Uncommonly Classical
Vagn Holmboe: Concertos for Violin, Viola and Orchestra / Erik Heide; Lars Anders Tomter
The excellent Vagn Holmboe series from Dacapo continues with this superb recording of three concertos. Performances are by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dima Slobodeniouk with soloists Erik Heide and Lars Anders Tomter, violin and viola respectively. By my count, this is release number seventeen in this authoritative series, with many performances that will likely stand as benchmarks for many years to come. The three works on this CD are all world premiere recordings. Holmboe (1909-1996) was an extraordinarily...
read moreWolfgang Adam Hoffer: La belle Indifferente – Music for Lute / Michael Ducker, lute
Wolfgang Adam Anton Hoffer may well be the most obscure composer we have ever featured here on Expedition Audio. That’s saying a lot. When I search the internet for his name, the only relative results that I get have to do with this disc. The album is from the New Classical Adventures label and is titled “La belle Indifferente” (The Indifferent beauty), a program of delightful lute music from the late baroque performed by lutenist Michael Dücker. Hoffer (before 1707-1757) was born in Vienna and held a position of...
read moreManuel Ponce: Piano Works, Vol. 1 / Álvaro Cendoya, piano
I’m completely bewildered by the fact that these charming romantic miniatures for piano by Manuel Ponce are so under represented in the catalog, especially given how attractive and immediately appealing they are. With the exception of a couple of the more popular tunes, and another few in renditions for solo guitar, most of this music is not to be found on disc. Until now that is, with this splendid release from Spanish pianist Alvaro Cendoya. The recording comes from the young Grand Piano label who, after only a year of producing...
read moreAdalbert Gyrowetz: 3 String Quartets / Pleyel Quartet Köln
February of 2013 marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Bohemian composer Adalbert Gyrowetz (1763-1850). The string quartet form was central to Gyrowetz’ output as over sixty published works in the genre indicates, including sixteen that comprise his Opuses 1-3. This cpo release performed by the Pleyel Quartet Köln offers three of Gyrowetz’ quartets which I’ve listened to and thoroughly enjoyed many times during the past month. Gyrowetz was an extraordinarily prolific composer having produced over four hundred works....
read moreGrzegorz Gorczycki: Missa Rorate; Completorium; Illuxit Sol
Referred to by some admirers as “the Polish Handel,” Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665-1734) was the most important composer of the Polish high baroque. This release from CD Accord – all class, inside and out – contains the world premiere recordings of his Missa Rorate, Illuxit sol, Laetatus Sum and Completorium. The beautifully packaged disc also appears to be the only one currently available devoted entirely to the music of Gorczycki. This is reason enough to consider getting a copy, given the quality of both the...
read moreCarl Heinrich Graun: Easter Oratorio / Kölner Akademie, Willens
Carl Heinrich Graun (1703-1759) is another enormously gifted composer whose music has been thoroughly eclipsed by that of great and like-sounding contemporaries. In Graun’s case, it’s Bach and Handel. Best known in his day as a composer of opera, Graun also produced a relatively large body of sacred music. While several of his operas are occasionally recorded and performed, he may have a better foothold on a place in music history for his sacred works. This new release from cpo brings us the world premiere recording of...
read moreLuigi Mancinelli: Scene veneziane (Venetian scenes), suite; Cleopatra / La Vecchia
From the opening measures of this Naxos CD, you’ll be thinking Respighi. The likeness may not last very long, but it’s meaningful. The music is by Luigi Mancinelli (1848-1921) and includes the world premiere recording of his Scene Veneziane Suite (Venetian Scenes) (1889), and excerpts from the incidental music to Cleopatra (1877). Performances are by Francesco La Vecchia and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma who have been involved in some related and highly successful projects lately, most notably the half dozen or so Naxos CDs...
read moreEnglish Royal Funeral Music: Purcell, Morley, Tomkins / Vox Luminis
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) was the last great English composer before the twentieth century. The program on this Ricercar CD performed by Lionel Meunier and Vox Luminis offers some of Purcell’s most profound utterances, along with exquisite music by Thomas Morley (1557-1602) and Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656). The premise for this program of English funeral music fascinates without a note being heard. William III and Mary of England were crowned king and queen in 1689 and while William was absent, busy waging wars, Mary governed the country....
read morePietro Nardini: Complete String Quartets / Quarteto Eleusi
This Brilliant Classics CD contains the complete string quartets of Italian composer and violinist Pietro Nardini (1722-1793) performed by Quartetto Eleusi. Coming as they do from the time – from the decade actually – that the classical string quartet form as we know it emerged, these quartets are an interesting sample of music in the genre from a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart. Nardini became involved in the string quartet genre, both as performer and composer, just as the form as we know it was developing. He performed in a...
read moreJoachim Raff: Te Deum; De Profundis; Four Marian antiphons; et al.
Sterling Records has released this album of sacred music by German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff (1822-1882) containing eighty minutes of world premiere recordings. The largest scale work is De Profundis, Op. 141, programmed alongside his Te Deum, WoO 16 and three a cappella choral works. It’s all music well worth hearing and the a cappella pieces are particularly appealing. Karlstads Kammarkör, Stockholm Singers and the Göteborg Opera Orchestra under Henrik Schafer and Bo Aurehl turn in exceptionally fine performances. Joachim Raff...
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