If you happen to be around my local Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle (which is what the real estate developers call the area around Lincoln Center these days), around 7 pm on Monday, you’ll want to stop in and visit with José Serebrier, his wife Carole Farley, and Ned Rorem who will be signing their latest releases which just happen to be on the Naxos label.

Serebrier’s recording of Rorem’s three symphonies at the time of the composer 80th birthday garnered three GRAMMY nominations and their latest collaboration, Rorem’s  Flute Concerto (world premiere), performed by Jeffrey Khaner, principal flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Violin Concerto with Philippe Quint and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Serebrier, is simply outstanding.   

Farley will be on hand to sign copies of her new DVD on VAI of the fully-staged operas  La Voix Humaine  by Francis Poulenc and The Telephone  by Gian-Carlo Menotti with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by busy José.

Meanwhile in another part of the forest, Glenn Freeman writes: 

Brief report from Bratislava, Slovakia.  OgreOgress productions is completing its first orchestral recording project. The repertoire is Alan Hovahenss’s Shambala, Janabar and Talin. The performers are the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Rerastislav Stur.  The musicians and conductor are first rate and the studio of the Slovak Philharmonic along with its recording technician, staff and equipment, are at the highest level. We are excited about the planned release of this recording on high resolution Audio DVD (96kHz/24bit) in the Spring of 2007. If you want this recording, or any of our future recordings, on CD then ask Naxos to release it in this format…we’ll work out a deal with them they  cannot refuse. 

Memo to Glenn:  Probably should have gone with José Serebrier.