Danish composer Louis Glass studied with Niels Gade. While at the Brussels Conservatory, he came under the influence of Anton Bruckner. If nothing else, Bruckner’s symphonies encouraged Glass to think big. Glass’ Symphony No. 4 runs a little short of an hour. The four-movement work is big, but not sprawling. The material simply needs a lot […]
Orchestral music
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Johann Vanhal Symphonies, Volume 5 — More, please!
Volume five of Naxos’ Vanhal series features some significant works. It includes his Symphony in C, Bryan C7b. This was one of Vanhal’s most popular and widely disseminated compositions. It was even performed at the Esterhazy orchestra, directed by Haydn. Some of the printed editions mistakenly credit the work to Haydn! Though composed in 1772, […]
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Arthur Sullivan Incidental Music – Good to be back in print
Good to see this back in print. Naxos first released this album on their Marco Polo label in 1992. It features some of Arthur Sullivan’s other theatrical music. This Irish composer will forever be part of Gilbert and Sullivan. But even in his lifetime, he was well-known for his work outside the “Savoy Operas.” The […]
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Anders Eliasson symphonies present a unique voice
Anders Eliasson isn’t as well-known outside of Scandinavia as he should be. This release should help remedy that. Eliasson had an epiphany when he attended the Royal Swedish Academy of music in the 1960s. As he wrote, “It was a time of unbearable self-denial. Metrical rhythms, melodies, even particular intervals were all taboo in contemporary […]
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Hans Werner Henze: Nachtstücke und Arien worth exploring
Even when he was the darling of the Darmstadt avant-garde, Hans Werner Henze was his own man. In time he moved away from the aggressive modernism of that school — literally and musically. Werner settled on an island in the Gulf of Naples, where he became a neighbor of William Walton. At the same time, […]
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Poul Ruders Dream Catcher – An Accordion Showpiece
In America, most people don’t consider the accordion a symphonic instrument. In northern Europe, though, it’s a different matter. Danish composer Poul Ruders isn’t the only classical musician to write for the instrument. He’s definitely one of the more talented, though. Sound and Simplicity is fairly new work, completed in 2018. Ruders subtitled it “Seven Pillars […]
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Kaveli Aho Double and Triple Concertos – Definitive Performances
Finnish composer Kaveli Aho is a symphonist. His ideas seem best-suited to large-scale works. Among those large-scale works are 36 concertos, including the two on this recording. And within the subset of concertos, these two are also large-scale. One is a double concerto, the other a triple concerto. Aho composed his double concerto for cor […]
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Robert Trevino upgrades the repertoire with Americascapes
Maestro Robert Trevino is certainly adventurous. It’s not enough for him to program an album of four American composers. No, he had to choose four composers who are seldom programmed. And he also goes even further and programs works that are rarely recorded — even for these composers. Bravo. La mort de Tintagiles is one of […]
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David Porcelijn brings fresh excitement to Rontgen symphonies
If you — like me — love the music of Julius Rontgen, then this release is a must-have. If you’re not familiar with this 20th Century Dutch composer, this release is a good place to start. Röntgen was a major figure in Dutch musical life. As a pianist, he performed Brahm’s second piano concerto — […]