{"title":"Weekend Spotlight: Chamber Music Showcase","description":"\u003csection dir=\"auto\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eWeekend Spotlight\u003c\/strong\u003e celebrates the intimacy, artistry, and expressive range of chamber music. Explore \u003cstrong\u003eJoseph Marx\u003c\/strong\u003e’s richly lyrical chamber works spanning three decades, from impressionistic early pieces to his radiant \u003cem\u003eSpring Sonata\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cstrong\u003eJulius Katchen\u003c\/strong\u003e’s remarkable legacy as one of the great \u003cstrong\u003eBrahms \u003c\/strong\u003einterpreters, captured across solo, concerto, and chamber recordings; and\u003cem\u003e Camerata Tchaikovsky\u003c\/em\u003e’s intimate new perspectives on masterpieces by \u003cstrong\u003eMozart \u003c\/strong\u003eand \u003cstrong\u003eStrauss\u003c\/strong\u003e, reimagined for string septet!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThen, continue the journey with an \u003cstrong\u003eOutlet collection of titles\u003c\/strong\u003e featuring chamber music and recitals including \u003cstrong\u003eMonteclair, Schubert, Bach,\u003c\/strong\u003e and more—all \u003cstrong\u003e50% OFF\u003c\/strong\u003e for a limited time!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSale prices will appear on the product pages before an item is placed in the shopping cart.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShop these great deals before they end on \u003cstrong\u003eMonday, August 24th at 9:00am ET.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-scarlatti-concerti-da-camera-musica-pacifica-247121","title":"A. Scarlatti: Concerti da Camera \/ Musica Pacifica","description":"Scarlatti, A.: Concerti da Camera","brand":"Sono Luminus","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44626991513834,"sku":"053479319227","price":9.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/184330.jpg?v=1786686313"},{"product_id":"best-of-schubert-234757","title":"Best Of Schubert","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44626943738090,"sku":"730099666626","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/205604.jpg?v=1786758905"},{"product_id":"casals-edition-schubert-beethoven-piano-trios-261392","title":"Casals Edition - Schubert, Beethoven: Piano Trios","description":"Schubert \u0026amp; Beethoven: Piano Trios","brand":"Sony Masterworks","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44626912510186,"sku":"074645898926","price":5.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4318077-3139736.jpg?v=1786679164"},{"product_id":"schumann-r-the-best-of","title":"SCHUMANN, R. (THE BEST OF)","description":"Naxos best of Schumann features the fantastic Piano Quintet in E flat. The Scherzo-Trio is included here on this CD. Also on this CD is the Manfred Overture, selections from two of his Symphonies, solo piano music, and of course part of his famous Piano Concerto in A minor.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44711385825514,"sku":"730099666220","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/205599.jpg?v=1786750671"},{"product_id":"monteclair-concerts-pour-la-flute-traversiere-avec-la-basse-chiffre","title":"Monteclair: Flute Concertos \/ The Opus Project","description":"\u003cp\u003eCelebrated Montréal flutist Joanna Marsden explores the work of eighteenth century French composer Michel Pignolet de Montéclair on MONTÉCLAIR CONCERTS FOR BAROQUE FLUTE from Navona Records. The performances feature The Opus Project, a chamber music initiative founded by Marsden and Christophe Gauthier dedicated to revisiting early musical prints and manuscript sources in order to celebrate the unsung treasures of baroque chamber music. The “concerts” of Montéclair reconcile Italian virtuosity and complexity with French expressive language, exploring a variety of national styles to which he was exposed during his time working in Milan. Orchestrated with flute, viola da gamba, harpsichord, and theorbo, The Opus Project gives new life to these centuries-old compositions for modern audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Navona","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012443689194,"sku":"896931008334","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4211140-2990455.jpg?v=1786635652"},{"product_id":"schumann-piano-trios-vol-2-kungsbacka-piano-trio","title":"Schumann: Piano Trios, Vol. 2 \/ Kungsbacka Piano Trio","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter its first album devoted to Schumann’s first two piano trios, the Kungsbacka Piano Trio now presents the conclusion of this series with the Piano Trio No. 3 in G minor, to which they add the Six Studies in Canonic Form, originally for pedal piano and performed here in an arrangement for piano trio, and an early work, the Quartet in C minor for violin, viola, cello and piano, which was only published in 1979. Composed in 1851, the third Piano Trio achieves the tonal balance Schumann was aiming for with an utmost independence of the three instruments while having ‘obsessive impulses’ running through it, to quote pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips. The Six Studies in Canonic Form that follow appear as small contrapuntal jewels that testify to Robert Schumann’s keen interest in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Preludes and Fugues. Finally, the Quartet composed when Schumann was 18 reveals a wildly creative mind at work, inspired in turn by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Yet, despite these influences, one perceives a distinctive voice that reveals the obsessive qualities that would characterise Schumann’s later works. “A thrilling ride for performer and listener”, promises Crawford-Phillips.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Schumann’s Piano Trio 3 in G minor, the Kungsbacka Trio is precise and spry for the entire 26 minutes, and the sound quality is pristine. These musicians find an elegance in the composer that other artists sometimes miss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 6 Studies in Canonical Form appear here in their transcription for trio by Theodor Kirchner. The quality is high, but just a few might have sufficed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Piano Quartet in C minor is from 1829, making it one of Schumann’s very first attempts at composition. He never finished the piano parts, and so they are completed here by musicologist Joachim Draheim. The Minuet is especially lighthearted, with pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips leading the way. At 33 minutes, this piece is a bit long, with many mercurial shifts of mood and dynamics. Still, this is an impressive album, a happy meeting of performers and material.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- American Record Guide\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46012569616618,"sku":"7318599924779","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4206993-3143307.jpg?v=1786676897"},{"product_id":"schubert-purcell-string-trios-5060262793527","title":"Schubert \u0026 Purcell: String Trios","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn their debut album, the Sakuntala Trio presents the world premiere recording of Franz Schubert’s String Trio in B-flat major, D.471, in this innovative and compelling completion by Professor Brian Newbould. Of this first trio, only the first movement and the beginning of the slow movement, were penned by Schubert, before he abandoned the work, leaving a gem of a fragment. The album also features the second version of Schubert’s String Trio in B-flat major, D.581, together with a selection of Peter Warlock’s transcriptions of Henry Purcell’s Three-Part Fantasias.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Resonus Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012601368810,"sku":"5060262793527","price":9.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4207111-3141995.jpg?v=1786635559"},{"product_id":"pettersson-concerto-string-trio-works-for-violin-piano-ulf-wallin","title":"Pettersson: Concerto; String Trio; Works for Violin \u0026 Piano \/ Wallin","description":"\u003cp\u003eBetween 1934 and 1949, Allan Pettersson, one of Sweden’s foremost composers of symphonies, wrote chamber works that differ greatly from his later production. With his Two Elegies, composed at the tender age of 17, Pettersson drew the enthusiasm of his teacher, who saw in him the makings of a composer. The Four Improvisations for string trio recall Bartók’s music with their rhythmic vitality. The Andante espressivo is more personal with its experimental melodic and harmonic leanings. After his forced return from Paris in 1939, where he had gone to study, Pettersson composed a tender and lyrical Romanza and, three years later, his only piece for solo piano, the elegiac and meditative Lamento.