Taiwanese violinist Wanchi Huang came to the US age 13 to further her studies in Baltimore, MD, soon thereafter debuting with the Baltimore Symphony, followed by more study at Curtis, Julliard and Indiana Univ. During her professional career she has given many acclaimed recitals and concerts in collaboration with internationally renowned performing artists and ensembles. Here, the James Madison Univ. Prof. Of Violin follows her 2012 debut Centaur recording of Ysa�e's solo violin sonatas with Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, the summit of solo literature for her instrument.

Classical Music

Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, a top prizewinner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition, winner of the 1999 Cleveland Int'l Piano Competition, and silver medalist at the 2001 Van Cliburn Int'l Piano Competition, appears regularly at the world's major concert venues. A beloved professor at the Cleveland Institute of Music and a prolific Centaur recording artist, this release marks the second volume in his complete traversal of the piano sonatas of Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837). "... warmth, exquisite taste and...arresting technique." (The LA Times)

Includes work(s) by Carl Stamitz. Conductor: Drostan Hall.

Today's quiz: Name a composer/pianist who grasps traditional Classical long forms well, loves his Uncle Bill (Evans that is), knows Copland like the back of his hand, and demonstrates time and again that the propulsive rhythms of Prokofiev are one and the same with Latin Salsa. The answer is Jeffrey Chappell, whose two sonatas surely will satisfy pianists seeking inventive and well-crafted "written-out jazz" that challenges the fingers without demanding the impossible in the manner of, say, Nikolai Kapustin. The brief three-movement Piano Trio captures Keith Jarrett's minimalist funk and ersatz Stephen Foster tune spinning in thumbnail-sketch form, while the six Pop Songs Without Words suggest early-'70s Elton John or late-'60s TV themes with added substance. Chappell plays Chappell with all the virtuosity, conviction, and innate sense of swing these works demand. Very enjoyable stuff.--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

For this release, the Telegraph Quartet has chosen a program of twentieth century string quartets that are among some of the finest of the era. Each work exhibits great passion. The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber music repertoire and contemporary, non-standard works alike. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "…an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape" and "powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety," the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad. Currently, the group is Quartet-in-Residence at the San Francisco Conservatory.

Classical Music

Julianne Baird and her frequent collaborator, the period-instrument group The Aulos Ensemble, offer some of the fruits of their many Christmas concerts together in a pleasingly varied, Baroque-focused program of vocal and instrumental works. Most of the 16 selections feature Baird's bright, clear, and very agreeable soprano, supported by some combination of flute, recorder, baroque oboe, violin, and cello, and harpsichord or organ. Most familiar are the title tune, plus such mainstays of today's Christmas repertoire as "Remember O thou Man", "Gently the Fragrance" (better known as Whence is that goodly fragrance, or by its French title, Quelle est cette odeur), and "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day". Another favorite is a beautiful Advent cantata aria by Bach (from BWV 36), usually heard as "Auch mit gedämpften..." but for some reason performed here in the version from the decidedly non-Christmas secular cantata Die Freude reget sich (BWV 36b). Regardless, the music is still just as lovely, although you can hear the BWV 36 setting sublimely rendered by Sibylla Rubens, Philippe Herreweghe, and Collegium Vocale on an excellent 1996 Harmonia Mundi recording.


The instrumental playing is first-rate, and the accompaniments to Baird's singing are smartly arranged and well-balanced with the voice. My only reservation concerns a couple of the longer selections--Böddecker's Veni Salvator hominum and the instrumental "Symphonie" by Corrette--whose musical material isn't substantial enough to fully command our interest for six or eight minutes. On the other hand, Corrette's Noël Provençal, an instrumental number that closes the disc, is a wild, wonderful, colorful rustic dance that leaves you smiling and uplifted, a perfect complement to the opening "In dulci jubilo". The sound, from Princeton Theological Seminary's Miller Chapel, is suitably vibrant, clear, and natural. [10/26/2006]
--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, Greek-Armenian mystic, writer, and composer, was active in his work in the early 20th century. As part of his work as a mystic, he incorporated spiritual dance. To accompany these dances, he composed piano works along with the help of his "spiritual disciple", Thomas de Hartmann. These pieces were written during what is referred to as his “second period.” Award winning pianist Frederic Chiu plays these works giftedly.

Recording information: Bennington College (01/2007).

HUMMEL POMPA-BALDI (PIANO) PIANO SONATAS VOL. 1- SONATA OP. 2, NO. 3 IN C MAJOR; SONATA OP.13 IN E-FLAT MAJOR; SONATA OP. 20 IN F MINOR

Includes work(s) by Alan Hovhaness. Soloist: Robin Dauer.

Includes work(s) by Gustav Holst. Ensemble: Philharmonia Bulgarica. Conductor: Jon Ceander Mitchell.

HENRY COWELL S. BARELOS, PIANO PIANO MUSIC

Includes sonata(s) for keyboard by Franz Joseph Haydn. Soloist: Byron Schenkman.