Pianist/composer Anton Eberl was a contemporary of Beethoven and a student of Mozart. Some of Eberl’s works were misattributed to Mozart, and that’s not surprising. As this new release shows, Eberl’s style is quite similar to Mozart’s. But not quite identical (a lot of the misattribution was done by unscrupulous publishers). The two sonatas for […]
Classical music
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OperaEnsemble Excels with Louise Farrenc Wind Music
Louise Farrenc was one of the most prominent musicians in mid-19th Century Paris. She was a respected concert pianist and composer. She’s best remembered for her chamber music — and this release demonstrates why. The three works on this album were composed between 1852 and 1856. and they’re all finely crafted compositions. In general, Farrenc’s […]
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George Lloyd Symphonies in Definitive Live Performances
This release presents two live performances of George Lloyd symphonies. What performances — and what symphonies! George Lloyd was a rising star before the Second World War but was largely ignored afterward. Conductor Edward Downes became a champion of Lloyd’s music. Symphony No. 6, written in 1956, is heard in its world-premiere broadcast from 1980. […]
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Rosa Das Rosas – Chominciamento di Gioia explore Christian symbolism
The subtitle for this release (in English) is “the symbol of the Rose in the Middle Ages.” The flower was a major part of Christian symbolism, and thus for Christian-inspired music. The thorns represented the sins of Man. The red petals of the rose symbolized the blood of Christ and the martyrs, shed in sacrifice. […]
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#ClassicsaDay #SovietaDay Week 5
For May 2018, some of us contributing to #ClassicsaDay decided to mark May Day. Reason enough to post works by Soviet composers. I decided to go a little farther with my #SovietaDay posts and concentrate on Soviet prize winners. Here are the posts I shared for week 5. Jovdat Hajiyev (1917-2002): For Peace, symphonic poem […]
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Franz Krommer Symphonies Inspired by Beethoven
This is the second volume of Krommer symphonies from Griffiths and the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana. The first volume covered Krommer’s first three symphonies. This release features three symphonies; only two of which were published. Franz Krommer was based in Vienna, a younger contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven. Krommer’s 1819 Symphony No. 4 in C […]
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Alec Frank-Gemmill Shows Merit of Horn Concertos Before Mozart
Alec Frank-Gemmill is making a point with this recording. For many horn soloists, Mozart’s concertos are the earliest works in their repertoire. Frank-Gemmill contends that there was plenty of good material that predated them. Frank-Gemmill opens with a 1740 concerto by Christoph Förster. Although primarily an organist, Förster wrote about 50 concertos. He was also […]
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A Tale of Two Vielles
On a special Labor Day edition of The Early Music Show broadcast back on September 4, 2017, I interviewed David McCormick, founder of the Charlottesville-based Early Music Access Project. The Project holds its annual fundraiser at Swannanoa Palace in Alton on Sunday, June 24 at 3 pm. This interview with David was my first chance […]
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Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre Complete Harpsichord Works – Très Bon
Though barely known today, Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre was hailed as “the wonder of our century” in the 1690s. At age five De La Guerre sang for Louis XIV and remained at court until her marriage. She was a keyboard virtuoso, with impressive improvisational skills. Contemporaries judged her on par with Marci-Antoine Charmpenie, François […]