Search results: Search results

338 results

Products

Vivaldi: Concerti For Strings / Alberto Martini
Naxos Mar 1997
CD
$19.99

Colonna: Caro ardore, Sacro amore - Concerted Psalms for 2 C

Dynamic

$16.99 Jan 31, 2025

The sumptuous music of Giovanni Paolo Colonna is brought to life in this concert to honour Bologna's patron saint at the Chapel of St Petronio Basilica - the very place in which this great musician was organist and chapel master in the mid-17th century. The works in this programme are rarely heard due to their grandiose proportions and virtuoso demands in performance. They include the colossal Dixit Dominus for two choirs, trumpet fanfare and strings, as well as the dazzling Beatus vir, possibly the earliest ever example of a concerto grosso.

View Full Page

Colonna: Caro ardore, Sacro amore - Concerted Psalms for 2 C
Dynamic Jan 2025
CD
$16.99

Foerster: Violin Concertos / Zenaty, Belohlávek, Bbc So

Supraphon

$31.99 Jun 20, 2008

FOERSTER Violin Concertos: No. 1 in c; 1 No. 2 in d • Ivan Ženatý (vn); Ji?í B?lohlávek, cond; BBC SO • SUPRAPHON 3961 (65:23) Live: London 12/8/2007 1

Jan Kubelík urged Josef Bohuslav Foerster to write his First Violin Concerto, which Kubelík played for the first time in Chicago in October 1910. It’s a grand Romantic work, as ingratiating melodically as Bruch’s or Goldmark’s concertos but colored—or, at least, tinted—with references to the composer’s Czech ethnicity but even more strongly influenced by the virtuoso tradition, which it perhaps owes to Kubelík, who wrote a cadenza for the premiere that bejewels its soaring melodiousness. (The notes also explain that the Concerto served as a sort of test run for Foerster’s fourth opera, The Unvanquished , with its violinist-composer hero.) Ivan Ženatý plays the work’s first movement authoritatively, adding his own cadenza, which differs in style—as so many violinists’ cadenzas do—from the composer’s passages that surround it. Ženatý draws a rich tone from the lower registers of the 1743 Prince of Orange Guarneri del Gesù and a pure and clean sound from its upper ones; such tonal opulence enables him to mine the slow movement’s rich melodic vein. The third movement opens with a triple-time dance-like theme; many virtuoso concertos concluded with dance-like finales, but this one, marked Allegro grazioso , seems more elegantly balletic. Ženatý is at home in the work’s declamatory passages (as at the first movement’s opening) as well as in the ruminative slow movement or in the comparatively genial finale. The engineers have balanced the sonorous orchestral part and the brilliant solo in this live performance (with applause at the end). I believe the performance of the First Concerto on Orfeo 403971 may no longer be available.

The Second Concerto (the program claims to offer the first complete performance of both works), the notes accede, has not claimed the attention of violinists. Sketched in 1917 and 1918 and completed in 1926, the Concerto received its premiere on January 19, 1927. Of a piece with the First Concerto melodically, the Second nevertheless lacks its bravura, relying more heavily on pervasive lyricism. But such ingratiating melodiousness, projected against occasionally gauzy orchestration, should compensate for the Concerto’s lack of brilliance. The first two movements, marked Andante sostenuto and Andante moderato (the second movement flowing almost seamlessly out of the first), finally give way to a concluding Allegro. But while those first two movements hardly lack drama—the orchestra occasionally surges as sonorously as it does in Chausson’s Poème or Delius’s Concerto—the general atmosphere remains ecstatically if intimately tranquil. Even the finale, which begins with a hint of the folk dance, settles back into its characteristic melodic warmth. The recorded sound remains balanced throughout the Second Concerto in a way similar to that of the First, though the studio recording sessions took place on December 4–5, 2007, at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios.

Foerster’s violin concertos offer a continuation of the luxurious melodic flow of those by Bruch, Goldmark, and, especially, Dvo?ák; and Ženatý’s sympathetic performances should provide a warm-hearted introduction to them even for listeners not favorably disposed to the violin music of this period. Very strongly recommended.

