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SOFIA GUBAIDULINA: DIALOG (Deutsche Grammophon, $14.98) – One of the world’s greatest composers is Sofia Gubaidulina, who turned 90 last year. She was born in the Tatar Republic, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, has lived in a small village outside Hamburg. Her work often deals with spiritual concerns, and Dialog is a great introduction to her work, with Andris Nelsons conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Vadim Repin is featured in the violin concerto Dialog: Ich und Du; reviewer Ivan Moody (in Gramophone Magazine) described the music’s “sense of cumulative, brooding power,” and Repin as “astounding.” The other works are The Wrath of God, and The Light of the End, “one of the composer’s most impressive scores.” Moody commends the works on the album: “one of the most remarkable spiritual journeys ever conceived…a magnificent achievement.”
Lise Davidsen & Leif Ove Andsness, EDVARD GRIEG (Decca, $14.98) – Two world-class artists—soprano Lise Davidsen and pianist Leif Ove Andsness—both Norwegians, team up for a recital of Grieg, central to Norway’s musical history. Haugtussa (The Mountain Maid), Grieg's only song cycle, forms the centerpiece of the album.
Jorge Rossy, Robert Landfermann, Jeff Ballard, PUERTA (ECM, $18.98) – Jorge Rossy became prominent as a jazz drummer, most famously in Brad Mehldau’s first Trio, from 1995 to around 2006. But Rossy is also a pianist, and, most recently, he has focused his attention on the vibraphone and marimba. On Puerta, Rossy unveils an album of original tunes, with bassist Robert Landfermann, and Jeff Ballard (who followed as Brad Mehldau’s drummer).