Classical Music Daily — recent articles — page 2

 

Spotlight. Fling Wide the Gates — Keith Bramich listens to Delphian Records' new recording of John Stainer's 'The Crucifixion'. '... excellent and committed performance ...'

Classical music news - Clayton Stephenson — The 2022 Cliburn finalist has been awarded a 2024 Avery Fisher career grant

Spotlight. A Lovely, Lovely Issue — Gerald Fenech recommends music by Handel and Vivaldi from Daniel Sæther and Ensemble C4. '... up there with the very best ...'

Ensemble. Serious Emotional Turmoil — Mike Wheeler finds that the ending of Opera North's 'Così fan tutte' works brilliantly

Spotlight. Highly Imaginative — Gerald Fenech warmly recommends music by Manuel de Falla and Igor Stravinsky. '... an absolute joy.'

Classical music news - March 2024 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Classical music news - A New Competition — The Tokyo Minato City International Music Competition and Workshop is being launched in 2024

Spotlight. Rare but Lovely — Gerald Fenech recommends Catalani's 'La falce'. 'Performances are excellent in every sense and Fabrizio Da Ros keeps things moving without undue fuss.'

Ensemble. A Sure Feel for Dramatic Pacing — Mike Wheeler reviews Opera North's Mascagni/Rachmaninov double bill

Spotlight. A Near Unforgettable Experience — Gerald Fenech praises Krijn Koetsveld and Le Nuove Musiche for their new Monteverdi recording. '... breathtaking precision and technical proficiency that are simply stunning.'

Ensemble. A Fascinating Mix — Mike Wheeler listens to a joint concert by Derby Cathedral Choir and Sinfonia Viva

Spotlight. A Winning Personality — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends music by Eugène Ysaÿe on the Avie Records label. '... passionate intensity and inspired brilliance ...'

Ensemble. All to Play For — Mike Wheeler listens to Bruckner's Symphony No 8 from Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra

Classical music news - Liberation Festival — Jersey's international festival of classical music and jazz runs from 9-18 May 2024

Classical music news - Wakkerstroom Music Festival — An annual classical music festival in South Africa begins later this month

Classical music news - Chandos Records — British classical record label Chandos Records has been acquired by Klaus Heymann, the founder of Naxos

Spotlight. Neither Romantic nor Modern — Gerald Fenech recommends Francesca Dego's new recording of violin concertos by Brahms and Busoni. '... splendidly recorded and annotated ...'

Classical music news - Kublai Khan — The first performances of Salieri's opera 'Cublai, gran kan de' Tartari' will take place in April 2024

Ensemble. Dazzling Virtuosity — Mike Wheeler listens to Valentin Silvestrov, Rachmaninov, Manuel de Falla and Musorgsky from Russian pianist Victor Maslov

Ensemble. A Terrific Concert — Ron Bierman listens to Gill Shaham and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafael Payare

Classical music news - Turbulent Times — The Australian Youth Orchestra goes to Tasmania for its Autumn Season Concert

Spotlight. Fire and Brimstone — Gerald Fenech marvels at Alpesh Chauhan's new Tchaikovsky recording with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra for Chandos. '... Chauhan's passionate approach is consistently vibrant, sensitive and fastidiously attentive to orchestral details.'

Classical music news. March 2024 Newsletter — Watch and listen to our March 2024 one hour video newsletter - Classical Music and Politics

A Crack in Time? — A rare Leap Day editorial from Keith Bramich

Spotlight. Grammars of Space — John Dante Prevedini explores the music of composer and multi-instrumentalist Jérôme Descamps. '... a testament to the powers available to the resourceful composer-performer in the contemporary chamber idiom.'

Spotlight. Charmfully Invigorating — Gerald Fenech listens to eighteenth century composer Boismortier's 'Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse'. 'Matthias Maute and his Ensemble Caprice deliver performances of the utmost clarity ...'

Ensemble. An Almost Physical Impact — Mike Wheeler is impressed with the return of Dinis Sousa and the Royal Northern Sinfonia to play Prokofiev, Mozart and Beethoven

Taşbebek — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Spotlight. A Wonderful Tribute — Endre Anaru praises Francesco Cera for his performance of The Well-Tempered Clavier: Part 2, Book 2. '... Cera has ascended two vast Himalayan peaks and is to be congratulated for this achievement.'

Classical music news - Weight in the Fingertips — Ukrainian-American pianist Inna Faliks' recent book tells the story of her upbringing in a Soviet state and her path to becoming a concert pianist

Ensemble. Luminous Playing — Mike Wheeler is impressed by French/German pianist Elena Fischer-Dieskau's performances of Mélanie Bonis, Robert Schumann and Rachmaninov

Spotlight. Vitality and Freshness — Gerald Fenech is delighted by Bojan Čičić and Steven Devine's recording of Handel's violin sonatas. '... infectious warmth and extraordinary dexterity ...'