FANFARE: Robert Maxham

View Full Page

Foerster: Violin Concertos / Zenaty, Belohlávek, Bbc So
Supraphon Jun 2008
CD
$31.99

C. P. E. Bach: Concertos for Two Keyboards / Miklos Spanyi

BIS

$21.99 Feb 25, 2014

With this disc, Miklós Spányi's survey of the complete keyboard concertos of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, begun in 1995, reaches its conclusion. But over the years it has already been described as 'a unique monument to one of the 18th century's most underrated composers' (Gramophone) as well as 'one of the most important and monumental recording projects of the century so far' (MusicWeb International) and 'an epoch-making achievement... in the history of recorded music' (klassik-heute.de). Together, the 64 works - composed over a period of fifty-five years (1733-88) - form an endlessly fascinating picture of their composer's various choices made in the course of a long career. They also illustrate the development of the concerto genre, and, indeed, of music itself during the mid-eighteenth century - a period of experimentation and great variety. All of these aspects are explored in an admirable fashion in the liner notes to the various discs, written by the C.P.E. Bach scholars Jane R. Stevens and Darrell M. Berg. Throughout the series, Miklós Spányi has performed the solo parts on harpsichord, fortepiano and tangent piano, carefully explaining his choices in his own remarks to each volume, and thereby providing much insight into a crucial chapter in the development of the keyboard instruments. The two double concertos on this final volume frame most of Bach's career, with the F major work for two harpsichords hailing from 1740 and the Concerto in E flat major being the fruit of the composer's final year. The latter work is intriguing in that Bach in his score specified that the solo parts should be performed on a harpsichord and a fortepiano respectively, resulting in some fascinating sound effects. The disc ends with a Sonatina for two harpsichords, composed in the 1760s, and remarkable for the size of its orchestra: the work employs the largest forces ever used by Bach, and forms a suitably resplendent finale to this great recording project.

View Full Page

C. P. E. Bach: Concertos for Two Keyboards / Miklos Spanyi
BIS Feb 2014
CD
$21.99

TERZETTO CONCERTANTE FOR VIOLA
Bayer Jan 2012
CD
$20.99

MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTOS NOS.3-5

APARTE

$20.17 Feb 17, 2023

After Mozart's youth symphonies, the Freiburger Barockorchester returns to the composer with his concertante music. A 'portrait of the artist as a young man', his last three violin concerto were composed when he was twenty years old. Melodically inventive, structurally rich, and showing complexity in the dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra, these works represent important milestones, not only in Mozart's output, but also in the concerto genre in general. Often recorded, these concertos are presented here in a new version: in accordance with practices of the time, Kristian Bezuidenhout improvises a pianoforte part, while conducting the orchestra, over which the violin of Gottfried von der Goltz, an artist at the height of his powers, soars with great finesse.

View Full Page

MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTOS NOS.3-5
APARTE Feb 2023
CD
$20.17

Casella: Symphony No 1, Concerto For Strings, Piano, Timpani & Percussion / La Vecchia

Naxos

$19.99 Jun 29, 2010

Starter question for 10 - can you name any Italian orchestral composers of the early to mid 20^th century? Ottorino Respighi comes to mind, as do Gian Francesco Malipiero, Ildebrando Pizzetti and - thanks in part to those enterprising souls at Naxos - we can now add Alfredo Casella. This recording of the latter’s Symphony No. 1, a world premiere, is just part of a projected series devoted to Casella’s œuvre; the most recent instalment - which includes Symphony No 2 - is available on 8.572414. Naxos have stolen a march on Chandos, who have just released a recording of the latter - coupled with Scarlattiana - featuring Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic (CHAN 10605). And we mustn’t forget CPO, whose contribution to this risorgimento includes the Op. 63 Sinfonia.

At first glance, Casella’s enrolment at the Paris Conservatoire - Gabriel Fauré was one of his teachers - and his admiration for Debussy might suggest strong links with French music of the period. However, the First Symphony, which dates from 1905, doesn’t strike me as particularly Gallic, either in sensibility or sound world; indeed, Casella is quoted in the liner-notes, where he dismisses the work as a potpourri of Borodin, Brahms and Enescu. These influences may be there, but they aren’t striking. Perhaps it’s the Italian band and conductor who are to blame, as they add a touch of southern warmth to this absorbing score.

