Classical Music Daily — recent articles — page 2
CD Spotlight. Innermost Tenderness — Gerald Fenech listens to arias by Johann Joseph Fux. 'Maria Ladurner is an inspired and impassioned advocate of Fux's music, and her supreme performances have a thrilling realism that brings out all the contrasting timbres of this fragile yet gravitas-filled music.'
CD Spotlight. The Roaring Twenties — Giuseppe Pennisi listens to the first complete recording of Reynaldo Hahn's 'Ô mon bel inconnu'. '... a period-piece that, musically, can be very much enjoyed today ...'
CD Spotlight. Truly Revelatory — Music by English composer Cipriani Potter, highly recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Howard Griffiths and his BBC National Orchestra of Wales players deliver electrifying performances full of rhythmic vitality and lyrical warmth ...'
Ensemble. Robert, Clara and the Others — Giuseppe Pennisi reports on an Accademia Filarmonica Romana concert in Rome
CD Spotlight. Dramatic Potency and Marvellous Clarity — Gerald Fenech listens to piano music by German-born Danish composer Friedrich Kuhlau. 'Marie-Luise Bodendorff is an inspired and enthusiastic interpreter of this rare but lovely repertoire ...'
CD Spotlight. An Exemplary Partnership — Geoff Pearce is impressed by Mozart Violin Sonatas transcribed and played by oboist Olivier Stankiewicz, accompanied by Jonathan Ware. '... the performances here are astounding.'
Classical music news. Obituary — Ester Mägi (1922-2021)
CD Spotlight. A Unique Orchestral Mastery — Music by Walter Braunfels, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Gregor Bühl ... marshalls his forces with full-blooded conviction, and his orchestra responds brilliantly to Braunfels' luscious musical language ...'
CD Spotlight. A Master of Improvisation — Music by Roland Dyens played by Anna Mnich and recommended by Geoff Pearce. 'The guitarist is clean in her execution, sympathetic in her musical treatment and her harmonics are flawless.'
Ensemble. A Fitting Environmentalist Update — Adam J Sacks listens to Prokofiev in Hong Kong
Ensemble. A Quartet of Jubilation — Vocal music by Wagner and Richard Strauss, streamed from Germany and enjoyed by Maria Nockin
CD Spotlight. Modernity and Sweeping Power — Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony on period instruments impresses Gerald Fenech. '... Beethoven's intended instrumental balances and effects are brought alive once more in revelatory fashion.'
Ensemble. A Conductor's Opera — Giuseppe Pennisi enjoys a streamed/televised production of Verdi's 'Luisa Miller' from Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
CD Spotlight. A True Rarity — Adolphe Adam's ballet 'La filleule des fées', heard by Gerald Fenech. '... brilliant orchestration, some knock-out tunes and an abundance of rhythmic energy.'
Ensemble. Parsifal's Jail — Giuseppe Pennisi reports on Richard Wagner's 'Parsifal', streamed from Vienna State Opera
CD Spotlight. The Perfect Musical Mixture — Gerald Fenech listens to music by Johann Rosenmüller. 'Gregor Meyer and his forces give disciplined yet highly laudable performances, and their commitment to the cause is spirited and vibrant.'
CD Spotlight. Violin Concertos with Oriental Flavors — Ona Jarmalavičiūtė listens to music by Nai-Chung Kuan and Joel Hoffman. '... a new musical experience ...'
CD Spotlight. Technical Brilliance — James Willshire plays piano music by Cecil Coles and Gustav Holst, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'James Willshire is renowned for his virtuosity and intelligence of his keyboard mastery, and all this is on display in this recital.'
CD Spotlight. Highly Characterful and Dynamic — Lucas Ball listens to Beethoven from Igor Levit and Xiaohan Wang. '... most of what this CD has to offer is top notch ...'
