Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari is best remembered for his comic operas. But he was also a talented instrumental composer. And he used his melodic gifts quite effectively. This release features one of his instrumental “hits” and two more that should be. In the early 20th Century, Wolf-Ferrari was known for his comic operas, such as “Il segreto […]
Concerto
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Paciorkiewicz Violin Concertos Display Fine Craftsmanship
According to Polish composer Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz, “even the best craftsmanship and compositional skills are only a means to achieve the goal of expressing a work.” That philosophy is very much evident in this recording of his music. it features his 1955 Violin Concerto and his 1983 Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra. Paciorkiewicz’s music balances […]
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Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz Violin Concertos in Bracing Performances
According to Polish composer Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz, “even the best craftsmanship and compositional skills are only a means to achieve the goal of expressing a work.” That philosophy is very much evident in this recording of his music. it features his 1955 Violin Concerto and his 1983 Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra. Paciorkiewicz’s music balances […]
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Say Hello to Vítězslava Kaprálová with “Waving Farewell”
Vítězslava Kaprálová is considered one of the Czech Republic’s greatest female composers — and with good reason. She was a student of Vítězslav Novák and Bohuslav Martinu. She conducted performances of her works with both the Czech Philharmonic and the BBC Orchestra. She wrote over fifty compositions, several of which won awards. And she was […]
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Rediscovered British Clarinet Concertos Deserve a Listen
This is a wonderful collection of music. And, I think, it makes a point. The classical repertoire is so rich that no matter how tightly focused the program, there are plenty of gems to chose from. In this case, the focus is clarinet concertos by British composers from the first half of the 20th Century […]
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Piano Protagonists – a triumph for Orion Weiss
Pianist Orion Weiss assembled this program around a theme – the composer responding to a specific source of inspiration with a virtuoso composition. It’s an interesting idea, and it yielded an album that virtually spans the Romantic Period. The earliest work is Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” by Frederic Chopin. And the inspiration […]
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Josef Schelb Orchestra Music Vol. 2 features concertos
German composer Josef Schelb lost most of his manuscripts in a Berlin air raid during World War II. He made up for those losses after the war, creating 150 new works between 1949 and his death in 1977. This album features three of his post-war concertos. The Kammersymphonie Berlin seems the ideal ensemble for this […]
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Swedish Smorgasbord a feast of orchestral discoveries
Every person has a story. And every country has a musical tradition. In the 1970s Bo Hyttner ran the Sterling record store in Stockholm. He could see that Sweden’s musical story wasn’t being told. Classical labels would occasionally have the popular movement from Lars Erik Larsson’s “Winter’s Tale,” but little else. Sten Frykberg was conducting […]
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#ClassicsaDay #APAHM Week 2
May is designated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The Classics a Day team adopted that theme as well. For the month of May, the challenge is to post examples of classical music composed or performed by artists who share that heritage. I limited myself to just posting Asian-American composers. And discovered a seemingly limitless number of […]