Christmas Carols, SWR Vokalensemble, M. Creed
(released on August 10, 2020)
SWR Classic SWR19094CD | 59’10”
How keenly music’s absence is felt during the pandemic struck me recently listening to this little disc. It is nothing spectacular in terms of programming: an hour’s worth of English Christmas carols. The singing is excellent, done in beautiful sound by the SWR Vokalensemble, about thirty
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/2FsKJWV
via IFTTT
Erik Satie, Vexations
Noriko Ogawa (piano)
(BIS)
Erik Satie’s Vexations is an aptly named work that you have to have heard in order to know that you’ll never need to have heard it. Simple, repetitive, and demanding endurance from the performer, not skill.
18 notes, harmonized, inverted. Just one page of brutalist-simplistic music, but rinsed and repeated – by disingenuous fiat of
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/3fKfQJX
via IFTTT
Another Vivaldi Edition Violin Concerto Must-Have
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
Unless you are a cetologist, all whales of a species look alike to you. The seasoned eye, meanwhile, will take one glance at a disappearing dorsal fin and immediately conclude: “Oh, look, there’s Laura!” Same thing with Vivaldi violin concertos: The more we indulge, the
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/30dNemD
via IFTTT
Best Remembrance Of Hans Zender
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
Composer/conductor Hans Zender, who died last October (2019), is better known for his “composed re-composition” of Schubert’s Winterreise than for any of his other work. That’s not to sell those other “original” compositions short, or his work as a conductor (a fine Mahler Ninth and
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/2OmOpLa
via IFTTT
Haydn & The Harp: Light Delights
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
“Haydn and the Harp” is a delightful disc of music written for the harp based on works and themes of Haydn by the composer’s contemporaries, as well as compositions of Haydn’s where the harp can (or was always meant to) be an alternative to the piano. All the music is tied in some way to
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/2OeYCJp
via IFTTT
Mayseder: A Viennese Bridge Between Classical And Romantic
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
The late classical/early romantic Viennese composer Joseph Mayseder is a wonderful discovery whose music is being methodically made available by the Gramola label. He was the concertmaster of the predecessor of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and of the Wiener
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/2DrmyHp
via IFTTT
Margherita Torretta: Bang-On Scarlatti From Out Of Nowhere
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
Scarlatti recitals on the piano are no longer a rarity, but really great ones still are. Since Horowitz’s groundbreaking disc, outstanding recordings have been made by Mikhail Pletnev, bursting-with-wilful fantasy, Ivo Pogorelich absorbed in his dynamic
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/2DiQG7O
via IFTTT
Granitic Enoch Arden From Bruno Ganz And Kirill Gerstein
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
Monodramas are tricky to pull off. The text has to be very good and the music has to be better still, to fulfill its dual duty of underscoring the drama and offering enough interest on its own, when it does pipe up. The results vary: from the rare best, like the
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/3bgisgF
via IFTTT
Self-Serving Schumann And Lovely Piatti World Premieres
Review by: Jens F. Laurson
Artistic Quality: ?
Sound Quality: ?
This new release of the Schumann Cello Concerto purports to be the premiere recording of its absolute original version–a faithful reconstruction of the 1850 “Concertstück”. After cellist Josephine Knight found the autograph in Krakow, she set about to discern the
from Ionarts https://ift.tt/3c8mqZI
via IFTTT