Ensemble. Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Re-opens — Giuseppe Pennisi was in a box for the opening night
Ensemble. Figaro via Laugh-in — Ron Bierman reviews San Diego Opera's parking-lot production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'
Classical music news. Streaming, Downloads and CDs — Classical Music Daily's May 2021 Newsletter has just been published as a video podcast
CD Spotlight. A Journey of Unending Delights — Music by Paul Wranitzky impresses Gerald Fenech. 'The Neumeyer Consort's performances display a mastery of Boismortier's language that is just astonishing ...'
CD Spotlight. History of an Ancient Town — Music by Paul Hindemith, heard by Geoff Pearce. 'This excellent disc has strong performances by orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists.'
Ensemble. The Right Touch — Gaetano Donizetti's 'The Elixir of Love', reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi
Ensemble. Rollicking Comedy — Maria Nockin reports from San Diego Opera's drive-in performances of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'
Classical music news. Obituary — Christa Ludwig (1928-2021)
CD Spotlight. A Prodigious Compositional Career — Gerald Fenech listens to music by French baroque composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. 'The Neumeyer Consort's performances display a mastery of Boismortier's language that is just astonishing ...'
Ensemble. Pelléas in the Waters — Giuseppe Pennisi experiences a new Italian production of Debussy's opera via TV
CD Spotlight. A Lovely Gesture — Stephen Francis Vasta listens to Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons' last concert. 'The home listener, even without visual evidence, can sense that all was not well.'
CD Spotlight. A Dazzling Career and a Dissolute Life — Two versions of Alessandro Stradella's serenata 'La Circe', reviewed by Gerald Fenech. 'Estevan Velardi executes this rare programme with exceptional insight and skill ...'
Classical music news - April 2021 Obituaries — Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month
CD Spotlight. Exciting and Superbly Executed — Franz Schreker's opera 'Der ferne Klang', highly recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Sebastian Weigle conducts this stirring but difficult work with wonderful intuition, bringing out all the luscious orchestral beauty with disarming clarity.'
A Thriller about a Score — Giuseppe Pennisi explores a new critical edition of Palestrina's 'Missa Papae Marcelli'
CD Spotlight. The Voice of Nature — John Dante Prevedini listens to music by contemporary Latvian composer Santa Ratniece. '... the intelligence of the earth itself ...'
CD Spotlight. Different Worlds — Haydn symphonies, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'György Vashegyi ... conducts these absolutely sparkling pieces with formidable authority and unbridled zeal ... and his players respond with some utterly warm performances, brimming with bouncy wit and humour yet equally incisive drive.'
CD Spotlight. A Jewel Box of Opera Rarities — Giuseppe Pennisi explores a CD set marking the Orfeo International label's first forty years. '... at least two masterpieces emerge ...'
CD Spotlight. Recommended by Mozart — Georg Anton Benda's melodrama 'Medea', reviewed by Gerald Fenech. 'Katharina Thalbach is overwhelmingly effective as the narrator, while Marcus Bosch's conducting is intensely committed, capturing all the seething complexities of love, betrayal and revenge, grappling in Medea's heart and mind, with electrifying exuberance.'
CD Spotlight. Beautifully Crafted — Geoff Pearce listens to Lieder by Swiss composers Hans Schaeuble, Frank Martin, Peter Mieg, Othmar Schoeck and Arthur Honegger. '... one of the loveliest discs I have ever heard.'
CD Spotlight. One of Rameau's Greatest Works — The opera 'Dardanus' impresses Gerald Fenech. 'György Vashegyi paces his forces with meticulous mastery, and his thorough knowledge of the score enables him to bring to the listener all the felicitous nuances of this imaginative music.'
