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Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos / Haochen Zhang, Stutzmann, Philadelphia Orchestra
As one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven’s preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. With his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, he not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which was to remain a reference point well into the twentieth century. After the first two concertos, which still closely follow the models of Haydn and Mozart, Concerto No. 3 marks a profound stylistic change. In the piano part, Beethoven pushes the instrument to its limits, leading commentators to remark that he was writing for the piano of the future. This trend continued and reached its fullness in the Fourth and Fifth Concertos, which today rank among the great composer’s most admired works.
In 2009, Haochen Zhang was the youngest pianist ever to receive the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then he has captivated audiences worldwide with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination and spectacular virtuosity. He now performs the five Beethoven concertos supported by the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra under its principal guest conductor, the charismatic Nathalie Stutzmann.
REVIEWS:
In a crowded pool of complete Beethoven piano concerto recordings, young Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang makes an impressive splash with his traversal of one of the most imposing cycles in the entire repertoire. With French conductor Nathalie Stutzmann leading the Philadelphia Orchestra, Zhang deftly handles Beethoven’s fiendish runs and cadenzas throughout these five imposing works. Most memorable are the 3rd and 4th concertos, which have the most balance between urgency and delicacy.
-- The Flip Side
Vivaldi: Eleven Concertos / Bylsma, Lamon, Tafelmusik
Bach: Well-tempered Clavier, Book 1 / Wanda Landowska
Christmas With Mozart
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Puccini: Tosca / Mehta, Price, Domingo, Milnes, Plishka
Beethoven: Sonatas - Apassionata, Adieux, Etc / Van Cliburn
Zia - Del Sol String Quartet
The Zia Indians’ symbol for the sacred sun captures the adventurous spirit and global pulse of this CD from Sono Luminus and the award winning Del Sol String Quartet. The composers represented—Gabriela Lena Frank, Lou Harrison, José Evangelista, Reza Vali and Elena Kats-Chernin - draw on ancient and traditional folk music from four corners of the world and make it new by incorporating techniques such as inventive intonations or heterophony. = The San Francisco based Del Sol String Quartet has long made a practice of fostering contemporary music from throughout the entire Western Hemisphere. Critically acclaimed as “steeped in bravery and imagination” (James M. Keller, Chamber Music Magazine (February 2007), this quartet of master musicians explores new ways to interact with audiences, composers and artists across cultures and art forms.
SAMUEL COLERIDGE -TAYLOR 1875-1912
BAROQUE BOHEMIA & BEYOND VOL II
RAVEL: COMPLETE WORKS
MOZART: DIE ZAUBERFLOTE - MAGIC FLUTE - LA FLUTE
CARMEN
HANDEL: THEODORA
Diamond: Symphony No. 1, Violin Concerto No. 2 / Talvi, Schwarz, Seattle Symphony
REVIEW:
It's so comforting to know that these excellent performances will have a new lease on life courtesy of Naxos. David Diamond's First Symphony (1841) is a compact, three-movement work lasting 22 minutes that stands with the best American products of the period. Characteristically springy rhythms in the outer movements make the music quite refreshing and emphasize the touching lyricism of the central Andante maestoso. The Violin Concerto No. 2 was receiving only its second performances ever when this recording was made. The talented Finnish violinst Ilkka Talvi proves an able exponent of this grandly conceived and marvelously scored work (listen to the imaginative violin/xylophone writing at the opening of the finale). It's a major statement by any definition and it surely deserves to return to the repertoire. The Enourmous Room, a fantasia for orchestra after the book by e.e. cummings, drives home Diamond's fundamentally Romantic outlook and caps a wholly winning disc that is as well played as it is well recorded. If you missed this the first time around, here's your chance to make up the loss.
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com
Sibelius, Nielsen: Violin Concertos / Salonen, Cho-liang Lin
This is a DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording
FARRENC: SYMPHONIES NOS. 1-3 OVERTURES 1 & 2
CONTINUING
Vivaldi: Chamber Music With Wind Instruments / Camerata Köln
Wandering Moon
Rachmaninoff: Concerto No 2; Beethoven / Van Cliburn
Griffes: The Pleasure Dome / Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic
Charles Tomlinson Griffes only lived 35 years; his death in 1920 cut short one of the most promising careers in American music. During his short life span he created a collection of short, rhapsodic works that are full of color and romantic adventure.
The Pleasure-Dome of Kubla-Khan is best known in its orchestrated version, expanded and altered somewhat from the original piano composition. It is a lush, lyrical, and dramatic work whose exotic melodies exude Middle-Eastern and Oriental influences. Of the other compositions, the Piece in D minor, from 1915, stands out. Elegant, impassioned impressionism reigns in this engaging work, and it certainly deserves wider recognition.
Though the rest of the pieces on the CD are all worth hearing, the early transcription for two pianos of the Hansel and Gretel overture is most impressive.
As performed here, it is one of the most charming duo-piano pieces in the repertoire. Michael Lewin plays the rest of the program with passion and precision, though his interpretations lack that last measure of urgency given by James Tocco on Gasparo. The recorded sound is exemplary, using 24-bit technology for the highest resolution.
--Rad Bennett, ClassicsToday.com
