Astrid Angvik, formerly associated with the Naxos Group, launches a new record label, Azure Sky. Angvik says: « My aim with Azure Sky is to use ‘blue sky thinking’ to present classical recordings to a modern, digital audience, and we have some interesting initiatives in store. It was not really my plan to do this, but having been contacted by several wonderful artists with a request to ‘do something’ – well, here we are! »
And she continues, « The traditional image of the classical/jazz aficionado as a white, middle-aged man browsing local record shops is outdated. Today’s audience is younger, genre-agnostic, culturally diverse, and gender-equal, and they deserve a record label that reflects their tastes”,
The journey begins with Back to Bach, featuring the first album released today: the Goldberg Variations, performed by Montenegrin virtuoso pianist and KotorArt Festival founder Ratimir Martinović. He will follow next year with a reimagined, new take on the Goldbergs Variations, in a very different arrangement.
On All Saints’ Day, the 1st of November, the label will start releasing Bach’s complete Chorales arranged for piano, recorded by French pianist Nicolas Horvath, in a fresh, intimate setting. This project presents 371 daily chorales, offering a structured yearlong journey through Bach’s masterful harmonies and spiritual depth.
Moreover, in January 2025, Armenian pianist Hayk Melikyan will present Bach’s Choral Preludes alongside transcriptions of beloved works.
Azure Sky has more exciting projects lined up, including Magical Moon, which will feature monthly releases of celestial-themed pieces performed by Carl Petersson, and an album of piano works by Danish composer Lars A. Bisgaard, both in October. The first single from the Moon-themed series, Max’s Lunar Lullaby, is composed by award-winning guitarist Marek Pasieczny for Petersson. Additionally, Hong Kong-born, Toronto-based pianist Stanford Cheung has recorded an album featuring works from contemporary Japanese composers, including Ryuichi Sakamoto.
