TORONTO, Canada (www.breiner.ca) - A Christmas Choral Spectacular (8.557585), an innovative collection of Christmas carols in dramatic settings, ranging from traditional carols arranged by
Peter Breiner to Breiner's own compositions was released on Naxos this month. Featuring four soloists, Breiner conducted the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, one of the finest orchestras, well known for their appearances in the world's premier venues and internationally acclaimed recordings. This recording is also available in SACD (6.110095) and DVD-AUDIO (5.110095) formats.
Even though the release is delayed in US and Canada, the CD reaches the market in other parts of the world just on time to become part of this holiday season. The entire CD is available for listening on https://christmas.sympho.ca. David Denton writes about the new recording:
'[Breiner has gone for the widest possible audience, introducing many different styles so as to provide a modern makeover to some very familiar carols. He meets popular expectations with plenty of jingles from the percussion, with catchy harmonies and orchestration for Little Jesus, sweetly sleep worthy of becoming a hit single. ...The Virgin Mary had a baby boy dressed in the guise of a spiritual, and Breiner surprising us with his restrained opening to O come, all ye faithful.'
Peter Breiner has already demonstrated his aptitude to grasp the magic of Christmas. His arrangements Christmas Goes Baroque I and II have been very popular among listeners and orchestras worldwide.
'...there is a hauntingly beautiful, almost mournful, God rest ye merry, gentlemen (no tidings of comfort or joy to be heard there). The rendition of Jingle Bells is barely recognizable, but quite clever. Other highlights include a theme-and-variations treatment of O Tannenbaum and a rollicking fugal version of Good King Wenceslas.' (DVD Review on digitallyobsessed.com)
For comprehensive catalogue of Peter Breiner's own compositions and/or his arrangements of Christmas and other music, including almost 900 symphonic arrangements, folk and pop songs as well as complete world's national anthems, visit https://catalog.sympho.ca or https://passcatalog.sympho.ca .
Peter Breiner (1957)
Breiner is a Slovak-Canadian composer, conductor, pianist and arranger. He received traditional European musical training and studied composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (former Czechoslovakia) with Prof. Alexander Moyzes, one of the most significant figures in modern Slovak music.
Breiner's clever arrangements are perhaps the best known. Breiner's arrangements of national anthems of ALL participating countries were used during the Olympic Games in Athens this year. Christmas Goes Baroque I and II is a collection of Breiner's commercially most successful Baroque arrangements together with Beatles Go Baroque and Elvis Goes Baroque.
Breiner's latest CD ' ... there must be something ...'; Peter Breiner – Complete Works for Piano Trio was released last summer on the Swiss classical music label Cascavelle (VEL 3079).
One of the world's most recorded musicians (over 100 CDs in the last 10 years), Breiner has recently conducted the world premiere of his own oratorio composition The Story (based on Biblical texts) for solos, 2 choirs and a large orchestra. Breiner's other compositions include two symphonies, orchestral, chamber and choral music.
Breiner has conducted, often doubling as a pianist, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, the Hungarian State Radio Orchestra, the Nicolaus Esterhazy Orchestra Budapest, the Polish Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra, the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra National de Lille, France, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, to mention just a few.
Peter Breiner presents his concerts and piano recitals worldwide. Most recently, he has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., in New York City, Istanbul, and London, Berlin and in Hong Kong where he also conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra three times in the last 12 months.
Breiner's plans in 2005 include a tour of 25 Japanese cities and a concert appearance conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, England.
