Archive for the ‘The New Classical’ Category
Monday, December 29th, 2014
Trio Mediaeval Aquilonis ECM Records 2416 We’re enjoying the holidays abetted by Aquilonis, the latest ECM recording by vocal group Trio Mediaeval. The disc contains several carols from 15th Century England and Scandinavian folksongs. Its varied program also encompasses 12th Century lauds from Italy contrasted by pieces from Iceland: excerpts of the Office of St. Thorlak.There is […]
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Saturday, December 20th, 2014
Congratulations to New York Polyphony for receiving their second Grammy nomination for a Christmas CD, Sing Thee Nowell (BIS). It includes pieces from the Renaissance, traditional holiday classics, and new compositions by Andrew Smith, John Scott, and Michael McGlynn. Like all of their previous CDs, the programmed works are superlatively performed and thoughtfully interpreted. Last […]
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Tags: BIS Records, Grammy Nomination, New York Polyphony, Sing Thee Nowell
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Friday, December 5th, 2014
Tre Voci Works by Debussy, Takemitsu, and Gubaidulina Marina Piccinini, Flute; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Sivan Magen, harp ECM New Series CD 2345 One of his last completed works, Claude Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1915) has been variously construed as a crystallization of Impressionism into a neoclassical mold, a nod to Debussy’s […]
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Tags: Debussy, ECM, Gubaidulina, Takemitsu, Tre Voci
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Friday, December 5th, 2014
Music of Peter Lieberson Volume 3 Piano Concerto No. 3 Viola Concerto Stephen Beck, piano; Roberto Diaz, viola; Odense Symphony Orchestra, Scott Yoo, conductor Peter Lieberson (1946-2011) was a composer capable of creating affecting works in a wide range of styles. He was well known for collaborations with his wife, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; […]
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Tags: Bridge Records, CD Review, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, musical america, Odense Symphony., Peter Lieberson, Scott Yoo
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Sunday, November 23rd, 2014
Crazy Weather BMOPsound 1038 As evidenced by Crazy Weather, Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s latest recording of music by Scott Wheeler, the composer really knows his way around percussive sounds. Even on pieces for strings like the title track, there is the ‘thwack’ of pizzicatos and bow slaps to help propel the proceedings. Pacing is another […]
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Monday, November 17th, 2014
Lei Liang Bamboo Lights JACK Quartet; Rootstock Percussion; Cicada Chamber Ensemble; musicians from soundSCAPE; Awea Duo; The Callithumpian Consort, Stephen Drury, conductor Bridge 9425 CD [soundcloud url=”http://soundcloud.com/psny/lei-liang-listening-for”] Composer Lei Liang knows how to pick performers; or perhaps, wisely, they select his works. Either way, when their paths cross, as they do here on a […]
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Tags: Bridge Records, CD Review, Lei Liang
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Tuesday, November 11th, 2014
Helen Grime Night Songs Lynsey Marsh, clarinet; Hallé Orchestra and Hallé Soloists; Sir Mark Elder and Jamie Phillips, conductors NMC Recordings NMCD 199 Helen Grime is Associate Composer of the Hallé Orchestra. The ensemble has given her a generous portrait CD on NMC with excellent performances of both chamber and orchestral works, all composed […]
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Tags: CD Review, Helen Grime, NMC Recordings, The New Classical
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Wednesday, October 1st, 2014
German cellist Anja Lechner and French pianist Francois Couturier have collaborated for more than a decade on a variety of projects. Moderato Cantabile, their recorded debut as a duo, came out a couple of weeks ago on ECM Records. They celebrate its release in NYC on Friday, October 3rd at the Rubin Museum of Art (details/ticket info here). Moderato Cantabile is […]
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Wednesday, August 13th, 2014
Leon Fleisher All the Things You Are Bridge Records CD 9429 At 85, pianist Leon Fleisher remains as compelling a musician as ever. Since the mid-1960s, due to battling an affliction called focal dystonia that affected two fingers on his right hand, Fleisher is best known for championing repertoire for the left hand alone. […]
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Tags: All the Things You Are, Bridge Records, Leon Fleisher
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Friday, August 8th, 2014
One of Australia’s foremost composers, Peter Sculthorpe, has passed away at the age of 85. Sculthorpe’s extensive body of work (including eighteen string quartets) addressed a wide range of subjects, including the Iraq War, the plight of detained immigrants seeking asylum in Australia, and climate change. His music demonstrates a polyglot palette that includes Aboriginal and […]
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