True, the brooding start to the Lento seems Russianate, but then there’s an arresting lyricism in the strings and an orchestral blush that speaks more of Richard Strauss. As for the Roman orchestra they sound full-bodied and precise, climaxes expanding with plenty of weight and impact. Musically the score may seem a tad threadbare at times, but it’s well shaped and convincingly paced. Initial impressions suggest this is not the youthful indiscretion it first seems; in fact, the Adagio - reprised in the Second Symphony - is rather lovely. After a quiet, rather unsettling theme at the outset there are some melting string tunes - just listen to the passage that begins at 3:44. It really is luminous, heart-stopping music, most eloquently phrased.

The final movement, like the first, is a dark-toned Lento, the grumble of percussion at the start thrillingly caught. And, for the first time, there’s a real sense of nobility, a Wagnerian amplitude if you like, the muted brass simply splendid. Moreover, there’s a momentum here - listen out for that recurring, jaunty little tune - and a firm sense of purpose, which ensures that any structural weaknesses are artfully concealed. Such advocacy augurs well for the rest of this series; indeed, having heard both Noseda and La Vecchia’s accounts of the Second Symphony I can assure you the latter yields little or nothing to the former in terms of execution although, as expected, the Chandos sound is both weightier and more spacious.

The concerto is a wartime work, written while the composer was recovering from a serious illness. The soft edges of the symphony are replaced here by a harder, more muscular idiom, which includes strong, uncompromising rhythms. There’s plenty of bite to the strings, ever-present timps commendably crisp and clear, the Sarabande more lyrical - and inward - than one might expect. The piano part is carefully woven into the musical fabric, which only shows signs of fraying in the latter half of this movement. The brisk, martial opening to the final Allegro - snare drums very much in evidence - takes us back to the sinewy world of the first. It’s well played and tightly argued, the muted march coloured by the gentlest of taps on the tam-tam.

So, a most encouraging start to this new cycle which, along with Noseda’s, will surely bring this music back into the mainstream, where it belongs. It seems entirely right that La Vecchia and his Roman band are leading the charge; goodness knows, they play this music with verve and vision - and that’s just what it needs

Nice one, Naxos.

-- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

View Full Page

Casella: Symphony No 1, Concerto For Strings, Piano, Timpani & Percussion / La Vecchia
Naxos Jun 2010
CD
$19.99

Brahms: Concerto for violin and cello, Op. 102 in A minor &

Nimbus

$23.99 Jan 02, 2026

Towards the end of his life, Johannes Brahms declared more than once that he was retiring from composing - luckily for us, he never quite followed through. Not because he had run out of inspiration - Brahms was at the height of his powers - but because he felt a growing pull toward the intimacy of chamber music, piano pieces, and songs, which brought him deeper personal satisfaction than grand orchestral forms. Still, Brahms returned once more to orchestral writing in 1887 with the Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 - his last orchestral work. The reason was personal: a gesture of reconciliation toward his estranged friend, the great violinist Joseph Joachim. This concerto, written for Joachim and cellist Robert Hausmann, symbolises renewed harmony - not just musically, but emotionally. The two solo instruments engage in a rich, expressive dialogue throughout. Mozart wrote his Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for violin and viola in the summer of 1779 - a true synthesis of symphony and concerto. This work is expansive and noble in character, full of brilliant writing for both soloists. Mozart, himself an accomplished violinist, clearly understood how to write for the instrument with flair and sensitivity. One striking feature of the work is that the viola part is written in D major, requiring the instrument to be tuned a semitone higher (a practice known as scordatura). Common in the Baroque era, scordatura was still occasionally used in Mozart's time to achieve a brighter, more penetrating sound. The autograph of the piece is lost; only later copies have survived - except for the original drafts of the cadenzas. On this recording, the viola part is performed by a cellist, playing in the original viola position without octave transposition. © Jaromír Havlík

View Full Page

Brahms: Concerto for violin and cello, Op. 102 in A minor &
Nimbus Jan 2026
CD
$23.99

Mix & Match

Grieg, E.: Piano Concerto (Pivka, Slovak Philharmonic, Rezuc
Bella Musica Jan 1995
CD
$10.99

Haydn: Concertos/ Müller-brühl, Babanov, Hoeren, Schuster

Naxos

$19.99 Jul 29, 2008

Spritely performances of real winners.

