Siege Electronics / Support Unit

Power electronics split between the (apparently) Scottish Siege Electronics and American Support Unit  with a thematic focus on geurilla warfare. Released on US noise label Black Ring Rituals as a cassette run of twenty five copies in 2016.

A1. Siege Electronics - Tamil Tigers

A2. Siege Electronics - Brutality Is A Necessity

A3. Siege Electronics - Crack LVX

B1. Support Unit - Thomas Sankara

B2. Support Unit - Blaise Compaoré

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Giovanni Battista Costanzi - Sinfonie per Violoncello

"Both the life span and the professional career of Giovanni Battista Costanzi ran their courses entirely within Rome; and indeed, he was born in the city, on September 3, 1704. He began to study the cello at an early age and clearly his talents must have been considerable, since at the age of only 17 he entered into the service of Cardinal Ottoboni, who had previously been the patron of figures such as Corelli and Handel. The combination of that youth and his ability on the instrument earned Costanzi the nickname of 'Giovannino del violoncello'. He was to enjoy a meteoric rise within Roman musical life. In 1722 he was appointed as one of Ottoboni’s 'auitanti di camera' and joined, as a cellist, the orchestra of the church of San Luigi dei Francesi. In 1727 the première of his first opera took place with 'L'amor generoso'. 

 

"Following Ottoboni’s death in 1740, Costanzi took up employment with another cardinal, Troiano Acquaviva d’Aragona. With the passing of the years, his commitment to sacred music became steadily greater, in a way which coincided with his successive appointments as maestro di cappella in the churches of Santa Maria di Loreto (1742), San Marco and Santa Maria in Vallicella (1743) and Sant'Apollinare alle Terme (1747). In 1754, he became the assistant to the director Pietro Paolo Bencini at the Cappella Giulia, the full position becoming his from the start of the following year; he would continue in that position until his death, which took place on March 5, 1778.

 

"Whilst vocal music occupies a predominant place in Costanzi’s output (divided between operas, oratorios and cantatas), it is his works for the violoncello which nowadays are regarded more highly: in them the composer developed and enriched the technical and expressive resources of an instrument for which he was a recognized virtuoso. Costanzi composed one concerto for the cello, as well as sonatas with basso continuo (which Giovanni Sollima has recorded on a previous Glossa disc), sinfonias with basso continuo and sonatas for two cellos, amongst which is one subtitled, 'ad uso
di corni da caccia'. 

 

"If there are no great formal differences to be found between Costanzi’s sinfonias and his sonatas, the former do reveal a somewhat more advanced stylistic orientation. Where the sonatas show clear evidence of a thorough reading of Corelli's music, the sinfonias are infused with a spirit which is more open to the proposals offered by the stile galante, a greater receptiveness to the ideas coming from elsewhere in Europe and the rest of Italy. The organizational model of the four movement 'sonata da chiesa' is followed in the sinfonias in D major and B flat major, except for one difference: the placing of a minuetto at the end. The other sinfonias are provided with a three-movement structure – as found in the sonata da camera – but are also almost completely freed from dance rhythms, except as found in their closing minuets (Sinfonias in G and E flat), serving as a further nod in the direction of the emerging style.

 

"The new consciousness is also pointed to by the 'amoroso' marking which appears above several movements: that of eavesdropping on an emotional display of warmth far from the guarded lyricism of Corelli. A pronounced interest for the 'popular' also crops up at various points alongside the galant accents. Nor, in this context, should the instrumental writing and the broadening of the cello’s technical and expressive potential be forgotten. Two examples are worth noting here. The direction 'amoroso' which opens the Sinfonia in C major sees the instrument’s double melodic and harmonic character being explored, by means of a wealth of accents probing (like in Bach) the polyphonic possibilities of the cello and the inter-register dialogue. Another 'amoroso' movement – that which comes third in the Sinfonia in D major – projects the cello into its high register; the technique employed here is one of Costanzi’s most personal discoveries, in which he impels the instrument into creating stratospheric harmonic sounds. 

