What’s the connection between classical music and poetry? To celebrate Poetry Month, the Classics a Day team encouraged folks to find out. For the month of April, the challenge is to post poetry used in classical music or works inspired by poetry. Here are my posts for the final week of #PoetryMonth 4/25/22 Ralph […]
Amy Beach
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Amy Beach Works for Piano Duo Twice as Nice
Everything is relative. This release features music by a relatively obscure composer. Further, it features a relatively obscure part of her catalog. The result is a program of exceptionally well-crafted music. Music that reveals new depths with repeated listening. I wish Amy Cheney Beach was as familiar with audiences as other 20th Century composers. Her […]
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#ClassicsaDay #Classical1922 Week 1
For January, 2022 the Classics a Day Team decided to go back a century. The challenge this month is to post classical works associated with the year 1922. It can be a composition that was completed, published, or premiered that year. It can even be a work recorded for the first time in 1922. It […]
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#ClassicsaDay #November11 Week 3
November is the eleventh month. And so the Classics a Day team opted to make eleven the month’s then. The challenge is to post works that are numbered 11 in some fashion, either an opus number, a series number, or even a suite number. It turns out that there’s a lot of great music associated […]
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It’s a Girl! Clever title, exceptional music
Clever title. I can imagine some people exclaiming in shock “It’s a Girl!” when they discover the gender of the composer. Even though they’ve been enjoying the music. And it’s the 21st Century. Classical music audiences are slow to wake (or should that be woke?), so releases like this are most welcome. The piano trio […]
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American Quintets Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective Debut
There are plenty of quintets by American composers to choose from. But the three presented here by the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective hit that sweet spot for me. They’re all first-rate compositions, they’re not over-represented either in recordings or in concert, and they’re all played exceptionally well. The Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective is just that — a […]
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Lucie Bartholomäi crushes it with female
The sale sheet for this release list three unique selling points: 1) Debut CD 2) Very young artist 3) Repertoire exclusively by female composers Only the last point captured my interest. And when I researched the release, I discovered they omitted a compelling fourth: the entire project was crowdfunded. Personally, I think this debut release […]
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#ClassicsaDay #Classical1921 Week 3
What better way to celebrate a new year than with a look back? In this case, the Classics a Day team decided to go back 100 years. For January 2021 the challenge is to post works that were completed in or recordings released in 1921. It turns out there was quite a lot going on […]
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They Persisted – Music by Pioneering Women Composers
I’m not usually a fan of politically-driven music programs. The works, primarily selected for their extra-musical qualities, tend to be not very good or not fit well together. Not so with this recording. The album title references the now-famous phrase “Nevertheless, she persisted,” a rallying cry for the women’s movement. And it makes sense in […]