Perhaps it’s a terrible admission to make, but much as I love Haydn, I have never really warmed to his concertos. Here, I thought, was the father of the Symphony as we know it today, the String Quartet as we know it today, and the foundation of opera. OK, I know that Mozart had an hand in the development of all these forms but it was Haydn who got things going. Sure enough, there’s drama and poetry aplenty in the pieces mentioned but concertos? Where’s the dramatic interplay between soloist and orchestra? Where’s the element of man standing alone against the crowd?

Then along comes this disk and I suddenly have to re–think my position. It had never dawned on me that the concept of protagonist and lynch mob hadn’t been invented at the time Haydn was writing his concerted works. So now I can see them in a different light for what they are – wonderful entertainment music with prominent parts for solo instruments.

I’m glad that I’ve been able to change my views and can now enjoy these works for they are delightful. The Horn Concerto which opens the disk is full of good things, the writing for horn is certainly virtuosic – the range which Haydn demands of his performer is phenomenal – and here Babanov is quite happy whether he plays in the highest or lowest registers. Haydn goes to both extremes and exploits the full range of the instrument. The work also includes two quite taxing cadenzas. It is thought that the work was written for Joseph Leutgeb, the recipient of Mozart’s four Horn Concertos - he must have been some player! And what a lucky man to have five such magnificent works created for him!

The Harpsichord Concerto is full of great jokes. I especially love the jumping frog impression which the keyboard undertakes at 1:37 in the first movement. There’s lots of interplay between soloist and orchestra, more than in the wind concertos, but this is probably because Haydn knew that his soloist wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the accompaniment as easily as in the other works. The slow movement contains many little jokes with grace notes cheekily sticking their noses into the serious business of tunefulness. The finale is simply a fast romp.

The Double Concerto is thought to have started life as a work for organ. It is considered to have been performed for the solemn profession of Therese Keller, Haydn’ future sister–in–law, as a nun in 1756 – the proof being that the range used by the fortepiano is restricted to the range of the contemporary Viennese organ. Certainly, this is a more serious work, more stately, than the others contained herein. The two soloists never engage in overt display and more often than not they connect in harmonious duet. Rather lovely it is, too. The finale is fast and joyful, but there’s still a serious undertone to the music.

Thanks to the solo trumpet repertoire being quite small, until contemporary composers started writing for it, Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto has become very well known. It’s a true virtuoso work with a gorgeous slow movement and a racy finale.

The performances here are first class, with lots of life and a real period feel. There’s nothing prissy or restrained about them - they’re really very alive. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I must make two points. First of all, in almost every movement, for reasons best known to himself, Müller–Brühl insists on making huge rallentandi at the ends of movements. This ruins the flow of what has gone before. It is a blemish on the performances.

My second point is rather more important. The sound is in Naxos’s best manner – bright and clear. In the Trumpet Concerto the balance between soloist and orchestra is perfect. The whole sound is well focused and there is a good relationship between listener and performer. However, in the other three works the recording is very close which slightly distorts the sound-picture as everything comes across as being overblown. The obviously small string orchestra ends up sounding like a small orchestra which has been over–amplified. This is most noticeable in the slow movements where a more intimate atmosphere is required than in the faster pieces. If you turn the volume down in the hope of taming the sound you lose some of the presence of the performances. This is a shame for these are spritely performances which are real winners and will do much to make these works better known to the public.

This is well worth having, despite my reservations about the sound. If you can tame it ever so slightly – it doesn’t need much – you’ll have a really good time listening to very pleasurable music.

-- Bob Briggs, MusicWeb International

View Full Page

Haydn: Concertos/ Müller-brühl, Babanov, Hoeren, Schuster
Naxos Jul 2008
CD
$19.99

Glazunov: Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In A Minor
Nimbus Mar 2016
CD
$20.99

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos No 1-4, Rhapsody / Wild, Et Al

Chandos

$27.99 May 01, 2003

Two caveats for prospective customers: One is that Earl Wild makes the once-standard "traditional" cuts in the finale of the Third Concerto; second is that these classic 1965 performances also are available on the Chesky label in less brilliant but more naturally equalized transfers, albeit spread across three full-priced discs. Chandos, however, offers the better bargain. More importantly, Wild is in dazzling form throughout. You'll rarely hear the First and Fourth Concertos sparkle with equal panache and rhythmic acuity, while the pianist's fusion of poetry and flair add up to a Paganini Rhapsody that leaves just about all stereo versions behind. Jascha Horenstein's incisive, colorful support is a major asset, and the Royal Philharmonic plays beautifully for him. If you don't mind the Third Concerto cuts (or already have Martha Argerich's landmark third), these classic performances only get better with age, and the sonics are still terrific. Go for it, piano fans! --Jed Distler

