What better way to celebrate a new year than with a look back? In this case, the Classics a Day team decided to go back 100 years. For January 2021 the challenge is to post works that were completed in or recordings released in 1921. It turns out there was quite a lot going on […]
Charles Villiers Stanford
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Charles Villiers Stanford Quintets – Worth the Wait
This is a release I’ve been waiting for. The Dante Quartet’s traversal of Stanford’s string quartets was first-rate. I expected their recording of his quintets to be on the same level. It is. For the string quintets, members of the Dante and Endellion Quartets joined forces. Both of these UK-based ensembles thoroughly understand Stanford’s music. […]
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Dante Quartet finishes Stanford cycle with strong performances
This release completes the Dante Quartet’s traversal of Charles Villiers Stanford’s string quartets. Appropriately, it includes both his first and last quartet, the latter receiving its world recording premiere. Stanford’s music is sometimes characterized as “Brahms with an Irish accent.” That doesn’t seem to apply to the first two quartets. Stanford wrote the first quartet […]
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Charles Villiers Stanford 1919 “Via Victix” still relevant
This is a world premiere recording — of a work that was completed in 1919. And, I think, it’s a work that deserves reevaluation. Charles Villiers Stanford composed his Mass “Via Victix 1914-1918” to mark the end of the Great War (now called World War I). The conflict had begun with stirring appeals to patriotism […]
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Stanford String Quartets – music with an Irish accent
This new release by the Dante Quartet features two of the eight string quartets composed by Charles Villiers Stanford. String Quartet No. 5 (1907) was written in memory of violinist and composer Joseph Joachim. As a violinist, Joachim was a major force in classical music (Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Double Concerto were written for him). […]
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Charles Villiers Stanford Piano Trio 2, Piano Quartet 1
To my ears, Stanford’s music has always sounded like Brahms with an Irish accent. That’s not a bad thing. Like Brahms, Stanford constructed his music within accepted classical frameworks. But within those frameworks he crafts his motifs and harmonies with a great deal of imagination. Which is what makes this new Naxos release a pleasure […]