This third volume of Alexander Moyzes symphonies features two of his most popular symphonies. Symphony No. 5 was dedicated to Moyzes father. Mikuláš Moyzes (1872–1944) was an early pioneer in creating a national style of classical composition. Alexander Moyzes demonstrates his mastery of this concept with this work. The symphony uses elements of his father’s […]
contemporary classical music
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David Diamond Symphony No. 6 worth the wait
David Diamond said, “You have to write music that will be loved.” This release presents three such examples. Diamond was arguably at his creative peak in the immediate postwar era. “Rounds for String Orchestra” (1944), “Music for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet” (1947), and Symphony No. 6 (1951-54) all come from that period. Diamond was a […]
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Sergei Zhukov Concertos Suited to Soloists
Ukranian composer Sergei Zhukov wrote a series of three concertos, each dedicated to a different sister of The Bekova Trio. This release features the Piano Concerto written for Eleonora Bekova and the Violin Concerto, written for Elvira Bekova. Omitted is the Cello Concerto, composed for Alfia Bekova. Zhukov’s stated intent was to create concertos that […]
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Judith Shatin retrospective concert – insights and thrills
The audience for Hearing Things: Music by Judith Shatin heard some exciting music in Old Cabell Hall on April 6, 2019. The retrospective concert was part of Shatin Music Month. Shatin founded the Virginia Center for Computer Music in 1987 and guided its growth through her retirement. The concert included works created at the Center, as well as some that didn’t use […]
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Alexander Moyzes Symphonies 3 & 4 – Subtle Subversiveness
This release is the second reissue of Moyzes recordings from Naxos. The cycle was originally released on Marco Polo in 2000. The recordings still sound superb. The ensemble sound of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra has a warm, smooth sound. And yet one can still hear important details in the solo passages and smaller groupings. […]
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Paul Lansky: The Long and Short of It
This release features three intimate chamber works by Paul Lansky. All are fairly recent, composed after Lansky’s transition to a more tonal style. “The Long and Short of It” is the most recent work, completed in 2015. This wind quintet is based on a section of Mozart’s Serenade for Winds, K. 361. Lansky uses the […]
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Daniel del Pino and Habemus Quartet – Contemporary and Consonant
This release is the result of an international competition for consonant chamber music. The works are all set in a tonal framework, but there’s nothing trite or conventional about them. These are all compositions of substance. Andreas Foivos Apostolou’s “Metamorphoses for Piano Solo” starts off the program. This Grecian composer’s work uses polyrhythms and chord […]
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In Crescendo – Consonant Chamber Music for the 21st Century
This release is the result of an international competition for consonant chamber music. The works are all set in a tonal framework, but there’s nothing trite or conventional about them. These are all compositions of substance. Andreas Foivos Apostolou’s “Metamorphoses for Piano Solo” starts off the program. This Grecian composer’s work uses polyrhythms and chord […]
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Ruth Gipps Symphonies — Old Fashioned? Well-crafted!
The 21st Century seems to be the time for the re-discovery of women composers. Obscurity could result from many factors. Some careers were frustrated by societal conventions, as with Amy Beach. Sometimes race was the issue, as with Florence Price. In the case of Ruth Gipps, it seemed to have been something not uncommon with […]