View Full Page

Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos No 1-4, Rhapsody / Wild, Et Al
Chandos May 2003
CD
$27.99

Stravinsky: Music for Piano & Orchestra

Brilliant Classics

$14.99 Sep 04, 2026

The works for piano and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) represent a distinctive part of his output and reflect his evolving musical style during the early twentieth century. Although Stravinsky is widely known for his revolutionary ballets such as The Rite of Spring, his compositions featuring piano and orchestra demonstrate his interest in rhythm, clarity, and neoclassical form. The most significant of these works is the Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments (1923-24). Unlike the traditional Romantic concerto that pairs the piano with a full symphony orchestra, Stravinsky scored this piece for piano and a large ensemble of winds, brass, timpani, and double basses. The absence of strings creates a bright, sharp sound that highlights the percussive nature of the piano. Stravinsky himself often performed the solo part, and the concerto reflects his own technical abilities as a pianist. Structurally, the work follows a clear three-movement design-Largo, Allegro, and Largo-blending Baroque inspiration with modern rhythmic vitality. Another important composition is the Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (1928-29). Written again for Stravinsky's own performances, this piece is lighter and more playful than the earlier concerto. It consists of three continuous sections and features brilliant piano passages combined with lively orchestral textures. The title 'Capriccio' suggests a free and imaginative character, which is evident in the work's energetic rhythms and witty musical gestures. The orchestration includes a full orchestra, producing a richer sound than the wind-dominated concerto. Also presented are a selection of shorter works for piano solo: Tango, Ragtime, Circus Polka, Piano Rag Music, Valse pour les enfants: quasi-popular music, infused with Stravinsky's unique rhythms, dissonances and wit. Giuseppe Andaloro (Palermo, 1982) is one of the most acclaimed Italian pianists of his generation. Winner of prestigious international competitions - including the Ferruccio Busoni (Bolzano). He has performed in some of the world's leading venues: Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London, Sumida Triphony Hall in Tokyo, Esplanade in Singapore, Concert Hall in Hong Kong. He has appeared at renowned festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, George Enescu Festival, Ravello Festival, and Beirut Al Bustan. As soloist, he has collaborated with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Tokyo), under the direction of conductors like Vladimir Ashkenazy, Gianandrea Noseda, and Andrew Parrott.

View Full Page

Stravinsky: Music for Piano & Orchestra
Brilliant Classics Sep 2026
CD
$14.99

Mix & Match

Rouse: Symphony no. 5, Supplica & Concerto for Orchestra / Guerrero, Nashville Symphony

Naxos

$9.99 ~~$19.99~~ Save 50% Jul 24, 2020

Winner of a 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Champions of new American music, the Nashville Symphony and its music director Giancarlo Guerrero had premiered numerous works and received 13 GRAMMY Awards including two for Best Orchestral Performance. Among their award-winning recordings include works by Michael Daugherty (Metropolis Symphony on 8.559635; Tales of Hemingway on 8.559798), Stephen Paulus (Three Places of Enlightenment on 8.559740), and Jennifer Higdon (All Things Majestic and Viola Concerto on 8.559823).

Rouse's Concerto for Orchestra is a ‘hyper-concerto’ that gives each player a chance to shine, while the mournful intimacy and passion of Supplica unfolds somewhat like the slow movement of a Bruckner or Mahler symphony. Rouse’s Fifth Symphony fondly recalls Beethoven’s mighty Fifth but blurs the lines between tradition and modernity, transporting the listener from turbulence to serenity. It was described as “brilliant, exciting and at times hauntingly beautiful” in The Dallas Morning News.

REVIEW:

This latest issue of music by the late Christopher Rouse contains some really splendid music. Both the Fifth Symphony and the Concerto for Orchestra exploit Rouse’s ability to juxtapose music of supercharged turbulence and rhythmic bite with passages of deeply expressive lyricism. Both take the form of a single, continuous movement some thirty minutes long, but the internal structures are quite different. The symphony features two quick outer movements enfolding a mix of adagio and scherzo, while the concerto starts like a rondo with alternating fast and slow sections, before a genuine slow movement gradually gives way to a brilliant conclusion. Rouse’s music is always so effectively scored that you might call all of it “concerto for orchestra,” and both pieces are full of arresting ideas, both melodic and gestural.

