Tag: Obsidian

Newsletter: Oct 22, 2017

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Dear Friends, Happy Autumn! This is GRAMMY® Voting Season, and we’re proud to offer Sibelius Piano Trio and Obsidian in three categories this year: Best Contemporary Classical Composition for David Lefkowitz’ enchanting and ethereal Ruminations for piano trio, Sibelius Piano Trio itself for best chamber music (small ensemble) and Mika Sasaki’s homage to Clara Schumann in her debut album Obsidian, for best classical instrumental solo. NARAS members please download full albums from the Recording Academy web page. CONGRATULATIONS TO DIEGO SCHISSI FOR YOUR LATIN GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR NENE ON SIBELIUS PIANO TRIO! BRAVO! (Yes, I’m shouting! Yay!) More info on Sibelius Piano Trio and Obsidian. DSD HDTracks Yarlung SonoruS Series analog tape buffs please know that progress is afoot to release two reels of our most recent hit Yuko Mabuchi Trio on analog tape as well as two reels from Sibelius Piano Trio by early spring.  (One friend in Australia already pre-ordered Yuko Mabuchi Trio!) In the meantime, CDs and high res downloads have been making people happy. Thank you so much for your support, Continue Reading →

Newsletter: Oct. 5, 2017

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Dear Friends, Happy Autumn! This is GRAMMY® Voting Season, and we’re proud to offer Sibelius Piano Trio and Obsidian in three categories this year: Best Contemporary Classical Composition for David Lefkowitz’ enchanting and ethereal Ruminations for piano trio, Sibelius Piano Trio itself for best chamber music (small ensemble) and Mika Sasaki’s homage to Clara Schumann in her debut album Obsidian, for best classical instrumental solo. NARAS members please download full albums from the Recording Academy web page. CONGRATULATIONS TO DIEGO SCHISSI FOR YOUR LATIN GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR NENE ON SIBELIUS PIANO TRIO! BRAVO! (Yes, I’m shouting! Yay!) More info on Sibelius Piano Trio and Obsidian. DSD HDTracks Yarlung SonoruS Series analog tape buffs please know that progress is afoot to release two reels of our most recent hit Yuko Mabuchi Trio on analog tape as well as two reels from Sibelius Piano Trio by early spring.  (One friend in Australia already pre-ordered Yuko Mabuchi Trio!) In the meantime, CDs and high res downloads have been making people happy. Thank you so much for your support, Continue Reading →

Pianist Sasaki Tackles Clara Schumann

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… Mika Sasaki strikes a happy medium between sensitivity of phrasing and boldness of attack. Her tone is rich and full with a wide range of dynamics and a judicious use of pedal. [Max Grafe’s Obsidian Liturgy is] to my ears the highlight of this album. The adventurous quality of the composition has some affinity to Robert Schumann, who has always been noted for his unexpected turns of phrase and emotional outbursts, although Grafe definitely has his own style. One might best describe it as “modernistic Romanticism,” as it is filled with an almost explosive outpouring of emotion yet is contained in a vessel of bitonality. What impressed me most, however, was Grafe’s sense of structure: he never loses sight of where his music is going, mood shifts or no mood shifts, and his grasp of mood is equally outstanding. Lynn René Bayley reviews for The Art Music Lounge, October Continue Reading →

Obsidian CLARA SCHUMANN: KLAVIERWERKE

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This new CD, Obsidian, pays homage to the piano music of Clara Schumann. Clara Schumann’s music has been neglected in recordings.  The album also pays homage to the two men in Clara Schumann’s life, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, interwoven with her as they were into a close friendship and kind of love triangle. The album takes its name from Obsidian Liturgy, written by composer Max Grafe on the occasion of the 120th and 160th birthday of Clara and Robert Schumann in 2016 and in honor of Clara Schumann and Mika Sasaki, our piano soloist on this recording. Grafe’s 10-minute work includes several sections: “Invocation”, “Canticle”, “Incantation”, “Trance”, “Peal”, “Benedictus” and “Ite, missa est.” The intense musical language and the pianist genius of Clara Schumann are particularly evident in the Scherzo in C minor, op. 14, the Three Preludes and Fugues Op. 16, and the variations on a theme by Continue Reading →