Latest Music Reviews
Respighi Roman Trilogy Done Right on Naxos
by David Hurwitz
JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic have made previous Respighi discs for Naxos, but none as fine as this. In fact, this is as impressive a recording of the composer’s Roman Trilogy as any in the catalogue. Everything about the program, from the order of... Continue Reading
Here Comes The Son: Daniele Pollini’s Solo DG Debut
by Jed Distler
Judging from his solo-piano debut recording for Deutsche Grammophon, it appears that Daniele Pollini is a different kind of pianist from his celebrated father, Maurizio Pollini. You notice this right away in Chopin’s Op. 10 Etudes. Whereas the elder Pollini’s impeccable articulation is akin to... Continue Reading
Chandos’ Antheil Cycle Continues
by Jed Distler
My colleague Victor Carr Jr. accurately pegged George Antheil’s modus operandi, saying that the composer “had a peculiar way of absorbing every music he encountered, and then inserting it—not always fully digested—into his own work.” One moment you might encounter plaintive Copland-esque lyricism, to be... Continue Reading
Mightily Superfluous Excellence: Saraste and Beethoven Cycle No. 176
by Jens F. Laurson
Raise your hand if you really, truly need another, a new set of the nine Beethoven symphonies—the 176th* such cycle? No one? I thought so. Well, maybe you are a fan of Jukka-Pekka Saraste or the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra and you were at... Continue Reading
Brautigam’s Mendelssohn: Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword
by David Hurwitz
There’s no need to spend much time on this release. One of the main premises behind the historically informed performance movement is that music of earlier periods sounds better on the instruments for which it was written. This is in itself debatable, but let’s leave... Continue Reading
Van Zweden and the New York Phil Improve, Somewhat
by David Hurwitz
After their awful Beethoven disc I had low expectations for Van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic, sad to say, but these aren’t bad performances. If you had gone to the concerts, you might have come away satisfied, if not thrilled. The problem is that... Continue Reading
Bezuidenhout & Haydn
by Jed Distler
Having completed a cycle of Mozart’s solo keyboard works for Harmonia Mundi, Kristian Bezuidenhout now turns his attention to Haydn. He plays on a Paul McNulty reproduction of an Anton Walter instrument, whose timbral differentiation between registers suits the linear transparency of Haydn’s style. Some... Continue Reading
A Weber And Schubert Pairing From Paul Lewis
by Jed Distler
Although Carl Maria von Weber’s piano sonatas continue to resist coming back into fashion, they somehow manage to find world-class champions on disc. Sonata No. 2 in A-flat has been especially well served, going back to splendid 78-era recordings by Alfred Cortot and Noël Mewton-Wood,... Continue Reading
Corelli Concertos–Necessary Or Just Fine Oddities?
by Robert Levine
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 pair of violins and a cello versus a still-smallish string section, with both groups being supported by continuo instruments. Arcangelo... Continue Reading
Lightweight Sibelius from Sondergard
by David Hurwitz
How do you ruin the Valse triste? Well, play it this spasmodically for starters. Speed it up, slow it down, strip it of all elegance, all sensuality. I mean, really, how difficult can this be? Thomas Sondergard seems to be one of those conductors with... Continue Reading
View The 50 Latest Music Reviews »
