Producer Of The Year, Classical Nominees
Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin (Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands)
Blanton Alspaugh (Carlisle Floyd: Wuthering Heights)!
Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
Congratulations to RR collaborators Marina A. Ledin and Victor Ledin. With multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations, the Ledins have produced and edited several of Reference Recordings’ recent releases, and will contintue in that capacity for the future. Following their nomination for last year’s GRAMMY® Awards with a portfolio of three Reference Recordings albums, this year’s portfolio includes our new release from Martin West and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra — Moritz Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands!
Moszkowski: From Foreign Lands
Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925) is most known for his scintillating piano compositions. he also composed an opera, a full-length ballet, three orchestral suites, a symphony (still in manuscript form), songs, concertos, and chamber music—almost all of which remain neglected or forgotten. How unfortunate!
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra music director and principal conductor, Martin West, approached Reference Recordings with the hope that there were enough orchestral works by Moritz Moszkowski to record a CD-length program. After identifying and locating numerous scores, this project of re-discovering the music of Moritz Moszkowski became a reality. Using From Foreign Lands as a starting point, we were able to assemble an intriguing program of, largely, first recordings of Moszkowski’s most memorable and melodious orchestral compositions. This delightful program is the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra’s fourth release with Reference Recordings.
Blanton Alspaugh
Congratulations to Blanton Alspaugh of Soundmirror. Blanton is Soundmirror’s senior producer, overseeing recording projects ranging in size from the largest operatic and symphonic productions to solo piano. Blanton won the Grammy Award for Producer of Year, Classical in February 2013. His nominated portfolio this year includes our FRESH! From Reference Recordings release Carlisle Floyd: Wuthering Heights!
Floyd: Wuthering Heights
Carlisle Floyd’s canon of operas is amongst the most performed by any living American opera composer, however four essential operas have never been commercially released. Wuthering Heights was first performed by Santa Fe Opera in 1958, but never recorded until now. With the composer acting as artistic advisor, this Florentine Opera premiere recording was made in January 2015 at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It features conductor Joseph Mechavich, soprano Georgia Jarman (Cathy), baritone Kelly Markgraf (Heathcliff), soprano Heather Buck (Isabella), tenor Vale Rideout (Edgar), tenor Chad Shelton (Hindley), mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer (Nelly), tenor Frank Kelley (Joseph), The Florentine Opera Chorus and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Reference Recordings is proud to release this exceptional recording.