Latest Music Reviews
The Schwarzenberg Trio’s Classical Head and Contemporary Heart
by Jed Distler
Although the pandemic upended the Schwarzenberg Trio’s plans to tour with this provocatively contrasted program, they did manage to record it. In the Beethoven Op. 1 No. 1 Trio, the ensemble favors dry-eyed clarity and absolute precision, with textures that emphasize leanness and transparency. Indeed,... Continue Reading
Andrew von Oeyen’s “Pandemic Narrative”
by Jed Distler
Andrew von Oeyen looks upon this Bach and Beethoven program as a musical narrative of his pandemic experience. Had there been no concert cancellations or lockdowns, would Oeyen have played these works differently? Would his finger work throughout Bach’s Overture in the French Style have... Continue Reading
Braunfels’ Delightful Lighter Side
by David Hurwitz
Forget about the creepy cover art. It must be a sign of persistent sexism in the arts industry that photos of tortured women adorn CD covers willy-nilly, often for the most pointless of reasons. The music on this disc is overwhelmingly light, charming, even comical,... Continue Reading
Quartet For Two
by David Vernier
These things aren’t always a bad idea, or a pointless exercise, or even a not-so-pointless if merely functional effort to supply certain solo-repertoire-hungry instrumentalists (trumpet, guitar, mandolin, accordion–and even piano four-hands) with something new and respectable to play. Transcribing (as opposed to arranging) works for... Continue Reading
Swan Hennessy’s Obscure Yet Worthy Piano Music
by Jed Distler
Swan Hennessy (1866-1929) was born near Chicago, studied in Stuttgart as a teenager, and eventually made his way to Paris in 1903, where he lived for the rest of his life. His idiomatic and well-crafted piano music is hard to pigeonhole, although pianist Moritz Ernst’s... Continue Reading
Dausgaard’s Aptly Vicious Mandarin, Well Coupled
by David Hurwitz
Complete recordings of Bartók’s alternately spooky and violent ballet The Miraculous Mandarin have become almost as common as those of its proximate inspiration, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It’s no longer unusual to hear even “second tier” orchestras play the work splendidly, and aside from a... Continue Reading
Dinara Klinton’s Unpressured And Musicianly Prokofiev Sonata Cycle
by Jed Distler
For years Dinara Klinton was a denizen of the international competition circuit, frequently figuring among the top prize winners. Her solid technique and genuine artistry serve Prokofiev’s cycle of piano sonatas well, largely because she treats these works as music, rather than gymnastics. Take the... Continue Reading
Véronique Bonnecaze’s Chopin Etudes
by Jed Distler
Paraty has resuscitated Véronique Bonnecaze’s recording of the Chopin Etudes that originally appeared in 2000 on the long-defunct Arcobaleno label. The pianist’s generally moderate tempos give room for her ample sonority and forceful melodic projection to register. The E minor Op. 25 No. 5’s arching... Continue Reading
Erich Kleiber’s Complete Polydor 78s: Mostly Good, Sometimes Awful
by David Hurwitz
This three-disc set, very carefully remastered by Mark Obert-Thorn, contains all of Erich Kleiber’s recordings for Polydor, including alternate takes of Smetana’s The Moldau (Vltava) and half of the scherzo of Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. The performances range from excellent to mediocre to awful (sound... Continue Reading
Goldberg Variations Variations (Ensemble Tactus Edition)
by Jens F. Laurson
Here’s the French ensemble Tactus—which employs a fancy font for its corporate image that for the longest time had me read and think “Ensemble Cactus”. That’s a pity because I had a pun in my pocket about their offering the Goldberg Variations in an unusual,... Continue Reading
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