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most important work on this recording is the Concerto for Violin and String Quartet, a harsh, dense work that places great demands on the musicians. Initially rejected by the critics, the work now appears almost unique in terms of its radical tonal language and experimental use of extended techniques. For this recording, Ulf Wallin has brought together colleagues and friends to perform these lesser-known works, which nevertheless constitute an essential milestone in the career of the great Swedish composer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eThe Concerto for Violin and String Quartet of 1949, which opens the program and makes up over half of the album’s run time, is a lush work with numerous challenges for performers, both technically and harmonically, that from the outside would seem likely to limit the scope of listeners who would enjoy it. However, credit to the present performers, for these demands are met, and the results are thoroughly interesting and thought-provoking. The Concerto is the latest included work, chronologically, and it is a clear step toward the composer’s symphonic writing. The earliest works here are the Two Elegies for Violin and Piano, from 1934. These lovely, short tunes reflect the schooling the composer had undertaken; one could perhaps mistake these as having been written in the previous century. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003ePianist Thomas Hoppe, Wallin is another draw. Aside from ideal backing on the violin and piano works, Hoppe delivers a beautiful reading of Pettersson’s Lamento for Solo Piano. There is a lot to take in here, and listeners will be rewarded with subsequent hearings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- AllMusic.com (Keith Finke)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46012612182250,"sku":"7318599925806","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4226821-3131938.jpg?v=1786640482"},{"product_id":"heise-the-string-quartets-vol-1-nordic-string-quartet","title":"Heise: The String Quartets, Vol. 1 \/ Nordic String Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eBetween 1851 and 1857, Peter Heise wrote six string quartets for the intimate musical soirées of Copenhagen’s refined middle class. Heise was a celebrated and cherished composer in his native Denmark, but his quartets sadly fell into obscurity and were stored away. The Nordic String Quartet is reviving these works with this first volume of their complete collection, featuring Quartets Nos. 1–3.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dacapo Classical","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012618965226,"sku":"747313693429","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4207026-3143562_cf39f6c8-5da6-4dbd-98a5-e1925ad5f0e7.jpg?v=1786640037"},{"product_id":"boulder-bach-festival-053479226501","title":"Boulder Bach Festival","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis album is the culmination of an extraordinarily fruitful artistic collaboration that took place at the 2022 Boulder Bach Festival in Boulder, Colorado. The recordings were made immediately after the public concerts concluded. They document four of the many memorable musical interpretations at the Festival, which occurred not just because of the many talented artists, but also thanks to the kindness and generosity of countless members of the community and region. Although many musicians converged on Boulder from all over the globe, the Festival also featured several remarkable local artists. The entire project took place against the backdrop of some of the most majestic natural scenery in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell0_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eUnder artistic director Mina Gajić, and music director Zachary Carrettin, the Boulder Bach Festival of Colorado has progressed steadily in its artistic aims as well as providing an attractive setting for music lovers. The present recordings, made immediately after the public performances in the 2022 Festival, bear witness to this, in sparkling accounts of two concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach and two choral settings by Johann Christian Bach, an earlier sprig on a very prolific family tree.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- Audio Video Club of Atalnta (Phil Muse)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sono Luminus","offers":[{"title":"CD + Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012664676586,"sku":"053479226501","price":11.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4182501-2949365.jpg?v=1786680310"},{"product_id":"from-jewish-life-swr","title":"From Jewish Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote: This set is a collection of previously released recordings.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was apparently Rimsky-Korsakov, himself a member of the “Mighty Handful” of Russian nationalist composers, who encouraged his students at the St. Petersburg Conservatory to go out and collect Jewish folk music and music sung in the synagogues, getting thus the ball rolling for a specific Jewish classical music. The movement led in 1908 to the founding of the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music and, in 1923, of the Society for Jewish Music in Moscow. The success of the latter and its members was however, short-lived. The antisemitic, anti-cosmopolitan forces that started to brew under the new soviet regime led many potential members of the society to emigrate. The ones that remained were forced to focus on proletarian themes and, even when complying to the requirements, still found themselves often repressed or incarcerated outright.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last notable concert with the society’s music in the Soviet Union took place in Moscow, in April of 1929. Most of this music had then lain dormant for decades until the pianist Jascha Nemtsov (himself the son of a Gulag survivor) and his musical collaborators unearthed it in the last few years of the 20th century. The present collection contains on five discs the recordings – many of them world premieres – realized between 1999 and 2004.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the real strengths of this program is the number of pieces that received their world premiere recordings here and it’s probably the case that many of them can still only be heard in these performances. I make it around 42 pieces in total – which includes the individual movements of suites and cycles – made their disc premieres here, a tribute to the industry, application and ardent appreciation shown principally by Nemtsov.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately, these discs make an appeal on recital-by-recital basis. Yes, there are generic settings and yes, nothing is developed extensively so that the pleasures here are of a localised, focused and specialised nature. Nemtsov may be disheartened by the relative obscurity of much of this music still, feeling it, perhaps, funnelled to the outlying ethnic borderland where folk, cabaret and lighter classical meet and mingle. He, however, in particular, and his disc confreres, have made a real contribution to the vivacious and continuing life of this music on disc and are deserving of high praise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- MusicWeb International\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell3_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e is a fascinating five-disc collection that shines light on a short-lived movement in early 20th-century Russia to bring about a Jewish classical music idiom. Fine performances, too, from the likes of Tabea Zimmermann, Jascha Nemtsov, and Wolfgang Meyer\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e-- BBC Music Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell4_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eSWR’s imaginative five-disc chamber collection From Jewish Life (recorded 1999-2004) should be of interest to listeners whether or not you’re religious or indeed of the Jewish faith. The excellent line-up of performers consists of Jascha Nemtsov (piano), Wolfgang Meyer (clarinet), Tabea Zimmermann (viola), Ingolf Turban (violin), David Geringas (cello) and Helene Schneiderman (mezzo-soprano). The chosen repertoire includes Bloch’s masterly Suite for viola and piano, Joseph Achron’s Stempenyu and other works, music by Julian and Alexander Krein, Alexander Weprik, Joachim Stutschewsky and Solomon Rosowsky and much more. This is, musically speaking, a most nourishing collection, and the digital sound is excellent. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- Gramophone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SWR","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012733980906,"sku":"747313943487","price":21.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4201687-3143600.jpg?v=1786635411"},{"product_id":"kurpinski-moniuszko-noskowski-works-for-string-quartet","title":"Kurpiński, Moniuszko \u0026 Noskowski: Works for String Quartet \/ Lutosławski Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eProviding an overview of almost a century, this album reflects the aspirations of Polish nationalism through the works of three pivotal figures: Karol Kurpinski, whose Fantasy for String Quartet is both serious and ingenious in design, Zygmunt Noskowski, whose witty piece on a theme of Viotti includes the use of a polacca, and Stanislaw Moniuszko, whose quartets balance the hymnal with the rustic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012744630506,"sku":"747313397877","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4211144-2990458.jpg?v=1786639924"},{"product_id":"shostakovich-beethoven-string-quartets","title":"Shostakovich \u0026 Beethoven: String Quartets","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Avie Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012835856618,"sku":"822252225327","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1933440.jpg?v=1786624718"},{"product_id":"moravec-violin-concerto-shakuhachi-quintet-equilibrium-evermore-64249","title":"Moravec: Violin Concerto, Shakuhachi Quintet, Equilibrium \u0026 Evermore","description":"\u003cb\u003ePaul Moravec\u003c\/b\u003e has become one of the most acclaimed and admired composers of our time. 