Persichetti Harpsichord Sonatas – Appealingly Modern
If you only know the harpsichord as a 18th-century instrument, Persichetti’s sonatas can be a little disorienting. The harmonies, the counterpoint, and the melodies are all mid-20th century. It sounds...
View ArticleLászló Lajtha Orchestral Music Vol. 4 a Study of Contrasts
This installment of Naxos’ László Lajtha symphony reissues presents three sides of the composer. Wisely, the three works aren’t programmed in order. The disc leads off with Lajtha’s Symphony No. 6,...
View ArticleLászló Lajtha: Orchestral Works, Vol. 5 – A Revolutionary Symphony
Volume four of László Lajtha’s orchestral series features but one symphony — his seventh. In some way’s the 1957 “Revolution Symphony” is one of Lajtha’s most honest works (not that he was one to...
View ArticleRichard Wagner Concert Overtures Delightfully Charming
Jun Märkl and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra present a program of rarely-performed Wagner. And it’s a darned appealing program. The two concert overtures and the overture to König Enzio were...
View ArticleTishchenko Symphony No. 8 transforms Schubert
In order to fully appreciate this release, you need to have another one cued up. Boris Tishchenko continually pushed the boundaries of Soviet music. His compositions, even when they stayed on the right...
View ArticleTischenko Eighth Symphony Transformation – in unexpected ways
In order to fully appreciate this release, you need to have another one cued up. Boris Tishchenko continually pushed the boundaries of Soviet music. His compositions, even when they stayed on the right...
View ArticleClementi Monferrinas delightful piano miniatures
A monferrina is an uptempo Italian folk dance in 6/8 time. Two collections of them are featured in this collection of Clementi piano music. Clementi’s monferrinas are lively little diversions, each...
View ArticleLászló Lajtha Orchestral Music, Vol. 6 – A Fitting Finale
This release brings Naxos’ reissue series of László Lajtha symphonies to a close. If you missed the 2000 pressings on Marco Polo, these reissues are worth the investment. Lajtha finished nine...
View ArticleClementi Sonatas Show Classic Elegance
I love Naxos’ passion for completeness. It matches my own compulsion. I have no doubt that they will eventually have every piano work by Muzio Clementi available. And probably all of his orchestral...
View ArticleGeorge Dyson – Choral Symphony Shows Composer’s Promise
George Dyson’s Choral Symphony is a remarkable rediscovery. The work was written for Dyson’s Doctor of Music examination in 1917. It was dutifully evaluated (he passed), then filed away and forgotten...
View ArticleAmir Mahyar Tafreshipour – Persian Echoes
Amir Mahyar Tafreshipour isn’t the first composer to meld his cultural musical heritage into classical composition. And he does so as convincingly as Dvorak, Bartok, or De Falla (in his own style, of...
View ArticleAnother BPO Rediscovery – Vítězslav Novák
There are two things I admire about the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of JoAnn Faletta. First, their high performance standards. Even their basic repertoire recordings make you sit...
View ArticleViola Concertos by Amanda Harberg and Max Wolpert – Refreshingly Modern
I’d like to have a copy of this release readily available at all times. I would shove it into the hands of every person I heard complain about “unlistenable” modern music and demand they listen to it....
View ArticleFriedemann Eichhorn Concludes Pierre Rode Series with Elan
Friedemann Eichhorn completes his traversal of Pierre Rode’s violin concertos in fine style. Over the years Eichhorn seems to have internalized Rode’s technique, and perhaps some of his aesthetic. In...
View ArticleHavergal Brian Symphonic Series Finishes in Fine Style
The sales sheet for this release notes that “This issue completes the commercial recording of all 32 of Brian’s symphonies.” Well, that may be true, but it’s a little confusing. First, not all the...
View ArticleSão Paulo Symphony and Karabtchevsky Deliver with Villa-Lobos Symphonies, Vol. 5
Volume five of Naxos’ Villa-Lobos Symphonies features three works written for American premieres. Symphony No. 8 was completed in 1950, No. 9 in 1952, and No. 11 in 1955. Despite the five-year span,...
View ArticlePizzetti Symphony in A and Harp Concerto – neo-classical or pre-classical?
Pizzetti’s sprawling 43-minute symphony was written to commemorate the 2600th Anniversary of the Japanese Imperial Dynasty. This 1940 Symphony doesn’t have a particularly Japanese feel to it. Rather,...
View ArticleVilla-Lobos Symphonic Cycle Ends at Beginning
Naxos completes their cycle of Villa-Lobos symphonies by starting at the beginning. This final installment features Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2. Both are early works, and both are strongly influenced by...
View ArticleAlan Hovhaness – Wind Music, Vol. 3
There’s still a lot of music by Alan Hovhaness yet to be recorded. With over 450 works in his catalog, there’s plenty to choose from — and many opportunities for world premiere recordings. This...
View ArticleJohn Harbison Requiem – A Contemporary Choral Masterwork
What impressed me most listening to the Requiem was how well it all hung together. Harbison started sketching parts of it back in 1985. A version of the “Sanctus” was written in 1991 for a commission....
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