RECORDINGS

Lullaby for a Snowy Night:
Holiday music from near and far

A magical winter mosaic from various corners of the world, this CD features both the familiar and the rare, from calming slumber songs and ancient carols rooted in dance form, to popular themes from a beloved childhood ballet. A dream-like tone is set with the title track Lullaby for a Snowy Night by Jean Coulthard, one of Canada’s most celebrated composers, and continues with works by Reger and Brahms as well as selections from Liszt’s The Christmas Tree. The next segment features carols from France, Romania, Ukraine and England, before the path takes a turn toward well-known holiday favourites, such as The Nutcracker ballet and Sleigh Ride. Travelling through Italy, listeners encounter the recurrent theme of bagpipers, or pifferari, who descend into Rome from the surrounding hills in the days preceding Christmas. The nocturnal journey fittingly concludes on a peaceful note with J. S. Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, transcribed for piano by Dame Myra Hess.

Click here to see complete program

Click here to purchase Lullaby for a Snowy Night

 

Lullaby for a Snowy Night: Holiday Music from Near and Far
Listen to excerpts from
Lullaby for a Snowy Night

Poetic Moods is a unique glimpse into the world of selected Ukrainian piano music of the past one hundred years, much of it unknown thus far. Characterized by sentimentalism, intimate lyricism, poetic charm and wit, the featured pieces evoke a diverse range of moods and colours. Although each composer portrays a distinct musical style and language, the aesthetics of deep poetic expression can be felt in common among them.

Poetic Moods - click for larger imageMany unique Ukrainian-born composers flourished at the beginning of the 20th century: Reinhold Glière, Sergei Prokofiev, Nikolai Roslavets, Fedir Akimenko, Sergei Bortkiewicz, among others. The composers featured on Poetic Moods have left us a legacy which continues this lyrical tradition. One recording cannot span the entire gamut of noteworthy Ukrainian piano works. It does, however, provide the listener with a selection of some of the finest examples of this repertoire and represents the creative individuality of each composer.

Click here to purchase Poetic Moods.

Read reviews of Poetic Moods.

Poetic Moods Cover Art: Evening II (2001) by Olga Konoshchuk

“What seems conventional to the eye, is palpable to the senses.”

section divider

Olga Konoshchuk is a Ukrainian modern artist. She studied at the Ukrainian Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, Faculty of Painting, and is a member of the National Union of Professional Artists of Ukraine.