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Put your hands on the remote! browse music »Chimera by Michèle Sharik
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fave it Traditional | Chamber Music
14 tracks | 46 minutes
Released May 2007
on The Golden Dance
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- sample "DOWNLOAD" 02:48 Rondeau: The Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) BUY MP3 02:48 Rondeau: The Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary) "GIFT MP3" 02:48 Rondeau: The Prince of Denmark's March (Trumpet Voluntary)
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 04:44 Morning from Peer Gynt Suite BUY MP3 04:44 Morning from Peer Gynt Suite "GIFT MP3" 04:44 Morning from Peer Gynt Suite
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 04:12 Meditation on Bach's First Piano Prelude (Ave Maria) BUY MP3 04:12 Meditation on Bach's First Piano Prelude (Ave Maria) "GIFT MP3" 04:12 Meditation on Bach's First Piano Prelude (Ave Maria)
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:00 Bist Du Bei Mir BUY MP3 03:00 Bist Du Bei Mir "GIFT MP3" 03:00 Bist Du Bei Mir
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:48 March: Seventeen Come Sunday BUY MP3 03:48 March: Seventeen Come Sunday "GIFT MP3" 03:48 March: Seventeen Come Sunday
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 02:54 La Paix from Music for the Royal Fireworks BUY MP3 02:54 La Paix from Music for the Royal Fireworks "GIFT MP3" 02:54 La Paix from Music for the Royal Fireworks
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 01:10 La Rejouissance from Music for the Royal Fireworks BUY MP3 01:10 La Rejouissance from Music for the Royal Fireworks "GIFT MP3" 01:10 La Rejouissance from Music for the Royal Fireworks
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:55 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring BUY MP3 03:55 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring "GIFT MP3" 03:55 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 04:25 Trumpet Tune and Air BUY MP3 04:25 Trumpet Tune and Air "GIFT MP3" 04:25 Trumpet Tune and Air
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:13 Fantasy on 'Finlandia' (Be Still My Soul) BUY MP3 03:13 Fantasy on 'Finlandia' (Be Still My Soul) "GIFT MP3" 03:13 Fantasy on 'Finlandia' (Be Still My Soul)
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:11 Gymnopédie No. 1 from Trois Gymnopédies BUY MP3 03:11 Gymnopédie No. 1 from Trois Gymnopédies "GIFT MP3" 03:11 Gymnopédie No. 1 from Trois Gymnopédies
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 02:14 To A Wild Rose BUY MP3 02:14 To A Wild Rose "GIFT MP3" 02:14 To A Wild Rose
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:52 Relentless BUY MP3 03:52 Relentless "GIFT MP3" 03:52 Relentless
- sample "DOWNLOAD" 03:12 Shenandoah BUY MP3 03:12 Shenandoah "GIFT MP3" 03:12 Shenandoah
Handbell Solo Artist Michèle Sharik takes the listener on a journey from the Royal Courts of Baroque London to Avant-Garde America, and all points in between.
Bio / Background
If you think handbells are only for Christmas, then you haven't heard Handbell Solo Artist Michèle Sharik (pronunciation: share-ick). Internationally renowned for her graceful and flowing style, Sharik is an emerging artist in the growing genre of English handbell performance; an art that began as a popular pub activity some 400 years ago and from this humble beginning has developed into a concert performance instrument.
In Chimera (pronunciation: ky-MEER-uh), her first solo CD, Sharik takes the listener on a journey from the Royal Courts of Baroque London to Avant-Garde America, and all points in between.
In classical mythology, the chimera was a monster that had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a dragon or serpent, and like the mythical chimera, this album is comprised of various parts.
↓ more ↓The CD features varying styles of classical, modern, and traditional music played by solo handbells combined with instruments such as harp, organ, timpani, harpsichord, cello, vibraphone, piano, and string trio.
Figuratively, a chimera is a creation of the imagination, especially a wild creation. This Chimera pushes the limits of solo handbells into styles and combinations that previously have not been attempted.
Originally, English handbells were cast by the bell foundries in tuned sets for "change ringing", the practice of ringing a set of bells in every possible unrepeated sequence, to duplicate the heavy tower bells on a smaller scale. Tower ringers could practice change ringing on handbells in the warmth and comfort of a pub without disturbing the neighbors. In time, ringers began to play tunes on the bells, and it became a widespread musical art in Britain. The two world wars of the 20th century devastated the mostly-male British teams, but in the meantime handbells had spread to America, where the art survived and grew from a curiosity to the expressive and uniquely musical instrument it is today.
In a handbell ensemble, nine to thirteen musicians perform on three to five octaves of bells; as a soloist, Sharik performs alone on three and a half octaves of American-cast Malmark handbells. A visual as well as musical performer, a handbell soloist must combine the fluid grace of a dancer, the musicality of a virtuoso, and the precision of an athlete to perform on this demanding instrument.
Along with a new class of gifted musicians, Michèle is dedicated to presenting solo handbells as a concert instrument on a par with flute, harp, or piano.
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