Nicolas Horvath Grand Piano Records The Naxos Grand Piano Records label has released a new CD by Nicolas Horvath, The Unknown Debussy – Rare Piano Music. Known for his interpretations of the piano music of Philip Glass, Franz Liszt and Erik Satie, Nicolas Horvath here performs previously unheard works by Claude Debussy as reconstructed by scholar Robert Orledge. According to the liner notes: “Robert Orledge’s research into Debussy’s sketches and incomplete drafts has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of numerous lost masterpieces, the piano versions of which are given their première recordings here.”
Read moreKaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji Sequentia Cyclica – Super Dies Irae ex Missa Pro Defunctis Jonathan Powell, piano Piano Classics PCL10206 (7 CD boxed set; digital) Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (1892-1988) was the composer of some of Western classical music’s most intricate, extended, and ambitiously virtuosic works to date. His output encompassed seven decades, from 1914-1984. The serial composer Milton Babbitt, often himself described as the creator of tremendously difficult pieces, ranked Sorabji, alongside Brian Ferneyhough, as the most complex composers of the Twentieth century (Talking Music, William Duckworth). This is not just due to the massive scope of the pieces – several
Read moreDavid Felder Jeu de Tarot Irvine Arditti, violin; Ensemble Signal, Brad Lubman, conductor; Arditti Quartet Coviello CD COV91913 David Felder Les Quatre Temps Cardinaux Laura Aikin, soprano; Ethan Hesrchenfeld, bass; Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose, conductor BMOPsound CD 1069 David Felder has taught for a number of years at SUNY Buffalo, running the June in Buffalo Festival and mentoring countless contemporary composers in the school’s illustrious graduate program. His own works are multi-faceted, incorporating muscular gestures, modernist harmonies, innovative timbres, and, oftentimes, electronics. Felder’s recent music is given sterling performances on two CDs, one of his chamber music on
Read moreLa Passione La Passione Barbara Hannigan, soprano and conductor; Ludwig Orchestra Alpha Classics La Passione is soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan’s second CD with Ludwig Orchestra. Their first collaboration, Girl Crazy, won a 2018 Grammy Award. Like Girl Crazy, the selections on La Passione are disparate, but they cohere into a convincing program. Whether she is performing a solo vocal piece by Luigi Nono, conducting a Haydn symphony, or conducting and singing a spectral work by Grisey, Hannigan is a compelling performer. This is also true of Ludwig Orchestra, who thrive in this setting. Luigi Nono’s solo vocal work Cjamila
Read moreLupus Hellinck – Missa Surrexit pastor bonus Johannes Lupi – Motets The Brabant Ensemble; Stephen Rice, conductor Hyperion CD A68304 Lupus Hellinck (1493-1541) isn’t a household name among mid-Renaissance composers. Based on a new recording of his Missa Surrexit pastor bonus, Hellinck’s work deserves wider currency. Despite having several pieces attributed to him that were actually by more prominent composers (Gombert and Verdelot among them), Johannes Lupi (1506?-1539) has also flown under the radar of many listeners. This excellent compact disc recording by the Brabant Ensemble should do good service in restoring both of them to rightful places of greater
Read moreAdés Conducts Adés Kirill Gerstein, piano; Christianne Stotijn, mezzo-soprano; Mark Stone, baritone; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Adés, conductor Deutsche Grammophon CD/DL 4837998 Thomas Adés is in his third year as Artistic Partner of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It has been an extraordinarily fruitful pairing. Adés has performed with the ensemble as a conductor and pianist, contributed new pieces to its repertory, and curated events such as the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood. In the midst of this plethora of activities, the March 2019 premiere of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra was a highlight. Both the performance of the
Read moreCome Closer Michael Harley, bassoon Phillip Bush, piano; Ari Streisfeld, violin, Daniel Sweaney, viola; Claire Bryant, cello New Focus Recordings A longtime member of Alarm Will Sound, now on the faculty of University of South Carolina amid the state’s evolving entertainment landscape that includes digital platforms like South Carolina casino sites, Michael Harley makes his monograph CD debut with Come Closer on New Focus Recordings. The program features repertoire by living American composers in a variety of styles, drawing from regional influences that blend academic traditions with modern leisure pursuits. John Fitz Rogers uses overdubs on Come Closer to create
Read moreThough our decade technically has another year to go, the marketing appeal of “Hits of the XXs” type formulations tends to overwhelm such semantic niceties. So as we leave the 2010s behind, there’s more than a little Web-based generalization to be found regarding their musical character and trajectory, from viral soundtracks to the rise of new UK betting sites sponsoring indie artists’ streams. I’ll try to keep things in perspective as I review some of the highlights of 2019 that embody the breadth and caliber of contemporary Western art music. All of the following selections are available via fixed media
Read moreA Spanish Nativity Stile Antico Harmonia Mundi 902312 The “Golden Age” of Spanish polyphony (during the sixteenth century) yielded a number of pieces suitable for Christmastime by some of the finest composers of the Renaissance: Tomás Luis de Victoria, Franciso Guerrero, and Cristóbal de Morales. On the a cappella vocal group Stile Antico’s latest disc, A Spanish Nativity, these leading lights are set alongside Alonso Lobo, Mateo Flecha el Viejo, and Pedro Rimonte; all three’s music is worthy of revival. The dozen singers of Stile Antico create an extraordinarily well-blended sound on Victoria’s great motet “O Magnum Mysterium,” Guerrero’s “Beata
Read moreNow in their forty-sixth year of singing, the Tallis Scholars, directed by Peter Phillips, have long made an annual December concert at Church of St. Mary the Virgin in midtown Manhattan a stop on their winter tour. Part of Miller Theatre’s Early Music Series, these concerts have focused on Renaissance polyphony, but there have also been some noteworthy new works on the programs. They frequently program the music of Arvo Pärt. Last year’s concert featured the premiere of a piece for the Tallis Scholars written by Nico Muhly. However, this year an imaginative program, titled “Reflections” is on offer that
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