The Musicaphon label marks the 300th anniversary of Karlsruhe with a special collection. Johann Melchior Molter was the city’s best-known composer, active in the first half of the 18th Century. He’s credited as one of the first composers to write for the clarinet, developed around 1700. This release features some of Molter’s writings for the […]
Classical music
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalChristmas Week 1
This marks the third year running that the Classics a Day team made Christmas music the December theme. I guess that makes it a tradition. When it comes to the music of the season, there’s plenty to choose from. Since the 1100s composers have written sacred music for Advent and Christmas — and plenty of […]
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Georgy Catoire & Ignaz Friedman quintets – alike yet different
Russian composer Georgy Catoire remains relatively unknown. His self-effacing nature kept his music out of the spotlight, and himself out of the company of other composers. The 1914 Piano Quintet in G minor shows the effect of that isolation. While it’s a late-Romantic work, it’s also a forward-looking one. Catoire methodically lays out his themes and develops […]
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Joseph Bodin de Boismortier Chamber Music all business
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that music is a business — even classical music. It’s something Joseph Bodin de Boismortier always remembered. And it made him wealthy. Boismortier was active in the early 1700s and a contemporary of Rameau. He was one of the first composers to be successful without a patron. Louis XV granted […]
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Margaret Bonds – The Ballad of the Brown King
Margaret Bonds is considered one of America’s most important 20th Century composers of color. And yet, because most of her work remains unpublished, little of it gets recorded. Which is why I was so excited to get this release. Malcolm J. Merriweather, the conductor of the Dessoff Choirs in New York City, has become a […]
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Anne-Marie McDermott launches Mozart series
Anne-Marie McDermott’s new Mozart series starts off with two showcase concertos. The Piano Concerto in C major, K. 415 was one of three Mozart wrote in 1783 to spotlight his talent as a composer and performer. The Piano Concerto in B-flat major, K. 238 was featured in Mozart’s 1777 European tour with his sister Nannerl. […]
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Spielleyt delights with early Christmas music
The early music ensemble Spielleyt serves up a fresh approach to classical music of the season. Weihnacht der Spielleyt primarily consists of selections from one publication: the Straßburger Gesangbuch of 1697. Technically, this collection came out in the middle of the Baroque period. But most of the songs are much older than that. And Spielleyt peels the […]
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Daniel Auber Overtures — great music, disappointing sound
This release is the first volume of a Daniel-François-Esprit Auber recording series. When finished, it will include all of Auber’s overtures. And that includes 31 opéras-comiques, seven opéras, three drames lyriques and seven other stage works. Auber is mostly known for Fra Diavolo. The comic opera was an international hit when it premiered and is still performed today. But with over 40 […]
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Share the joy of classical music: WTJU Classical Marathon airs Dec 9 – 15
Share the joy of WTJU Classical – December 9 – 15 We need your help to raise $40,000 and keep WTJU going strong! Diverse and wide-ranging as they are, the wonderful classical music pieces you enjoy on WTJU have common themes that echo through each performance. Themes that celebrate excellence and creativity… evoke the deepest emotions… and […]