Music
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 effortlessly tossed off…
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 Christina Åstrand’s playing. Whenever I first listen to…
Telemann: Polonoise by Holland Baroque & Aisslinn Nosky
Holland Baroque is a self-described ‘original and innovative baroque orchestra’ who characterise their latest offering, Telemann: Polonoise, as ‘a programme for curious listeners who want to discover a different side of Telemann’.
In 1704 young German composer Georg Philipp…
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 respective groups (Ayreheart and Ensemble Galilei) were…
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 many working musicians, Park’s engagements quickly toppled, and…
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 Shore opens gently, soft waves…
Silver Age: Scriabin, Stravinsky & Prokofiev by Daniil Trifonov
From 1890 through to the revolution and the first two decades of the 20th century, Russia was gripped with creative fever. The poets, musicians and artists of the era were all producing great works and it was dubbed ‘The Silver…
Crossover by Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
Acclaimed Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Yamatji soul queen Emma Donovan returns after a six-year absence with Crossover, another cracking album made with her long-time collaborators the Putbacks.
A born musician, Donovan grew up singing gospel songs with her grandparents on…
Serenades: Tchaikovsky, Elgar & Mozart by Daniel Hope & Zürcher Kammerorchester
‘I’m inclined to knock music’, my colleague Phil wryly jokes at the mention of Mozart’s oft-performed serenade Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Overdone though it may be, in the hands of the right musicians we are reminded of the genius and inventiveness…
Idiot Prayer by Nick Cave
Recorded at the magnificent and historic Alexandra Palace in North London as the UK was emerging from its first COVID-19 lockdown in July this year, Idiot Prayer – Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace was conceived as Cave’s reaction to…