In an ideal world, the works of Jan Dismas Zelenka would be as familiar as those of Johann Sebastian Bach, or Georg Philipp Telemann. Both were friends and colleagues of Zelenka, and both admired his work. The 1741 Missa Omnium Sanctorum is one such work. It’s a major work (over 50 minutes long), and an […]
CD Review
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Linos Ensemble gives winning performance of Krug Prize Sextet
What becomes of a one-hit wonder when their hit drops off the charts? Oblivion. That’s sort of what happened to Arnold Krug. A contemporary of Brahms, Krug won the Stelzner Competition for chamber music in 1896. Instrument builder Alfred Stelzner had created two new stringed instruments, a violetta (midway between a viola and cello), and cellone (between […]
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Mieczyslaw Weinberg Symphony No. 13 – honest intensity
Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s 13th Symphony isn’t a pleasant work to listen to. But then, it’s not meant to be. Weinberg dedicated this 1979 work to the memory of his mother. She, along with Weinberg’s father and sister, perished in a Polish transit camp during WWII. Weinberg effectively translates his still-raw emotions into music. The symphony is […]
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Ensemble Il Demetrio deliver thoughtful performances of Tartini
The liner notes lay out the problems with these Giuseppe Tartini works. In the late 1760s, the term a Quattro (in 4 parts) was somewhat vague. Did Tartini intend his Sonate a Quattro to be played with only four string instruments, as a proto-string quartet? And what about the role of the harpsichord, tacitly a […]
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Alexander Moyzes Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8 – Emotional Masterworks
This volume of Naxos’ Moyzes symphonic cycle includes two of his most emotional works. Moyzes was famous as a Slovak nationalist composer, blending folk music traditions seamlessly with classical forms. His Symphony No. 7 is no exception. This substantial work was dedicated to the memory of his young daughter. It’s as full of sorrow and […]
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Stefano Molardi branches out with Bach Family Organ Works
Consider this release a companion volume to Stefano Molardi’s previous Bach recording. That 2-disc set featured the complete works of Johann Michael Bach and Johann Christoph Bach (Johann Sebastian’s first cousin, once removed). There was enough material by J.M. Bach and J.C. Bach to fill two CDs. Not so in the case of the family members […]
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Jan Ladislav Dussek Sonatas, Vol. 7 – simple vs. complex
Volume Seven of Brilliant Classics’ on-going series has a nice balance. Jan Ladislav Dussek’s massive sonata “Retour à Paris” is offset by the featherweight the Op. 47 “Sonata facile.” Sonata faciles were just that — easy sonatas. Designed for the amateur, these works were simple in structure, and simple to perform. Mozart and Beethoven both wrote sonata […]
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Reinecke String Quartets – authentically Romantic
The five surviving string quartets of Carl Reinecke describe an arc. His two earliest quartets were discarded and lost, but his first published quartet appears in 1845 at the start of his career. The last was completed in 1909, a year before his death. Reinecke studied with both Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. The influence […]
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Woldemar Bargiel – String Quartets Fall Between Mendelssohn and Brahms
Even in his lifetime, Woldemar Bargiel never quite escaped the shadow of his half-sister and his brother-in-law — Clara and Robert Schumann. At an early point in his career, Schumann rated Bargeil’s chamber music higher than that of newcomer Johannes Brahms. The rankings soon changed. Nevertheless, Bargiel was a talented composer, carefully crafting and refining […]