Alessandro Rolla, a contemporary of Mozart, was perhaps the greatest violist of his age. And he was a pretty good violinist, too. After all — he taught Paganini. As was the practice of the time, Rolla the composer wrote concertos for Rolla the virtuoso to take on tour. This release includes two of those viola […]
Brilliant Classics
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Jan Ladislav Dussek Complete Piano Sonatas Vol. 5 – Enlightening
Jan Ladislav Dussek was a pioneering piano virtuoso who continually pushed the boundaries of his instrument. And in some cases, he was responsible for some of the improvements made to the fortepiano — especially range. Volume 5 in Brilliant Classics’ series features pianist Wolfgang Brunner. His performances are top-notch. But I found his liner […]
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Max Bruch Music for Clarinet and Viola – Late Romantic Goodness
Like his friend and colleague Johannes Brahms, Max Bruch didn’t write for the clarinet until late in his career. For Bruch, it was something personal. His son was an accomplished clarinetist and premiered the works on this release. Although written in the early 1910s, these works are unapologetically Romantic in style. But there’s nothing nostalgic […]
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Dussek Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 4 – Illuminating
This release features sonatas that span Dussek’s career. And since they’re played on fortepianos of the period, they also provide insight into the development of the piano. The Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 5 No. 3 and the Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 24 are relatively early works. Written in 1788 and 1793 respectively, Tuija […]
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Pacoloni Ensemble performs Thysius Lute Book with rough authenticity
Dutch philosopher, theologian, and musician Adriaan Smout collected over 900 compositions from the late 1500s. This massive collection made its way to John Thysius, a book collector, for whom the collection is named. The collection is a virtual cross-section of European lute music. While most of the sources aren’t listed, modern scholars have traced works […]
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Wilhelm Kempff Chamber Music – Worth a Listen
Wilhelm Kempff is best remembered as a piano virtuoso. But he was also a composer. This release features two youthful chamber works. The Trio in G minor for violin, cello, and piano dates from 1911, when Kempff was studying composition with a former student of Brahms. The lineage is easy to hear. Kempff develops his […]
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Baroque Wind Quartets – Come for the Telemann, stay for the Molter
This release brings together music by two Kapellmeisters of Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Eisenach. Georg Philip Telemann held the post first in 1709 and was succeeded by Johann Melchior Molter. The works presented on this release provide an interesting contrast in style between the two. The release features three of Telemann’s 1752 “Paris” quartets. These are […]
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Johannes de Lublin Tablature – A snapshot of 16th Century keyboard music
The 1540 “Tablature of Jan de Lubin” is one of the largest collections of 16th Century keyboard music. It’s possible that a good portion of it was written, transcribed, and/or arranged by Johann de Lublin. The bound collection includes many other pieces that added after the fact (and possibly after de Lublin’s death). Corina Marti […]
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Sandro Volta’s Unvarnished Take on Petrucci Tablatures for Lute
Ottavio Petrucci was not the first music publisher. But he was the first to figure out how to print complex polyphonic scores. This release collects from his Intavolatura di Liuto (lute tablatures) — a genre that blossomed thanks in part to Petrucci’s innovations. Lutenist Sandro Volta performs music by Francesco Spinacino, Joan Ambrosio Dalza, and […]