Daniel Hope and the American Film Score

We cannot talk about art these days without thinking about cinematography - the seventh art, capable of mirroring, in countless ways, daily life, but also of helping us escape the fast pace of day-to-day society. The American film industry in particular - where Hollywood has long been a symbol of 'the assembly line' system of film making - is the focus of those who love the seventh art. And if we're talking about image, then there also must be…music! 'The Hollywood sound' remains a hot topic, but until now there has been little talk about the ones who have contributed to creating this sound. That is precisely why the famous British violinist Daniel Hope decided, at the end of January, to extend his contract with Deutsche Grammophon and to begin working on a new project meant to cast a light on the works of the composers who sought refuge from the Nazi all the way to the United States. Max Steiner, Miklós Rózsa, Hanns Eisler and Kurt Weill shared the common destiny of the exiled to Hollywood, but also an interest in the area of film scoring, in which they became well-known figures.

When he renewed his contract with the prestigious record company, Daniel Hope said in an interview he gave in January to Gramophone magazine that 'ever since I signed my first contract with Deutsche Grammophon, in 2006, I have had the opportunity to produce eight albums, each differing from the last, from Baroque music, composed by Joseph Joachim, to 20^th century American music, playing the Triple concerto by Michael Tippett. I am honoured by my collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon on this new project - an album which represents a creed and a very personal musical statement.' A member of the Beaux Arts Trio from 2002 until 2008, Daniel Hope often performs as soloist on some of the most important international stages, having acquired this far in his career no less than five ECHO Awards and a German Record Critics' Award.

The 54^th Edition of the Grammy Awards

And since we've talked about the American film industry, I should also mention this week's major event for the United States' film industry: the 54^th edition of the Grammy Awards is scheduled for 12^th February, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ranging from pop, rock, hip-hop or jazz to classical music, the awards will celebrate the most important records of 2011. Among the nominations from classical music, in the 'Best Classical Instrumental Solo' category is pianist Yuya Wang's album of works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, recorded alongside the Mahler Chamber Orchestra - which you had the opportunity to listen to on Radio Romania Music, as part of the Music Box programme. In the 'Best Orchestral Performance' category, some of the nominees are: the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conductor Gustavo Dudamel - with Brahms' Symphony No. 4, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with Martinu's The 6 Symphonies, conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. In the 'Best Classical Vocal Solo' category, the nominees are the French soprano Natalie Dessay and the American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

Chick Corea - a pianist and a composer

The legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea released on 3^rd February, with Deutsche Grammophon, two CDs which fall under the category of 'compilation' works of the American artist, and which reveal him in the double role of pianist and composer - who mixes jazz, world music, classical music, but also Latin-American sounds. The first of these albums, entitled 'The Continents', includes six works which are musical descriptions of exotic geographical regions from Africa, the two Americas, Antarctica, Asia, Australia and Europe, in the form of a Concerto For Jazz Quintet And Chamber Orchestra. Recorded with an orchestra from New York, made up of members of the 'Harlem Quartet' and 'Imani Winds' ensembles, and conducted by Steven Mercurio, the album features as soloists pianist Chick Corea, Steve Davis - trombone, Tim Garland - clarinet, Hans Glawischnig - bass and Marcus Gilmore - percussion, calling themselves The Jazz Quintet. The second album that Chick Corea released on 3^rd February is a re-recording of his CD, On Two Pianos, which he recorded live at his 1982 concert with the late pianist Nicolas Economou, born in Cyprus.