Eduardas Balsys was a major musical figure in postwar Lithuania. He was one of the country’s foremost composers, Balsys was also an important educator. He was head of the composition department a the Conservatory of the Lithuanian SSR. As such, he shaped the next generation of Lithuanian composers. Balsys’ own style was shaped by politics. […]
contemporary classical music
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Marcel Poot Symphonic Survey Revealing
Initially, Belgian composer Marcel Poot wasn’t particularly interested in music. And that’s what makes his symphonies so interesting. Poot’s father, director of the Royal Flemish Theater, pressured his son into music. Marcel first failed as a clarinetist, then became a reluctant piano student. “The town organist taught me scales and the Czerny exercises. This did […]
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Jouni Somero surveys Selim Palmgren piano repertoire
This volume in Grand Piano’s series spans fifty years of Selim Palmgren compositions. They show the development of the composer over time. The album opens with Three Piano Pieces, Op. 4, written in 1893. Palmgren was 15. These are charming, unprepossessing pieces with traces of Brahms and Schumann. Palmgren wrote his Lyrical Intermezzo, Op. 8 […]
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Raphael Terroni presents Howard Ferguson’s best
With Howard Ferguson, it was always about quality, not quantity. Ferguson was extremely self-critical. As a result, his music only emerged after much deliberation and revision. Over a span of thirty years, he wrote only nineteen works. And then he stopped because he felt he had nothing left to say. But when he spoke musically, […]
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Ensemble Mark Rothko deliver with Heitor Villa-Lobos chamber works
A colleague of mine absolutely loves Heitor Villa-Lobos. Whatever classical music subgenre you name, he’ll cite a Villa-Lobos composition for it. And then he’ll assert it’s one of the best. The thing is, he’s usually right. From symphonies to string quartets, Villa-Lobos has both quantity and quality. And that quality is present even in his […]
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Jan Paderewski’s “Polonia” Receives a Proper Performance
Is it possible to tell the history of a country in music? Jan Paderewski thought so. He loved his native Poland — so much so he eventually became its prime minister. But before that, he composed his massive Symphony in B minor, “Polonia.” The work commemorates the 40th Anniversary of the January Uprising. In 1863 […]
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Upper Austrian David Trio Does Namesake Justice
First off, about the ensemble’s name. “OÖ. David-Trio” is an abbreviation for the Oberösterreichisch (Upper Austrian) David Trio. As their name implies, this trio specializes in the music of Johann Nepomuk David. They’re equally at home with the music of other 20th Century composers, such as Webern and Schoenberg. And they perform the classic string […]
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William Bland Piano Sonatas Anything But
From 1998 through 2014 William Bland quietly composed a massive body of work. It’s a cycle of piano sonatas, one of each major and minor key. The sonatas run about 20-30 minutes each, and each sonata has its own character. This release doubles the number of Bland’s sonatas to be recorded. Bridge Records previously released […]
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Alban Beikircher excites with Wolf-Ferrari Violin Concerto
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 […]