In Bob Reilly’s “listener’s guide to the recovery of modern music”, Surprised by Beauty, his chapter on Martinů has always been a favorite. It endeared and properly introduced a composer to me whom I had wanted to get to know but hadn’t gotten a personal introduction to, yet. I can’t say that it was love-at-first … More Surprised by Beauty CD: A Bouquet Of Flowers From Bohuslav Martinů
Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh Symphonies!? You couldn’t find a more classic, more traditional, more time-honored, more staid coupling if you tried. … More Curtain Up For Decca Gold
Robin WALKER (b. 1953) Orchestral Music Great Rock is Dead: Funeral March (2007) [9:46] Odysseus on Ogygia: Prelude (2011) [5:27] The Stone King: Symphonic Poem (2005) [11:18] The Stone Maker: Symphonic Poem (1996) [31:42] Novaya Rossiya Symphony Orchestra/Alexander Walker rec. 2-5 September 2015, Studio 5, Russian State TV, Kultura, Moscow. TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0283 [58:13] I … More Toccata Classics Review
This article was first published on ionarts.org Elgar on the continent is a rare occurrence for a number of reasons which would be worth an essay (or five) of its own. Vienna is no different.[1] When there is an Elgar-sighting, it’s either limited to the Enigma Variations, the Second Symphony, or the Cello Concerto. Amid this … More Elgar’s Gerontius in Vienna
Switzerland—Paul Juon/Maffei Paul Juon Are you familiar with the priceless chamber music ofPaul Juon (1872– 1940)? Who? Exactly, he is unknown. The head of Toccata Classics, Martin Anderson, recommended to me a recording of Juon’s complete string quartets on two Musiques Suisses CDs (MGB 6242). Even though I have lived in Switzerland, I had never … More Switzerland
Sweden—Stenhammar/Peterson-Berger/Rangström/Atterberg Wilhelm Stenhammar As one might guess from his dates (1871–1927),Wilhelm Stenhammar was a transitional figure, who has been somewhat overlooked perhaps because his rootswere so deeply in the 19th century.However, hiswork is vindicated by its quality. His highly romantic Symphony no 2. came out the same year as Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony and Nielsen’s Fourth. … More Sweden
South Africa—John Joubert In 2007, South-African born composer John Joubert turned 80 in his adopted home in Great Britain. At his birthday’s approach, he was thinking, ‘‘I thought I’d been forgotten.’’ Not so. The occasion drew much needed attention to his music, which at that time was new to me. I was so impressed by … More South Africa
Russia—Boris Tchaikovsky Yes, there is another Tchaikovsky—Boris (no relation to Piotr), and he was an extremely fine composer. The CD of his Symphony no. 2, released on the Profil label, with Pieces for Piano (PH 10038), is a major find. This recording comes from a tape of the premiere performance in 1967 by the Moscow … More Russia
Portugal—Joly Braga Santos What defines Marco Polo as a great label is that it does things like record the complete symphonies of Portuguese composer Joly Braga Santos (1924–1988), perhaps the finest Portuguese composer of the 20th century. The last thing I would have expected from Portugal is a combination of Vaughan Williams and Sibelius, but … More Portugal
Netherlands—Julius Röntgen Were I to choose a dozen favorite chamber music CDs, one would be the RCA Red Seal issue of Julius Röntgen’s Piano Quintet; Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano; Sonata for Viola and Piano; and Sextet for strings (88697-15837). The CD is [HA11] curiously titled Right Through the Bone, because Röntgen’s brother, Wilhelm, … More Netherlands
Surprised by Beauty 