Anne-Marie McDermott’s new Mozart series starts off with two showcase concertos. The Piano Concerto in C major, K. 415 was one of three Mozart wrote in 1783 to spotlight his talent as a composer and performer. The Piano Concerto in B-flat major, K. 238 was featured in Mozart’s 1777 European tour with his sister Nannerl. […]
Bridge Records
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Victor Rosenbaum gives mature insights into Beethoven
Victor Rosenbaum performs an engaging program of Beethoven piano music for Bridge Records. This is his third release with the label, and it’s a great partnership. Bridge knows how to record the piano to capture its natural warmth. The recordings are clean, with just enough room ambiance to make the recording sound natural, as if […]
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Dmitri Tymoczko – Rube Goldberg Variations
There are two qualities I admire in Dmitri Tymoczko — his sense of humor, and his craftsmanship. Tymoczko’s titles are often humorous – like the title track on this release. But his humor also extends into the music. Several of his works have a light-hearted quality to them. These works sound like they were fun […]
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Marcy Rosen’s Mendelssohn album welcome reissue
Felix Mendelssohn didn’t write many pieces for cello and piano. Most of them were composed for his younger brother, an amateur cellist (and professional banker). Judging by the complexity of the two cello sonatas, Paul Mendelssohn must have been a very accomplished amateur. The Sonata No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 48 is a large, three-movement […]
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Marcy Rosen gives thoughtful performances of Grieg and Strauss
If you’re of a certain age, you may have fond memories of the Musical Heritage Society. The MHS was a record club that offered great music in strictly generic packaging. Originally the MHS licensed music from Erato and other classical labels. Eventually under their own label MusicMasters, they made their own recordings — like this […]
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Harry Partch Sonata Dementia – More, Please
I’ve always loved the music of Harry Partch. These new recordings by Bridge Records do a tremendous service to the world of music. Hearing the Partch ensemble perform with copies of Partch’s original hand-made instruments. That’s important because it means these instruments can really be played, not handled like irreplaceable museum pieces. And the Partch […]
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Formosa Quartet sample Hungary and Taiwan (sort of)
I really like the selections on this album and the performances. The premise? Not so much. The liner notes state that the quartet wants to explore cultural and geographic diversity. “In this recording, we begin to focus on two of these regions [of the world] by bringing you music born of Hungarian and Taiwanese soil […]
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Paul Lansky: The Long and Short of It
This release features three intimate chamber works by Paul Lansky. All are fairly recent, composed after Lansky’s transition to a more tonal style. “The Long and Short of It” is the most recent work, completed in 2015. This wind quintet is based on a section of Mozart’s Serenade for Winds, K. 361. Lansky uses the […]
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Trio Vitruvi Joyfully Perform Schubert Trios
A long journey can seem shorter if it’s done with people you enjoy. Schubert’s Piano Trio in E-flat major, D.929 is such a journey. And it was one made all the better with the Trio Vitruvi. This release is the trio’s debut recording. And it’s a well-chosen one. The youthful Trio Vitruvi approach Schubert’s 50-minute […]