Supplica is relatively brief (twelve minutes) slow movement that sounds exactly like its title suggests: supplication, prayer, or entreaty. Its scoring is quite restrained: strings harp and brass, but Rouse’s imaginative handling of sonority is everywhere in evidence, proving conclusively that he was much more than a master of splashy instrumental effects (though he was that too). It’s a lovely, passionate piece whose lyricism never sounds trite or facile. All three works here receive excellent performances by the Nashville Symphony under Giancarlo Guerrero, and they are very well engineered. Rouse was an extraordinary composer whose career ended too suddenly (he died of renal cancer in 2019, and was only 70), but his work surely deserves to endure. This release does him proud.

-- ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)

View Full Page

Sale

Rouse: Symphony no. 5, Supplica & Concerto for Orchestra / Guerrero, Nashville Symphony
Naxos Jul 2020
CD
~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Haydn: Six Duo Concertantes For Two Flutes

Brilliant Classics

$13.99 Apr 28, 2015

During Haydn's successful stays in London he recognized the need for high quality chamber music for a variety of instruments, among which the flute, which rapidly gained popularity in bourgeois circles. For this purpose he cleverly arranged his own Duos for two violins Op. 99 for two flutes. These delightful flute duos, full of Haydnesque wit and invention, are here recorded for the first time by father and daughter Petrucci, Gian-Luca and Ginevra, who obviously enjoy their superb music making. Ginevra Petrucci already recorded for Brilliant Classics the Flute Quintets by Kuhlau to great critical acclaim.

View Full Page

Haydn: Six Duo Concertantes For Two Flutes
Brilliant Classics Apr 2015
CD
$13.99

Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77 - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concer
Archipel Jan 2012
CD
$10.99

Lazarof, H.: Violin Concerto / Viola Rhapsody / Partita Di M
Centaur Records Oct 2006
CD
$18.99

Il Concerto Caccini

Ricercar

$29.99 Sep 20, 2024

Giulio Caccini played a decisive role in the birth of the solo madrigal. He not only accompanied himself as he sang them, but also formed the Concerto Caccini with his wife and children; this ensemble would go as far as to leave it's mark on the French court. This double album features some of Caccini's finest works as well as pieces by his two daughters Francesca and Settimia. It also provides the perfect opportunity for Scherzi Musicali to assemble some thirty instruments and to present the combinations of instruments used for the continuo group that developed around 1600.

View Full Page

Il Concerto Caccini
Ricercar Sep 2024
CD
$29.99

C.P.E Bach: Six Concertos / Astronio, Molardi

Brilliant Classics

$12.99 ~~$16.99~~ Save 25% Jan 05, 2024

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote this set of six keyboard concertos Wq43 once he had been released from the constricting service to Frederick the Great of Prussia. Published in 1772, these concertos are among the first-fruits of such liberated imagination. The solo parts of these works will test the mettle of any aspiring or proven virtuoso. Their greatest originality, though, lies in their form.

Each concerto is written cyclically, or continuously, meaning that one movement leads directly into the next. Even the cadenzas are fully written out, anticipating in this regard Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ Concerto of two generations later.

The panoply of CPE’s instrumentation is necessarily compressed by this transcription of the concertos for two harpsichords, but the vitality of dialogue is fully preserved. It was made (or at least copied) by Johann Gottlieb Haußstädler, a copyist working for Peter August, the organist for the Elector of Saxony. The two men may have collaborated on the arrangement; at any rate, it has been unknown until now, and comes to life in the hands of a pair of Italian musicians with a serious pedigree in recording music of this period for Brilliant Classics.

