Music reviews
Brahms: Piano Concertos András Schiff & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Those brawny first notes. Strings sawing, with strength and strident trills they announce Brahms’s Piano Concerto No 1. Then out of the storm emerges András Schiff at the piano – a breath of sunshine…
15 Histoires de Guitares by David Jacques
This is the second recording by Canadian classical guitarist David Jacques to feature on these pages. The previous recording, 14 Histoires de Guitares, featured guitars and music that spanned more th…
French Works for Flute Adam Walker, Timothy Ridout & James Baillieu
In listening to Chandos’ latest flute offering, I was delighted by the gentleness of Adam Walker’s musical phrases. I never thought the first movement of Franck’s Violin Sonata could be so gentle, th…
Road to the Sun by Jason Vieaux, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny: Road to the Sun is new territory for jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. The winner of 20 Grammy Awards, Metheny has truly embraced a new musical horizon with this classical opus. Spread over 11…
Liszt: Works for Solo Piano by Benjamin Grosvenor
British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor has been a regular in these pages for many years now. Electrifying the classical music community in 2011 with his first foray into Liszt’s repertoire, we now now ha…
Beethoven: Works for Flute by Emmanuel Pahud & Daniel Barenboim
Why is Beethoven so delightfully cute on the flute? Beethoven might be rolling in his grave as I say this, but as I listened to this album, I just kept finding myself smiling at the cheeky phrases ef…
Romance: Music for Violin and Orchestra by Danish Composers, performed by Christina Åstrand, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra & Jukka Iisakkila
A lustrous pearl adorns the cover of this album and it is a perfect representation of this repertoire. Warmth permeates every note of these Danish masterworks thanks to the beauty of violinist Christ…
Shore by Fleet Foxes
As cynical as we’ve all become, there’s nothing quite like listening to a new release from a band so consistently strong and beautiful that you can’t help but feel hopeful. The new Fleet Foxes album …
I Am Hera by Hera Hyesang Park, Wiener Symphoniker & Bertrand de Billy
Young South Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park had already enjoyed success at the Met and top-tier European opera houses before being signed to Deutsche Grammophon (DG). And then the pandemic hit. Like…
Fermi’s Paradox by Ronn McFarlane, Carolyn Surrick & Jackie Moran
Acclaimed lutenist Ronn McFarlane and violist da gamba Carolyn Surrick found themselves at loose ends in early 2020. There were no concerts or recordings in sight, and the other band members of their…
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