 

"Something of interest is to be found in each of the sinfonias. The Sinfonia in G major is still flecked with a Corellian gravitas both in the balanced lyricism of the 'Grave' as in the controlled ardour of its virtuosic 'Allegro', while the final movement probes the more attractive, French aspect of the minuet. In the Sinfonia in E flat, Costanzi demonstrates what a consummate man of the theatre he had become. The 'Adagio' sets off with an elegant and noble carriage, but then undergoes a form of 'cultural memory loss' during the course of its development, until – as if by surprise – it assumes the habits of a popular tone in the final bars. The 'Allegro' is a dishevelled corrente supplied with unreserved and temperamental rhythms; there is an almost spiritual mien to the Minuet, which ends up with a type of vanishing gesture. In addition to what has already been mentioned about the opening 'Amoroso' movement of the Sinfonia in C major, it can be said that its internalized tone contrasts with the outgoing nature of the ensuing 'Allegro', a virtuosic explosion of arpeggios and double-stoppings communicating an optimistic exuberance – features which extend into the concluding 'Allegro'. 

 

"The Sinfonia in D major gets going with a broad and lyrical 'Adagio staccato', although it ends with an unexpectedly ecstatic finale. The same sense of unpredictability characterizes the 'Allegro' with its popular moods and sudden suspensions, and in the 'Amoroso' also, in which plaintive inflections appear occasionally in its cantabile. The 'Minuetto amoroso' is also marked by mood swings, with its restless and abrupt demeanour – some distance from the galant lightness typical of the minuet.

 

"A Neapolitan expressiveness hovers over the Sinfonia in B flat, starting with an 'Adagio' which would appear to be fashioned along the lines of music by Leo or Porpora, stopping off for the street sounds of the 'Spirituoso', which lead up to a frenetic culmination, and for the chromaticisms and ornamentations of the 'Sarabanda amoroso', with its wistful and Eastern touches. In this Sinfonia, once again, the 'Minuet' veers away from its aristocratic character in order to take on a popular and vigorous character. 

 

"If Costanzi’s sonatas for cello are swept by a Roman air, his sinfonias catch a glimpse of broader horizons. Despite not moving from his city, Costanzi established and maintained contacts with travellers, diplomats, members of the nobility and musicians coming from the furthest reaches of Italy and Europe. Such was the case with his friendship with James Francis Edward Stuart known as' the Old Pretender', or with Paul- Hippolyte de Beauvilliers, Duke of Saint-Aignan, France's ambassador at the Holy See who, in 1737, was to commission from Costanzi a 'componimento drammatico' in order to celebrate the diplomat’s admission into the Ordre du Saint-Esprit. These and other connections provided Costanzi with information and clues as to what was happening elsewhere. The Neapolitan, Northern European and French echoes which run across his sinfonias for cello can thus be seen as stages along an imaginary journey, the manifestation of a cosmopolitan and yet wider feeling: this is the world’s diversity as contemplated from the perspective of one who is seated in the place towards which all roads converge. In this sense, Costanzi acts as the ideal embodiment of a city, Rome, which regarded itself as the 'caput mundi'.

 

"The sinfonias of Costanzi are supplemented on this recording with a sonata da camera for two cellos without basso continuo 'ad uso di corni da caccia'. This piece is structured in three short movements, in which – and as is made clear from the outset – the instruments imitate the sounds and the appropriate melodic gestures of horns. The central 'Adagio' is, however, a delicate siciliana interrupted by vigorous flourishes of repeated notes. The 'Presto' which ends the work is the movement which evokes in the clearest manner the atmosphere of the hunt, the pursuit of the animals, the shots being fired… The performers here have opted for heightening the programmatic and spectacular dimension of this sonata by the inclusion of percussion instruments. 

 

"Within Giovanni Sollima’s interest for the figure and creative activity of Giovanni Battista Costanzi lies an attraction which perhaps transcends the purely musical. In more than a single aspect Costanzi represents an alter ego for Sollima: both are performer-composers who place their curiosity and imagination at the service of the cello, from which they explore the most detailed resources and the most varied voices in a constant broadening of the instrument’s possibilities. In his 'The Hunting Sonata', Sollima pays homage to the cosmopolitan vision of a composer who did not need to move
from home in order to savour the world’s variety. The rhythms and the sound materials of the 'Sonata ad uso di corni da caccia' provide a departure point for this, transfigured and moulded in order to shape visions of sound landscapes, distant from each other to a greater or lesser degree, but all related to an imaginary South. Thus, the initial pizzicati sketch the outline of a Neapolitan tarantella to which, little by little, are added all kinds of Mediterranean flavourings (Spanish, Eastern, Maghrebi…). The 'Siciliana' which opens the second movement broadens out Costanzi’s original conception, and the succeeding 'Giga' drives this journey towards a dazzling and tremendous culmination. (Stefano Russomano. From the liner notes.)

