For the month of September, the Classics a Day team chose a controversial theme. There is a small subset of symphonic works within the classical repertoire that appear misnamed. Most composers choose their titles carefully. But when the title runs counter to expectations, disagreements arise. What does the title “symphony” mean? Can a composition be […]
Franz Joseph Haydn
-
-
#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 4
Last month the Classics a Day team chose vintage recordings as the theme. Specifically, recordings made before the LP era. This month, the focus moves forward in time a little, to the early LP era. This runs from 1948 to about 1958, with the advent of stereo recording. In that era (as with other eras […]
-
#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalBubble Week 5
This month’s Classics a Day theme follows a trend. In May 2020 we were sheltering in place. The theme was #ClassicalDistancing — music for unusual solo instruments best played at home. In June, social bubbles were allowed, and so the theme #ClassicalBubble called for duos. Again, for unusual instruments best played at home. This month […]
-
#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalBubble Week 1
This month’s Classics a Day theme follows a trend. In May 2020 we were sheltering in place. The theme was #ClassicalDistancing — music for unusual solo instruments best played at home. In June, social bubbles were allowed, and so the theme #ClassicalBubble called for duos. Again, for unusual instruments best played at home. This month […]
-
Solomiya Ivakhiv Double Concerto Project spans labels
This is something unusual — a recording series spread across different labels. Violinist Solmiya Ivakhiv and pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi wanted to record the double concertos of Haydn and Mendelssohn. While preparing, they discovered two other neglected works. Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a contemporary of Haydn, had also written a double concerto for violin and piano. And […]
-
Johann Simon Mayr piano concertos on par with Haydn’s
The German composer Johann Simon Mayr dominated the music scene in northern Italy in the early 1800s. He was the maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Bergamo and wrote a prodigious amount of music: over 70 operas, 18 masses, and 57 symphonies. Today, he’s best known (if at all) as Gaetano Donizetti’s teacher. This […]
-
#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalAutumn Week 1
In 2019 the Classics a Day team has been making its way through the seasons. We’ve had Classical Winter (January), Classical Spring (April), and Classical Summer (August). For October, we complete the cycle with Classical Autumn. I tried to steer clear of the really obvious choices (like Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”). In the process, I managed […]
-
#ClassicsaDay #SummerClassics Weeks 1 and 2
It was a busy summer for the Classics a Day team. In June, we marked African-American Music Appreciation Month. In July we celebrated national holidays in the U.S. and Canada. So that just left August to have a summer theme. For my part, I chose to choose anything except Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” In the process, […]
-
McDermott Delivers Intimate Performances of Haydn Sonatas
This release is a follow-up to McDermott’s 2014 release of Haydn Piano Concertos and Sonatas. This time, Anne-Marie McDermott presents an entire program of solo sonatas. Haydn’s sonatas have a deceptive simplicity to them. The technical demands are modest (compared to sonatas by Beethoven and later composers). But that doesn’t mean they’re insubstantial. McDermott performs […]