Classical CD Reviews
‘The Eleanor Hovda Collection’ = ELEANOR HOVDA: Ariadne Music; Coastal Traces; Sound Around the Sound; Excavations – var. performers – Innova (4 CDs)Published on May 14, 2012
A dense organic blend that sounds like New Age meets Stockhausen.
HARTY: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2; Piano Quintet – Goldner String Quartet/ Piers Lane, p. – HyperionPublished on May 14, 2012
An ensemble of gifted Australian musicians collaborate beautifully to introduce us to the fertile imagination of Hamilton Harty’s chamber works.
BEETHOVEN: The Late String Quartets – Cypress String Quartet – Cypress Performing Arts (3 CDs)Published on May 13, 2012
An excellent traversal by an enthusiastic ensemble.
RAFFAELE BELLAFRONTE: ‘Arakathalama’ = Nights in Broadway; Midnight plays; Desaccòrd; Blue; Passi; Cristalli di sale; Oasi alle mente; Arakathalama – var. performers – StradivariusPublished on May 11, 2012
A sort of likable tension throughout, if you like tension.
BACH: St. John Passion (1725 version) – Soloists/ La Furia Ensemble/ Concerto d’Amsterdam/ Nico van der Meel – Quintone 08001 (2 CDs)Published on May 10, 2012
The changes are controversial even now, but Bach’s one-off version of St. John is an illuminating walk down the composer’s thought processes.
CHISHOLM: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 – Danny Driver, p./ BBC Scottish Sym. Orch./Rory MacDonald – HyperionPublished on May 10, 2012
An infusion of Scottish folk tunes and Hindustani music make these two twentieth century piano concertos attractive and different.
“Air—The BACH Album”: Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D, BWV 1068; Violin Concerto No. 1 in a; Violin Concerto No. 2 in E; Largo from Concerto for Harpsichord in f; Concerto for Two Violins in d; Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod) – Anne Akiko Meyers, violin/ English Ch. Orch./ Steven Mercurio – E1 MusicPublished on May 10, 2012
Meyers’s album re-establishes her credentials in a superb reading of the three Bach concertos.
GRIEG: 20 Lyric Pieces – David Rubinstein, piano – MusicusPublished on May 07, 2012
A generous portion from Grieg’s books of Lyric Pieces makes a diverse showcase for David Rubinstein’s pianistic gifts.
‘ARTIFACTS’ = Works by BRIGHT SHENG, JOEL PUCKETT, MICHAEL DAUGHERTY, WM. BOLCOM – U. of Mich. Sym. Band – Equilibrium RecordsPublished on May 07, 2012
Wind ensemble fans should find these “artifacts!”
YORK BOWEN: Violin Suite; Cello Sonata; Violin Sonata in e; Viola Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Phantasy – Endymion Ensemble/ James Boyd, viola/ Bengt Forsberg, p. – Dutton Epoch (2 CDs)Published on May 04, 2012
Dutton continues its “epoch” Bowen series with a fine packaging of two important releases.