BRIDGE RECORDS in the Studio: Upcoming in 2004

In March, Bridge will release Songs of Grechaninov (BRIDGE 9142), with soprano Georgine Resick accompanied by pianist Warren Jones. This disc presents thirty-three songs by the Russian born Aleksandr Grechaninov (1864-1956). The performances (sung in Russian) sample a broad range of Grechaninov's work, from children's songs (Snowflakes) to the Russian National School; and from Impressionist/Symbolist influenced works to songs based on Folk texts. Georgine Resick is a protegée of the late George London. Renowned for her Mozart and Strauss interpretations, she has sung a wide variety of leading roles with the Vienna State Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Paris Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. Warren Jones has been the distinguished accompanist for Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kathleen Battle, and many other leading vocalists of our time.

In April, Bridge will issue New Music with Guitar, Volume Six (BRIDGE 9144), featuring guitarist David Starobin in premiere recordings of new guitar music. Starobin is joined by composer/percussionist George Crumb and Speculum Musicae on works by George Crumb and Elliott Carter. This installment of Starobin's award-winning series includes Michael Starobin's Joshua Variations (1992) for guitar; George Crumb's Mundus Canis ("A Dog's World") (1998) for guitar and percussion; David Liptak's Forlane (1999) for guitar; Melinda Wagner's: Arabesque (2000) for guitar; Richard Wernick's Trochaic Trot (2000) for guitar; Gunther Schuller's Fantasy-Suite (1994) for guitar; Paul Lansky's Shameless Sarabande (1997) for guitar; and Elliott Carter’s Luimen (1997) for trumpet, trombone, harp, vibraphone, mandolin and guitar.

April will see the release of an all-Copland disc (BRIDGE 9145) featuring a rarity, two premiere recordings, and two Copland masterpieces--Music for the Theatre (1925); and Appalachian Spring Suite for 13 instruments (original version) (1944). The rarity is Copland's unpublished Elegies for Violin and Viola (1932). The premiere recordings are Copland's Two Ballads (1957, arr. 1986) for violin and piano, taken by the composer from his sketches for an unfinished violin concerto; and conductor Arturo Toscanini's transcription of Copland's El Salon Mexico for piano. The performers are Harmonie Ensemble/New York, Steven Richman, conductor; Eugene Drucker, violin; Lawrence Dutton, viola; and Diane Walsh, piano.

Poul Ruders Edition, Volume Four (BRIDGE 9143); Scheduled for release in May, this disc combines two spectacular concert recordings and two studio recordings of works by Danish composer Poul Ruders. The disc opens with a concert performance from Copenhagen of Ruders's brilliant Fairytale (2000) for large orchestra, performed by Orkester Norden conducted by the then-twenty year old Swedish wunderkind, Stefan Solyom. Next, the noted British composer/pianist, Thomas Adès, plays Ruders's dramatic Piano Sonata No. 2 in a live performance from the Aldeburgh Festival. Duo piano team Quattro Mani and percussionist David Colson essay Ruders's granitic De Profundis, and a newly re-mastered version of Ruders's thrilling Concerto in Pieces with Sir Andrew Davis leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra brings this disc to a blazing finish.

Cecil Taylor: Algonquin, with Cecil Taylor, piano and Mat Maneri, violin. This May release, from a 1999 concert at the Library of Congress, pairs jazz-legend Cecil Taylor with jazz violin wizard, Mat Maneri. Annotator Bill Shoemaker writes: "A Taylor score opens a moment of intense creativity, but only for that moment; afterwards, the score is merely part of the record, fodder for the files. What endures in Taylor's music defies notation, conventional or otherwise. It begs the question: Is a score that is little more than an outline, and designed only for a single use, as legitimate as one where all aspects of performance are specified, and has been repeatedly been performed over for years, decades and even centuries? Given the exhilarating energy conveyed through this recording, the answer is surely yes."

Bridge Records began 2004 with its release of Vaudeville Accordion Classics: Guido Deiro's Complete Music, (BRIDGE 9138A/B) performed in new recordings by accordion virtuoso, Henry Doktorski. As a follow up this fall, look for Volume One of the great Deiro's vintage 78 RPM recordings--recordings which feature Deiro playing his own compositions as well as transcriptions of classical and popular favorites. "Count Guido Deiro (1886-1950) was to the piano accordion as Barrios was to the guitar, Sousa to the marching band, Joplin to ragtime, and Zez Confrey to novelty piano. Who can resist the effortless melodic invention and rhythmic verve of his waltzes, tarantellas polkas, marches, rags, and semi-classical period pieces?" 10/10–Highest Rating, --Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Bridge's Complete Crumb Edition, Volume Eight will be issued this summer, and will include pianist Robert Shannon's new recording of Makrokosmos Volume I and II as well as the premiere recording of Crumb's Otherworldly Resonances (2002) for two pianos, performed by Quattro Mani. These are composer-supervised performances and an important addition to Bridge's Grammy Award-winning series.

Elliott Carter Edition, Volume Six; The 95 year-old composer will be supervising the recording of three of his most recent works – Cello Concerto (2001); Boston Concerto for orchestra (2002); and Dialogues (2003) for piano and chamber orchestra. The three performances will be led by Carter authority Oliver Knussen, with Fred Sherry, cello; Nicolas Hodges, piano; the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Cello Concerto, Boston Concerto) and the London Sinfonietta (Dialogues). Dialogues was recorded following the premiere performance in January 2004, and Cello Concerto and Boston Concerto are slated for sessions in April.

Also look for these upcoming discs: Music of Mario Davidovsky, Volume 3; Great Performances from the Library of Congress, Vol. 19, with Leontyne Price and Samuel Barber;

Mozart: Music for Piano, 4 Hands, with Nadia Reisenberg and Artur Balsam; Robert and Clara Schumann: Music for Horn and Piano, William Purvis, horn, Mihae Lee, piano; Music of Tania León; Music of Peter Lieberson; Music of David Liptak; and Music of Fred Lerdahl, The Sour Thunder, by Mendi + Keith Obadike.