Wai
Ora
(Andy Childs)
A decade in the making, the New Zealand duo's second international release comes heaped with expectation. Luckily, it is well worth the wait. The trance-like mixing of Maori rhythms and melodies with laid-back electronica picks up from where their previous work left off. This time, though, they have added several guest spots, adding a delightful freshness to their unique sound.
Michael Tilson Thomas: Mahler Songs
(San Francisco Symphony)
Nine years after it started, the San Francisco Orchestra Grammy-winning Mahler recording series draws to a close with this collection of songs lead by musical director Michael Tilson Thomas. Both the orchestra and the voices of Thomas Hampson and Susan Graham are seamlessly aligned in this evocative collection of works; a fitting end to a much-lauded series.
