I disliked Naxos’ recording of Hamilton Harty’s Irish Symphony, finding the performance overly breathless and oddly balanced, but this version of the Piano Concerto is
Benjamin Frith’s survey of John Field’s piano concertos makes a fine impression with Nos. 5 and 6. The former, “L’incendie par l’Orage” (“Fire by Lightning”–a
It’s a brave choir that attempts a full program of Samuel Barber choral works, which tend to be craggy, tough, and harmonically edgy and dry,
Giovanni Sgambati (1841-1914) enjoyed a multi-faceted career. A pupil of Liszt, Sgambati stood out among 19th-century Italian pianists for his advocacy of the German school
Giovanni Sgambati (1841-1914) was a disciple and friend of Liszt,
Let’s hope this disc represents the start of a series.
The Bottom Line: This is a terrific disc full of luscious, exotic-sounding music, beautifully played and recorded by the composer’s home town team.
It’s likely that most serious and accomplished musicians would not aspire to have their performances described for a prospective listener as undemanding, or ideal for
[A re-post in memory of American composer Gloria Coates, who recently died in Munich, Germany, age 89.] At last, the aural equivalent to Salvador Dali’s
This exceptional second volume in the Maggini’s survey of the complete Britten music for string quartet spans the composer’s entire career, from the rarely heard