably immersive lyrical style. Above all, Empire is a songbook of breathtaking insight. The flame of the human spirit is, in Crighton’s hands, shown to be the most powerful force at work in 21st Century Australia: one that produces both soot and shadow, but also guiding light, illuminating both the painful past and the difficult path forward.
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It’s hard to imagine, but Screamfeeder, the legendary noisy pop/indie rock band from Brisbane, have been making great records for 25 years now. Lovers of loud and beautiful music since the day they were each conceived, Screamfeeder have rightly been compared to all the greats; Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, GBV and The Pixies. And so to 2018, and the announcement that Screamfeeder will, for the first time, collect all their singles - and shoulda-beens - together on one monumental release, simply titled Patterns Form. From the outset, you could hear the way the band that combined loud with beautiful, intense with joyous, chaotic with precise and pulled it all together in a way that very few acts ever manage. What’s apparent, listening to these songs in chronological sequence, is how the pop sensibility gradually unfurled itself and moved into the foreground, propelling Screamfeeder’s songs onto radios around Australia and the globe. Screamfeeder believe in writing good songs, and then performing them like their lives depend on it. There simply is nothing like them around today. Old school? Shit yeah, and proud of it. Track Listing1. Tower2. Pepper3. Fingers & Toes4. Wrote You Off5. Button6. Fill Yourself With Music7. Lost In The Snow8. Who's Counting9. Sweet Little Oranges10. Static11. Dart12. Gravity13. Hi Cs14. Triple Hook15. Stopless16. Above The Dove17. Mr Tuba18. I Don't Know What To Do Any More19. Ice Patrol20. Bunny21. 1234522. Alone In A Crowd23. All Over It24. Karen Trust Me
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Gathered here are some of the most beautiful settings by contemporary composers of sacred texts celebrating the power of love. The tracklist draws on the rich traditions of Anglican choral music, especially the singing of Choral Evensong – an oasis of calm at the end of the day.The Choir of Trinity College, Melbourne lives this musical tradition, singing Evensong several times each week in the college chapel. The choir has toured several times to the UK, presenting the Daily Service on BBC Radio as well as singing concerts and Evensongs in the major cathedrals and collegiate chapels. Tours to the USA, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore have also met with critical acclaim. Its repertoire extends from Medieval plainchant and Renaissance anthems to the present day, regularly commissioning and premiering new works by Australian composers.This digital album, recorded in the warm and resonant acoustic of Melbourne’s Trinity College Chapel, presents the Choir at its finest. TRACKLISTINGUbi Caritas1 TRADITIONAL Ubi Caritas (Plainchant)2 DAVID BRIGGS Ubi caritas et amor3 JOHN BARNARD In the Heart Where Love Is Abiding4 PETER NARDONE I Give You a New CommandmentA Prayer of St Richard of Chichester5 LEN WHITE A Prayer of St Richard of Chichester6 JONATHAN WILLCOCKS O Holy Jesus7 BOB CHILCOTT A Thanksgiving8 MALCOLM ARCHER A Prayer of St Richard of Chichester9 LOUIS HALSEY A Prayer of St Richard of ChichesterMost Glorious Lord of Life10 WILLIAM HARRIS Most Glorious Lord of Life11 BOB CHILCOTT Most Glorious Lord of Life12 JOHN RUTTER Most Glorious Lord of LifeAnthem for the Feast of Any Healer13 MICHAEL LEIGHTON JONES Anthem for the Feast of Any HealerBlessings14 CHRISTOPHER WILLCOCK Peace at the Last15 DAVID BRIGGS O Lord, Support Us16 MICHAEL LEIGHTON JONES Irish Blessing Choir of Trinity College, MelbournewithJohn O’Donnell & Hugh Fullarton organJonathan Bradley pianoMichael Leighton Jones director
