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 […]

The three works in this release each present a different facet of Mikolaj Gorecki’s style. There are similarities: two are for orchestra; two feature a clarinet, horn, and piano trio. But each has its own character. Gorecki’s orchestral work Zan Tontemiquico was inspired by the pre-Columbian poem of Tochihuitzin. It begins  “We only come to […]

For the average person, I think, the term “Italian Baroque” conjures up the music of Vivaldi. But the Italian Baroque really began around 1600, and it took a while for the music — and the instruments — to complete the transition from the Renaissance. What struck me most about this collection of sonatas by Giovanni […]

Sometimes being an amateur — rather than a professional — has its advantages. I’m referring to the original meaning of ” amateur” — one who loves the subject. If you’re an amateur composer, you’re free from the constraints of professional composers. You don’t have to compose a certain way to gain commissions, or recognition, or […]

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, […]

New Jazz Adds – 5/19/2020 Peter & Will Anderson – Featuring Jimmy Cobb (Outside In Music): “Virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone” (New York Times), identical twins Peter and Will Anderson are two of the most extraordinary  jazz woodwind players today.  Born and raised in Washington D.C., the Andersons moved to New York City to attend The Juilliard School.  They’ve […]