 

Performers: Giovanni Sollima, Arianna Art Ensemble, Monika Leskovar

1. Sinfonia In D Major: I. Adagio Staccato

2. Sinfonia In D Major: II. Allegro

3. Sinfonia In D Major: III. Amoroso

4. Sinfonia In D Major: IV. Minuetto Amoroso

5. Sinfonia In B-Flat Major: I. Adagio

6. Sinfonia In B-Flat Major: II. Spiritoso

7. Sinfonia In B-Flat Major: III. Sarabanda

8. Sinfonia In B-Flat Major: IV. Minuet

9. Sonata Da Camera In F Major: I. Amoroso

10. Sonata Da Camera In F Major: II. Adagio

11. Sonata Da Camera In F Major: III. Presto

12. Sinfonia In G Major: I. Grave

13. Sinfonia In G Major: II. Allegro

14. Sinfonia In G Major: III. Minuè

15. Sinfonia In E-Flat Major: I. Adagio

16. Sinfonia In E-Flat Major: II. Allegro

17. Sinfonia In E-Flat Major: III. Minuet

18. The Hunting Sonata: I. Adagio-Allegro

19. The Hunting Sonata: II. Siciliana

20. The Hunting Sonata: III. Giga

21. Sinfonia In C Major: I. Grave

22. Sinfonia In C Major: II. Allegro

23. Sinfonia In C Major: III. Variazioni

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Tourette - Proximité du Murmure

Intriguing release from this excellent and hard to find French noise project. Available to buy digitally here. Showcases organ work and modern classical composition that is hard to find (at this level) in many other places in harsh noise music. Unmissable.

A. Untitled

B. Untitled

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Nicola Porpora & Giovanni Battista Costanzi - 6 Cello Sonatas

"After having attended the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gest' Cristo, Nicola Porpora (1686-1768), one of the first teachers of singing of the Neapolitan school, debuted with Agrippina at the Palazzo Reale of Naples in 1708; from 1711 to 1725 he was Kapellmeister (maestro di cappella) of the Prince of Hessen-Darmstadt — who was temporarily in Naples with the Austrian army — and composed the operas 'Flavio Anicio Olibrio' (1711) and 'Basilio re d'oriente' (1713), then 'Arianna e Teseo' (1714) and 'Temistocle' (1718) for Vienna, the serenades 'Angelica' (1720) and 'Gli orti esperidi' (1721). From 1715 to 1721 he was teacher of singing and composition at Conservatorio di Sant'Onofrio in Naples. In Rome, 'Berenice regina d'Egitto' (1718) — composed by Porpora and Domenico Scarlatti, 'Eumene' (1721), 'Adelaide' (1723) and 'Didone Abbandonata' (1725) were performed. In Venice, he worked as a teacher in the Ospedale degli incurabili until 1733, when he accepted to move to London in order to lead an opera company (Opera of the Nobility) which debuted with 'Arianna in Nasso' (1733). After a short period spent between Venice and Naples, he moved to Dresda for 'Filandro' (1747), an opera composed for the birthday of Maria Antonia, princess of Baviera. His career was constantly vexed by a ruthless competition: on the Italian scenes his competitors were Leo and Vinci, Handel in London, Hasse in Dresda; the latter later achieved the role of Oberkapellmeister in the capital of Saxony, which forced Porpora to move to Vienna until 1758, when he moved back to Naples where he had a teaching post at Sant'Onofrio. Amongst his students, he had some of the most renowned evirati singers (emasculated singers), such as Caffarelli and Farinelli (later, in 1750, Porpora also became Haydn's teacher, who had previously been his assistant). 

 

"Surely, Porpora did not become famous because of his didactic production, but because of his vast catalogue of vocal music, both operatic and chamber music; however the reception of his solfeges — both in printed editions (in 1858, almost one hundred years after his death, Porpora's 'Elements of Singing' was released in London) and in direct adoption by several singers — makes him even more remarkable; moreover, he is considered a real founder of schools, in the same way as Chopin and Liszt were for piano during the Romanticism. 

 

"His mastery in vocal teaching also reflects on the not copious, but still refined instrumental production, whose roots are to be found in the influential style imposed by Arcangelo Corelli in Rome, where the latter would lead an orchestra composed by well-known cellists (for instance, Giovan Lorenzo Lulier, Giovanni Bononcini, Filippo Amadei), who might not be famous for the Sonatas or the Concertos, but they surely are for the Cantatas. 