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Vidor Nagy, accompanied by Peter Nagy and Divertimento Budapest, brilliantly performs these technically challenging works.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toccata","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012867412202,"sku":"5060113443519","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3330019.jpg?v=1786650197"},{"product_id":"beethoven-string-quartets-vol-6-095115138120","title":"Beethoven: String Quartets, Vol. 6 \/ Borodin Quartet","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012874817770,"sku":"095115138120","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/804259.jpg?v=1786763916"},{"product_id":"bon-six-sonatas-for-flute-and-basso-153071","title":"Bon: Six Sonatas For Flute And Basso Continuo \/ Moroni, Poz, Aureli, Accurso, Rocco, Et Al","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Tactus","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012877897962,"sku":"8007194104646","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1489274.jpg?v=1786759870"},{"product_id":"the-unknown-enescu-5060113440471","title":"The Unknown Enescu","description":"\u003cp\u003eEnescu is one of the great composers, although the world has yet to realise the extent of his achievement. His small published œuvre of 33 opus numbers belies the amount of music he produced: he composed prolifically but, as he was both a perfectionist and a busy performer, much of his music is still unknown, allowing us to present herein, the Unknown Enescu.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toccata","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012881633514,"sku":"5060113440471","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2029858_09c5cc7e-df41-4e7f-ac0e-59293896ce73.jpg?v=1786729002"},{"product_id":"reinecke-chamber-music","title":"Reinecke: Chamber Music","description":"Carl Reinecke, a German composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue was one of the most influentual, many-sided and respected individuals in the musical life of the 19th century. This release contains a set of Reinecke's compositions for clarinet, horn and piano. The works featured here come from different periods of Reinecke's career and enable us to follow the development in his compositional style.","brand":"DUX","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012892807402,"sku":"5902547012193","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3475262.jpg?v=1786701502"},{"product_id":"brahms-piano-quartets-nos-1-3","title":"Brahms: Piano Quartets Nos. 1 \u0026 3","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Avie Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012894019818,"sku":"822252220322","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1799323.jpg?v=1786751953"},{"product_id":"beethoven-causse-delian-quartet-256787","title":"Beethoven \/ Causse, Delian Quartet","description":"\u003cspan\u003eThe Delian Quartet’s approach to the first numbered of Beethoven’s string quartets (not actually the first one he wrote, however) is nothing if not distinctive. In an interview printed in the accompanying booklet, the Delian players (it is not indicated which of them is speaking at any given point) identify this work as “one of the larger Beethoven string quartets,” and their interpretation is clearly guided by such a perception. To these musicians, the work is not “early Beethoven” but just Beethoven, and they de-emphasize its high spirits in favor of deep seriousness. Their interpretation is an expansive one in terms of tempo. Surveying 13 other performances of this work I have on CD in my collection, I find that three of them exceed the Delian’s timing in the slow movement, the 1952 Budapest Quartet by a small amount, the 1991 Tokyo Quartet by bit more, and the 1936 Calvet Quartet by a lot. With those three exceptions, the Delian players’ timings are the longest in every movement. Nonetheless, their tempos do not seem excessively slow in the context of their overall approach, and there is also a good degree of flexibility in their handling of tempo. The performance has its own kind of momentum, but the Delian players are less concerned with urgency and linear flow than with precise articulation, pronounced vertical stresses, and a distinct statement and characterization of each phrase. I felt that they underplay some of the peaks, for instance, the angry minor-key outbursts in the development of the first movement. In the second movement, said to have been inspired by the tomb scene of Shakespeare’s \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e, the anger and despair build up gradually and reach their zenith only near the end. The trio of the third movement is less assertive than in many performances. The finale would not seem slow if one were not aware that everyone else plays it faster, and I much appreciate the very clean articulation of rapid runs, which some distinguished ensembles that favor a more breathless approach do not achieve. Technically, the playing is highly accomplished, with sumptuous, well-rounded tone, accurate intonation, and precise ensemble. Balances are impeccable and textures are very clear, in keeping with the ensemble’s evident desire that each strand of music should be heard distinctly. I find the Delian approach to this work interesting and rewarding; others might find it studied. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eBeethoven’s C-Major String Quintet dates from 1801, the same year as the revised version of op. 18\/1 that is nearly always the one played today. I have never understood why the quintet fails to attract the degree of attention and veneration accorded the quartets. It’s a gorgeous, imposing work, about 35 minutes in duration and full of invention and dazzling compositional skill. The Delian Quartet feels that it “contains inklings of the Beethoven of the middle and late periods,” but I think it also has some strong reminiscences of Mozart. It receives a fine performance from these musicians, assisted by violist Gérard Caussé. Their characteristics of precise articulation, shapely phrasing, and clear textures are again in evidence, but the playing seems a bit freer and more spontaneous than in the quartet. Tempos are once again on the deliberate side, but one wouldn’t know it without comparisons, since they seem quite appropriate. Here my comparisons are limited to four: the Endellion (Warner), Tokyo (RCA), and Zürich (Brilliant) quartets, and the 1945 Budapest Quartet recording on Sony. The Delian’s first movement tempo seems consistent with the \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eAllegro moderato\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e marking and works well. At a much faster pace, the Endellion is urgent but sometimes rushed. The Tokyo Quartet is closer to the Delian tempo but offers a more blended sound, with less clarity of texture. The poignant slow movement is nicely shaped and well sustained in the Delian rendition, while the scherzo is lively without being overly fast and has a grandeur that is missing from the rather hurried Endellion performance. The finale too is effectively paced, with a pronounced contrast in tempo between the \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePresto\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eAndante\u003c\/span\u003e  \u003cspan\u003e sections that is sometimes missing in other performances. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe op. 137 Fugue for String Quintet dates from 1817 and lasts under two minutes. In style it is suggestive of some of the fugal movements or sections in Beethoven’s late works. The Delian performance is once again comparatively deliberate and very clearly articulated, with exemplary clarity of texture. Those of the Endellion and Zürich quartets (coupled with their recordings of the op. 29 quintet) are quicker and livelier. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan\u003eThe Delian performances are recorded in clear, detailed, and tightly focused sound, with minimal reverberation, qualities I have come to associate with the Oehms label. With its distinctive rendering of the quartet and compelling one of the underrated quintet, this release deserves an enthusiastic recommendation. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e   \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Daniel Morrison \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Oehms Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012894216426,"sku":"4260034867963","price":7.