The sale sheet for this release list three unique selling points: 1) Debut CD 2) Very young artist 3) Repertoire exclusively by female composers Only the last point captured my interest. And when I researched the release, I discovered they omitted a compelling fourth: the entire project was crowdfunded. Personally, I think this debut release […]
Classical music
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Early Music by Walter Braunfels Promising
For their ninth release of music by Walter Braunfels, Capriccio concentrates on some of his earlier music. Braunfels had the misfortune to fall between two stools. Before WWII, he was considered too modern (by the Nazis), and after the war, too conservative by everyone else. Listening to a century after the fact, I think his […]
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Johann Mayr Messa di Gloria – forgotten, but not forgettable
If maestro Frank Hauk had his way, Johann Simon Mayr would be known for more than just being Gaetano Donizetti’s music teacher. Mayr, in his day, was a major figure. He wrote 19 masses, 57 symphonies, over 70 operas — most of which are now all but forgotten. Is Mayr’s music forgettable? Hauk would disagree. […]
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#ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth Week 4
The #ClassicsaDay team often uses Women’s History Month as their theme for March. And for good reason. Classical audiences might be aware that there are contemporary female composers. But perhaps not so aware (with the exception of Hildegard von Bingen), of how many women composed music throughout the centuries. For March 2021, I decided to […]
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Christoph Graupner Easter Cantatas intimate and effective
Christoph Graupner wrote over 1,400 sacred cantatas. So there’s a lot to choose from — even for an album of just Easter cantatas. Christian Bonath has done a superb job programming a set of Holy Week cantatas that span decades of Graupner’s output. And each one receives a recording world premiere. Just to run down […]
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Paul Wranitzky Orchestral Works worth a listen
Sure — Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were the major figures in 1800s Vienna. But they were the only ones. Vienna was the center of the musical world, and talent came from all over. Like Paul Wranitzky from Moravia. He and his brother Anton found fame and fortune in Vienna. In the 1790s he contacted both […]
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New release celebrates individual voice of Elisabetta Brusa
This installment in Naxos’ series features two works by Elisabetta Brusa: her second symphony, and “Simply Largo.” These are the same performers that recorded her first symphony in Volume Three, and the quality remains high. The Ulster Orchestra has a full yet open ensemble sound. The soloists (if not great) are very good, and Daniele […]
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Hymns of Kassiani – history’s first woman composer
Pop quiz: who’s the earliest female composer you can think of? Chances are, it’s Hildegarde von Bingen. Although her star has risen from obscurity, she’s not the earliest, or perhaps, the most important. That honor belongs to Kassiani, or Kassia (c.810-c.865). Kassia’s career had some significant differences with Hildegard von Bingen, who was born two […]
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Pancho Vladigerov String Concertos true masterworks
Capriccio continues their reissue of Pancho Vladigerov recordings with his collected string concertos. Though these recordings were originally done in the 1970s, they all sound quite good in this release. The sound, though a little soft, still has plenty of detail. And that’s especially important for this volume. Pancho Vladigerov defined Bulgarian classical music. His […]