 

"Giovanni Battista Costanzi (Rome 1704-1778), composer and cello virtuoso, made his technique available to the author, in order for the notation to be suitable for his instrument. Therefore, both Porpora's violin and cello are explicitly 'singers,' more strongly than they usually are in baroque music — where they are oriented to emulating the vox humana — due to the fact that in Porpora's operas they sing as celebrities of the theatre scene, not as models of an abstract voice. The part of the first cello is particularly peculiar to Chamber Symphonies and of Sonatas for two violins and two cellos. The agile and melodious virtuosity of the first cello is affected by Porpora's habit of listening to Neapolitan cellists, such as Giovanni Carlo Cailo, Rocco Greco and, most importantly, the young Francischello Alborea and Francesco Supriano (the latter created an innovative method which contains several varieties of musical figures used by Porpora). In order to further verify the relationship between voice and cello, it is useful to take into consideration an interesting case of Cantata by Porpora himself ('Or sl m'avveggio, oh Amore'), which contains a part for concertante cello that duets with the soprano and uses the same variety of musical figures as the Sonatas. 

 

"Listening to Porpora's Sonatas, rarely performed or even recorded, contributes to document the rich Neapolitan cellist scene which consists of not only the operas composed by the virtuous artists themselves, but also of the cantatas and serenades with one or two obbligati cellos and concertos for cello (both cases are operas by Leonardo Leo). This music, neglected for a long time, has the triple role of increasing the knowledge about authors who are usually mentioned only in cases of Opera Houses, completing the linguistic overview which aims at explaining the virtuous appearance of this instrument during the first half of the Eighteenth Century (previously present only in Vivaldi and Bach's operas, who also knew the Neapolitan music), and showing the basis on which the galante and the classic cellos (that of the renowned concertos of Franz Josef Haydn) are founded." (Carlo Fiore, tr. Giuseppe Leone. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Adriano Maria Fazio, Anna Camporini, Katarzyna Solecka, Pedro Alcacer, Lorenzo Profita

1. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: I. Amoroso

2. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: II. Allegro

3. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: III. Tempo Giusto

4. Sonata No. 1 In C Major: IV. Allegro

5. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: I. Affettuoso

6. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: II. Allegro

7. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: III. Adagio

8. Sonata No. 2 In G Minor: IV. Allegro

9. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: I. Adagio

10. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: II. Allegro

11. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: III. Adagio Staccato

12. Sonata No. 3 In G Major: IV. Allegro

13. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: I. Adagio E Staccato

14. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: II. Allegro

15. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: III. Adagio

16. Sonata No. 4 In B Major: IV. Allegro Staccato

17. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: I. Adagio

18. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: II. Allegro

19. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: III. Adagio

20. Sonata No. 5 In C Minor: IV. Allegro

21. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: I. Adagio

22. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: II. Allegro

23. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: III. Largo

24. Sonata No. 6 In G Major: IV. Allegro Staccato

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Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji - Symphonic Nocturne

"Further proof that Sorabji somehow managed simultaneously to adhere to one of the most instantly recognisable personal idioms in twentieth-century music while never coming close to repeating himself even in thousands of pages and repeated returns to a number of favourite genres and forms. The Symphonic Nocturne is a late work, from 1977-78, in the final phase of the composer's career in the years following the self-imposed hiatus in the late 1960s which was broken by the astonishingly vigorous, fresh and youthful 'Symphonia brevis' (04M065). The works of this late period tend to be somewhat sparer of texture as compared to the dense opulence of those from the 30s, 40s and 50s, and the composer's "meta-tonality", though a constant throughout his career, tends more toward triads with added-note dissonances than the harmonic density of earlier years, while retaining the inevitable, if often unpredictable, sense of harmonic direction that was always a driving force in his vocabulary. The work's title is a little misleading to anyone expecting a huge (over two hours in this performance) 'tropical nocturne' of the Gulistān type; there is arguably more that is symphonic than nocturnal about much of the piece, especially as its argument progresses. The passages that are limned in the shades of night have less to do with the entangled vines and oppressive heat of the earlier nocturnes than a chilly, bleaker landscape; the direction 'fosco' - overcast, gloomy - is often to be found. The work has something in common with the large 'intrecciata' first movements of the piano symphonies, presenting a great many episodes of different material without adhering to particular forms that were explored in subsequent movements of multi-movement pieces. There are brief fugues and canons among the Symphonic Nocturne's many episodes, but only en passant, so to speak. A better analogy might be a vast mosaic that, rather than having a symmetrical pattern, progresses in shape, size and design of tiles as one views it from one end to the other; the piece is in fact largely made up of small sections - a single system to a couple of pages at most - that follow a distinct trajectory (with many diversions along the way) toward a kind of 'finale', with successive volcanic climaxes finely calibrated to suggest a dramatic progression. This, and the work's structuring not by large musical forms but (as the pianist points out in a perceptive analysis in the booklet) by numerological relationships which influence the listener's perception of the work's progress in the way that the proportions of the golden section make a painting pleasing to the eye, prevent any sense of diffuseness, a further tribute to Sorabji's skill in maintaining a cogent argument over a very large span." (Review from Records International. See here.)