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2165780_1001d04b-1f44-442f-985e-4eb0cc9e7849.jpg?v=1786746078"},{"product_id":"schubert-string-quintet-op-163","title":"Schubert: String Quintet, Op. 163","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Avie Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012895461610,"sku":"822252230727","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2539570.jpg?v=1786734095"},{"product_id":"brahms-violin-sonatas-pike-poster-144127","title":"Brahms: Violin Sonatas \/ Pike, Poster","description":"Jennifer Pike was the youngest-ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2002. She has given performances throughout the UK and around the world and, now aged twenty-three, is widely regarded as one of the finest violinists in Britain. The pianist Tom Poster who performs alongside her is well known for his artistry and versatility, equally in demand as a soloist and as a chamber musician. This recital features violin sonatas by Brahms and Robert Schumann as well as Three Romances by Clara Schumann. Robert Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 1 is very much a ‘Duo’, the two instrumentalists performing in equal partnership. It was written in 1851 at quite a stressful time in Schumann’s life. There is certainly an air of robustness, even roughness, in the baroque-style finale. By contrast, in Brahms’s Violin Sonata No. 1, the violin is always the principal voice, the piano never a competitor but rather a subtle accompanist. Brahms wrote the work in memory of his godson Felix Schumann who had died of tuberculosis at the tragically young age of twenty-four. Clara Schumann’s Three Romances was her only work for violin and piano, but whilst the violin is allowed to sing throughout, the complexity of the piano part testifies to its having been composed by a pianist of the first rank.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Reviews\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Performance (Brahms) **** (R \u0026amp; C Schumann) ***** Recording ***** \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  “...this is a refreshingly projected performance which boasts an almost ideal fluidity in terms of manipulation of tempo and nuance in the first movement [Brahms]... warm-hearted performances of the Clara Schumann Romances ... the distinction of the performances is never in doubt.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Erik Levi – BBC Music magazine – May 2013 \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012896542954,"sku":"095115176221","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2165922_e8a37972-3bda-45c5-9594-2e23cb3c1112.jpg?v=1786679804"},{"product_id":"mendelssohn-string-quartets-nos-2-3-escher-80744","title":"Mendelssohn: String Quartets Nos. 2 \u0026 3 \/ Escher String Quartet","description":"In 1827, when writing his Quartet in A minor, Op.13, the eighteen-year-old Mendelssohn was especially interested in Beethoven’s late quartets – at a time when these works were generally written off as ‘confused fantasies of a deaf musician’. In Mendelssohn's A minor quartet the debt to Beethoven is evident in the important role of polyphonic techniques, and particularly in the focus on cyclical connections between movements.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Ten years after the Op. 13 quartet, Mendelssohn composed the three quartets that make up his Op. 44. The D major quartet that closes the present disc was the last of these to be completed, but on publication, Mendelssohn placed it as the first in the set.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Mendelssohn also wrote four individual movements for string quartet. These were gathered together and published posthumously with the opus number 81, and on this second volume of their complete Mendelssohn cycle the Escher Quartet perform two of these pieces, both conceived in August 1847, only a couple of months before the composer’s death.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The first volume in the Eschers' series, released in April 2015, has been warmly received by the critics, with the internet site Pizzicato describing it as 'a noteworthy addition to the Mendelssohn discography'.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Reviewds:\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Eschers offer eloquent, full-blooded playing, with spacious tempos, earthy rhythms and rich, dug-in sound. Nothing is rushed or skittered over - and this is notably rewarding in music where an over-precious surface can risk missing the point…the four players offer a beautiful blend of individuality and accord, and BIS's famous SACD sound quality lets them gleam and glow.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – BBC Music Magazine\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  This young American group respond particularly vividly to the ebullience of the D major Quartet. Digging into the upward arpeggio with which it launches with infectious glee, while the first movement's coda is uproariously dispatched. Also impressive is their combination of finely honed interaction and a sense of playfulness.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – Gramophone","brand":"BIS","offers":[{"title":"SACD","offer_id":46012899295466,"sku":"7318599919904","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2983335.jpg?v=1786717776"},{"product_id":"kapsberger-libro-secondo-darie-1623-5060113440273","title":"Kapsberger: Libro Secondo D'Arie, 1623","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Toccata","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012902965482,"sku":"5060113440273","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/985284.jpg?v=1786750584"},{"product_id":"ries-3-violin-sonatas-grossman-kagan-171044","title":"Ries: 3 Violin Sonatas \/ Grossman, Kagan","description":"\u003cb\u003eRecording of the Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven’s student, close friend and biographer, but until quite recently was very much one of those composers living in the shadow of his Bonn master, rather than as the gifted and prolific composer he in fact was.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  American pianist, author and educator Susan Kagan has explored the music of those composers associated with Beethoven and his musical scene. In fact she has researched the music of Archduke Rudolph – Beethoven’s composition student for more than twenty years – for her Ph.D. This was subsequently published by Pendragon Press back in 1988. More recently she has almost single-handedly championed the cause of Ries’s piano music, with five CDs of his Sonatas and Sonatinas on the Naxos label.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Kagan explains: ‘Ries studied piano with Beethoven (both were natives of Bonn, Germany) and was entrusted by him with such work as making transcriptions and piano arrangements, and copying orchestral parts of Beethoven’s new works. Ries moved to England in 1813, married an Englishwoman, and had a successful career touring as a virtuoso concert pianist. At the same time he was composing prodigiously and virtually everything he wrote was published. His thorough knowledge of Beethoven’s music undoubtedly helped shape Ries’s style, but his piano sonatas, from 1809 on, show an adventurous turn toward an expressive keyboard style anticipating that of the first generation of Romantic piano composers – Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Schumann. His gift for melody is like Schubert’s, and he is ever inventive in creating and developing beautiful themes. While his symphonies and concertos are ‘public’ works, intended for large audiences and concert halls, the piano sonatas are his most personally-expressive works, revealing an individual outlook on a genre of music cultivated by that great triumvirate of the Classical period – Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.’\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Ries also composed eighteen violin sonatas, which were brought out by Bonn music-publisher, Simrock, who also published much of Beethoven’s music. On this latest release from Naxos, Kagan is joined by violinist and fellow-American Eric Grossman, in an exploration of three of Ries’s violin sonatas, two from his op. 8 set, and his op. 19, all world-première recordings. However, unlike the piano sonatas, which have been released as part of a series of volumes, by starting here with a well-chosen selection from the eighteen extant examples, it gives the record company the option of releasing further violin sonatas in the future, or just letting this present single CD speak on behalf of the other fifteen.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  It is interesting that the opening movements of the Sonata in F, Op. 8 No. 1, recorded first, and the Sonata in C minor, Op. 8 No. 2 that follows, have more than just a passing acquaintance with movements by Beethoven himself. While the latter first movement is very reminiscent of the corresponding movement from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in the same key, Op. 10 No. 3, the F major Sonata opens in a pastoral vein, with a main theme which immediately hints at Beethoven’s ‘Spring’ Sonata for violin and piano in the same key. Rather than reinforcing the idea that Ries is merely mimicking his teacher – what follows, in both of Ries’s sonatas, after the initial ‘homage to Ludwig’, really does confirm that the younger composer has an individual voice, and subsequently embarks on quite a different musical journey from his master.