Naxos has released two numbered volumes of Stamitz symphonies. This doesn’t seem to be part of that set. Rather, it focuses on Johann Stamitz’ Op. 3, a compilation of works written over a six-year period. If I had to place them stylistically, I’d say they represent a transition from style galant of Johann Christian Bach to the […]
Naxos
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Myroslav Skoryk Violin Concertos 1-4; great music from Ukraine
This is the start of a two-volume traversal of violin concertos by Myroslav Skoryk. Skoryk, a major figure in Ukrainian music wrote a total of nine concerti. He was a prominent composer both in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras. Skoryk uses Ukrainian folk elements in his music, but not in obvious ways. Skoryk wrote his first […]
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Early Beethoven cantatas hint at greatness
The Emporer is dead, long live the Emporer. In 1790 a nineteen-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven was commissioned to write two cantatas. The first was an elegy for Emperor Joseph II. The second for Leopold II, who inherited the throne. Maestro Leif Segerstam presents both works. It continues Naxos’s series of Beethoven choral works. Apparently, the […]
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Guitar Double Concertos Showcase Spanish Composers
I was a little surprised when this album crossed my desk. I thought it was an album of concertos for two guitars. Not quite. It’s an album of concertos for two instruments, one of which is always a guitar. Each concerto pairs the guitar with a different instrument. Each is written by a different composer, […]
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Composer Alfonso Romero Asenjo Transcends Trends
In the liner notes Spanish composer Alfonso Romero Asenjo is described as “trans-avant-garde.” I think that’s a fair description. The music in this release struck me as a unique blend of pre- and post-atonal elements. The most recent work on the album, the String Symphony, is only six years old. Asenjo’s compositional materials are deceptively […]
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Soyeon Kate Lee plays Clementi with crystalline precision
Naxos has released a lot of Clementi piano sonatas, with a variety of performers. This latest release features Soyeon Kate Lee, who delivers some delightful performances. Clementi’s music pushed the limits of the then-developing fortepiano. But on a modern instrument, they can sound a little constrained and reserved. Lee has a feathery touch that makes […]
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“Two Lutes with Grace” informative and entertaining
It’s a clever title. “Two Lutes with Grace” refers to Marc Lewen and Paul Kieffer (lutes), and Grace Newcombe (vocal). And it’s a valuable release. In the late 1400s, lute duos were one of the most common forms of professional ensembles. Lewen and Kieffer carefully reconstruct what these duos may have performed, using current musicological […]
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Herbert Howells Chamber Music has depth
Herbert Howells is best known for his large scale choral works. But as this release demonstrates, his chamber music is equally beautiful and well-crafted. The Dante Quartet deliver sympathetic readings of Howell’s String Quartet No. 3 and Lady Audrey’s Suite. The Gould Trio, joined by pianist Benjamin Frith, performs the Piano Quartet in A minor […]
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Mieczyslaw Weinberg Chamber Symphonies – phenomenal
This release is special in two ways. First, it marks the centenary of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s birth in 1919. Second, it’s the debut recording of the East-West Chamber Orchestra. The combination is magic — we get phenomenal performances of some phenomenal music. The East-West Chamber Orchestra has been the in-house ensemble for the Yuri Bashmet International […]