Ensemble. In the Easter Egg — Giuseppe Pennisi takes a critical look at two April 2021 performances of Verdi's 'La Traviata'
Ensemble. A Call from On High — Mike Wheeler listens to the Sinfonia Viva Brass Quintet
Ensemble. Enthralling Sound Colours — Malcolm Miller listens to young violinist Michael Foyle's recital of Beethoven, Brahms and Kreisler in London
Profile. Donald Nally — Ona Jarmalavičiūtė talks to American choral conductor Donald Nally, director of The Crossing
CD Spotlight. High Romanticism — Paul Sarcich discovers the music of Robert Kahn. 'Ensemble Émigré have done fine service to Kahn ...'
Ensemble. Cancel Culture and a Cryptic Message — Adam J Sacks listens to the Hong Kong Sinfonietta
CD Spotlight. A Strange Beauty — Symphonies by Daniel Jones, heard by Geoff Pearce. 'The BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra delivers fine performances, as does the direction of its conductor, Bryden Thomson.'
Ensemble. Easter Concerts — Giuseppe Pennisi experiences two recent performances broadcast on Italian TV
CD Spotlight. Natural Talents — Gerald Fenech listens to Easter cantatas by Baroque German composer Christoph Graupner. 'Christian Bonath and his team give these baroque choral gems the ideal exposure, and reveal them to be the masterpieces they truly are in performances of inspirational nobility and incomparable beauty.'
Classical music news. Obituary — Simon Bainbridge (1952-2021)
Classical music news. Obituary — Jane Manning (1938-2021)
A Delius Cookbook — Mike Wheeler reports on unusual rumours from Grez-sur-Loing in France
Classical music news. Creativity, Innovation and Re-invention — Classical Music Daily's April 2021 Newsletter has just been published as a video podcast
CD Spotlight. An Important Discovery — Georg Philipp Telemann's Markus-Passion 1759, reviewed by Giuseppe Pennisi. 'Hermann Max, a specialist not only of baroque but especially of Georg Philipp Telemann, conducts Das Kleine Konzert with rigor and flair as well as emphasis on the dramatic impact of the recitatives and on the moral content of the arias.'
Ensemble. Deadly Sins — Giuseppe Pennisi reports on a Weill/Brecht double bill from La Scala Milan
CD Spotlight. Most Welcome — Gerald Fenech listens to French piano duets. 'Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne, two of Britain's foremost pianists, give matchless performances, and their virtuosic brilliance and unique sensitivity to the many nuances of these scores are an absolute joy to listen to.'
Ensemble. Questionable Stage Direction — Giuseppe Pennisi reviews Riccardo Muti's 'Così fan tutte' at Teatro Regio di Torino
Ensemble. Elegant and Innovative — Giuseppe Pennisi experiences Teatro dell'Opera di Roma's Homage to Stravinsky
CD Spotlight. Performed at the Vauxhall Gardens — Symphonies by eighteenth century British composer John Abraham Fisher, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Michael Halász and his Czech team are in exuberant form and their pleasantly flowing performances bring out all the charm, wit and cheerfulness of this lovely music.'
Ensemble. Colourful and Inventive — A streamed performance of a wind arrangement of 'Pictures From an Exhibition' from Derby's Joseph Wright Gallery, reviewed by Mike Wheeler
Classical music news - Vienna Deadline — There are a few more days to apply for the 2021 Vienna International Music Competition
CD Spotlight. Mascagni in a New Garb — Gerald Fenech recommends a new recording of Pietro Mascagni's 'Iris'. 'Krieger's exhilarating conducting draws from both his singers and players some truly sublime performances, full of unbridled enthusiasm.'
Ensemble. Half and Half — Giuseppe Pennisi is not entirely convinced by Teatro San Carlo di Napoli's new production of Gioacchino Rossini's 'Il Turco in Italia'
CD Spotlight. Absolutely Fantastic — Music by Schnittke for violin and piano, recommended by Geoff Pearce. 'The performances are great all round, and this is a useful addition to anyone's collection.'
CD Spotlight. Miniature Gems — Gerald Fenech listens to music by two neglected Italian Baroque composers - Alessandro Stradella and Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori. '... precise yet stylish playing ...'
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