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Of the violin sonatas as a whole, Kagan continues: ‘(They) are models of the Viennese Classical sonata style established by Mozart: most are in three movements, with first movements in sonata-allegro form, lyrical slow movements in ternary (ABA) form, and rondo finales. Like Mozart, Ries divides the material to provide equal interest for both instruments.’ The Sonata in F largely adheres to this pattern, though is, in fact, a four-movement work, with a sprightly Scherzo and Trio in the tonic minor (F minor) following the opening ‘Allegro ma non troppo’, before a conventional, though short slow movement, leads to the finale, with its essentially rustic theme. However, this soon contrasts with the central episode, where staccato triplets evolve into a vigorous fugato section (like a fugue, but not fully played-out), and something which, according to Kagan in her compact, yet succinct and informative sleeve-notes, is an unusual event in Ries’s music, where polyphonic writing is ‘generally avoided’.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The characteristic dotted rhythms and robust dynamics of the ‘Allegro con spirito’ that open the Sonata in C minor, imbue it initially with an almost martial character, but this soon turns lyrical, in which vein the ensuing ‘Adagio cantabile’ slow movement continues, and which also then acts as the perfect aperitif to the lightness of the closing rondo, with its staccato texture and preponderance of rapid repeated notes.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The so-named Grande Sonata in F minor, while the shortest of the three works on the CD, is nevertheless conceived in large scale, both with regards structure and content, and with its key, and the dramatic insistence of the opening movement’s main theme, link it in character to Beethoven’s ‘Appassionata’ piano sonata, written some five years earlier. Unlike Beethoven’s work, Ries’s sonata begins with a short and poignant ‘Largo espressivo’ introduction – not unlike the opening of Beethoven’s earlier ‘Pathétique’ sonata, but providing nowhere near as dramatic a lead-in. Ries maintains the feverish mood of the ‘Allegro agitato’ throughout, despite the occasional sections away from the over-arching minor tonality, and the movement’s calmly-understated close. The following slow movement, in a gentle triple measure, and in the relative major key (A flat major), has a simple charm and eloquence that makes it extremely endearing and pleasing on the ear, but with sufficient contrast within, to hold the listener’s attention throughout. The overall playful mood of the final rondo also has more than enough variety, both rhythmically and melodically in its main theme and episodes, to sustain it, with some real fireworks in the central episode. The music has a decidedly Schubertian feel, both thematically, and in Ries’s use of tonality, where more remote keys figure, and there is often a characteristic shift from major to minor and back. Yet again Ries chooses to finish like a lamb, rather than a lion – something Beethoven does in the opening movement of his ‘Appassionata’, but not in the work’s tumultuous and clattering coda to the finale.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Whichever way you look at this latest Ries CD from Naxos, you will surely not be disappointed. The playing, positioning and recording are first-rate, and the three pieces recorded are charming, entertaining and with a good feel for motivic development. Whether they form part of a more extended investigation into the composer’s repertoire for violin and piano, or remain just a one-off sampler, at the bargain price offered, they are simply too good to miss.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – Philip R Buttall, MusicWeb International","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012910239978,"sku":"747313319374","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2839296.jpg?v=1786820284"},{"product_id":"franz-ignaz-beck-symphonies-op-4-nos-144686","title":"Franz Ignaz Beck: Symphonies Op. 4, Nos. 4-6 \u0026 Op. 3, No. 5","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe court at Manneheim, one of Europe’s great 18th-century musical centers, provided myriad opportunities for creative development. Having absorbed the ideas of his teacher, Johann Stamitz and other luminaries, Beck wrote a series of symphonies notable for their dramatic contrasts, breadth and sweep, the progressive inclusion of the woodwinds and a willingness to explore expressive intensity. His progressive use of woodwind instruments in the Symphony in G major, Op. 4 No. 5 is among the notable developments to be heard in this second recording of Beck symphonies by Marek Štilec and the Czech Chamber Philharmonic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012911124714,"sku":"747313324972","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2809248.jpg?v=1786725501"},{"product_id":"giglio-fiorentino-8007194106251","title":"Giglio fiorentino","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis rarity of an album includes original works for plectrum orchestra, an ensemble formed by mandolins and instruments so derived: the mandola, the mandoloncello and mandolone, with guitars, harps, and other plectrum or pizzicato instruments added depending on the situation. Following its heyday and decline, the second half of the 19th c. throughout Europe saw many such ensembles spring up. 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The timelessly beautiful Adagio from the Sonata pimpante is indeed comparable to that of the Concierto de Aranjuez, and all of these pieces are captivating in their intense lyricism and profound originality, from the Dos ezbozos expressing childhood memories of the Parterre Gardens in Valencia, to Rodrigo’s only piece for solo violin, the Capriccio, and the vivacious and nostalgic Set cançons valencianes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012915908842,"sku":"747313264872","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/3495161_df3f56af-5c94-4bc0-b29f-c6704f8cf43f.jpg?v=1786669019"},{"product_id":"schubert-string-quartets-rosamunde-death-and-the-110353","title":"Schubert: String Quartets \"Rosamunde\", \"Death and the Maiden\" \/ Doric String Quartet","description":"On its new release, the Doric String Quartet turns to the music of Franz Schubert. It is the Quartet’s fifth release for Chandos, and the discography has gone from strength to strength. MusicWeb International said of the recent Korngold release (CHAN 10707): ‘The Doric Quartet seem to have a Midas touch, and any repertoire they commit to disc comes out sparkling.’ Their Schumann release (CHAN 10692) was ‘Recording of the Month’ in both Gramophone and BBC Music.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  In March 1824, despite describing himself as ‘the most unhappy and wretched creature in the world’, Schubert completed not only the great Octet, but also the two String Quartets recorded here.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  The String Quartet in D minor is considered the greatest of Schubert’s late quartets, mainly on account of its raw emotional honesty, which reaches an almost unendurable pitch in the second movement, a set of variations based on Schubert’s song Der Tod und das Mädchen. All four movements are driven by extensively repeated rhythmic figures, reminiscent of the musical style of Schubert’s great idol, Beethoven.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Full of Schubertian ambivalence, the String Quartet in A minor is a deeply intimate work. The opening, expressing brooding sadness, is played by the first violin over a restless accompaniment, subsequently interrupted by flurries of almost manic energy. In the second movement, Schubert ‘borrowed’ the main melody from the third Entr’acte of his incidental music to the play Rosamunde, Fürstin von Zypern (1823) by Wilhelmine von Chézy.