This outstanding release presents three relatively late works by Arthur Bliss. At the time, they were considered a little old-fashioned. Heard now, though, I think they show the originality of Bliss’ vision — and his skill at orchestral writing. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly shines in “The Enchantress” and “Mary of Magdala.” Her voice can sound warm, […]

At one time, Joan Manén was as famous as his contemporary (and fellow Catalan) Pablo Casals. Manén rose to fame as a violin virtuoso and composer. During his career, he rubbed shoulders and performed with Antonin Dvorak, Max Bruch, and Richard Strauss. By the late 1930s, Manén’s attraction as a performer was in decline. Although […]

“We are on month 8 of this global pandemic. Back in March, touring musicians rapidly saw their entire year of income just wiped out. And we STILL don’t know when they’ll be back to work or what the landscape will even look like. And yet, everywhere we look, musicians have not stopped. They are creating, […]

This is the fourth volume of music by Josquin Desprez that Cantica Symphonia has released on Glossa. Giuseppe Maletto and the ensemble released two volumes of Josquin’s motets, plus one of chansons. Their next release was a collection of Marian motets (compositions in praise of the Virgin Mary) by various Renaissance composers. This recording seems […]

Maria Schnieder Duke Ellington envisioned long-form jazz compositions before the technology was created to support them. Initially limited to around six minutes on two sides of a 78 RPM disc, the advent of the 12’ Long-Playing record liberated Ellington and other jazz composers to conceive and record extended compositions. Several contemporary composers are continuing to […]

This is what chamber music should be about — a conversation among old friends. Bonita Boyd, Steven Doane, and Barry Snyder are all long-time current or former faculty of the Eastman School of Music. The individual performances are top-flight, as one might expect of such musicians. But they’re also fully integrated. All three performers are […]