Knowing that the Memorial Day holiday is this weekend in the United States, there are fewer releases that I considered for New in Music This Week: May 22nd. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some very good ones. Take a look, put on some music and enjoy.
My top pick is:
OPERA: DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN – Dallas Symphony Orchestra / Fabio Luisi– Delos
This is not the first live recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, but that doesn’t make the undertaking any less impressive.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra performed all four of the operas in 2024. The cast included Mark Delavan as Wotan; Daniel Johansson as Siegfried; Sara Jakubiak as Sieglinde; Michael Laurenz as Mime; Lise Lindstrom as Brünnhilde; Tómas Tómasson as Alberich; Deniz Uzun as Fricka and Christopher Ventris as Siegmund.
DSO and the company are passionately led by conductor Luisi. Any company that takes on these works is setting high expectations for audiences and, with this recording, listeners.
I very much enjoyed all 15 hours of this recording. And yes, I did listen to the whole recording. That alone should tell you how compelling I feel this recording is.
Fans of this work will certainly be richly rewarded by doing the same.
Here are the other fine recordings that are New In Music This Week: May 22nd:
CLASSICAL: PETER AND THE WOLF – Los Angeles Philharmonic / Gustavo Dudamel / Viola Davis – Deutsche Grammophon
This live recording features EGOT icon Davis as the narrator for Prokofiev’s brief, but entertaining work.
Not sure there’s much else you need to know. As you know, Davis has an amazing voice and her narration of Peter and The Wolf just might lead to another Grammy Award for her already crowded mantle.
Of course, the LA Phil and Dudamel perform this music beautifully.
JAZZ: ANOTHER KIND OF BIRD – Richard Baratta – Savant Records
With all the celebrations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, it’s refreshing to have a project that looks at the work of another legend – Charlie Parker
Bandleader and drummer Richard Baratta recorded new arrangements of some of Bird’s composition for an album that feels like Bird circa 2026.
Joining him on this thoroughly satisfying album are Paul Bollenback on guitar; arranger Bill O’Connell on piano; Michael Goetz on bass; Vincent Herring on saxophone and Paul Rossman on percussion. Eric Alexander, Abraham Burton and Craig Handy – all saxophonists – are special guests.
From the opening track, Donna Lee, I was hooked. The best new approaches to classic songs are the ones that offer a deep amount of respect to the originals while freely and smartly moving that music into another time. Baratta and his fellow musicians have done exactly that with terrific results.
JAZZ: AO VIVO – Eliane Elias – Candid Records
This seems to be the week for live recordings. This album was recorded while pianist/vocalist Elias was performing at SFJAZZ in 2023. She was joined by Rafael Barata on drums; Marc Johnson on bass and Leandro Pellegrino on guitar.
Fans already know that Elias loves her Brazilian heritage and the long history of music the country has produced. This album is pure joy. From the opening track Brasil through to the concluding track, Só Danço Samba, this album is joy personified.
As a longtime fan of her work and an afficionado of Brazilian music this album will have you smiling for all 52 minutes. Brava Eliane Elias and band!
MUSICALS: PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK: THE MUSICAL – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording – Center Stage Records
This recording desperately makes me wish I had seen this musical by Hilary Bell and Greta Gertler Gold when it was performed off-Broadway late last year into mid-January of this year.
It is based on the same Joan Lindsay novel that inspired Peter Weir’s brilliant 1975 film. It tells the story of teenage girls who go to Hanging Rock in Victoria, Australia on Valentine’s Day in 1900. What began as a picnic turned into a mystery when three of the girls vanished.
Bell and Gold have written one of the most impressive new scores I’ve heard in a very long time.
Performing the score as Tatianna Córdoba, Erin Davie, Carly Rose Gendlel, Gillian Han, Alexandra Humphreys, Bradley Lewis, Kate Louissant, Marina Pires, Maddie Robert, Reese Sebastian Diaz, Lizzy Tucker, Kaye Tuckerman and Sarah Walsh.
I hope this musical has more productions. I was so seriously impressed, Picnic At Hanging Rock: The Musical that I’d travel to see it. What an impressive musical!
OPERA: EAT THE DOCUMENT – John Glover / Kelley Rourke – Bright Shiny Things
Regular Cultural Attaché readers know the value I place on Beth Morrison Projects and their annual Prototype Festival.
This opera from composer Glover and librettist Rourke was presented at the 2025 Prototype Festival. This outstanding live recording comes from that festival.
Eat the Document is based on Dana Spiotta’s novel. It takes place in the 1970s and the 1990s are looks at the consequences two leftists must live with in the 90s due to their actions in the 70s.
Amy Justman and Paul Pinto play the older version of the two characters and Danielle Buonaiuto and Tim Russell sing the younger version of them.
The cast also includes Paul Chwe MinChul An, Adrienne Danrich, Michael Kuhn and Natalie Trumm.
No opera is created in a vacuum, but the timing of this production and this week’s release of the recording certainly proves to be a thoughtful examination of current events as well as the ones depicted in the opera.
VINYL REISSUES:
JAZZ: BIRTH OF THE COOL – Miles Davis – Blue Note Tone Poet Vinyl Edition
One of the most significant albums of all time gets the vinyl upgrade as part of this year’s celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Davis. Certainly, you know this album.
This pressing was made from the original analog master tapes. Given today’s technology, I anticipate this will be the best sounding version of Birth of the Cool to date.
That’s all for New in Music This Week: May 22nd.
Enjoy your weekend!
Enjoy the music!
Note: There won’t be a New in Music column next week.
Main Photo: Part of the album art for Eat the Document
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK the musical and for your uber kind words. They lift my spirits enormously!
Thanks again,
Greta Gertler Gold
Composer, Producer
My pleasure. I do hope to get to see your musical sometime soon!