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Classical Music Daily — recent articles — page 2

 

Ensemble. Poise and Sensitivity — Mike Wheeler listens to baroque choral music by J S Bach, Handel and Purcell

Classical music news. Obituary — Philippe Boesmans (1936-2022)

Ensemble. An Interesting Contamination of Genres — Giuseppe Pennisi reports from the first Italian performance of 'The Passion according to St Mark' by contemporary Polish composer Paweł Mykietyn

Classical music news. Obituary — Karl Korte (1928-2022)

CD Spotlight. Magical Brilliance — Gerald Fenech listens to orchestral music by Ravel. '... wonderfully detailed accounts that reveal all of Ravel's orchestral finesse and deft harmonic touches.'

CD Spotlight. Thoroughly Delightful — Geoff Pearce listens to chamber music by Poulenc. '... the performers are all very fine ...'

Ensemble. Conceived for TV — Giuseppe Pennisi experiences Teatro dell'Opera di Roma's 'La bohème'

CD Spotlight. Incomparable Musical Beauty — Gerald Fenech listens to Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius' from Carnegie Hall. '... a precious addition to this acclaimed treasure trove of historic recordings ...'

CD Spotlight. On the Border between Innovation and Experimentation — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to music by Giacinto Scelsi. '... possessed by sounds, trapped in fingertips that are constantly forced to move.'

Classical music news. Obituary — Boris Brott (1944-2022)

CD Spotlight. Challenging in the Extreme — Symphonies by Brazilian composer Claudio Santoro, heard by Gerald Fenech. '... passionately and intensely executed by Neil Thomson and his Brazilian ensemble, the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra.'

CD Spotlight. A Verdi Avenue — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Francesco Meli. '... a demonstration of Meli's ability but also of his genuine love for Verdi ...'

Classical music news. Obituary — Lyell Cresswell (1944-2022)

CD Spotlight. An Immense Achievement — The final disc in Naxos' series of John Philip Sousa wind band music, recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... Keith Brion and his players do themselves proud with some superb playing full of dash and swagger ...'

Classical music news. April 2022 Newsletter — Watch and listen to our April 2022 newsletter

Ensemble. Assumed Identities and Mis-matched Couples — Mike Wheeler reviews Tim Albery's production of Handel's 'Alcina' for Opera North

Ensemble. Two Performances of 'Turandot' in Rome — Giuseppe Pennisi attended one and saw the other on TV

Ensemble. A Real Celebration — Mike Wheeler listens to Dvořák, Bruch and Brahms

CD Spotlight. A Spicy, Sexy Comedy — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Saint-Saëns' 'Phryné'. '... a very happy discovery where Greek myth marries French opéra comique.'

Classical music news - The Usedom Music Festival — A German music festival features three concerts with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra

Ensemble. Original and Impressive — Geoff Pearce listens to Adrian Williams' Symphony No 1

Profile. Andriy Lehki — John Dante Prevedini interviews Ukrainian musicologist Andriy Lehki about his undelivered 24 February 2022 lecture, 'Minimalism - The Pathway to Success'

CD Spotlight. Bruckner the Trumpet — Gerald Fenech listens to Bruckner's Symphony No 3, transposed for organ. '... Hansjörg Albrecht's renditions of these spectacular transcriptions by Erwin Horn are absolutely flawless.'

CD Spotlight. Unjustly Neglected — Geoff Pearce listens to Enescu chamber music. '... a very fine recording ...'

CD Spotlight. Captivatingly Melodic — Gerald Fenech admires Tatjana Ruhland's playing of August Eberhard Müller flute concertos. 'Tatjana Ruhland ... is, in every sense of the word, a 'sorceress' of the instrument ...'

Ensemble. Symbolism and Realism — Mike Wheeler experiences Opera North's new production of Verdi's 'Rigoletto'

CD Spotlight. Uncloaking a Sonic Universe — John Dante Prevedini listens to Rebeca Omordia's album 'African Pianism'. '... a compact, balanced and vital gateway to the work of African composers in the Western classical tradition ...'

CD Spotlight. A Spirit of Newfound Confidence — Gerald Fenech listens to the last instalment of Andris Nelsons' Bruckner cycle for Deutsche Gramophon. 'Nelsons goes straight to the heart of this quite divinely inspired music with confidence and conviction ...'

Classical music news - March 2022 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

CD Spotlight. Utterly Beautiful — Nadejda Vlaeva plays piano music by Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov, delighting Roderic Dunnett. '... a notably original disc ... well worth exploring.'

Ensemble. Simply Outstanding — Mike Wheeler is impressed by performances of Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Myroslav Skoryk from Patricia Kopatchinskaya, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Profile. Behind the Words and Between the Lines — Ron Bierman talks to Canadian conductor Yves Abel

Ensemble. Eloquently Projected — Mike Wheeler is impressed by the Fitzroy Quartet's performance of music by Haydn, Mozart, James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt and Beethoven

CD Spotlight. Important Women Composers — British music by Ethel Smyth, Susan Spain-Dunk, Constance Warren and Ruth Gipps, heard by Gerald Fenech. '... performances of the highest calibre, combining irrepressible beauty and fragility with technical mastery that brings out all the suavity of these sophisticated creations.'

CD Spotlight. Helen (without Troy) — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Johann Simon Mayr's 'Elena'. 'Even if I doubt that this Elena will ever be staged again, this CD is a good way to appreciate Mayr's strengths and weaknesses.'