Performer: Luke Huisman

1.1. Symphonic Nocturne, KSS97

2.1. Symphonic Nocturne, KSS97

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White Gold - 2

The second collaborative release from John Wiese and Phil Blankenship. Recorded in 2016 and released 5 years after the debut of this project in 2012. The style is similar: screeching, busy dynamic harsh noise. The second track is a live recording and especially good.

1. At The Least
2. Tatertamort (Live At Human Resources)

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Kevin Drumm - Tannenbaum

Ambient/drone from Kevin Drumm, released on Dominick Fernow's Hospital Productions in 2013. Initially in an edition of 49 as a 2xCD/2xC20 package, then a month later in a run of 500 with just the CDs, then finally as a complete digital release: both in 2013 on Hospital and in 2016 on Drumm's bandcamp (still available here, for a very reasonable price). Comprised of slow, extended drone pieces that lull the ear into a seemingly false sense of auditory security. 

1. Night Side
2. Winter Ice
3. Taurean
4. Gradual Extinction
5. Return
6. Grace
7. Dimming The Gas Lights

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Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina - Missae Papae Marcelli; Motets

"Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli enjoys an almost mythical reputation. The first six-part work published by the composer, and the only one overtly dedicated to a pope – Marcellus II – it is also credited with having 'saved' polyphony by ensuring the 'intelligibility of text' that was one of the conditions for sacred music laid down by the Council of Trent. Having undergone numerous adaptations over the years, it is now perhaps the composer's best-known and most representative work, the subject of many recordings and academic studies.

"[...] Close study of the Missa Papae Marcelli and its historical-ecclesiastical context reveals that its composer was a man who lived with an eye to the future. He accepted the challenge implied in the Council of Trent’s deliberations on sacred music, and set out to find a new idiom that would meet the Church’s new needs.

"Today, paradoxically, we find ourselves in a similar situation. The last ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, Vatican II, called on us to engage in dialogue with modern culture: only a superficial and ideological understanding of its reforms would conclude that this implied jettisoning the Church’s rich legacy of liturgical music. Our challenge is to combine this with the demands of the modern world, and that means learning from all the studies of Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant in order to find ways of translating the notes on the page into patterns of sound as part of our liturgical celebrations. 

"The history of the Sistine Chapel Choir tells us that its period of greatest splendour was achieved when it was 'living in the present', experimenting with new idioms, employing some of the finest singers in Europe, and working in true partnership with the Church. Over the years, however, it increasingly began to see its function as one of 'conservation' and to associate its greatness with its glorious past, convinced that any novelty – including semiological studies and Vatican II – was to be avoided or ignored. It therefore began to go into decline, overly concerned as it was with cultivating and conserving outdated performance practices that had nothing in fact to do with 'early music'.

"Our quest for aesthetic relevance and our efforts to be 'unfaithfully faithful' to a long-distant world demand daily study, research and experimentation. This is how we have to respond to Vatican II’s demands in respect of the Church’s rich musical heritage, by restoring an authentically original sound to the liturgy, balancing an awareness of the past with an understanding of the present. That 'living' sound – our music – can then inspire the worshippers of today as they travel the path of faith." (Massimo Palombella, tr. Susannah Howe. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Cappella Musicale Pontificia Sistina, Massimo Palombella

