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 […]
Bridge Records
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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 […]
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Rune Most Delivers Engaging Performances of Mozart Flute Music
A quick check on Arkivmusic.com revealed over 80 releases of Mozart’s flute concertos in print. So why should anyone pay attention to this release? Simple — the quality of the performances. Rune Most offer fresh insights into these well-known works. Most plays a modern wooden flute. Its smooth, mellow sound is close to what Mozart […]
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Garlands for Steven Stucky
Steven Stucky was both a successful composer and an influential teacher. His Second Concerto for Orchestra won the Pulitzer Prize. Stucky produced a large number of works and taught some of the most important composers of the next generation. It’s no surprise then, that this musical memorial to Stucky would feature an impressive lineup of […]
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Craig Morris Delivers an Exciting Program of Solo Philip Glass
Craig Morris presents a fascinating program of Philip Glass music. Although considered a minimalist, most of Glass’ recorded music is for ensembles (both large and small). Glass’ best-known works are appealing not only for their melodic permutations but also for their ever-shifting harmonic textures. So what happens when Glass limits himself to a single instrument? […]
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McDermott Delivers Intimate Performances of Haydn Sonatas
This release is a follow-up to McDermott’s 2014 release of Haydn Piano Concertos and Sonatas. This time, Anne-Marie McDermott presents an entire program of solo sonatas. Haydn’s sonatas have a deceptive simplicity to them. The technical demands are modest (compared to sonatas by Beethoven and later composers). But that doesn’t mean they’re insubstantial. McDermott performs […]