View Full Page

Sale

C.P.E Bach: Six Concertos / Astronio, Molardi
Brilliant Classics Jan 2024
CD
~~$16.99~~ $12.99

Bach: Suite & Concertos / Halubek, Il Gusto Barocco

Berlin Classics

$15.99 ~~$20.99~~ Save 25% Apr 01, 2022

Il Gusto Barocco approaches Johann Sebastian Bach's suites and concertos from a contemporary and at the same time historically informed perspective. On their new album "Suite & Concertos", Jörg Halubek and the early music specialists of Il Gusto Barocco take a look at Bach's activities in the Zimmermann coffee house in Leipzig. They are not reconstructing an actual programme, but testing how the spirit of the musical gatherings in the circle of family, relatives and students can be transferred to our modern times. "We want to take a more modern look at Bach, who today is mainly seen as a strict church composer. For us, it's about the communicative side turned towards people," says ensemble leader and harpsichordist Jörg Halubek. The cello, which is slowly emerging from its basso continuo shadow in Baroque music, leads the way through the program with Bach's third cello suite. The solo concertos inserted between the suite movements extend the individual focus to the group. The tendency in concert practice to preserve the inviolability of such a cherished work is here afforded a historically-informed approach accessed simultaneously through the eyes and ears of a modern musician. We do after all know, from contemporary sources from Bach’s time, that instrumental works were not always played in their entirety. The forthcoming albums in this series, featuring new recordings and released to mark Bach’s birthday, which began last year with the recording of the Brandenburg Concertos, should be afforded a musical presenter. The aim is to spotlight the soloistic qualities of the individual musicians who together form the ensemble overall, while also maintaining their individuality. In the concertos chosen for this program the orchestra plays more than just an accompanying role.

View Full Page

Sale

Bach: Suite & Concertos / Halubek, Il Gusto Barocco
Berlin Classics Apr 2022
CD
~~$20.99~~ $15.99

FORM

CRISS CROSS

$20.21 May 19, 2009

A sparkling pianist as well as a fine budding composer, Danny Grissett's star has been on the rise lately and he's a favorite accompanist to a growing body of leaders including trumpeters Jim Rotondi, Jeremy Pelt, and Tom Harrell. He returns for his third Criss Cross release and moves past the trio format to feature tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, trombonist Steve Davis and newcomer Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet. Grissett puts his stamp on all the material including updates on Herbie Hancock's "King Cobra", and Monk's "Ugly Beauty". His originals are also cut from a regal cloth of originality, with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Kendrick Scott responsive to the pianist's every move.

View Full Page

FORM
CRISS CROSS May 2009
CD
$20.21

Schmidt: Brass Concertos / Tarkovi, Dohr, Bjørn-Larsen, Sorensen, Bellincampi, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra

Dacapo Classical

SACD

$17.99 Mar 18, 2022

As pianist, conductor and composer, Ole Schmidt was one of the great polymaths of the Nordic musical world. His music was influenced by Bartók, Stravinsky and the French school and is underpinned by a certain Nordic clarity. It combines rhythmic energy, high concentration, elemental expressivity and deadpan humor. Schmidt's experience on the podium gave him an inside track on the working of the orchestra, and his pragmatism and refinement are evident in his larger scores, including the three momentous concertos on this album. In his Pièce Concertante, Schmidt places a trumpet and a trombone in the foreground. The piece has a bustling concerto grosso atmosphere and a consistent good humor. The album also presents his Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra, which explore the full expressive capabilities of the tuba, and the Concerto for Horn and Chamber Orchestra consisting of two contrasting movements: the first serious and dreaming, the second fast and playfully light.

View Full Page

Schmidt: Brass Concertos / Tarkovi, Dohr, Bjørn-Larsen, Sorensen, Bellincampi, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra
Dacapo Classical Mar 2022
SACD
$17.99

Bruch: Violin Concertos No 2 & 3 / Fedotov, Yablonsky, Russian PO

Naxos

$19.99 Jun 30, 2009

My French colleague Christophe Huss called a few days ago and said "You've got to try the new Bruch Concerto disc on Naxos. It's really excellent." Now Christophe really does know his stuff, and even his Bruch, which is saying a lot. Tovey thought Bruch was a genius, especially for his choral works, but then he said the same thing about Parry, so even great writers on music have their weak spots. Still, there's no denying that in writing for violin and orchestra Bruch was in his element, and the neglect of these two works is rather remarkable.

