New classical music just in time for the Bach Festival

We have several new classical recordings that arrived the past few months that classical fans might be interested in.  There are several Bach recordings in this group, so place a hold and bring one home to listen to before the Bach Festival arrives on the 27th.

Bach Cantatas by Natalie Dessay
Soprano Dessay and composer Emmanuelle Haim tackle Bach’s Cantatas in this meeting of frequent collaborators.

Bach Partitas Nos. 2-4by Murray Perahia
A master of counterpoint and harmony, Perahia returns to form with this recording, named one of the best of 2008 by Amazon.

Bach Violin Concertos by Julia Fischer
One of the best newcomers in classical music dedicates an entire recording to Bach. 

Bel Canto Spectacular by Juan Diego Florez
Florez, a much sought after tenor, gathers an all star group of collaborators for his latest recording.

String Quartet of Ravel, Debussy and Faure by Ebene Quartet
This quartet of versatile musicians is well known for their flexibility and creativity.

Haydn & Hummel: Trumpet Concertos by Alison Balsom
Trumpet concertos from one of todays premiere trumpet players.

Homage by James Ehnes
Violinist Ehnes performs some of the greatest pieces for violin on 12 of the greatest violins ever made.

Musical Banquet by Nigel North & Monika Mauch
Soprano Mauch and Luntenist North record this set of traditional lute songs from around Europe.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 in E Minor by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Taken from a 1986 recording at the Royal Albert Hall in London, this represents a standout performance of one of Shastakovich’s best works.

Netherland is on President Obama’s nightstand

President Obama is doing his summer reading and talking about how much he likes Netherlandby Joseph O’Neill.  Netherland is a book about New York’s multicultural nature after 9-11.  It follows Dutch banker Hans after the dissolution of his marriage as he reconnects with the sport of cricket.  He meets Chuck, a West Indian entrepreneur, who introduces him to the vibrant, marginal cultures around New York.  Hans struggles with his own tragedies as he attempts to rebuild his life.  His arc mirrors that of the New York he discovers.  Find out if this book warrants all the attention by selecting the link above and placing a hold.

New Short Stories

Don’t Cry: Stories by Mary Gaitskill – Gaitskill is a master of short stories about relationships.  She is well-known for her other story collections and her most recent novel, Veronica.

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned: Stories by Wells Tower – This wide-ranging debut collection features mostly male characters in difficult relationships and situations.

Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon – The Bosnian war and a common narrator connect these stories.  From the author of The Lazarus Project.

Love Stories in This Town by Amanda Eyre Ward – This first collection of short stories contain both poignant and funny moments, as well as wonderful female characters.  By the author of Forgive Me.

Is Game of Thrones headed for HBO?

While patiently waiting for the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, I am excited about the possibility of HBO filming the series.  A pilot is being developed and there is even some casting news with Peter Dinklage said to be playing the role of Tyrion Lannister.  If you haven’t read this series yet, it is a great option for summer reading.

This epic fantasy series actually finds a lot of inspiration in history, particularly the War of the Roses.  The Stark family holds court in the north while the Lannisters scheme to hold onto the throne in the south as they set into motion a dangerous game that threatens to drag the entire Seven Kingdoms into a lengthy struggle for power.  This is a marvelous book that is only dampened by the fact that the author is still working on book five.

New Jazz recordings at Cedar Mill

These are most of the new arrivals from the past several months in our Jazz collection.  Click on the links to place holds.  Those interested in Jazz may also like to look at Amazon’s list of best Jazz recordings of all time.

For All I Care by the Bad Plus
Singer Wendy Lewis joins the Progressive Jazz trio for this unique recording.

Jazz for Peanuts by David Benoit
Benoit records the classic Peanuts tunes from your favorite cartoons.

Mosaic: a Celebration of Blue Note Records by the Blue Note 7
An all-star group of artists looks back at 70 years of Jazz recordings.