Florence Price’s music was mostly ignored when she composed it. Now, however, the works of this African-American artist are being reevaluated. And performed. And recorded. But it almost didn’t happen at all. Many of Price’s manuscripts were considered lost after her sudden death in 1953. In 2009, her abandoned summer home was under renovation. The […]
CD Review
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Selim Palmgren Complete Piano Works Volume 5 focuses on exoticism
Volume five of Grand Piano’s Palmgren focuses on the exotic. As with the other volumes, there are several world premiere recordings. That’s not surprising. Only a fraction of Palmgren’s roughly 400 works has ever been recorded. What continues to surprise me is the quality and variety of Palmgren’s compositions. He was an excellent pianist. That […]
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La Compagnia del Madrigale completes Gesualdo cycle
Carlo Gesualdo murdered his wife and her lover. That’s pretty much all most people know about this Renaissance composer — if anything. This release presents Gesualdo’s first book of madrigals. It was published around the time of the murders. There’s no question Gesualdo was a tortured soul. He abused both his first and second wives. […]
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Violin Concertos by Johannes Brahms; Amanda Maier; Julius Rontgen
This release brings together three violin concertos by three close friends — Johannes Brahms, Julius Rontgen, and his wife, Amanda Maier. Rontgen and Maier were both talented violinists. The couple performed together, and even composed together. Brahms would visit the Rontgen home when in town. And Brahms and Rontgen gave public concerts together in Amsterdam. […]
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Schubert Sonatas come together for Anne-Marie McDermott
Sometimes it all comes together — the music, the artist, the venue, the recording. That’s what happens with this release. It features two of Schubert’s most popular and challenging piano sonatas: The Piano Sonata in D major, D.850, and the Piano Sonata in B-flat major, D.960. Both of Schubert’s sonatas are loose in form. At […]
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Louis Glass Symphony No. 4 – Big (but not bad)
Danish composer Louis Glass studied with Niels Gade. While at the Brussels Conservatory, he came under the influence of Anton Bruckner. If nothing else, Bruckner’s symphonies encouraged Glass to think big. Glass’ Symphony No. 4 runs a little short of an hour. The four-movement work is big, but not sprawling. The material simply needs a lot […]
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Paul Wranitzky Works for Oboe — Works for Me!
Paul Wranitzky is gradually emerging from the shadows of his colleagues. Both Haydn and Beethoven preferred Wrantizky as a conductor of their works. His opera “Oberon” directly inspired Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” In 1790s Vienna, Wranitaky’s music was performed as often as that of the Big Three — if not more so. Recordings like this […]
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Johann Vanhal Symphonies, Volume 5 — More, please!
Volume five of Naxos’ Vanhal series features some significant works. It includes his Symphony in C, Bryan C7b. This was one of Vanhal’s most popular and widely disseminated compositions. It was even performed at the Esterhazy orchestra, directed by Haydn. Some of the printed editions mistakenly credit the work to Haydn! Though composed in 1772, […]
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Bacewicz and Tansman Piano Quintets –Three Takes on Neoclassicism
According to the album’s liner notes, this release presents three neoclassical piano quintets. It does if we understand the term at its broadest definition. Grazyna Bacewicz’s first piano quintet does fit the term, at least in form. But this 1952 work has more in common with Igor Stravinsky’s take on the term than Ottorino Resphigi’s. […]