Montréal pianist Isabelle David’s debut solo album includes 14 works from pianist and composer Auguste Descarries. Two of these are previously unreleased contributions to Quebec piano literature. Decarries holds a special place in Ms. David’s musical background, as her maternal grandmother was one of the students who benefited from his teaching. This special link and the discovery of the composer’s manuscripts led Ms. David to pursue a doctorate in music performance, where she devoted four years of research to Descarries’s piano works.Album Booklet
This 2-disc recording, Virtuosa, encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women, and was recorded on historical instruments. This project is set to be released on June 24, 2022.Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s primary initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, and web videos dedicated to women musicians of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. This project, which highlights over a dozen relatively unknown women who made substantial contributions to Western classical music, has generated a great amount of interest at a local and international level, resulting in requests from international presenters for the ensemble to tour the Virtuosa program in the United States, France and the U.K.The CD includes a comprehensive booklet and companion website which includes stories, images, and archival material pertaining to the women featured on the recording. The objective is to provide cultural and socio-economic context for the women’s lives as well as for their music, and to highlight their accomplishments in the face of adversity. Many of the featured women were pioneers in their field.Album Booklet
Baritone Nathaniel Watson and pianist Michael McMahon, both based in Montreal, give us their rendition of Franz Schubert's monumental song cycle, Winterreise, written in 1827, the year before Schubert's tragic, early death. The 24 settings of poems of Wilhelm Müller are a journey deep into the psyche of a young man, unlucky in love, who sets out with neither friend nor destination, in the dead of winter, an epic figure in the dawning of German Romanticism. In this recording, also made in winter (and during a pandemic), Watson and McMahon share their experience and lifelong passion for Schubert. The composer, who had already composed some 600 Lieder in his short life, confessed to his close circle of friends that these songs moved him more than all the others.Album Booklet
Carolo features 10 sonatas written by a mysterious “Mr Carolo,” whose identity remains an enigma for scholars and musicians alike. Educated guesses have been made to equate Carolo’s identity to Carolus Hacquart, a Flemish composer and Viol player, or an anonymous English “Mr. Charles,” inspired by the 17th-century trio sonatas. Although the Carolo sonatas were written for smaller ensembles, the original edition served as a blank canvas to fulfill Space Time Continuo’s mandate of featuring the rich textures and wide soundscape possible in the continuo section. Sonatas IX, III, V and X were conceived with augmented forces and sonatas IX and III are new arrangements for 3 solo bass instruments and continuo. Sonata VI is performed with two bassoons, harpsichord and bowed bass (5-string low-pitched bass violin) but the other five are closer to what was suggested by the original publisher’s title page: “two solo bass instruments plus one continuo,” but with variation in the instrumentation of the solo voices and keyboard choice.Watch Sonata IX by M. Carolo performed by Space Time Continuo
Society, musical conventions, and tastes inevitably change and develop over time, but the shared human experiences that artists draw upon do not. The two overarching ideas that Lara Deutsch and Phil Chiu used as inspiration for this album are dreams and journeys. Dreamy music is often associated with relaxation and easy-listening -- but don’t be fooled; this music has wickedly fast and thrilling sounds that capture the chaotic nature of dreams as well!Watch Album Trailer HereDescribed in La Presse as “a pianist-painter who transforms each musical idea into a beautiful array of colours,” Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favour of openness, authenticity, and connection.Named one of 2020’s Rising Stars by BBC Music Magazine, flutist Lara Deutsch is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player known for her engaging warmth and ability to connect with audiences. Recipient of the $125,000 Prix Goyer for collaborative artists in 2019-2020, she is happiest when performing chamber music with her favourite musical partners.Album Booklet
O Mistress Moon: Canadian Edition is the latest release by solo pianist, Jennifer King. This album is a sequel to her successful earlier recording of the same name, now as a special all-Canadian version. The project features twelve contemporary Canadian piano works selected by King for their relationship to the environment, especially of the moon, outer space, and the night.“This collection is designed to offer introspection, to provoke thought and appeal to those looking for a musical meditative journey through calmness, but with a wide emotional scope… there is a therapeutic bent to its sound scape, with the intention of helping to ease stress during the current world pandemic,” says King of the music she chose for the recording.King has linked each of the compositions to a monthly full moon, connecting both its name in both folkloric and the Mi’kmaq name. As the names of each full moon relates to nature and the changing seasons, the music has been partnered each month by both the composition’s name, intention, and its overall atmosphere.For this all-Canadian project, Jennifer has teamed up with Halifax music producers, Leaf Music, to release the recordings in 12 monthly singles that correspond to each full moon of the year, starting in February 2021 until January 2022.Album Booklet
Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble Vocal-Arts Québec, under the direction of Matthias Maute, present George Frideric Handel’s Messiah featuring Karina Gauvin. Although it is certainly not the first recording of The Messiah, it serves as an opening act to new beginnings; a breath of fresh air after the isolation and empty concert halls caused by the pandemic. These Messiah excerpts feature Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, known especially for her interpretation of Baroque music, and the recipient of the prestigious award of “Soloist of the year” award by the Communauté internationale des radios publique de langue français. The recording also features the flute part from Mozart’s arrangement of The Messiah, honouring the two giants, Handel and Mozart, of the classical compositional world.Opening the album is composer Jaap Nico Hamburger’s Hope and Belief, which served as the title track for Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble Vocal-Arts Québec Mini Concerts Sante, and closes with Matthias Maute’s piece “O magnum mysterium,” which “attempts to grasp something of the elusive mystery of music.”Album Booklet
Like so many musicians, Award-winning artist and early-music musician Hank Knox found himself with a lot of time on his hands during the pandemic. He spent the past 10 months completely immersed in Domenico Scarlatti's only authorized publication, a collection of thirty sonatas first published in 1739 in London, England. Knox’s recording of the Essercizi Per Gravicembalo offers the listener a deep dive into Scarlatti’s richly inventive and imaginative musical world.Essercizi Per Gravicembalo, meaning “Exercises for Harpsichord,” is a virtuosic collection that has been in uninterrupted print since its publication 275 years ago. The collection was dedicated to King John V of Portugal, father of Scarlatti's longtime pupil and patron, Queen Maria Barbara of Spain. Essercizi Per Gravicembalo was recorded by Hank Knox in April 2021 at Église St. Augustin, Mirabel, QC.Album Booklet
Lighthouse is for anyone who has experienced the loss of someone close.
It is, above all else, a love story...This album was created from letters and journals written on a journey through grief. And while the inspiration for the album came from our dear friend, its message is universal.This album as a whole represents a journey through grief that has been separated into 9 tracks. The music was composed by Grej (Gregory Harrison) in collaboration with Maureen. The concept is a marriage between classical and electronic genres that utilizes voice, piano, harmonium, synthesizer, and field recordings.Album Booklet
Juno nominated chamber choir Luminous Voices along with Spiritus Chamber Choir presents twelve works by Ukranian composer Artem Vedel (1767-1808). Considered one of Ukraine’s ‘Golden Three’ composers of the 18th century, these masterpieces of Ukrainian Classical Choral Music include twelve sacred choral concerti & Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Under the direction of Dr. Timothy Shantz and with support from the Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta, the works of Vedel continue to be associated with the boisterous wave of national rebirth, imbued with a connection and influence of national folklore.Album Booklet
Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that specializes in high quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retail, download and streaming providers.
We are also recognized as a leading provider of professional audio production, post-production services, and integrated music marketing/distribution in Canada.
Visit our services page for more details or contact us to learn more about our team and the services we provide.
Leaf Music est une étiquette d'enregistrement indépendant à Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse, qui se spécialise dans les enregistrements de musique classique de haute qualité par des artistes et compositeurs du Canada. Notre catalogue d'enregistrements croissant de musique solo, orchestrale et de chambre est disponible dans le monde entier sur tous les grands services de téléchargement et de streaming.
Nous sommes également reconnus comme un important fournisseur de production audio-vidéo professionnel, post-production audio-video, et services intégrée de marketing et de distribution de musique classique dans la région. Visitez notre page de services pour plus de détails ou contactez-nous pour savoir plus au sujet de notre équipe et les services que nous fournissons.
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Leaf Music artist Lara Deutsch and Phil Chiu are currently on the road touring their album Night Light, released by Leaf Music on February 4, 2022.
Lara & Phil are playing selections from Night Light at select venues across Ontario and Quebec. Join them for an evening filled with adventurous playing and musical celebration! Tour dates down below:
May 19 – Toronto, ON – 12PM - Radio/Video Livestream on The New Classical FM
May 21 – Luskville, QC – 7PM – Festival Pontiac Enchante
May 25 – Montreal, QC – 6:30PM – Kin Experience
May 31 – Ottawa, ON – 7:30PM – National Arts Centre (Fourth Stage)
We’re thrilled to congratulate Maureen Batt and Grej on their ECMA for Classical Recording of the Year for their incredible album, Lighthouse!
“Lighthouse is such a special album to us and we’re so grateful to the ECMAs for this honour and recognition.” – Maureen Batt
Bravo, Maureen and Grej!