Kalevi Aho String Quartets 1-3 Stenhammar Quartet BIS Kalevi Aho (1949-) is a prominent Finnish composer whose oeuvre includes a number of orchestral and chamber works and a smaller body of vocal music. His string quartets are from relatively early in his career, the first from quite early, written when he was only eighteen. All three are included on a BIS recording made by the Stenhammar Quartet, a group from Sweden. The pieces are presented out of order, beginning with the second quartet, which was written in 1970, during his studies with Einojuhani Rautavaara at the Sibelius Academy
Read morePersist Ethel and Allison Loggins-Hull Sono Luminus The string quartet Ethel presents a characteristically diverse program of contemporary music on Persist, their first recording for Sono Luminus. They are joined by composer/flutist Allison Loggins-Hull and the resulting quintet are strong advocates for the emerging composers featured here. The title work is by Loggins-Hull, currently a composer fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra. Her work is gracefully written and appealing. Persist begins with an ambling section with an angular flute melody, pizzicato strings and percussion instruments. This is varied throughout, juxtaposed with presto passages featuring quickfire flute lines accompanied by
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CD Review, CDs, Contemporary Classical, Experimental Music, File Under?, London, Twentieth Century Composer
Music for Trumpets, Bass Clarinets, and Saxophones Aural Terrains Rebecca Toal, Katie Lodge, Bradley Jones, trumpets Raymond Brien, Michelle Hromin, Eb and bass clarinets Chris Cundy, Yoni Silver, bass clarinets Robert Burton, soprano saxophone Julie Kjaer, alto saxophone, Tim Hodgkinson, alto saxophone and conducting Jason Alder, baritone saxophone, contrabass clarinet William Cole, conducting A live recording made in England’s Cafe Oto, Music for Trumpets, Bass Clarinets, and Saxophones includes both brand new compositions for the assembled musicians and important pieces from the contemporary canon. An example of the latter is John Cage’s Five (1988) which is performed by
Read moreIt’s been a somber year, with wars, conflicts, and intractable cultural and political divisions weighing on the lives and thoughts of many, including those with an investment in Western art music. I’ll endeavor to assess the situation not only musically, but also against the backdrop of a serious decline in the prestige and influence of the Anglosphere’s cultural left, particularly in the US, where its ambitions have come up hard against the judgment of the general population. But let’s start with some new albums… New and monumental Sofia Gubaidulina: Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Bayan (Orfeo)Gubaidulina currently holds the
Read moreMusic Sacra Classics for Christmas: Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra Kent Tritle, conductor Simone Dinnerstein, piano Susanna Phillips, soprano Carnegie Hall December 18, 2024 NEW YORK – Musica Sacra, directed by Kent Tritle, gave a concert of Christmas music on Thursday, but you didn’t hear caroling. The group presented choral pieces with Christmas texts, and topped things off with the Beethoven Choral Fantasy, a piece premiered in December 1822 but having little to do with the holiday. Still, the work, which is part piano concerto and part choral cantata, is festive and was jubilantly performed.
Read moreCrimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music Naxos Music CD Musica Viva Choir and Orchestra, Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, conductor Erin Sensenig, soprano Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano After a lengthy and illustrious career, the mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade says farewell on Crimson Roses, an album recorded by Musica Viva that includes three contemporary choral pieces. The title work, And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair, composed by Joseph Turrin, features both von Stade and soprano Erin Sensenig. It is a forty-five minute long cantata that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Turrin set three poets who were part of the
Read more92nd Street Y Thursday, December 2024 Photos courtesy of Joseph Sinnott NEW YORK – When devising a recital program, pianist Jeremy Denk always provides thematic interest to abet the musical diversions. The centerpiece and entire second half of his performance at the 92nd Street Y was the Concord Sonata by Charles Ives, a totemic work in the repertoire of twentieth century piano music. Denk is an Ives specialist, having recorded both the piano and violin sonatas for Nonesuch (more on that later). The first half of the recital complemented Ives with a composer he revered (and quoted
Read moreKenneth Hesketh Hände – Music for Piano Clare Hammond, Paladino Music Composer Kenneth Hesketh has written several works for piano, and Clare Hammond has for years been their most dedicated advocate. Hände is a collection of her detailed performances of seven pieces, ranging from miniatures to two substantial works. The first of the latter is Poetic Conceits (2006), a six movement suite of character pieces. “Epigram,” “Epigraph,” “Epitaph,” and “Mad Pursuits” demonstrate colorful post-tonal harmony and angular gestures, while “Of Silence and Slow Time” and “Cold Pastoral” proceed gradually with aching lyricism. Pour Henri (2013) is dedicated to
Read moreTwo Early Music Ensembles Visit New York Iestyn Davies, countertenor, Fretwork, viols, and Silas Wollston, organ and virginal, Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, December 3rd, 2024 The Tallis Scholars, presented by Miller Theatre’s Early Music Series at Church of St. Mary the Virgin, December 5th, 2024 NEW YORK – This past week’s concert schedule featured two early music ensembles, one specializing in early baroque music, and the other known for renaissance repertoire but presenting a more wide-ranging program. The countertenor Iestyn Davies is a highly regarded interpreter of Handel’s operas. He also appeared in Claire van Kempen’s play Farinelli and the
Read moreJason Anick and Jason Yeager – Sanctuary (Sunnyside) Violinist Jason Anick and pianist Jason Yeager last recorded together in 2017, and their album Unite revealed a simpatico pairing. Just as it was thematically constructed around its title, Sanctuary, their 2024 Sunnyside release, seeks to emphasize the need for recovery and renewal in these challenging times. They are joined by estimable collaborators, who are ceded space for their own contributions; this never feels like the Jasons dominate the proceedings. Trumpeters Jason Palmer and Billy Buss, tenor saxophonist Edmar Colón, cellist Naseem Alatrash, bassist Greg Loughman, and drummer Mike Connors
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