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Available now for 40% OFF! In 1830 Hector Berlioz created a groundbreaking, programmatic work about an artist who falls in love with a woman, becomes obsessed with her but is rejected, and eventually kills her. The Symphonie Fantastique was the first major symphony to follow a written narrative – a radical departure from the “absolute music” […]
This is one of the best “Discoveries” I’ve made so far! 840, with guitarist Enno Voorhorst, is a wonderful album! The artistry is superb, the music program couldn’t be better, and the recording quality is the best I’ve heard for a solo guitar. I’m not alone in saying it will seem like Voorhorst is in the room […]
I’ll admit, it took me a while to really dive into this classical-jazz crossover album. Is it fusion, or confusion…? Italian Double bassist and composer Enzo Pietropaoli features arrangements of traditional sacred Marian antiphons, as well as some compositions of his own. Pietropaoli is on bass, Gabriele Mirabassi on clarinet, and Michele Rabbia on percussion and […]
Sir Antony Pampano’s recent recording of Vaughan Williams’ Symphonies 5 and 9 will no doubt be one of my nominations for an album of the year nomination, so I thought it would be an excellent time to remind you of this superb release from 2021. VW’s 4 and 6 are remarkable. Instead of folk melodies […]
Here is an album that’s been out for a while, and I think it’s been overlooked. Rachmaninoff was the last major Romantic composer according to folks who decide these things. I’m not sure. Comparing Rachmaninoff with even Stravinsky has convinced me that Rachmaninoff was more than capable with some surprising sounds, while Stravinsky wasn’t always doing […]
Bartok’s story is a fascinating one. His music was modern, but also very much influenced by Hungarian folk music. He and his wife came to the US in 1940 to escape the war. He became a US Citizen in 1945, shortly before his death, but never felt all that comfortable away from Hungary. It was […]
I’ve been a fan of James Gaffigan’s cycle of Prokofiev Symphonies, and so is my colleague, Rushton Paul. Here’s a link to his very fine discussion of Prokofiev’s symphonies and Gaffigan’s recordings. These are all available from NativeDSD. But there’s a new contender for my favorites — Gianandrea Noseda’s recordings with the LSO! No, he hasn’t finished […]
Ivan Fischer’s recordings of the Mahler Symphonies have been very well received, and this one is no exception. In fact it erases any doubt that the 7th is totally Mahlerian in its power and it’s surprises. And there are surprises galore! Cowbells, quotes from Mozart, a joyful climax– perhaps Gustav is having us on […]
Listen and fall in love as two world-class artists make this album of French art songs by Debussy and Messiaen into something magical. Magdalena Kazena’s voice is intimate, sensual, and rich with feeling. Mitsuko Uchida’s accompaniment is a perfect partnership. Together, they make these songs mesmerizing. I was instantly transported to a dreamlike setting. Featured […]
Richard Strauss straddled the 19th and 20th centuries and was a towering figure in late romantic and early modern music. I enjoy his tone poems so I was especially glad to discover these two orchestral suites from Strauss operas, performed by Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Rosenkavalier suite was created by Artur […]
Musical instruments from the Baroque era were often quite different than modern counterparts. I don’t know why the trombone’s ancestor is called a sackbut, but I don’t know why the modern instrument is called a trombone. They’re both funny names. But, the viola da gamba is not a funny name! The family has 7 different […]
You might recall my praise for Martin Helmchen’s recording of Piano Concertos by Dvorak and Schumann a few weeks back. On this recently released double set, Helmchen is joined by his wife, cellist Marie-Elisabeth Heckler in an album of cello sonatas entitled From Eastern Europe. And what a program it is! Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, […]