1. Missa Papae Marcelli: Kyrie
2. Missa Papae Marcelli: Gloria
3. Missa Papae Marcelli: Credo
4. Missa Papae Marcelli: Sanctus
5. Missa Papae Marcelli: Agnus Dei
6. Tu Es Pastor Ovium
7. O Bone Iesu
8. Confitemini Domino
9. Ad Te Levavi Oculos Meos
10. Benedixisti, Domine
11. Veritas Mea Et Misericordia Mea
12. Iubilate Deo
13. Confirma Hoc, Deus
14. Ave Maria

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Nicola Porpora - L'Amato Nome: Cantatas Opus 1

"The publication of Porpora’s 'Nuovamente composte opre di musica vocale' (Cantatas op. 1) should be placed within this [18th century English] social and artistic milieu: designed as a collection of twelve Italian chamber cantatas on Arcadian subjects (six for soprano and six for alto), it was published in 1735, and dedicated to Prince Frederick. The collection, destined to become one of the Neapolitan musician’s most successful works, sets texts by Pietro Metastasio, and seems deliberately planned as a display of the composer’s different expressive, formal and stylistic skills, for all that it uses the large-scale alternating structures typical of the genre: Aria-Recitative-Aria or Recitative-Aria-Recitative-Aria. The edition itself was very well designed and luxuriously engraved, and includes corrections and variants inserted by Porpora himself during the printing runs. It was printed on high-quality paper and distributed without a cover price, as if intended as a valuable gift for connoisseurs: a “business card” for the poetic and musical world of which Porpora was considered to be one of the greatest representatives.

"On the front page of this refined little volume, Porpora states that the cantatas were newly composed, and personally approved by Prince Frederick’s 'delicate taste': although not known of in manuscripts copied before 1735, it is certain that part of the music was written before the composer arrived in Britain. One of his pupils, Giuseppe Sigismondo (1739-1826), attests in his 'Apoteosi della musica del Regno di Napoli' that: 'He [Porpora] set out for London together with his pupil Farinelli in order to compensate for Handel’s deficiency in heroic theatre. But being as shrewd as a fox, he completed his 12 cantatas with continuo and no other instruments [...] and as soon as he arrived in London he had them elegantly published in 1735.'

"[...] As opposed to what is usually stated, cantatas should not be regarded in any way as 'small opera scenes'. To the eyes of Porpora’s contemporaries, they were a reality in themselves, much closer to the ancient idea of 'musica reservata' than to something staged or in any sense theatrical. They were rather to be enjoyed by a few intimate connoisseurs, and to be enjoyed in detail and in depth. It was a genre designed for singers (often female) and instrumentalists, who were rarely professionals, but rather highly-trained amateurs, who in their performance engaged with a small number of listeners able to grasp two essential elements: the composer’s expertise in setting to music the poet’s words, and the performers’ expertise in exploiting the verbal and musical refinements scattered throughout the score. It is a small world, characterised by intimacy and intellectual tension, a world in which shepherds and nymphs express and live out an infinite variety of delicately-shaded emotions, with a deep connection to the eighteenth-century ideals of love and beauty, which are perfectly embodied in the verses and strophes of Metastasio, and in Porpora’s music." (Stefano Aresi. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Stile Galante, Stefano Aresi

1.1. Cantata V: I. 'Scrivo In Te L’amato Nome'
1.2. Cantata V: II. 'O Pianta Avventurosa!'
1.3. Cantata V: III. 'Per Te D’amico Aprile'
1.4. Cantata X: I. 'Oh Se Fosse Il Mio Core'
1.5. Cantata X: II. 'Se Lusinga Il Labbro E ’L Ciglio'
1.6. Cantata X: III. 'Mi Fa Barbara E Ingrata'
1.7. Cantata X: IV. 'Sento Pietade, Non Son Crudele'
1.8. Cantata VIII: I. 'Or Che Una Nube Ingrata'
1.9. Cantata VIII: II. 'Senza Il Misero Piacer'
1.10. Cantata VIII: III. 'M’intendi? Io Tutto Dissi: Ahi Qual Tormento!'
1.11. Cantata VIII: IV. 'Contemplar Almen Chi S’ama'
1.12. Cantata III: I. 'Tirsi Chiamare A Nome'
1.13. Cantata III: II. 'Se In Amor Che Sia Vicino'
1.14. Cantata III: III. 'Sì, Sì, Benché L’aspetto'
1.15. Cantata III: IV. 'So Ben Che La Speranza In Fronte A Chi S’adora'
1.16. Cantata IX: I. 'Destatevi, O Pastori: Ecco Il Mattino'
1.17. Cantata IX: II. 'Nei Campi E Nelle Selve'
1.18. Cantata IX: III. 'Tornerò Fra Le Gregge'
1.19. Cantata IX: IV. 'Silvio Amante Disperato'
1.20. Cantata VI: I. 'Già La Notte S’avvicina'
1.21. Cantata VI: II. 'Lascia Una Volta, O Nice'
1.22. Cantata VI: III. 'Non Più Fra’ Sassi Algosi'

