Anne-Marie McDermott has a very distinctive playing style, especially with Mozart. It’s delicate without being dainty. It’s expressive while neither being too emotive nor overly reserved. McDermott’s playing embodies what I like to think Mozart’s intentions were. But it’s playing that goes deeper than the notes. McDermott’s own personality makes these oh-so-familiar works sound fresh […]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 4
For the month of October, the Classics a Day team turned nostalgic. Classical musicians have been making recordings since the 1890s. So we all have over 130 years of documented performance practices. And we can judge first-hand the artistry of legendary performers. The challenge is to post classical recordings made before 1949 (pre-LP era). Here […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalTimeMachine Week 1
For the month of October, the Classics a Day team turned nostalgic. Classical musicians have been making recordings since the 1890s. So we all have over 130 years of documented performance practices. And we can judge first-hand the artistry of legendary performers. The challenge is to post classical recordings made before 1949 (pre-LP era). Here […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalBubble Week 2
Last month, the Classics a Day team came up with a theme to reflect the reality of social distancing. The challenge was to share solo works for unusual instruments — the kind of instruments best played in social isolation. For June, the team is again going with the times. Social bubbles are small groups of […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDistancing Week 3
Normally the Classics a Day theme for May involved May Day (#SovietaDay). Having a theme centered around social distancing/self-quarantine seemed more appropriate. The challenge for May is post works for unusual solo instruments or works about solitude. Here are my selections for the third week of #ClassicalDistancing 05/18/20 Anon. 14th C. – Medieval dance The […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalQuartet Week 3
April is the fourth month of the year. And so the Classics a Day team decided to make classical quartets this month’s theme. One could easily fill up a month of postings with nothing but great string quartets. But I decided to explore further. A piano trio is made up of four musicians. So is […]
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Anne-Marie McDermott performs Mozart with exuberance and precision
Volume two of Anne-Marie McDermott’s Mozart series builds on the success of volume one. McDermott’s playing is as beautiful as ever. There’s apparent chemistry between her and the Odense Symphony Orchestra. Though each of the three concertos on this release has a different conductor, there’s a remarkable consistency in the interpretations. Piano Concerto No. 15 […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDoubleDigits Week 3
The Classics a Day team noted that the new year is comprised of two twenties — double digits. So the theme for January 2020 is to post other examples of double digits found in classical music. Prolific composers are a good place to start. But I found a few surprises among composers with very small […]
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#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalChristmas Weeks 4 and 5
This marks the third year running that the Classics a Day team made Christmas music the December theme. I guess that makes it a tradition. When it comes to the music of the season, there’s plenty to choose from. Since the 1100s composers have written sacred music for Advent and Christmas — and plenty of […]