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  -  \u003ci\u003eChandos\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012919415018,"sku":"095115173725","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2042928.jpg?v=1786756016"},{"product_id":"boccherini-quartetti-per-due-fortepiani-8007194105087","title":"Boccherini: Quartetti per due fortepiani","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Tactus","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012923248874,"sku":"8007194105087","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1978754_2cec95d1-c488-481e-808d-e86b3e802e3f.jpg?v=1786755164"},{"product_id":"solosonaten-und-trios-von-leopold-mozart","title":"Solosonaten und Trios von Leopold Mozart","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Oehms Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012929442026,"sku":"4260034868601","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2067866.jpg?v=1786741648"},{"product_id":"flow-jazz-renaissance-from-italy-to-brazil","title":"Flow: Jazz \u0026 Renaissance from Italy to Brazil","description":"The Lutenist Axel Wolf and the Saxophonist Hugo Siegmeth - Who Join Forces Here - Are Two Musicians with Roots in Completely Different Musical Disciplines. A Virtuoso on the Lute and Theorbo, Axel Wolf Specializes in the Renaissance and Baroque Periods, Whereas Hugo Siegmeth, Saxophonist and Composer, Is An Expert on Modern Jazz and Contemporary Music. Although Several Centuries Lie Between the Heydays of Both Musical Styles, with 'Flow', These Two Musicians Both Place Special Focus on Improvisation: Involvement in the Surprising Moment and Spontaneous Interaction.","brand":"Oehms Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012932489450,"sku":"4260330918260","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2862276_1fc4ef81-f25c-400b-a38d-afe2644d30ae.jpg?v=1786744907"},{"product_id":"bach-six-trio-sonatas-tempesta-di-mare-242954","title":"Bach: Six Trio Sonatas \/ Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players","description":"Bach compiled his set of six trio sonatas for organ during the late 1720s. They are thought to have been put together as training material for Bach’s son Wilhelm Friedemann and can be grouped among other pedagogical keyboard collections such as the Inventions and the Well-Tempered Clavier. They are unique, however, in transferring the typical trio sonata texture, a popular style normally played by ensemble, to a single instrument. In Bach’s originals the right and left hands take the top two parts while the pedals perform the bass line. The first movement of Sonata No. 4 was originally composed for ensemble and the unique formal and stylistic characteristics of the collection suggest that other movements, too, started life away from the organ.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Taking this on board, Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players have re-imagined these works in arrangements for ensemble, using scorings typically adopted in the performance of trio sonatas in Bach’s time. Bach was himself a serial adapter and re-arranger of his own works and this recording takes on his understanding of the musical work as a fluid entity, able to assume as many forms as there are purposes for them.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  The Philadelphia-based early music ensemble Tempesta di Mare is renowned for its unique programming and championing of rarely performed works, not least through its fruitful relationship with Chandos Records. -  \u003ci\u003eChandos Records\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Arranged for chamber ensemble by Richard Stone.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players:\u003cbr\u003e  Gwyn Roberts recorder - flauto traverso \u003cbr\u003e  Emlyn Ngai violin\u003cbr\u003e  Karina Schmitz violin - viola\u003cbr\u003e  Lisa Terry cello - viola da gamba\u003cbr\u003e  Richard Stone lute\u003cbr\u003e  Adam Pearl harpsichord \u003cbr\u003e  Recorded in: Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012932948202,"sku":"095115080320","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2580189.jpg?v=1786742025"},{"product_id":"brahms-by-arrangement-vol-1-5060113440662","title":"Brahms By Arrangement, Vol. 1","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrahms originally wrote the Piano Quintet, Op. 34, for string quintet before recasting the work as a two-piano sonata. However, the sheet music has not ever been recovered. So, finnish cellist Karttunen set about its reconstruction. The result has all the vigor and power of the music we know but now recast in a different sonority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\" id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell2_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\"\u003eAnother triumph for a small independent label. Brilliant thought provoking re-evaluations of ‘standard’ works by Brahms. The double viola version of the clarinet quintet in Brahms’ own arrangement is especially rewarding featuring some of the most beautiful viola playing I have ever heard from Steven Dann. Life-enhancing stuff. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- MusicWeb International\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toccata","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012934324458,"sku":"5060113440662","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2009447.jpg?v=1786755192"},{"product_id":"lopes-graca-complete-music-for-string-quartet-piano-vol-5060113442543","title":"Lopes-Graça: Complete Music For String Quartet \u0026 Piano, Vol. 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe composer Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906–94) was something of a Portuguese Shostakovich: as a committed socialist, he faced repression from Portugal’s rightist military dictatorship; his works were banned and he was stripped of his official positions. Lopes-Graça responded in music, evolving a feisty, wiry Bartókian style that drew on Portuguese folk-music. This recording features Lopes-Graça’s own Bechstein piano, played by Olga Prats, who worked closely with him. Reviewing Vol. 1, Fanfare stated: “… the disc should be heard by 20th c. music lovers… a strong, individual voice”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan id=\"ctl00_MainContent_gvReviews_cell3_12_ASPxPopupControl1_ASPxLabel2\" class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003eLopes-Graça’s First String Quartet won the Rainier III Composition Prize in 1965 and the composer then began to receive some of the public recognition he deserved. Eventually, some of his symphonic works were recorded. In the 1970s his writings were published and he was honored for his contributions to Portuguese culture. He composed a great many pieces during the last 20 years of his life, one of which is his Second String Quartet. The second movement contains a folk dance that extends into a rhythmic dialogue with dramatic overtones and a propulsive undercurrent. The third movement, “Cavatina,” is an aria with a long melodic line but without the cabaletta that would follow it in a bel canto opera. The finale includes material from the first movement as well as new music in a memorable whirl of interesting textures. This disc is a must for connoisseurs of 20th-century music and those who love unusual string quartets. I really enjoyed it and expect others so inclined will too. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dxeBase_PlasticBlue\"\u003e-- Fanfare\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Toccata","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012939141354,"sku":"5060113442543","price":10.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2985538.jpg?v=1786820574"},{"product_id":"violin-sonatas-strauss-respighi-little-lane-87121","title":"Violin Sonatas: Strauss, Respighi \/ Little, Lane","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eR. STRAUSS \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eViolin Sonata,\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Op. 18. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eRESPIGHI \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003eViolin Sonata in b. Six Pieces: \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12i\"\u003eMelodia; Valse caressante; Serenata \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Tasmin Little (vn); Piers Lane (pn) \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12\"\u003e • \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e CHANDOS 10749 (65:50) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eViolinist Tasmin Little has amassed a very respectable discography on a number of different labels, though of late, she seems to have settled in as one of Chandos’s house artists. Her recent recording of Delius’s Violin Concerto received an urgent recommendation from me in 35:4, so I really looked forward to receiving her latest release of these two late romantic sonatas. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eOn the surface, Richard Strauss and Respighi may not seem to have a lot in common, but their respective violin sonatas have been paired on disc before, notably by Kyung-Wha Chung and Krystian Zimerman for Deutsche Grammophon and by Frank Almond and William Wolfram for Avie. Strauss composed his sonata in 1887 at the age of 23. It’s an inspired outpouring of youth hardly recognizable as music by the composer that Strauss would become. Respighi’s B-Minor Sonata—an earlier sonata in D Minor dates from the composer’s teens—was written in 1917, exactly 30 years later than Strauss’s sonata, by a more mature composer of 38. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eStrauss’s sonata will no doubt be permanently associated with Heifetz, not because he championed it and twice recorded it, but because of his callous and stubborn determination to perform the piece in 1953 before an Israeli audience that still considered Strauss a Nazi collaborator and whose emotions were still raw from the Holocaust. That little stunt nearly cost Heifetz his career when an assailant attacked him outside his hotel, striking his right arm with an iron bar. While I don’t condone the death threats and violence against him, I understand the intensity of feelings that were aroused. Heifetz had no one to blame but himself for his own arrogance and intractable insensitivity. He canceled his last concert and departed Israel post haste, not to return there again until 1970. