When I reviewed Volume 1, I said I was very much looking forward to this release. I’m not disappointed. The Kertész String Quartet performs to the same high standard they established with the first volume. On the whole, this period-instrument quartet has the same warm, rich sound I enjoyed before. This time, though, I detected […]
Toccata Classics
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Martinu Early Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 fills in background
The major work of this release is “Vanishing Night.” Martinu revised this work with the help of his teacher Josef Suk. The work is a compendium of Martinu’s early impressionist style. Originally, it was thought that only a portion of “Vanishing Midnight” survived. Recently orchestral parts for the missing movements were rediscovered, and for the […]
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Wenzel Heinrich Veit String Quartets, Vol. 1 – an individual voice
Robert Schumann had this to say of Wenzel Heinrich Veit’s music: The form of this quartet contains nothing unusual, there is no boldness or originality, but it is proper and shows a well-trained hand. Both the harmony and the individual voices are worthy of high praise. I think the first part of that assessment’s a […]
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Henry Cotter Nixon Volume 2 – Sophomore Slump?
I loved the first installment of this three-part series. This, the second, I have a few reservations about. Henry Cotter Nixon spent most of his professional life at the edges of the English musical world. Although his music won awards, his career outside of London hampered performances. This volume features a variety of works that, to my […]
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Rosner Chamber Music – Always a Pleasure
Another recording of Arnold Rosner’s music is always welcome (in my opinion). Rosner was something of a musical outsider, much like Alan Hovhaness. Rosner wrote Hovhaness’ entry in Groves and was an acknowledged authority on his music. Like Hovhaness, Rosner wrote in an unapologetically tonal language, unconcerned with the conventions of traditional harmony. Hovhaness used Eastern modes, […]
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Toccata Classics revives Tadeusz Majerski
Count Polish composer Tadeusz Majerski among the many artists who ran afoul of authoritarian governments and suffered the consequences. In Pajerski’s case, the authorities were the Polish Communist Party and the price was professional obscurity. This Toccata Classics release may help restore some of Majerski’s reputation. Majerski embraced the new while incorporating traditional Polish music. That newness (including 12-tone experiments) made […]
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Henry Cotter Nixon – Rescued from Obscurity
Count on Toccata Classics to bring another obscure composer to light. And count on that composer’s music being worthy of our attention. Henry Cotter Nixon spent most of his career at the fringes of the British musical scene and was considered to be a provincial composer. Most of his compositions are melodies (simple songs), but […]
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Music for Henry Stuart, the Cardinal-King
Henry Benedict Stuart, the younger brother of “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” was a lover of music and frequenter of the opera before taking his orders. After becoming a cardinal, Henry forsook the secular and became a strong patron of sacred music composers. This release presents a sampling of the Cardinal King’ patronage, with music ranging from […]
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Hans Gál Clarinet Music Spans Career
Austrian composer Hans Gál had a promising career in the 1930s. His opera Die heilige Ente (premiered under George Szell) received multiple performances, he was appointed the director of the Mainz conservatory on the recommendations of Wilhelm Furtwängler and Richard Strauss, his compositions won awards and critical acclaim. But it all disappeared once the Nazis […]