Spotlight. A Great Release — Geoff Pearce appreciates Laura van der Heijden and Jâms Coleman's cello and piano recital. '... the performers do not appear to be recorded with microphones too close, which results in realistic blending, and also a feeling of distance, perhaps reflecting the distant and mysterious qualities of the moonlight.'

Spotlight. Absolute Brilliance — Gerald Fenech recommends Warner Classics' forty-two disc set of recordings by Paavo Berglund. '... a precious treasure-trove packed with musical diamonds that took twenty-seven years to complete.'

Ensemble. Something Remarkable — Mike Wheeler listens to mostly avian music from Edouardo Strausser and the CBSO

Classical music news - Jess Gillam — The British saxophonist and her ensemble join Intermusica Artists' Management Ltd

Ensemble. An Outstanding Choice — Ron Bierman is impressed by J S Bach, Barber and Haydn, played by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra led by veteran Dutch conductor Edo de Waart

Classical music news - February 2024 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Spotlight. Feverishly Exciting — Gerald Fenech ardently recommends Skrowaczewski's 2016 recording of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony. '... full of energy and emotional visionary splendour ...'

Spotlight. Some Real Gems — Geoff Pearce will return often to this recording of orchestral music by Grażyna Bacewicz. '... full of invention and surprises ...'

Spotlight. Sumptuously Fragile Sounds — Gerald Fenech joyously recommends keyboard music from Handel's home in London. 'Technically flawless performances ...'

Ensemble. A Runaway Success — Mike Wheeler listens to choral music by seven students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Classical music news. Gurwitz Winners — Yungyung Guo, Tatiana Dorokhova and Young Sun Choi win medals at the 2024 Gurwitz International Piano Competition

Spotlight. A Romantic Piano Master — Esdras Mugatik listens to Shura Cherkassky. '... a magical capacity to differentiate levels of sound ...'

Spotlight. Soul-searching Works — Gerald Fenech emphatically recommends orchestral music by Tchaikovsky. '... the singing is consistently exquisite, marvellously balanced and warmly intimate.'

Ensemble. An Expendable Frivolity? — Ron Bierman assesses San Diego Opera's production of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'

Spotlight. Unbelievably Delicate — Geoff Pearce appreciates a recording of Yoav Levanon playing Rachmaninov. '... fine performances by an exciting young pianist.'

Spotlight. Inexhaustible Genius — Gerald Fenech welcomes a new disc of sacred choral music by William Byrd. '... the singing is consistently exquisite, marvellously balanced and warmly intimate.'

Ensemble. Irresistibly Jolly — Mike Wheeler enjoys Sinfonia Viva's performance of Mozart's 'Gran Partita'

Spotlight. Most Satisfying — Geoff Pearce highly recommends Andrius Puskunigis' recording of Handel oboe concertos. 'This disc is one of the finest I have heard of an oboist playing Baroque music on a modern instrument.'

Ensemble. Appealingly Varied — Mike Wheeler listens to a cello and piano recital given by Kathryn Monteiro and Joanna Lam

Classical music news. February 2024 Newsletter and other news — Our February 2024 PDF newsletter has just been published, and amongst other items of news, we also feature a conversation between Tamami Honma and Barry Cooper

Ensemble. A Marvelous Concert in an Exceptional Setting — Ron Bierman reports on Mozart from the San Diego Symphony and Raphael Payare

Ensemble. Disarmingly Elegant — Mike Wheeler is impressed by Grieg and Chopin from British pianist Alexander Ullman

Profile. It's Art — Ron Bierman talks to Amerian opera director Kyle Lang

Zwilich — A classical music word search puzzle by Allan Rae

Classical music news. A Miraculous Achievement — Claire Marsden visits Loughborough to play the Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No 1

Spotlight. Inspired and Joyous Choral Singing — Gerald Fenech strongly recommends choral music by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn. '... stirring music from beginning to end from, maybe, the most famous siblings in nineteenth century musical history.'

Classical music news. New Releases for February 2024 and Later — Browse a selection of new recordings

Spotlight. Excavations of Meaning — John Dante Prevedini recommends song cycles by contemporary American composer Douglas Boyce. '... an unusual vision bravely conceived and sensitively executed by all involved.'

Spotlight. Sensitively Beautiful — Gerald Fenech recommends two albums from Signum Classics, marking this year's Puccini anniversary. '... an irresistible programme full of shimmering melodies ...'

Spotlight. Gripping and Engaging — Geoff Pearce enjoys music by Edvard Grieg. 'It is especially rewarding to hear the unfamiliar works that make up much of this disc.'

Spotlight. Virtuosic Flair — Gerald Fenech recommends dance music played by Daniel Hope and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. 'Daniel Hope's fiddle-playing is just phenomenal ...'

Classical music news. Obituary — Peter Schickele (1935-2024)

A Constant, Authentic Genius — Roderic Dunnett pays tribute to composer Gerard Schurmann on the centenary of his birth

 

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