When I saw the title for this release, I thought I might want to review it. When I read the subtitle, I knew I had to review it. I’d never heard of Pál Hermann, and I’m always looking for new composers to discover. But “Complete Surviving Music?” What did that mean? What did it survive? […]
Theodore Kuchar
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Solomiya Ivakhiv Double Concerto Project spans labels
This is something unusual — a recording series spread across different labels. Violinist Solmiya Ivakhiv and pianist Antonio Pompa-Baldi wanted to record the double concertos of Haydn and Mendelssohn. While preparing, they discovered two other neglected works. Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a contemporary of Haydn, had also written a double concerto for violin and piano. And […]
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Walter Saul a welcome discovery
I have to admit I’d not heard of American composer Walter Saul before this CD landed on my desk. I’m glad it did. Saul’s music has a directness to it that I find refreshing. Saul writes in a post-tonal style that’s extremely accessible, yet avoids triteness and cliche. Case in point, Saul’s 1992 Christmas Symphony. […]