This release tells a story — the story of a relationship between composer and performers. Finnish composer Kalevi Aho writes very challenging music. The Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (BPWQ) accepted that challenge and performed his Wind Quintet No. 1. In fact, they fell in love with the work, playing it more than 20 times in […]
BIS
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Kalevi Aho Concertos – Contemporary Masterworks from Finland
Finnish composer Kalevi Aho is best known for his large-scale works. This release has two excellent examples: the Tympani Concerto, and the Piano Concerto No. 1. The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned the Tympani Concerto for its timpanist, Ari-Pekka Mäenpää. Speaking as a percussionist, I think it’s a masterwork. Aho worked with Mäenpää to create a […]
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Alec Frank-Gemmill Shows Merit of Horn Concertos Before Mozart
Alec Frank-Gemmill is making a point with this recording. For many horn soloists, Mozart’s concertos are the earliest works in their repertoire. Frank-Gemmill contends that there was plenty of good material that predated them. Frank-Gemmill opens with a 1740 concerto by Christoph Förster. Although primarily an organist, Förster wrote about 50 concertos. He was also […]
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Riemuitkaamme! (Let us Rejoice!) — A Finnish Christmas
Riemuitkaamme! is a great recording for folks wanting to venture beyond standard Christmas fare — but not too far beyond. The program features plenty of familiar selections, mixed with modern Finnish choral gems. Among the familiar are Bach’s “Wachet auf,” Berlioz’s “The Shepherd’s Farewell” and Tchaikovsky’s “Christ, when a Child…” Yet even these sound fresh, as […]
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Italian Lute Virtuosi of the Renaissance – Jakob Lindberg
There’s an art to putting a release together, especially one for a solo instrument. With only one instrumental timbre, the tracks can blend together into an uninteresting blur. But change up styles too much, and the album can sound disjointed. Lutenist Jakob Lindberg is a past master of program sequencing, and his latest album Italian […]
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Sharon Bezaly dazzles with an unusual program
The latest release from flutist Sharon Bezaly (number 35 by my count) doesn’t seem to have a very attractive program — at least on paper. The disc contains an arrangement of a work for flute and orchestra, plus two not-so-very-different versions of the same concerto. But music isn’t about words, it’s about sound. And once […]
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Martin Fröst – Nordic Concertos
Tags: Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Anders Hillborg, Arie van Beek, Bernhard Crusell, BIS, CD Review, Concerto, Contemporary classical, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Karin Rehnquist, Martin Fröst, Östgöta Symphony Wind Ensemble, Owain Arwel Hughes, Petter Sundkvist, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vagn HolmboeMartin Fröst presents an interesting program of Nordic clarinet concertos that covers a lot of ground with just four works. The two contemporary works were composed for Fröst and differ greatly in style. The two older works call out important Nordic composers, and also differ in style. Anders Hillborg’s 1998 Clarinet Concerto (Peacock Tales) is a […]
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Venetian Christmas Good for All Seasons
Don’t let the title mislead you. Yes, “Venetian Christmas” is a compilation of music that was played during the Christmas season in Venice during the 1750’s. But there’s nothing that would make it sound “seasonal” to modern ears. Many of the selections feature the psaltery, an ancestor of the hammered dulcimer. The soft, warm tones […]
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Sing Thee Nowell — Yearround Pleasure
New York Polyphony’s release “Sing Thee Nowell” is a little unusual. Despite its name, this is a release I’ll be enjoying throughout the year. The ensemble’s carefully chosen program includes many songs of the season, but few that have been done to death. Even the more familiar carols are heard in new and innovative arrangements. […]