Forthcoming album release - audio samples!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

As some of you may know, I've been hard at work on a sequel transcriptions CD to the one I released in 2013 (and which was re-released by Divine Art Records in 2014). Well, it's been an arduous process, and things could have gone more smoothly, but now it's almost ready to go off for pressing! Here are some brief extracts from the album, to give people an idea of what it's going to be like.

https://soundcloud.com/andrew-wright-35/sample-extracts

Album details are itemised on the soundcloud page, as are the sample timings, but I'll reiterate the timings here for convenience.

0.01, 0.34 from Bellini-Jaell Reminiscences de Norma
0.47 from Donizetti-Leschetizky Andante finale de Lucia di Lammermoor (for left hand only)
1.04, 1.21 from Rossini-Thalberg Moses Fantasy
1.38 from Meyerbeer-Kullak Cavatine de Robert le Diable
2.01 from Verdi's Miserere paraphrased by me!
2.17, 2.32 from Massenet-Saint-Saens La mort de Thaïs
2.48, 3.01 from Wagner-Liszt's Fantasy on Themes from Rienzi

This album is to be released by Divine Art Records as The Operatic Pianist II, catalogue number DDA 25153. Hope you enjoy the preview as much as I enjoyed recording the album!

[emill]

OMG it is a such beautiful TEASE ... you are so cruel... you could have made it 30secs each!
CONGRATULATIONS on such a beautiful compilation!
I will surely buy your CD!!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks Yeah, I'd almost like to make the samples a little longer, but I'm going to put them into a promo video of sorts and I didn't want the end result to be much more than about 3 mins. Enough to get the general idea across, I hope. I can't wait to get the album out into the wider world!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I have received news that the anticipated release date is 15th Sept of this year.

*shameless bump*

[visitor]

Thanks for fixing the link really enjoyed it several times already in the paraphrase thresd. AND the bump is welcime!
:-p
September will be here before we know it and this is great news.

Wish the Thais sample were a little longer, will have to wait for the cd....

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I can hardly wait till September The Thais is a world premiere commercial recording, as for that matter are the Jaell and Kullak and also arguably my two pieces - nobody else is going to record them! I've managed to fit in more real obscurities than last time. There usually is a trade-off between being really obscure and being good - it's important to find good obscurities. It's amazing that the world premiere I had on my previous disc (Martucci La forza del destino) has now received another commercial recording, and additionally there are good live versions on youtube by Dimitris Chrisanthakopoulos (storyseller on this forum) and Vittorio Forte. The Saint-Saens Thais has received some attention but usually it's just people playing the Meditation section; the Jaell is a real discovery I believe. There's a decent Jaell live version by me on youtube but the studio recording is cleaner and both the piano and the audio quality are significantly better.

[visitor]

Awesome awesome awesome
Yes when looking for buried treasure, you will definitely find some turds [affection term i steal from our sage thalbergmad haha], and we see why sime things wete forgotten, then you come across.stuff that knocks you flat with "how is this not standard?!" Type writing and beauty...
Eagerly await the release and premiers!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Yes, when preparing for these discs, I've selected a core of a couple of reasonably well-known items (on this disc, Moses and Rienzi; on the previous disc, Liebestod and Casta diva), added a few of my own, then begun the process of looking around the fringes of the repertoire. By the time I've finished I will have read through maybe approaching 100 transcriptions of varying calibre, forming an opinion on how effective and well-written they are, and also if they suit my pianistic style. I definitely like to pick unknown pieces, but I certainly wouldn't pick one purely because it's unknown.

[ajlongspiano]

This is great work, Andrew. Can't wait to buy your album. Hope you have been well!

Best,

AJ

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks! It's been hard work and it will be a great relief when it finally sees the light of day

[furtwaengler]

Congratulations on the release. The fruit of some obviously hard work seems to to have produced a spectacular recording. These these clips are of very high quality in every respect.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks - yes a lot of hard work in every way. Preparation, scrutiny and selection of takes, writing sleeve notes.. in fact the nine or so hours spent recording and doing retakes was probably the easy bit!

[johnlewisgrant]

Excellent sound, but it will be much better in wav (CD) format.   Which raises the question: what is the Soundcloud bitrate?

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Thanks - my recollection is that I probably uploaded this as a wav, and failing that, as a 320 mp3.. but if Wikipedia is to be believed soundcloud streams them as 128 irrespective of uploaded format, which obviously isn't great.