2.1. Cantata XI: I. 'Oh Dio, Che Non È Vero: Ogni Gran Piaga'
2.2. Cantata XI: II. 'Quella Ferita Ch’io Porto In Seno'
2.3. Cantata XI: III. 'Passano I Fiumi E I Rivi'
2.4. Cantata XI: IV. 'Se Mi Prestasse I Vanni'
2.5. Cantata IV: I. 'Queste Che Miri, O Nice'
2.6. Cantata IV: II. 'Sei Mio Ben, Sei Mio Conforto'
2.7. Cantata IV: III. 'Credimi, Sì, Mio Sole'
2.8. Cantata IV: IV. 'Amo, Né Sarà Mai Che A Più Vezzosi Rai'
2.9. Cantata VII: I. 'Veggo La Selva E Il Monte'
2.10. Cantata VII: II. 'Le Direi Mormorando Fra’ Sassi'
2.11. Cantata VII: III. 'Poscia, Quando Il Pastor Guida La Greggia'
2.12. Cantata VII: IV. 'Ma La Selva, Il Monte, Intanto'
2.13. Cantata II: I. 'Nel Mio Sonno Almen Talora'
2.14. Cantata II: II. 'Pria Dell’aurora, O Fille'
2.15. Cantata II: III. 'Partì Con L’ombra, È Ver'
2.16. Cantata I: I. 'D’Amore Il Primo Dardo'
2.17. Cantata I: II. 'Fra Gl’amorosi Lacci'
2.18. Cantata I: III. 'Ch’io Mai Vi Possa Lasciar Di Amare'
2.19. Cantata XII: I. 'Dal Povero Mio Cor, Che Vuoi Speranza?'
2.20. Cantata XII: II. 'Mensogniera Dici: "Spera"'
2.21. Cantata XII: III. 'Pallido, Ancor Tremante'
2.22. Cantata XII: IV. 'Ha Scogli E Rie Procelle'

flac/16-bit

Government Alpha / Grkzgl / Heinz Hopf / Sissisters - Contemporary Harsh Noise Vol. V: Urbanization

The fifth in a series from Skeleton Dust Recordings, released in an edition of 100. Themes surround decadence and decay ("Waste", "Disconnection", "Convenience", "Apathy" and "Materialism" are other titles in the series). This is essentially a four-way split: two cassettes with a ten minute side for each of the four artists. Of particular note are the always excellent Yoshida Yasutoshi (Government Alpha, from Japan) and Swedish trio Matthias Andersson, Dan Johansson and Erik Nystrand (Heinz Hopf), one of the most interesting active harsh noise acts out of Scandinavia at the moment.

A. Government Alpha - Cell Congestion
B. Grkzgl - Invasion Of The Condo Snatchers
C. Heinz Hopf - Pentrera Amerika
D. Sissisters - Trust Exercise

mp3/320kbps

Johann Pachelbel - Un Orage d'Avril

"The pieces presented on this disc share a certain 'chamber' character, in the sense that they were surely composed for domestic use. Such is undoubtedly the case with the suites from the Musikalische Ergötzung published in 1695, where, aside from the difficulties entailed in the ‘scordatura’ writing,everything seems to indicate that they were intended for a public of sophisticated amateurs, likely toexperience great ‘musical delight’ (just as we did!) when performing this music, as the very name of thecollection suggests. The origins of the vocal pieces are less clear, and some of these arias were probablywritten for a specific purpose and for dedicatees known to a small circle of friends, such as the simplesong in praise of someone known as ‘Guter Walther’, who seems to have had a strong temperament, orthe impressive funeral laments (Mein Leben and Wie nichtig?) which are interspersed with moralisingcomments. Others seem to have a more generic meaning, in the tradition of songs to celebrate thearrival of a new season – for example Das Gewitter im Aprilen, which compares the volatility of thecapricious April climate and the constancy of friendship.

