At one time, Joan Manén was as famous as his contemporary (and fellow Catalan) Pablo Casals. Manén rose to fame as a violin virtuoso and composer. During his career, he rubbed shoulders and performed with Antonin Dvorak, Max Bruch, and Richard Strauss. By the late 1930s, Manén’s attraction as a performer was in decline. Although […]
Orchestral music
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Han Rott Orchestral Works Vol. 1 – Potential realized
When Hans Rott died at age 25, the musical world, in general, didn’t notice. But his colleagues were devastated. They included Anton Bruckner (Rott’s organ teacher), and fellow classmates Gustav Mahler and Hugo Wolf. Mahler wrote, ” What music has lost in him cannot be estimated. Such is the height to which his genius soars […]
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Classical Interviews – Emily Williams
Emily Williams recently graduated from UVA with a distinguished major in Conducting and a double major in Music and Statistics. She spoke with WTJU about the power of classical music, the pieces she selected for her conducting recital, and the basics of conducting. These interviews aired as part of Classical Sunrise, weekday mornings from 7-9am. […]
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Steve Elcock Orchestral Music Vol. 2 maintains quality
To make an impact, always lead with your best material. In the case of a recording series, that can imply that the second (and subsequent) volumes are diminishing returns. Not so with the music of Steve Elcock. Elcock is something of an outsider artist. He’s a self-taught composer who wrote for his own satisfaction. His […]
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Johann Matthias Sperger bass concertos more than novelties
So who was Johannes Matthis Sperger? He was an Austrian contrabassist and a contemporary of Haydn and Beethoven. And he was also a composer. It’s important to make that distinction. At the time, many virtuoso musicians wrote concertos for themselves — some are little more than a series of technical feats strung together. Sperger wrote […]
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Torbjörn Iwan Lundquist Symphonic cycle continues
This release is the third recording of Torbjörn Iwan Lundquist symphonies by Sterling, and the fourth overall of his music. The two symphonies here both have unusual origins. Lundquist wrote a work for the Kroumata Percussion Ensemble in 1976. The project inspired him to do something larger, using the ensemble. The result was his eighth […]
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Zdenek Fibich orchestral series ends in fine form
This is the final volume in Naxos’ series of Zdenek Fibich orchestral works. It includes the last of his three symphonies, as well as orchestral music from three of his operas. Fibich completed his third symphony in 1898, just two years before his death. The work is ambitious, with a “darkness-to-light” premise that keeps the […]
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David Monrad Johansen – Norwegian treasure
As I continue to explore the highways and the byways of the classical repertoire, I find that every country has its national treasure. Sometimes, as with Antonin Dvorak, that treasure is shared with the world. Norway’s treasure, David Monrad Johanson hasn’t been — so far. Johansen is Norwegian, but his taste is cosmopolitan. Mixed in […]
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Kaija Saariaho – True Fire true masterwork
For me, Kaija Saariaho is one of those composers who reward exploration. Her sonic world is so unique, that it can only be appreciated with repeated visits. And, of course, each work yields a different insight into Saariaho’s creative mind. This release features three views into Saariaho’s world. True Fire was composed for baritone Gerald […]