Concentus Musicus in Concert 1973
What a thrill it must have been to attend this 1973 Concentus musicus concert, and after many LP incarnations, what a joy it is to...
Reference Recording: Harnoncourt Nails Bach’s Magnificat
It's no disservice to Handel, whose splendid Utrech Te Deum is performed here just as well as the Bach—indeed, with perhaps an e...
CD From Hell: A Messiaen Massacre from Nagano/Berlin
Kent Nagano may know his Messiaen, but the Berlin Philharmonic hasn't a clue how this music should sound, and it was a mistake to ...
Reference Recording: The Ultimate, Wrist-Slitting, Shostakovich 14th
It's impossible to discuss this symphony without relating three stories. No. 1: One of my best friends was not getting along with ...Brahms: Symphonies; Overtures; Variations/Harnoncourt
In the CD booklet note Nikolaus Harnoncourt goes into some detail about old-fashioned bowing techniques used by early conductors w...DISTANT LIGHT
This luscious recording is for everyone. Peteris Vasks is a Latvian composer who might be referred to as "nationalistic"; at least...Haydn: Piano sonatas/Schiff
In the notes that András Schiff contributes to this set, he makes an admirable case in defense of the music while rather cattily ...Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Overtures/Keilberth
It's amazing how different the Berlin Philharmonic sounds on this 1961 Beethoven Seventh from the one Karajan recorded around the ...Birtwistle: Pulse Shadows
Though clothed in the stodgy, post-Webern standard-dress-of-the-academy rhetoric, this is a piece with a surprising amount to say,...Bellini: Capuleti/Runnicles
For one of Bellini's less popular works, I Capuleti has seen a remarkable number of recordings, with some of the starriest stars i...Search Music Reviews
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Sign up for Classics Today Insider exclusive music reviews and news, created specifically for classical music listeners, from the serious collector to the inquisitive newcomer. Here are some of our latest Insider Only Reviews:
This unnecessary disc is easily dealt with. Kempe's Strauss is legendary, but that's the point. We a... Continue Reading
Claudio Abbado is one of the more enigmatic conductors still working--a micro-manager whose youthful... Continue Reading
These Strauss recordings are amazing. Granted, Don Juan isn't as sprightly as it could be (though st... Continue Reading
Latest 10 / 10 Reviews
These two symphonies were both composed in 1919 and reflect the composer's response to the First World War. Musically they have a lot in common, save that the "War" Third Symphony features a lengthy f... Continue Reading
Is there ever a wrong time to listen to the Bach violin concertos? There are no more immediately ingratiating works in Bach's oeuvre, which easily explains the number of recordings in the CD catalog: ... Continue Reading
On this astonishing disc Marc-André Hamelin demonstrates conclusively that a modern piano can do anything a fortepiano can in music of the classical period, while still retaining its superiority in d... Continue Reading
Latest Music Reviews
In 2000 BBC Legends brought out Sviatoslav Richter’s June 11, 1975 all-Beethoven Aldeburgh recital, which I reviewed for Classicstoday.com (read review here). Now ICA Classics releases the same prog... Continue Reading
Recorded between 1988 and 1991 for Carlton Classics and reissued anew by Alto, Martino Tirimo’s Debussy solo-piano music cycle remains a serious and arguably underappreciated contender. For starters... Continue Reading
London Baroque offers a selection of mostly unfamiliar yet often inspired French baroque trio sonatas. With the exception of François Couperin's L'Imperiale, the works by Leclair, Boismortier, and es... Continue Reading
