by Ralph Graves | Feb 25, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Emporer is dead, long live the Emporer. In 1790 a nineteen-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven was commissioned to write two cantatas. The first was an elegy for Emperor Joseph II. The second for Leopold II, who inherited the throne. Maestro Leif Segerstam presents both...
by Ralph Graves | Feb 4, 2020 | Uncategorized
Brilliant Records continues their traversal of Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s piano concertos. It’s a worthy project. Hummel was a major figure in the early 19th Century Vienna. He was friends of both Beethoven and Schubert. He was regarded as near-equal to the...
by Ralph Graves | Sep 24, 2019 | Uncategorized
Six Grace Williams chamber works receive their world premiere recordings with this release. It still leaves the bulk of her catalog unrecorded — but it’s an improvement. Williams was one of the most important composers to come from Wales (with William...
by Ralph Graves | Jun 12, 2019 | Uncategorized
There’s only one way to fully appreciate the genius of Vyacheslav Artyomov. You have to listen to everything he’s written. Case in point: this third Divine Art release features Solo Fide: scenes from the ballet after Tolstoy’s “Road to...
by Ralph Graves | Feb 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
This release is a follow-up to McDermott’s 2014 release of Haydn Piano Concertos and Sonatas. This time, Anne-Marie McDermott presents an entire program of solo sonatas. Haydn’s sonatas have a deceptive simplicity to them. The technical demands are modest...
by Ralph Graves | Dec 19, 2018 | Reviews, Uncategorized
I tire easily of Christmas music — especially the traditional carols. Part of the reason is that I’ve heard the same overblown arrangements (and variations thereof) over and over. That’s what made this new Albion release so refreshing. It gets back...
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