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 […]
Romantic period
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Agnas Zimmermann — another find from Toccata Classics
Labels matter. I’ve learned to trust the record label Toccata Classics. They often release music by composers I’ve never heard of (and that’s saying something). But it’s always been music I’ve found worth exploring. So when I saw this release of Agnes Zimmermann’s violin sonatas, I knew I had to audition it. Agnes Zimmermann was […]
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Second volume of Auber opera overtures distinct improvement
Volume two of Daniel-François-Esprit Auber overtures builds on the strengths of the first. As before, maestro Dario Salvi and the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice present several world premiere recordings — including a violin concerto. While I enjoyed the performances of the ensemble in volume one, I had some complaints about the quality of the […]
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Jean-Luc Tingaud brings out the drama in Franck orchestral works
Maestro Jean-Luc Tingaud is renowned as an opera conductor. But he also knows his way around the French orchestral repertoire. His recordings of Poulenc, D’Indy, Dukas, and Bizet garnered critical acclaim. And his latest release of Cesar Franck orchestral works runs true to form. Perhaps it was the dramatic nature of this music that interested […]
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Moritz Moszkowski Orchestral Series Starts Ambitiously
Moritz Moszkowski was one of the most successful concert pianists of the 1890s. His fame today rests mainly on a small selection of his piano works that test the virtuosity of the performer. But this Polish composer wrote so much more; chamber music, concertos, and orchestral music. With this release, Toccata Classics launches an ambitious […]
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A Fine Collection of Opéra-Comique Overtures
Michael Halász and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra deliver an attractive selection of French Opéra-Comique overtures. The genre evolved over time, from light, frothy entertainment to more serious and realistic subjects. But the overture was always a curtain-raiser. And that’s just what we get. Maestro Halász keeps things moving. Orchestral contrasts are suitably dramatic, […]
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Henri Vieuxtemps Works for Violin and Orchestra Demand Virtuosity
Henri Vieuxtemps was one of the greatest violin virtuosos of his age, considered by some to be Paganini’s successor. Not surprisingly, most of his compositions were for the violin (including seven concertos). This release features some of Vieuxtemps’ shorter works for violin and orchestra. But shorter doesn’t necessarily mean easier. As violinist Reto Kuppel remarked, […]
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Henry Cotter Nixon orchestral series finishes strong
Toccata Classics have completed their Henry Cotter Nixon series. And I see the logic of their release schedule. Nixon spent most of his career outside of Victorian London, and therefore in the margins of British music. He didn’t have the resources available to his cosmopolitan colleagues and composed accordingly. The first volume of his orchestral […]
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Plawner Quintet perform important chamber music from Poland
Stanislaw Moniuszko is considered the father of Polish national opera, and one of the country’s most important composers of the mid-19th Century. This release features his two string quartets. It also has a piano quintet by Juliusz Zarebski, one of Poland’s leading composers of the late 19th Century. The members of the Plawner Quintet have […]