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe shame of it all is that Strauss’s sonata was written half a century before Hitler rose to power, and the piece is a passionate and deeply touching reflection of the late 19th-century German musical culture in which Strauss came of age. Unsurprisingly, Liszt and Wagner, both recently dead, appear as frequent ghosts throughout the sonata’s pages, but another guest one meets, less frequently perhaps but still very much alive when Strauss wrote the piece, is Brahms. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eRespighi is not an easy composer to categorize. Some see him, as they see Strauss, Puccini, Rachmaninoff, and Sibelius as manifestations of a resistant strain of late romanticism that persisted well into the 20th century, while others have referred to Respighi as an Impressionist. I think one could support either view. There’s no question but that Respighi’s sonata is the more modern of the two works on the disc, at least in terms of its approach to harmony and tonality, but it remains an essentially romantic work in its gestural language—i.e., in its sweeping vistas and appeal to the emotions, both public and private. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe last time I reviewed a recording of Strauss’s violin sonata was in 32:3. That Atma CD also contained violin and piano works by Elgar and Ravel in performances by Jonathan Crow and Paul Stewart which I called “a desideratum of indescribably beautiful music matched by indescribably beautiful playing.” Pardon the pun, but Tasmin Little brings more than a little of Crow’s eloquent and elegant playing to the Strauss, but I would also have to say that in some of the sonata’s more technically taxing passages, she can sound ever so slightly flustered; and while the notes never actually get away from her, one senses she’s making an effort to stay on top of them. Next to Crow’s Strauss, another performance I’ve long liked is that by Dmitri Sitkovetsky on Virgin Classics. He has the technical chops to pull it off smoothly, but I don’t find him quite as emotionally engaged as either Crow or Little. Whatever the reason, Respighi’s sonata seems to suit Little a little better, both technically and temperamentally. Her performance of the piece is lithe and fully responsive to the score’s rapidly shifting moods and colors. In my opinion, it easily outclasses Tanja Becker-Bender on Hyperion, whose reading I find somewhat flighty and rudderless. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eOverall, this has to be rated a very fine effort, and not just by Little, but also by Piers Lane who partners her most excellently on the piano, and by Chandos, which provides its usual deep and vivid sound. This may not be the absolute best Strauss out there, but it’s definitely among the very best of the Respighis, and the extra three encores from Respighi’s Six Pieces for Violin and Piano make for a most enriching program. Easily recommended. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: Jerry Dubins \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e -----------\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Chandos have prided themselves on having a deep and long-term available back catalogue. Though distantly separated in time the present CD can be seen as an adjunct to two of the grand Chandos series of the 1980s and 1990s. The first was the Respighi orchestral music edition built around the Edward Downes BBCPO symphonies and concertos but supplemented by earlier discs conducted by Geoffrey Simon - still truly splendid - and later ones from Hickox and Noseda. The Downes and Simon discs would shine anew if issued in a box or boxes. The second comprised the half dozen discs they issued in the 1980s golden days of Järvi conducting the then SNO in the major orchestral works of Richard Strauss.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  These two violin and piano works have previously appeared - although separately - on Chandos. There were in fact two CDs of the Strauss Sonata – one from Lydia Mordkovitch and the other from Sasha Rozhdestvensky. It comes as no surprise that the Respighi was also recorded by Mordkovitch. She contributed so much to the label that I have every reason to expect that, one of these days, there will be a complete Mordkovitch Chandos Edition. It’s certainly deserved – at least as much as a Takako Nishizaki edition for Naxos.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  Little and Lane’s Strauss Sonata is flooded with melodic light and surges and muses with all the eruptive and serenading romance of the same composer’s Don Juan. Both Tasmin Little and Piers Lane are obviously up for it and flatter the 1887 Strauss with a most inward reading which makes it appear a greater work than perhaps it is. The stormy romance of the outer movements of the 1917 Respighi Sonata is emphasised by the utterly peaceful and romantically centred Sargasso calm of the Andante second movement. It stands head and shoulders above the other sonata movements on this disc, masterfully treading that febrile line between poetry and self-conscious sentimentality. Both Little and Lane have every right to be proud of their achievement here. Speaking of that mood we have three movements from the salon-destined and designed Sei Pezzi. I lament that the other three Kreislerian movements were not included – there was space. A puzzling and regretted omission.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  With thanks to Chandos for commissioning a liner-note from the inspired Jessica Duchen. Such a fine writer and one whose Korngold book (Phaidon Press) has been unjustly eclipsed by the ‘major definitive biography’. The Duchen is much more than a valid alternative. Indeed, Korngold is a far from irrelevant comparison in the company of the two composers so nobly represented on this disc.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  – Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012944482538,"sku":"095115174920","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2067810.jpg?v=1786691117"},{"product_id":"illuminations-avalon-string-quartet-242713","title":"Illuminations \/ Avalon String Quartet","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Avalon String Quartet, “a remarkably fine ensemble” (The Strad), makes its Cedille Records debut with an irresistible and richly varied program of captivating works by Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britten, Osvaldo Golijov, and rising American composer Stacy Garrop. The ensemble presents the world-premiere recording of Garrop’s String Quartet No. 4: Illuminations, a tantalizing, Pictures at an Exhibition-style tour of spectacular illustrations from an ornate medieval manuscript. Debussy’s lush, exotic String Quartet in G minor unfolds through iridescent quasi-orchestral textures. Golijov’s lyrical, deeply moving Tenebrae (Latin for “shadows”), written for the Kronos Quartet, pays tender tribute to the earth, depicted in its remote celestial beauty, haunted by undertones of human discord. Britten’s youthful, energetic Three Divertimenti and Alla Marcia are alluring, rarely recorded studies in inventiveness and perpetual motion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Avalon is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music. “…an ensemble that invites you — ears, mind, and spirit — into its music.” (Chicago Tribune)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe folks at Cedille seem to have mastered the art of putting together classical music collections that make good musical sense. Debussy’s String Quartet is, of course, standard fare, and it usually appears in tandem with the Ravel and something else French. Not here. Instead, we have two Britten rarities, the entertaining Three Divertimenti and the lone Alla Marcia (the first of the Divertimenti is also a march, so you can see the logic), a self-described “Pictures at an Exhibition” type piece by Stacy Garrop, and a moving conclusion in the form of Osvaldo Golijov’s single-movement Tenebrae. The entire program provides consistently interesting and entertaining continuous listening, and the sonics are drop-dead gorgeous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, for that matter, is the playing of the \u003cstrong\u003eAvalon String Quartet\u003c\/strong\u003e. The group’s corporate sonority is warm and mellow, but with just a touch of “rosin” in the tone. They attack rhythmic moments such as the scherzo of the Debussy, the Burlesque and the marches in the Britten pieces, and Garrop’s musically impossibly named “Mouth of Hell” with plenty of guts and precision, but no unpleasant hardness in the tone. The slow music is simply luminous. I am not generally a fan of pseudo-religious programmatic stuff such as Garrop offers here, but it’s awfully well done, and the booklet provides well-produced, full-color reproductions of the illustrations from the late medieval Book of Hours that Garrop took as her inspiration. They are exquisite, as is much of Garrop’s writing more generally.