Nikita Mndoyants first came to my attention as a finalist in the 2013 Van Cliburn Competition, and subsequently as the 2016 Cleveland International Competition’s first
Schumann’s multi-dimensional C major Fantasie can absorb a wide range of interpretations, from Pollini’s symphonic discipline and Kissin’s impulsive fervency to Arrau’s full-bodied volatility and
Interspersing Bach Toccatas and works by Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern proves more interesting as an idea than an actual program. Granted, the E minor Toccata’s
Arthur Rubinstein’s “chamber music for piano solo” description of Brahms’ later pieces for the instrument often comes to mind while listening to François Chaplin. In
The clarity and immediacy of the late-16th-century harpsichord that Christophe Rousset uses for this all-Frescobaldi recital unquestionably suits his contrapuntally astute yet unabashedly dramatic interpretations.
The concerto grosso is a Baroque form in which the musical content is passed between a small group and a somewhat larger group, normally a
A disc of chamber music for clarinet, piano, and cello from minimalist Jaan Rääts, Surprised-by-Beauty composer Arvo Pärt, and on-and-off populist composer Henryk Górecki with
The chronology and provenance of Charles Gounod’s five complete surviving
The ballet’s story is quickly told: Pygmalion, a sculptor, falls in love with one of his own creations. Would-be girlfriend Céphise doesn’t buy it and
Following up his 2013 release of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, Christophe Rousset returns to Le Chateau de Versailles and a 1628 Ruckers model harpsichord