The Second concerto always has impressed me as being every bit as good as the First. Like its more famous predecessor, it avoids that Romantic Achilles' heel, the sonata-form first movement. Here a voluptuous and melodically stunning Adagio leads to a brief, dramatic recitative and a lively finale. The Third concerto isn't quite so lucky--sonata form rears its ugly head in the very long first movement--but violinist Maxim Fedotov and conductor Dmitry Yablonsky take Bruch's "energico" directive at face value and all comes out well. Certainly, Bruch had no issues with finales (almost as big a problem as opening movements), and that of the Third concerto is particularly winning, and marvelously scored.

Fedotov plays both works splendidly. He has that gutsy, vibrant tone characteristic of so many Russian string players, which means that he's able to relax into the lyrical music without ever turning coy. In the finale of the Third, especially, his double-stopping is a joy, his passage work pretty immaculate, and he projects both concertos with real virtuoso relish. Yablonsky and the orchestra accompany with similar enthusiasm, and the sonics are extremely natural and well balanced. You might be tempted to overlook this release--but don't. Thank you, Christophe!

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

View Full Page

Bruch: Violin Concertos No 2 & 3 / Fedotov, Yablonsky, Russian PO
Naxos Jun 2009
CD
$19.99

Concertos 4 Violins / Concerto Koln

Berlin Classics

$20.99 Dec 04, 2020

With its new album 'Concertos 4 Violins', the specialist ensemble for early music, Concerto Koln, takes a look at the unique repertoire niche of concertos written for four solo violins. 'It must have been a challenge to bring together four solo violins, four virtuosos with four different personalities, four egos.' In this programme, devised by bassoonist Lorenzo Alpert, Concerto Koln gathers together the creme de la creme of baroque violin specialists. The orchestra already maintains a longstanding artistic partnership with each of them: Mayumi Hirasaki, who was concertmaster e.g. for Concerto Koln's most recent recording of Geminiani's works, Shunske Sato, who grew up in the USA and is extensively involved in the Netherlands Bach Society, Evgeny Sviridov from St. Petersburg and the Spaniard Jesús Merino Ruiz. They were all shaped differently by their various cultural backgrounds and pursued different educational paths. This makes the combination of the four all the more compelling. At the same time it demonstrates that any barriers in thought and in musical language can be overcome.

View Full Page

Concertos 4 Violins / Concerto Koln
Berlin Classics Dec 2020
CD
$20.99

Bach: Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings, Vol. 1 / Masato Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan

BIS

SACD

$21.99 Jun 05, 2020

The extant concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach for one harpsichord and strings were all composed before 1738, which makes them some of the first, if not the first keyboard concertos – a genre destined to become one of the most popular within classical music. In all likelihood Bach wrote them for his own use (or that of his talented sons) – probably to be performed with Leipzig’s Collegium Musicum of which he had taken over as director in 1729. The fresh and exuberant character one finds in the concertos seems to reflect how much Bach enjoyed the opportunity to engage with his fellow musicians. But much of the music itself was in fact not new – despite how idiomatic they may sound, many of Bach’s harpsichord concertos are almost certainly transcriptions of earlier works written for other instruments. Some of these original works are no longer extant, but it is nevertheless possible to trace the ancestry of BWV 1052 and the outer movements of BWV 1056 to lost violin concertos, while BWV 1053 is a reworking of three cantata movements which in turn probably hailed from a lost organ concerto.

A similar case is BWV 1059, which is known to us in a nine-bar fragment in Bach’s original score. But an earlier version of the piece – a concerto for organ – has survived in the form of three movements of Cantata No. 35, Geist und Seele wird verwirret, and these have served as basis for Masato Suzuki's reconstruction of the work included on the present album. It is also Masato Suzuki who performs the solo parts, while directing his colleagues in Bach Collegium Japan.

REVIEWS:

The idea of a dynasty is present in the history of the Bach family, so it is not inappropriate to mention the same idea in connection with the father-and-son combination of Masato and Masaaki Suzuki in terms of that remarkable enterprise, Bach Collegium Japan. Masato features here as keyboard virtuoso, directing the performances from the harpsichord. His remarkable virtuosity is beautifully projected by BIS’s excellent SACD recording. Every note is clear in a wonderfully ambient acoustic.

This generously compiled combination of masterworks, with its added bonus of a new rarity, will bring great enjoyment to the listener, in terms of both the excellent sound and the sparkling performances.

-- MusicWeb International

View Full Page

Bach: Concertos for Harpsichord & Strings, Vol. 1 / Masato Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan
BIS Jun 2020
SACD
$21.99