This volume of Selim Palmgren’s piano music shows the Finnish composer’s skill as a miniaturist. The works span almost three decades, and none of them longer than four minutes in length (many under a minute). Palmgren studied piano with Ferruccio Busoni and had phenomenal technique. That knowledge of the instrument is apparent in these works. […]
Classical piano
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Ian Hobson launches new Moritz Moszkowski series
And so Toccata Classics launches yet another series I’ll be following closely. Moritz Moszkowski was a household name at the turn of the 20th Century. Both as a pianist and a composer of piano music he was in demand. By 1910, ill-health had ended his concert career and he — and his music — was […]
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Friedrich Gernsheim Piano Music Volume 2 delivers
Jens Barnieck continues his survey of Friedrich Gernsheim’s piano music. This volume includes Gernsheim’s first piano sonata and several smaller works — all receive their world recording premieres with this release. Barnieck’s performances are just as satisfying as they were with volume one of this series. Gernsheim began composing around the time of Mendelssohn and […]
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Jan Ladislav Dussek Sonatinas for amateurs and professionals
The liner notes for this release carefully point out that Dussek “wrote extensively for the Middle Class.” In this case, 12 Progressive Lessons and Six Sonatinas, Op. 20 — both written for amateur musicians. And while they’re not masterworks, they’re certainly well-crafted. And I found myself enjoying them in different ways. The 12 Progressive Studies […]
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Aleck Karis brings fresh insights to Debussy
There are plenty of Debussy recordings made by artists past and present — so what makes this release different? Two things, I think; Aleck Karis’ musicality and Bridge Records’ skill at piano recordings. Right from the opening Etude, I was impressed. Pour Les “Cinq Doigts”: D’après Monsieur Czerny starts off with a simple scale but […]
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Classical Interviews – Erica Sipes
Photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis of The Roanoke Times Erica Sipes is a pianist, cellist, and member of the Alma Ensemble. She spoke with WTJU about her favorite composers, her piano, and the search for works by classical female composers. These interviews air as part of WTJU’s Classical Sunrise, weekday mornings from 7-9am. For more on […]
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Elisaveta Blumina reveals the essence of Mieczyslaw Weinberg
This marks the seventh recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s music by Elisaveta Blumina. And, in my opinion, her performances remain just as true to Weinberg’s personality as they did in the first. The release features Weinberg’s Piano Quintet, one of his most successful — and authentic — works. Weinberg composed the work in 1944, while Soviet […]
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Pioneers: Piano Works by Female Composers
Hiroko Ishimoto presents an illuminating program of piano music spanning almost 300 years. And all of it by women. It’s a terrific recording, with exceptional performances. I heartily recommend it. Before digging into the details, let’s do a little thought experiment. What if this were a recording of similar music — by male composers? Well, […]
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The Stylish Pastiches of Muzio Clementi
This is an interesting collection of music by Muzio Clementi. In includes three sets of variations, a canon, and a set of style pastiches. The program opens with Five Variations on a Minuet by Mr. Collick. This six-minute charmer increases the complexity with each variation, but not excessively so. These variations could well be (and […]