In America, most people don’t consider the accordion a symphonic instrument. In northern Europe, though, it’s a different matter. Danish composer Poul Ruders isn’t the only classical musician to write for the instrument. He’s definitely one of the more talented, though. Sound and Simplicity is fairly new work, completed in 2018. Ruders subtitled it “Seven Pillars […]
Bridge Records
-
-
Paul Lansky Angles — great chamber music
This is volume 17 of Bridge’s Paul Lansky series. It presents four recent compositions by Lansky. And it’s an album I really like. The works vary in forces and show this composer at the top of his game. “Four’s Company” (2018) was composed for David Starobin’s guitar class. The work takes four very simple concepts […]
-
Anne-Marie McDermott brings new insights to Mozart concertos
For volume four, Anne-Marie McDermott presents two contrasting Mozart piano concertos. And the contrast goes beyond just the concertos. The supplied cadenzas also represent two very different interpretations of Mozart’s music. The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503 is one of Mozart’s longest concertos. And many consider it one of his greatest. […]
-
George Crumb Metamorphoses – exceptional in every way
The announcement of George Crumb’s death came from Bridge Records. It showed the intimate relationship the label — specifically David and Becky Starobin — had with the composer. This release is the twentieth volume of Crumb’s music released on Bridge. And most of it, like this recording, do so in collaboration with the composer. The […]
-
Anne-Marie McDermott continues superb Mozart series
Anne-Marie McDermott has a very distinctive playing style, especially with Mozart. It’s delicate without being dainty. It’s expressive while neither being too emotive nor overly reserved. McDermott’s playing embodies what I like to think Mozart’s intentions were. But it’s playing that goes deeper than the notes. McDermott’s own personality makes these oh-so-familiar works sound fresh […]
-
William Bland Piano Sonatas Anything But
From 1998 through 2014 William Bland quietly composed a massive body of work. It’s a cycle of piano sonatas, one of each major and minor key. The sonatas run about 20-30 minutes each, and each sonata has its own character. This release doubles the number of Bland’s sonatas to be recorded. Bridge Records previously released […]
-
Piano Protagonists – a triumph for Orion Weiss
Pianist Orion Weiss assembled this program around a theme – the composer responding to a specific source of inspiration with a virtuoso composition. It’s an interesting idea, and it yielded an album that virtually spans the Romantic Period. The earliest work is Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” by Frederic Chopin. And the inspiration […]
-
Louis Karchin – Five Compositions
The five compositions by Louis Karchin featured in this release include his chamber symphony, and four smaller chamber works. In the liner notes Karchin says, “While writing the Chamber Symphony, I realized why the genre is such an appealing one for composers working today. Contemporary music revels in the discovery of new sounds and instrumental […]
-
New England Trios make a solid program
Joel Pitchon, Marie-Volcuy Pelletier, and Y-Mei Wei had a very specific program in mind for this recording. In the liner notes, they state that they wanted piano trios that “spoke with an American, and even more narrowly, a New England voice.” In the end their focus was even tighter. The four piano trios on this […]