Jean-Marie Leclair published twelve sonatas in his Opus 5 collection. This release presents sonatas 5 through 8 of the set. I reviewed the previous installment in this series, which included sonatas 1-3. In many ways, this release follows through with the standards set by that release. Violin Adrian Butterfield shows remarkable musicality and technique with […]
Naxos
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Niklay Shugaev excels with underrated 20th Century cello works
The three works have one thing in common. They’re all works for cello and orchestra, composed by Italians in the mid-20th Century. And that’s about all they have in common. Gian Malipiero’s work is a full-blown cello concerto. Giorgio Ghedini’s is a neo-classical composition for two cellos (and orchestra). Alfredo Cansala’s is an unassuming Notturne e […]
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Naxos launches Claudio Santoro Symphonic Series
How familiar are you with classical music outside Europe? I thought I was pretty well-versed. I could even name some composers from Brazil — like Heitor Villa-Lobos. But I wasn’t at all familiar with his contemporary, Claudio Santoro. And that’s some oversight. Over the course of his life, Santoro served about every musical role in […]
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Early George Enescu Chamber Works Satisfy
This release presents two chamber works by George Enescu. Both Tte Piano Quartet No. 1, and the Piano Trio come from early in his career. Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major is representative of Enescu’s music at the time. It has rich, post-Romantic harmonies. And the melodies share some characteristics with Romanian folk music. […]
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Chevalier de Saint-Georges Concertante Quartets Shine
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges was a busy guy. He was a champion swordsman, military commander, and athlete. He was also a violin virtuoso, conductor, and composer. And while his musical career was brief, Bologne composed an impressive body of music. This release presents six of Bologne’s eighteen published string quartets. His contemporary, Wolfgang Amadeus […]
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Adrian Butterfield excels with Leclair Violin Sonatas
Jean-Marie Leclair was one of the most pre-eminent violinists of his day. Each collection of sonatas he published advanced the art of violin playing. The third book from 1734 challenges the player’s dexterity. The fast movements are sometimes just a blur of notes. Leclair frequently uses double stops, and not always with the most convenient […]
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Paul Wranitzky Orchestral Works 4 Expands Scope
One thing I like about Naxos’ Wranitzky series is the concept. It really is a survey of his orchestral music — not just his symphonies. Not that there isn’t enough material — Wranitzky wrote 56 symphonies. This volume presents one of his ballets, along with an occasional piece for Empress Marie Therese. Das Waldmädchen (The Forest […]
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William Grant Still – Summerland an important release
I blame the laziness of public radio station programmers. Because of them, William Grant Still was almost a one-hit-wonder. Need to program something classical for Black History Month? Still’s First Symphony is subtitled the “Afro-American.” Done and done. Granted, recordings of Still’s works haven’t been plentiful. But there are other works available. Especially on this […]
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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Orchestral Works Back in Print
The re-release of this album comes at a fortuitous time. This collection of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s orchestral music came out in 1995. It was (and is) part of an ongoing series of British light orchestral music. And as such, it fills the bill quite nicely. But in 2022, there’s a real desire for classical music from […]