Édition 25e anniversaire, 25 comp. (CD inclus)

(CD included) Marlène Lemay, guitare
Please note that audio files from the CD are not included in the PDF format purchase option. The discount has been adjusted accordingly.

We are celebrating in 2011 the 25th anniversary of the publishing house Les Productions d'OZ.
In 2009, I invited 25 of our composers to write an original piece for this event. All of them accepted immediately, with great enthusiasm, and it was the beginning of a beautiful journey.
I entrusted my daughter, Marlène Lemay, to bring to life these compositions, both on this recording and on stage, knowing that she would display her wonderful talent. When she was born in 1990, I dedicated my guitar method to her with the citation: «To Marlène, for whom everything begins.« Today, after more than 20 years, it is 25 composers from around the world who are dedicating their pieces to her.
What could be more gratifying and stimulating for a publisher than having such a wonderful project as this, with composers, a special performer, and dear friends involved in the creation of a book and recording!
- Sylvain Lemay


Annette Kruisbrink - Tendresse
I remember reviewing d'OZ's 1000th edition some years ago and for that occasion they produced a huge publication devoted to the compositions of Annette Kruisbrink and if memory serves me correctly, I thought it to be possibly the best edition from these Canadian publishers at that particular time. Now it's celebration time once again, hence this new album which has been published to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Les Productions d'OZ. For the occasion Sylvain Lemay (the man behind d'OZ) invited 25 composers who are already in the publisher's catalogue to compose one original piece each. The end result is a collection of works from some of their best writers and which has brought forth probably some of the best music d'OZ has produced over these 25 years. The music is highly varied throughout, the many styles covering introspective and mood music, ragtime, romantic, latin, waltzes, Spanish, contemporary etc. (How apt that Annette Kruisbrink is honoured once again with concluding the album with a beautiful, understated and tender short work). It's quite impossible to separate anyone or two pieces which win the 'best of the lot', so I shan't bother. They are all very well written, attractive works in their own right and technically they range from Intermediate to high grade. The accompanying CD features Marlene Lemay (Sylvain's daughter) performing all the music in the book and she proves to be an excellent interpreter of these pieces and does them full justice with some very fine playing throughout. All the composers are written about in length at the start of the book and throughout the music is presented in the excellent quality we have come to expect from d'OZ. Finally, their 'resident' artist. Swiss-born Corina Sierk deserves to be mentioned as, over the years, she has provided some of the best, eye-catching cover artwork ever seen on music covers and surely must have contributed to sales in music shops where the editions are on display.

Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)