Released last month by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, this 2 disc recording collects all of the symphonies by Lukas Foss. Even if these were not good performances - they are - this would be a valuable recording since Foss's symphonies have been unjustly neglected. Mr. Foss was, from the start of his composing career, considered an … Continue reading At last, Lukas Foss : Complete Symphonies
Category: Reviews
This is where I will post my thoughts about my favorite classical or jazz CDs and sometimes survey the various recordings of a specific piece.
Liszt : A Critical Discography, part 1 – Piano Collections
Humphrey Searle compiled a catalog of works written by Franz Liszt in 1966. He numbered over 700 compositions, dividing them into original works (S.1-S.350) and fantasias, transcriptions and other derivative works (S.351-S.768). There are several box sets that attempt to survey Liszt’s solo piano oeuvre, but only three attempt to do this completely. Leslie Howard recorded the complete works … Continue reading Liszt : A Critical Discography, part 1 – Piano Collections
Guillaume de Machaut : the best-known composer/poet of the 14th century
Guillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377) is the most well-known composer of the 14th century. I can make this statement with complete confidence of its veracity. Machaut had a day job, he worked for John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia, from ‘around twelve years’ before 1330 until at least 1333 (and probably until 1346) (Leach, Elizabeth … Continue reading Guillaume de Machaut : the best-known composer/poet of the 14th century
Overview : Pelléas et Mélisande
Debussy had planned on writing an opera for some time prior to Pelléas et Mélisande. Much earlier he had remarked, "For a long time I had been striving to write music for the theatre, but the form in which I wanted it to be was so unusual that after several attempts I had given up … Continue reading Overview : Pelléas et Mélisande
focus : early music
I really enjoy listening to music from the 13th-15th centuries. This has been an interest of mine for almost as long as my love of music. And I am told that often people who enjoy contemporary classical music also enjoy early music, and not much in between. While that is not entirely true for me, … Continue reading focus : early music
Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996): the third greatest 20th century Russian composer?
Website Mieczyslaw Weinberg, or Moisey Vainberg or Vaynberg, was not Russian, but a Polish Jew. He was born in Warsaw, Poland December 8, 1919 to Jewish parents and lived in Warsaw until 1939, when he left to escape the Nazi invasion. He managed to escape, but not before, unfortunately, the rest of his family were … Continue reading Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996): the third greatest 20th century Russian composer?
CD Review: “Conquistador!” by Cecil Taylor
This follow-up recording to Taylor’s first Blue Note record, Unit Structures, Cecil Taylor expands his group to a sextet made up of two bassists, Henry Grimes and Alan Silva; two horns saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and on trumpet, Bill Dixon and longtime drummer, Andrew Cyrille. The music is unrelenting and unccomprimising. But does not stay the … Continue reading CD Review: “Conquistador!” by Cecil Taylor
Durufle’s own recording of his Requiem
This recording is important as the only document of Durufle's conception of his Requiem. He preferred the full orchestra version, which this is, and chose the mezzo soprano Helene Bouvier for the Pie Jesu. There are several iterations of this recording, the one pictured above and others. I would suggest looking for one on the Erato label … Continue reading Durufle’s own recording of his Requiem
Musica Kaleidoskopea 