In his native Bulgaria, composer and pianist Pancho Vladigerov is considered a national treasure. A treasure, perhaps, that was a little too closely guarded until now. For some reason, it’s always been difficult to access Vladigerov’s music outside of his Bulgaria. Thanks to Capriccio, the world will finally discover what it’s been missing. This release […]
Concerto
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L’Arte dell’Arco triumphs with latest Giovanni Platti release
Giovanni Benedetto Platti was born when Johann Sebastian Bach was 13, and died when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was seven. Just as his life spanned the late Baroque and the early Classical era, so did his music. This release features four of Platti’s nine published harpsichord concertos. The works were written between 1730 and 1750, for […]
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Mona and Rica Bard jumpstart Bruch double piano concerto
This release features two live recordings from a Max Bruch Jubilee Concert. The recorded sound and the performances are first-rate. The Staatskapelle Halle directed by Ariane Matiakh has a warm sound that’s still richly detailed. The audience is so well-behaved that this could pass for a studio recording. For many, Buch is a one-hit-wonder. His […]
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Poul Ruders avoids categorizations in Volume 15
What I like best about Poul Ruders is that he’s his own man. Ruders picks and chooses from all the various contemporary compositional trends. He mixes and matches them, all in service of the idea he wants to express. And Ruders makes it all sound not only cohesive but logical — as if it simply […]
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Andrew Waggoner – Quantum Memoir explores connections
This release features three concertos by violinist and composer Andrew Waggoner. These are short works — the longest runs just 19 minutes. But they’re also densely packed. Waggoner writes in a post-tonal style that can be enjoyed by the casual (albeit adventurous) listener, and those who want music that reveals more with every playing. The […]
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Joan Manén – a composer worth knowing
At one time, Joan Manén was as famous as his contemporary (and fellow Catalan) Pablo Casals. Manén rose to fame as a violin virtuoso and composer. During his career, he rubbed shoulders and performed with Antonin Dvorak, Max Bruch, and Richard Strauss. By the late 1930s, Manén’s attraction as a performer was in decline. Although […]
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Raphael Wallfisch shows affinity for Weinberg Cello Concerto
At first blush, it may seem like a recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s music doesn’t belong in the Cello Concertos by Exiled Jewish Composers series. After all, wasn’t Weinberg a Soviet composer? He was, but he very much belongs in this series. Weinberg was born in Warsaw. His family moved to Russia, and after the Revolution, […]
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Julius Rontgen Piano Concertos – originality in traditional forms
In the Netherlands, Julius Röntgen is a cultural hero. But for the rest of the world, not so much. If you’re not familiar with Röntgen, this release is a good starting point. Röntgen was a piano virtuoso, whose playing at age 14 impressed Franz Liszt. Röntgen was friends with Brahms. Although he lived until 1932, […]
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Dan Locklair – Symphony No. 2, “America” optimistic and hopeful
Dan Locklair is best known as an organist and a composer of works for his instrument. But there’s a strong correlation between writing for organ and writing for orchestra — just ask Anton Bruckner. Many contemporary choral and organ composers write tonal music, free from academic fussiness. Locklair certainly falls into that group. And while […]