Review Corner

Category: Classical

  • Johann Simon Mayr: Stabat Mater in F minor

    This is a bit of a “what it says on the tin” CD. The music has been restored by Mayr expert Frans Hauk from two manuscript versions. Mayr’s (1763-1845) Stabat Mater in F minor was singled out by a contemporary biographer “for its marvellous effect” and “heavenly beauty”, and he (or she) wasn’t wrong. From…

  • Gilbert Rowland: Mattheson, 12 Suites for Harpsichord

    This is one of those CDs that’s hard to write about: a triple CD of music for harpsichord in a nice presentation case and well played. Fans of keyboards need know no more. Rowland is one of Europe’s most accomplished players of the harpsichord and has previously released a six-album series of the harpsichord suites…

  • Maria Luisa Baldassari: Andrea Antico, Frottole Intabulate Libro Primo, (Roma 1517).

    Andrea Antico sounds like one of those frightful over-achievers: he was a fine printer of the early Renaissance and his ability as an engraver allowed him to compete with Ottaviano Petrucci, the prince of musical printing. Petrucci is often talked about wherever newspaper printers gather:* one of his publications is commonly but wrongly said to…

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    Chris Gekker: Ghost Dialogues, Music for Trumpet

    Gekker is professor of trumpet at the University of Maryland School of Music. He has appeared as a soloist throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, and can be heard as such on more than 30 recordings. He’s also played with Sting. He’s good. This CD features modern trumpet music, with work from composers Carson…

  • China Horn Ensemble: Horn Fusion

    The China Horn Ensemble was conceived in Beijing in 2015 by Yi Man, horn professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, with the aim of developing and popularising horn music in China. The idea attracted support from leading Chinese horn players all over the world. The ensemble was founded in late 2015 and has since…

  • Fumiko Miyachi: Transitional Metal

    A brass band features on this but the title refers not to the composition of their instruments but (as the merest glance at the sleeve would inform) is inspired by the Periodic Table of the elements. This is decidedly modern music that fans of more traditional classical music could get a grip on from the…

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    Carson Cooman: Andreas Willscher: Organ Symphony No.5

    German composer Andreas Willscher has (say the Press notes, we won’t claim expertise) won many awards for his compositions, which range from symphonic forms and oratorio to cabaret jazz and rock. Organ Symphony No.5 is on a grand scale but mostly peaceful and meditative; in the sleeve notes the composer said it was subtitled “of…

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    Yaniv d’Or: Thoughts Observed

    This is a beautiful collection of music, but quiet. It’s one for reflective evenings alone; they’re love songs sung sparsely by countertenor (falsetto) Yaniv d’Or. Dan Deutsch accompanies equally sparsely on the piano. The sleeve notes say that d’Or has previously explored the music of his Sephardic heritage, with his Spanish, Turkish, Egyptian and Libyan…

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    Brazilian Landscapes

    This fascinating CD is nominally classical with jazz influences, but you could call it world because of the rhythm, which leans towards the Latin. It’s a quiet and reflective album. The percussion plays varying roles in the music, coming to the fore in places and dropping back in others. There’s a sense of fun about…

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    Fritz Kreisler: The Complete Solo Recordings, Vol.7

    It’s slightly misleading to call this classical: it’s a bloke playing popular tunes on the violin, so it’s really pop music, just pop from the days when a new tune was Dame Clara Butt singing Old Folks At Home. Austrian-born Kreisler was busy after WWI with a comeback in America, world tours, and a warm…