In music, as with most things, quantity doesn’t always equal quality. But sometimes it does. As in the 100 menuets of Georg Philip Telemann. These pieces were published in two collections, titled “Seven times seven plus one Menuet.” The first collection appeared in 1728, the second in 1730. What makes this release so fascinating is […]
Brilliant Classics
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Filippo Farinelli steers Hindemith Sonatas for Wind Instruments and Piano project
To my knowledge, this is the first time all Paul Hindemith’s wind sonatas have been released as a group. Pianist Filippo Farinelli collaborated with several well-known Italian instrumentists for this project. Having the same pianist throughout the set provides a degree of performance continuity. The album was also recorded in the same studio with the […]
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Renata Dubinskaite Gives Luminuous Performances of Barbara Strozzi
Renata Dubinskaite and the Canto Fiorito perform Barbara Strozzi’s solo vocal music. Strozzi was well-respected as a singer and composer in 17th Century Venice. Her father, Guilio Strozzi hosted salons of intellectuals and artists in his home. Barbara Strozzi performed at these salons, often singing her own compositions. Many of these works saw publication. Strozzi’s […]
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Louise Farrenc violin and piano music has timeless appeal
This release presents three chamber works by Louise Farrenc. Farrenc was renowned as a pianist as well as a composer. These selections show her skill at writing for violin. Daniele Orlando and Linda Di Carlo deliver wonderfully expressive performances. Farrenc had a rare melodic gift, and Orlando’s violin practically sings them. Farrenc was also a […]
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Hendrik Andriessen Orchestral Music a Welcome Reissue
Hendrik Andriessen was one of the Netherland’s most important composers of the early 20th Century. His sons, Jurriaan and Louis Andressen would continue the tradition and become major composers of the late 20th Century. This release presents two albums previously released by NM Classics. And I’m glad to see them back in print. Disc one […]
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Geraldine Mucha – Chamber Works Merit Discovery
Geraldine Mucha is a fascinating figure. This Scottish composer was born in 1917, and as a teenager studied with Arnold Bax. Her works were published while she was still attending the Royal Academy of Music. In 1941 she met widowed Czech writer Jiří Mucha. The couple married, and after the war moved to Czechoslovakia. Jiří […]
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Johann Gottlieb Graun Chamber Works – Music in Transition
The title for this release is a little deceptive. True, it’s a collection of chamber music from Frederick the Great’s court. But it’s not all by Johann Gottlieb Graun. Rather, it’s a collection of music from Graun and his colleagues at court: Johann Gottlieb Janitsch, Franz Benda, and brother Carl Heinrich Graun. And that, I […]
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Jan Ladislav Dussek Sonatinas for amateurs and professionals
The liner notes for this release carefully point out that Dussek “wrote extensively for the Middle Class.” In this case, 12 Progressive Lessons and Six Sonatinas, Op. 20 — both written for amateur musicians. And while they’re not masterworks, they’re certainly well-crafted. And I found myself enjoying them in different ways. The 12 Progressive Studies […]
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Spirited performances of Giuseppe Tartini Violin Concertos and Sonatas
Violinist Laura Marzadori knows Italian music. Her previous releases feature works by Ottorino Respighi, Ernnano Wolf-Ferrari, and Leone Sinigaglia. This album focuses on Giuseppe Tartini, one of the most important figures in the development of violin technique. The four works Marzadori perform are all demanding. What makes this program refreshingly different is that they’re unusual […]