"But what links all the works on this recording, whether or not they possess a text, is their ability to conjure up painterly images. We find ourselves surrounded by sound pictures that might well have come from the golden age of Dutch and Flemish art, notably those representing episodes from everyday life. When you listen to the Aria from Partie VI or the Ballet from Partie I, don’t you have the impression that you’re in the midst of the hubbub of the folk festival depicted by Brueghel in The Peasant Wedding (and also seen in the great banquet of La Kermesse héroïque)? Don’t you get the urge to take up your lute like Jan Steen in his self-portrait and accompany yourself singing the last phrase of the Saraband from Partie VI (yes, it’s true, you have to add a text to it, but nothing could be simpler!). Listening to the Saraband of Partie III, don’t you feel the same shivers down your spine and the same doubts that seem to affect the women Vermeer painted reading their letters? And don’t the Aria of Partie V or the Gavotte of the Partie a 4 have the same half-pompous, half-comical character we find in Frans Hals’s portraits of groups of officers?
 
"All these musical miniatures float by, caressing our ears, like the light, fleeting April clouds that troop past before our eyes: all of a sudden the sky grows overcast and the stormy rain falls before finally giving way to the dazzling blue of a sunlit horizon. An ideal setting for portraits or scenes drawn from life in which those concerned must certainly have recognised themselves, and which nowadays bear precious witness to a bygone age that is still rich in emotions and lovely to behold... and listen to." (Amandine Beyer & Baldomero Barciela. tr. Charles Johnston. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer, Hans-Jörg Mammel

1. Partie V In C Major, P374: I. Sonata
2. Partie V In C Major, P374: II. Aria
3. Partie V In C Major, P374: III. Treza
4. Partie V In C Major, P374: IV. Ciacona
5. Wie Nichtig? Ach! Wie Flüchtig, P500
6. Partie II In C Minor, P371: I. Sonata
7. Partie II In C Minor, P371: II. Gavotte
8. Partie II In C Minor, P371: III. Treza
9. Partie II In C Minor, P371: IV. Aria
10. Partie II In C Minor, P371: V. Saraband
11. Partie II In C Minor, P371: VI. Gigue
12. Das Gewitter Im Aprilen, P75
13. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: I. Sonata (Adagio)
14. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: II. Aria
15. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: III. Courant
16. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: IV. Gavotte
17. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: V. Saraband
18. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: VI. Gigue
19. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: I. Sonatina
20. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: II. Allemand
21. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: III. Gavott
22. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: IV. Courant
23. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: V. Aria
24. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VI. Saraband
25. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VII. Gigue
26. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VIII. Finale. Adagio
27. Mein Leben, Dessen Creutz Für Mich, P360
28. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: I. Sonata (Allegro)
29. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: II. Allemand
30. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: III. Courant
31. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: IV. Gavotte
32. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: V. Saraband
33. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: VI. Gigue
34. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: I. Sonata
35. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: II. Aria
36. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: III. Courant
37. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: IV. Aria
38. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: V. Ciacona
39. Guter Walther Unser Raths, P180
40. Partie I In F Major, P370a: I. Sonata (Allegro)
41. Partie I In F Major, P370a: II. Allemand
42. Partie I In F Major, P370a: III. Courant
43. Partie I In F Major, P370a: IV. Ballet
44. Partie I In F Major, P370a: V. Saraband
45. Partie I In F Major, P370a: VI. Gigue
46. O Großes Musenliecht, P391
47. Canon & Gigue, P37: I. Canon
48. Canon & Gigue, P37: II. Gigue

mp3/320kbps

Deterge - Anoint

"God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways." Includes a foldout on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of Christ, prayers of the Rosary with a how to, and a Rosary pendant. Power electronics from Jim Haras, owner of the Fusty Cunt label. Reminiscent thematically of some elements of the work of Mackenzie Chami (Koufar, Bachir Gemayel), who has released on Haras' label. This is a harsh noise assault, layered with looping tones and lyrics (though sadly inaudible) ranging from doleful incantations to pained modulated outbursts. One can always question the seriousness with which these themes are treated in this medium (the undeniably lewd Fusty Cunt logo is still included, for example); I would hazard this is closer to the thematic seriousness of Chami's projects than the sardonic super-extremism of acts like Con-Dom. 

A1. Joyful
A2. Luminous
B1. Sowerful
B2. Glorious

mp3/320kbps