Classical music news. No Russian Music? — Should we ban Tchaikovsky because of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine?

CD Spotlight. Much to Enjoy — Violin concertos by Vivaldi, Locatelli and Leclair senior delight Gerald Fenech. 'Théotime Langlois de Swarte despatches these pieces with glorious dexterity, and the freshness of his playing is so engaging that you never tire of listening.'

CD Spotlight. A Marvellous Set — Geoff Pearce listens to the Sibelius symphonies, played by the Oslo Philharmonic and Klaus Mäkelä. 'The Oslo Philharmonic responds magnificently to the direction and vision of Klaus Mäkelä.'

CD Spotlight. Finely Wrought — Symphonies by Johann Baptist Vaňhal, recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Michael Halász conducts with the usual panache, drawing committed performances full of zest and swagger from the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra.'

CD Spotlight. The Selflessness of Schütz — John Dante Prevedini listens to music by Heinrich Schütz and some of his contemporaries. '... a deeply satisfying listening experience ...'

CD Spotlight. Exhilarating from Start to Finish — Gerald Fenech listens to suites of incidental music by Arthur Sullivan. 'Andrew Penny is an enthusiastic advocate of this composer, and his lively and beautifully shaped interpretations are a treat to the ear.'

Classical music news. March 2022 New Releases — Browse a large selection of new recordings

CD Spotlight. An Operatic Oratorio — Attilio Ariosti's 'La Profezia d'Eliseo', recommended by Giuseppe Pennisi. 'The rendering is very good: ensemble and singers are Baroque specialists.'

Ensemble. Changing Moods — Mike Wheeler listens to a talk about, then a performance of, Elgar's Symphony No 1

Listening to Tchaikovsky — Béla Hartmann asks some searching questions about the pressure being placed on Russian artists following Putin's invasion of Ukraine

CD Spotlight. A Thrilling, Epic Quality — Gerald Fenech listens to Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 0, 'Die Nullte'. 'The Bruckner Orchester Linz plays superbly throughout and Markus Poschner's enthusiasm for this music allows him to reveal details of orchestration that, maybe, were hitherto missed.'

Ensemble. Three Contemporary Ballets in Rome — Giuseppe Pennisi was in the audience for 'Herman Schmerman', 'Walking Mad' and 'From Afar', to music by Thom Willems, Maurice Ravel, Arvo Pärt and Ezio Bosso

Classical music news. March 2022 Newsletter — Watch and listen to our March 2022 newsletter

Ensemble. Complete Assurance — Mike Wheeler listens to Mozart, Debussy and Prokofiev, played by Ke Ma

Ensemble. The Magical Countertenor Voice — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to Raffaele Pé

CD Spotlight. Many Fine Moments — Geoff Pearce listens to Richard Strauss played by the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble. '... a fine disc of works which are not recorded so often ...'

CD Spotlight. Songs of Stevenson — Roderic Dunnett listens to a recital by Scottish bass Brian Bannatyne-Scott. '... a notably original disc ... well worth exploring.'

CD Spotlight. Highly Romantic — Gerald Fenech listens to orchestral music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. '... this re-issue still sounds fresh and lively, credit to Adrian Leaper's advocacy for this fine music ...'

In Memoriam – Joseph Horovitz (1926-2022) — Malcolm Miller writes about the British Vienna-born composer, conductor, pianist and teacher

Ensemble. A Fascinatingly Piquant Sound-world — Music for saxophone and harp, heard by Mike Wheeler

CD Spotlight. Touching Moments that Stir the Soul — Gerald Fenech listens to J S Bach, Buxtehude and Schütz, performed by Iestyn Davies and colleagues. 'The richness of the music is matched by the glorious singing and playing of Jonathan Cohen's team ...'

Ensemble. A Compelling Intimacy — Mike Wheeler listens to Beethoven and Berlioz from Stephen Waarts, the Hallé Orchestra and Maxime Pascal

Ensemble. Modern Madrigals in the Seventeenth Century — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to vocal music by Gesualdo and some of his contemporaries

CD Spotlight. Preserving Byrd's Momentum — John Dante Prevedini listens to William Byrd's keyboard music, played by Friederike Chylek. 'In every one of Chylek's interpretations, I hear an uncommonly sober balance of emotional expressiveness with technical clarity ...'

CD Spotlight. Noble Grief — Music from Leonard Slatkin and his family, heard by Gerald Fenech. '... legendary renditions full of mesmerizing violin playing ...'

CD Spotlight. A Series of Polished Gems — Roderic Dunnett listens to chamber, instrumental music and songs by Gerard Schurmann. 'This is one of the most enchanting, fragile, flawless song cycles I have ever heard, anywhere.'

Ensemble. A Wide Chronological and Stylistic Range — Mike Wheeler listens to British pianist George Harliono

CD Spotlight. Posthumous Idolisation — Gerald Fenech begs you to buy Warner Classics' box set of recordings by Romanian violinist Johanna Martzy. '... legendary renditions full of mesmerizing violin playing ...'

CD Spotlight. Beauty and Emotional Depth — Geoff Pearce recommends Schubert's 'Winterreise', performed by Mark Padmore and Paul Lewis. '... everything that I could wish for ...'

Ensemble. A Rare Bird — Verdi's 'Luisa Miller', heard by Giuseppe Pennisi

 

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