Stefan Poradowski was a man of many talents — including a talent for survival. This Polish composer was deported by the Nazis in 1939,. He lived through the war and returned to become Vice-Rector of the Polish State Music Academy. Poradowski was also a renowned violinist and organist. And he was a respected artist and […]
Orchestral music
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James Lee III — Fantastic Voyages
I had not heard James Lee III’s music before I received this release. And shame on me. This gifted African-American composer has a rare talent for melody and orchestration. And he has a musical imagination that’s well-served by those talents. Lee writes, “I want to compose music to reach to the inner soul of the […]
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Simone Lamsma recovers Rautavaara’s Lost Landscapes
This release features works written in the final years of Rautavaara’s life. In 2004 a ruptured blood vessel brought him near to death — and six months in the ICU. That experience changed the composer’s creative output. It affected the types of music he wrote and their emotional centers. Violinist Simone Lamsma plays a selection […]
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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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Classics of American Romanticism Worth Revisiting
When did American classical music begin? Sooner than you might think. Long before Aaron Copland — and even Charles Ives — composers were looking to create a national voice. George Frederick Bristow and William Henry Fry were two such pioneers. Fry was the first native-born American to compose symphonic works. His 1854 Niagra Symphony is […]
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New York Youth Symphony Excel with Composers of Color
This release features music by three female African-American composers. Florence Price was active in the 1930s and is just now coming into her own. Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery are contemporary composers, building on Price’s legacy. The New York Youth Symphony gives these works some fine performances. The players may be young, but their technique […]
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Zygmunt Stojowski Symphony gets a new recording
Zygmunt Stojowski may not be a familiar name today, but he was a major figure in 20th Century music. In 1905, he became piano department chair for the Institute of Musical Art (later Julliard). His teaching over the next four decades would influence hundreds of pianists. Stojowski was also well-respected as a composer, although here […]
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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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Steve Elcock Symphonies Continue to Impress
This volume of music by Steve Elcock features two symphonies and a quasi-concerto. Elcock is a self-taught composer. He has been creating music outside the mainstream for some time. And more importantly, creating it outside mainstream academia. Elcock has a strong sense of melody. But it’s a singular one. Elcock’s compositions are tonal, and in […]