Alison Balsom – Paris (2014) [HighResAudio 24bit/44.1kHz]

Alison Balsom – Paris (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44.1kHz | Time – 00:52:04 minutes | 485 MB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: highresaudio.com | © Warner Classics

An ‘astonishing virtuosa’ (The Times) with ‘limitless potential’ (The Guardian), Alison Balsom is a multi-faceted trumpet player involved in a broad range of musical projects. The pieces on this collection inhabit a common Parisian musical world, but the voices that emerge from them are incredibly varied. From Ravel to Reinhardt, Balsom illustrates the flexibility and expressiveness of her instrument, supported by the orchestra of jazz composer and trumpeter Guy Barker.

One of today’s most in-demand classical music personalities, English trumpeter and BBC Proms darling Alison Balsom shares her love of Paris on this new solo album. After becoming the first British woman to win Gramophone Magazine’s prestigious Artist of the Year award, Alison brings her glamour, poise and dazzling virtuosity to Paris with a selection of music written in and inspired by the most romantic city in the world.
This album marks a major departure for Alison Balsom from the core classical repertoire, with which she has established her distinguished recording and performing career to date, to a crossover album, taking inspiration from a number of different artists and influences. The concept of the album is Paris as seen by artists and composers as diverse as Olivier Messiaen, Astor Piazzolla, Django Rheinardt and Cole Porter. In collaboration with Guy Barker – a trumpeter who has worked with the biggest names in the business, and with a solid reputation in the jazz world – Alison reinterprets the greatest music written about in and about Paris. With guest artists Miloš Karadaglić, and Julian Ovenden on a bonus track available on iTunes, this album is sure to position Alison amongst the top-selling classical artists with mainstream appeal and broad recognition.

British trumpeter Alison Balsom, with a distinctive clear sound and as photogenic as one could ask, has moved to the front of the pack of young trumpeters vying to succeed the giants of the late 20th century. With Paris, she reaches a transcendent new level. There is nothing so original about a program of light Parisian music, but the way in which Balsom carries it off is unique. For one thing, the music isn’t so light: it ranges from elegant (the Satie and Ravel pieces) to moody (Piazzolla), to profound (the selections from Messiaen’s Le Baiser de l’Enfant Jésus). Only at the end does the mood relax with a pair of popular and jazz selections. The tempo is in the middle range and doesn’t vary much from piece to piece, and the trumpet is kept in quiet mode throughout. It’s a sequence that would have defeated a lesser player, but in Balsom’s hands it becomes hypnotic. She had a hand in the arrangements herself, and the selection of works, like Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 3 and Gnossiene No. 3, that you would never guess could find a home on the trumpet, is extremely ingenious. Mostly Balsom has worked with major symphony orchestras, but here she takes the daring step of teaming with the small Guy Barker & His Orchestra, an ensemble oriented toward jazz that is itself led by a trumpeter. The feel of the album is unique: it is not jazzed-up classical music (although the program does end with Django Reinhardt), but a texture with a uniquely flexible relationship between soloist and ensemble. A superior recital in every way. -James Manheim

Tracklist:
Erik Alfred Leslie Satie (1866-1925)
1. 3 Gymnopedies: III. Lent et grave 02:32
Astor Piazzólla (1921-1992)
Histoire du Tango: Café 1930
2. II. Café 1930 07:09
3. Oblivion 04:08
Michel Legrand (1932-), Eddy Marnay (1920-2003), Eddie Barclay (1921-2005)
4. La valse des lilas 03:33
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (1908-1992)
Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jesus- XV. La baiser de l’enfant Jesus
5. Très lent, calme 05:45
6. Modéré I 02:03
7. Modéré II 02:60
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Piano Concerto in G major
8. Adagio assai 02:47
9. Ravel / Arr Barker & Balsom: Piano Concerto in G Major:… 08:26
Erik Alfred Leslie Satie (1866-1925)
10. 3 Gnossiennes: III. Lent 03:25
Joseph Kosma (1905-1969)
11. Les feuilles mortes (Autumn Leaves) 05:01
Django Rheinardt (1910-1953)
12. Nuages 04:16