In his native Bulgaria, composer and pianist Pancho Vladigerov is considered a national treasure. A treasure, perhaps, that was a little too closely guarded until now. For some reason, it’s always been difficult to access Vladigerov’s music outside of his Bulgaria. Thanks to Capriccio, the world will finally discover what it’s been missing. This release […]
CD Review
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Porfeti della Quinta perfectly perform Philippe Verdelot
Philippe Verdelot one of the composers credited with developing the Italian madrigal. Though French, he spent most of his professional life in Florence. His publications spread throughout Europe and set the model for this Renaissance vocal form. Verdelot wrote mostly five- and six-voice madrigals. This release features some of his less-common four-voice madrigals. They were […]
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El Canto del Cisne Negro – Latin-American music that merits attention
In the liner notes, the artists write they’re presenting “a collection of largely unknown works for violoncello and piano from Latin America…[These composers] traveled to Europe, where they found themselves torn between their admiration for the culture and their nostalgia for… their own cultural roots. We share their experience, and their music resonated deeply with […]
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Eivind Groven Symphonies solidly Norwegian
Norwegian composer Eivind Groven had a unique compositional voice. It was informed by his intimate knowledge of Norwegian folk music and folk instruments. Groven came from a family of folk musicians and was an accomplished Hardanger fiddle player. While similar to a violin, there are many differences. These differences form the basis of the music […]
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L’Arte dell’Arco triumphs with latest Giovanni Platti release
Giovanni Benedetto Platti was born when Johann Sebastian Bach was 13, and died when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was seven. Just as his life spanned the late Baroque and the early Classical era, so did his music. This release features four of Platti’s nine published harpsichord concertos. The works were written between 1730 and 1750, for […]
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Modern masterworks by Victoria Borisova-Ollas
Victoria Borisova-Ollas is a Russian-born composer making her home in Sweden. If you (like me) aren’t familiar with her work, start with this recording. It’s stunning. Borisova-Ollas writes deeply spiritual music, drawing on classical music traditions of the past as well as the present. And she’s an imaginative orchestrator. Her use of percussion is original […]
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Mona and Rica Bard jumpstart Bruch double piano concerto
This release features two live recordings from a Max Bruch Jubilee Concert. The recorded sound and the performances are first-rate. The Staatskapelle Halle directed by Ariane Matiakh has a warm sound that’s still richly detailed. The audience is so well-behaved that this could pass for a studio recording. For many, Buch is a one-hit-wonder. His […]
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Florent Schmitt release balances the familiar with the unknown
This release mixes Florent Schmitt’s most recorded work –La Tragédie de Salomé — with some receiving their world recording premieres. But it’s all Schmitt, so it’s all good. Maestro JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra do well with late Romantic/early Post Romantic repertoire. Their previous Schmidtt recording of Antoine et Cleopatre was outstanding. As […]
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Carl Reinecke – Orchestral Works show influences
Carl Reinecke studied with Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt. And those influences can be heard in various works. For his piano concertos, it’s Liszt. For his symphonies, it’s more Mendelssohn/Schumann. At least, that’s what I heard in this first installment of Reinecke’s orchestral works from CPO. It includes two of Reinecke’s symphonies, plus […]