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere, in short, is another excellent program that chamber music fans looking to venture off the beaten path will surely relish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e- ClassicsToday.com (\u003cstrong\u003e10\/10\u003c\/strong\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cedille","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012946153706,"sku":"735131915625","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2951874.jpg?v=1786718292"},{"product_id":"salieri-ouvertures-scherzi-divertimenti-paolo-pollastri-quartetto-203142","title":"Salieri: Ouvertures, Scherzi, Divertimenti \/ Paolo Pollastri, Quartetto Amati","description":"\u003cp\u003eAntonio Salieri’s (1750-1825) catalog of instrumental music is not particularly extensive. +The symphonic works known from available recordings include two symphonies, several concerti, serenades and the like. +There is, also, a small body of chamber works, including those present on this disc. +Oboist Paolo Pollastri (b. 1960) has been first oboe of numerous orchestras and performs often as a soloist. +The Canadian Amati Quartet made its international debut in 2005 and indulges in a diverse repertoire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tactus","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012948578538,"sku":"8007194106008","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2580253.jpg?v=1786742136"},{"product_id":"eben-landscapes-of-patmos-okna-concerto-no-2-for-organ","title":"Eben: Landscapes of Patmos - Okna - Concerto No. 2 for Organ","description":"Petr Eben is considered to be one of the Czech Republic's leading contemporary composers. His organ compositions explore new territory in regard to playing techniques, sound and subject matter. His goal is to convey a message to listeners, through commentaries or - as in his Second Organ Concerto - by prefixing his scores with a motto. Formal clarity and understandability are a requirement for him. His music is characterized by free tonality that always includes tonal sections. Gunther Rost was able to win two prominent guest musicians for this CD: Tine Ting Helseth (trumpet) and Babette Haag (percussion).","brand":"Oehms Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012949528810,"sku":"4260034864207","price":7.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2002774.jpg?v=1786838177"},{"product_id":"hidden-treasure-viola-masterpieces","title":"Hidden Treasure: Viola Masterpieces","description":"Rivka Golani’s portrait album invites listeners on a musical journey spanning the 1820s to the late 1940s; its style ranges from early romanticism to post romanticism.  Another of the music peculiarities is that it shows how the millennial heritage of Jewish culture enriched European art music.  Rivka Golani is recognized as one of the outstanding modern violists.  More than 300 works have so far been composed for her, including 77 concertos: a record matched by no other violist in history.","brand":"Hungaroton","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012955001066,"sku":"5991813272126","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2605244.jpg?v=1786820495"},{"product_id":"couperin-f-nations-les-3rd-ordre-limperiale-4th-095115072929","title":"Couperin, F.: Nations (Les): 3Rd Ordre, \"L'Imperiale\" \/ 4Th","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012958245098,"sku":"095115072929","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/986112.jpg?v=1786763166"},{"product_id":"villa-lobos-trio","title":"Villa-Lobos Trio","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Oehms Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012962472170,"sku":"4260034867765","price":7.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1796787.jpg?v=1786750617"},{"product_id":"mancini-solos-for-a-flute-095115080122","title":"Mancini: Solos for a Flute \/ Roberts, Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players","description":"Classical Music","brand":"Chandos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012967846122,"sku":"095115080122","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2545363.jpg?v=1786733593"},{"product_id":"schubert-piano-trio-no-2-beethoven-piano-trio-no-3","title":"Schubert: Piano Trio No. 2 - Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 3","description":"Classical Music","brand":"IDIS","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012968173802,"sku":"8021945002951","price":8.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2565743_59d4e9e6-9f81-464e-b253-d981f9965b55.jpg?v=1786693953"},{"product_id":"the-thurston-connection-english-music-for-clarinet-piano","title":"The Thurston Connection: English Music for Clarinet \u0026 Piano","description":"British music for the clarinet was hugely indebted to the elite interpreters who inspired this important repertoire. they included Frederick Thurston, who first performed three of the works on this recording. Sir Arnold Bax's sonata, much admired and imbued with Celtic folklore, is heard in a version that restores the manuscript's original phrasing. the pieces by roger Fiske and Iain Hamilton are heard in Premie. re-recordings, while Richard Rodney Bennett's duo Concertante was commissioned by the eminent soloist in this recital, Nicholas Cox.","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012969648362,"sku":"747313135776","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/2862144.jpg?v=1786742366"},{"product_id":"honegger-complete-violin-sonatas-kayaleh-158460","title":"Honegger: Complete Violin Sonatas \/ Kayaleh","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fine guide with performances as subtle as they are perceptive. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It’s very unusual to find all Honegger’s Violin Sonatas — which includes the solo sonata of 1940 — grouped together in one disc. In fact I’m not aware of another such coupling in the current catalogue, which gives this budget price entrant cachet. Even better, the performances are persuasive and finely played and recorded. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  This would amount to a recommendation even were the music not so attractive, which is not to say it’s transparent, as there are moments of occlusion and introspection along the way. The First Sonata is actually the unnumbered D minor of 1912. I agree wholly with Anyssa Neumann’s booklet notes that the opening embeds genuine ‘pathos’—it’s the pathos of popular song, in my view, to which Laurence Kayaleh responds with pervasive and elegant portamenti and effusive lyric intensity. There’s a degree of agitato in this work and Brahmsian striving, and it’s understandable that it was not published during Honegger’s lifetime in a sense, given the influences. But it’s still a big, confident utterance from the young composer. The slow movement is engagingly done, with its odd Delian moments, and the March section is well characterised. The confident and puckish finale is interrupted by a moment of baroque reportage, before a nobly conceived  \u003ci\u003emaestoso\u003c\/i\u003e sweeps us to the finish. As she does throughout, Kayaleh plays with a refined tonal palette. She doesn’t make a big sound, but it is finely coloured. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  The first numbered sonata was written during the last two years of the First World War. It’s a more focused work, less effusive, and sites the fast movement centrally between two essentially slow ones. The central panel of the Presto is played with the mute, and the whole thing is freely ruminative, though I detect Franck still in his musical handwriting. Stark intoning begins the finale, and here Kayaleh powerfully intensifies her vibrato width. It’s hard not to read into this movement something of the same spirit, but not the same means, that informs John Ireland’s contemporaneous Second Violin Sonata. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  By contrast the 1919 Second Sonata has rather dreamlike qualities. It takes in a fugal moment, whilst remaining strongly chromatic, indeed compact in its reach — it’s 12 minutes in length in this performance. The finale’s ebullience removes the rather heavy atmosphere brilliantly, fully conveyed by Kayaleh and Paul Stewart. The solo sonata is becoming ever more popular and this performance will not harm that status in any way. What I like especially is the generosity of her grazioso phrasing in the Allegretto; delightfully done. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  So if you lack these sonatas, or are curious about Honegger’s approach to them, this disc will stand as a fine guide with performances as subtle as they are perceptive. \u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e  -- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International  \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Naxos","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012969713898,"sku":"747313219278","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/1775955.jpg?v=1786751960"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/collections\/3_2e58f953-a727-472c-8e6c-bd44a8e55e09.png?v=1787342404","url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/weekend-spotlight-chamber-music-showcase.oembed?page=8","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}