Music
Schumann Cello by Zoe Knighton & Amir Farid
Clara Schumann was a giant in the world of music in the 1800s. Strong in personality, technically proficient and musically brilliant as both a pianist and composer, in her 76 years she changed the face of concerts throughout Europe. Sadly…
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande Suite & Schoenberg: Pelléas und Mélisande, Op. 5 by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande & Jonathan Nott
The love story of Pelléas and Mélisande is the classic story of wife, husband and lover. While it’s full of drama and everyone important dies in the end, Maeterlinck’s play has had a lasting impact upon the musical world. Claude…
Agnus Dei by The Sixteen & Harry Christophers
Religion is at the heart of many an artists’ inspiration. Composers throughout the ages, such as Bach, Handel and many others, held deeply spiritual connections to their God and used that in the creation of their music. The Sixteen, with…
Four Visions of France: French Cello Concertos by Daniel Müller-Schott, DSO Berlin & Alexandre Bloch
Colours are where it’s at in this album. Tonal colours, historical colours and all the colours of France. Although these works range from 1872 all the way through to 1929, each is decidedly French in flavour.
Inspired by the art…
12 Stradivari by Janine Jansen & Antonio Pappano
Most people have heard of Stradivari, a violin maker from the late 17th century and early 18th century. His house produced almost a thousand high-quality violins, around 650 of which have survived into the modern era and are now regularly…
Homage to Bach: The Solo Violin Sonatas by Brodsky Quartet & Paul Cassidy
Some people just like making life difficult for themselves. Paul Cassidy, the violist of the Brodsky Quartet must be one of those people. He’s taken three solo violin sonatas by Bach and, using just this single line with implied harmonies…
Mahler: Symphony No. 7 by Bayerisches Staatsorchester & Kirill Petrenko
The opening of Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 always sends shivers down my spine. That opening tenor horn solo, when done right, seems to be a herald of grand adventures to come. The adventure in this case feels like a direct…
Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis
When I was a boy, my mother declared chewing gum to be a filthy habit. I dutifully took up smoking. Dr Nina Simone chose to do both, right up to the end. And why not. She was a god. Tempestuous…
Hope by Daniel Hope and Zürcher Kammerorchester
There is something truly breathtaking in hearing a choir sing in our current moment; hearing all those voices coming together after so long apart almost brings tears to my eyes. In this latest album, Daniel Hope elegantly interweaves the human…
First Light: Muhly & Glass by Pekka Kuusisto & Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
This recording felt like a musical representation of the last 18 months. From a world premiere recording to a piece that was recorded on separate continents, it’s a miracle that this album ever came into existence thanks to the difficulties…
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