Volume two of Naxos’ Wranitzky series features all world premiere recordings. Of course, that’s not so hard to do. As popular as Paul Wranitzky was in 1800s Vienna, he remains all but unknown today. And that’s also why a release of never-heard-before recordings is so exciting. Wranitzky moved to Vienna from Moravia in the 1770s […]
Naxos
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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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Joseph Boulogne Symphonie Concertantes solid entertainment
Joseph Boulogne was one of the most brilliant composers and violinists in France — and a person of color. Still, he was a prominent and influential musical figure in 1770s Paris. He was renowned as a conductor, performer, and composer. Boulogne was an extraordinary violinist, and composed fourteen concertos for himself to perform. He also […]
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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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Say Hello to Vítězslava Kaprálová with “Waving Farewell”
Vítězslava Kaprálová is considered one of the Czech Republic’s greatest female composers — and with good reason. She was a student of Vítězslav Novák and Bohuslav Martinu. She conducted performances of her works with both the Czech Philharmonic and the BBC Orchestra. She wrote over fifty compositions, several of which won awards. And she was […]
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Auber Overtures Volume Four – The Hits Keep Coming
Like the other three volumes, this Daniel-François-Esprit Auber release delights. Kudos to Dario Salvi for some innovative programming. Volume Four features three opera overtures, plus an unusual orchestral work. Most of these receive their world premiere recordings here. Fra Diavolo is Auber’s best-known (and most recorded) work. Dario Salvi’s interpretation of the overture compares favorably against […]
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Salvatore Di Vittorio release not up to par
To me, this release is something of a puzzle. We have a composer conducting the orchestra he founded in a program of his own works. I enjoyed Salvatore Di Vittorio and the Chamber Orchestra of New York before. Their Respighi release is a knockout. But not this. The compositions are fine. They’re well-constructed. Di Vittorio, […]
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Michael Haydn Choral Works hold their own
Let’s be clear. Michael Haydn was not a bad composer. He was a very good one. Just not as great as his brother, Franz Joseph. But even Franz Joseph thought Michael was the better choral composer of the two. This album helps make that case with a set of unusual works. All three compositions are […]
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Johann Mayr Messa di Gloria – forgotten, but not forgettable
If maestro Frank Hauk had his way, Johann Simon Mayr would be known for more than just being Gaetano Donizetti’s music teacher. Mayr, in his day, was a major figure. He wrote 19 masses, 57 symphonies, over 70 operas — most of which are now all but forgotten. Is Mayr’s music forgettable? Hauk would disagree. […]