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, […]
Classical piano
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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 […]
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Walter Braunfels Piano Music presents a different face
Capriccio continues its survey of Walter Braunfels’ music. This installment features music for the piano — mostly piano four-hand music. Braunfels was a concert pianist, so these works lay well on the keyboards. And they also demand a lot from the players. Tatjana Blome and Holger Groschopp perform with distinction. Their interpretation of Braunfels Post-Romantic […]
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Soyeon Kate Lee plays Clementi with crystalline precision
Naxos has released a lot of Clementi piano sonatas, with a variety of performers. This latest release features Soyeon Kate Lee, who delivers some delightful performances. Clementi’s music pushed the limits of the then-developing fortepiano. But on a modern instrument, they can sound a little constrained and reserved. Lee has a feathery touch that makes […]
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Katarzyna Drogosz bring Franz Xaver Mozart out of father’s shadow
In his lifetime Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart was better known as a virtuoso pianist than a composer. And for good reason. As a performer, he was judged on the merits of his own talent. As a composer, he was always compared to his father, Wolfgang Amadeus. As a result, F.X. Mozart virtually ceased composing in […]
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Han Chen delivers pristine performances of Anton Rubinstein sonatas
Anton Rubinstein, both as a pianist and a composer, was wildly popular with the general public. His colleagues, though, had a different opinion. Russian musicians considered him too German (and Germans too Russian). Although he had tremendous technical ability, Franz Liszt remained unimpressed, calling him ‘a Pseudo-musician of the Future’. Shortly after his death, Rubinstein’s […]
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Elisaveta Blumina perceptively performs Weinberg sonatas
This is the third Weinberg recording from pianist Elisaveta Blumina on CPO, and her first as a soloist. Blumina’s sympathetic (and informed) performances get to the heart of Weinberg’s music. Weinberg suffered great emotional trauma, and it’s released in his music. To me, Weinberg’s Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 8 in A minor almost sounds […]
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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 […]
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Victor Rosenbaum gives mature insights into Beethoven
Victor Rosenbaum performs an engaging program of Beethoven piano music for Bridge Records. This is his third release with the label, and it’s a great partnership. Bridge knows how to record the piano to capture its natural warmth. The recordings are clean, with just enough room ambiance to make the recording sound natural, as if […]