Classical Explorer

The music of Amy Beach rarely if ever fails to impress, and to delight. Her expression seems so natural, so unforced, her vernacular so charmingly American, imbued with the warmth of both heart and hearth, […]

What an opportunity this is! As the Khachaturian Competition in Armenia (Yerevan) consistently proves, Aram Khachaturian (1903-78) is a composer to be reckoned with (see my review of that competition in 2021 here). He is […]

There is a long association between the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School, and this disc shows just how succssful it is. Together, they present a varied selection of Stravinsky’s music, valuable in […]

Southbank Centre announces Classical Music Spring/Summer 2025 with bold new premieres and commissions The Southbank Centre and its family of six Resident Orchestras – Aurora Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of […]

Founded in 1995 by Rainer Kussmaul, Raimar Orlovsky and other members of the Berlin Philharmonic as an ensemble specialised in music of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Berliner Barock Solisten is a crack ensemble […]

This is properly musicians in sevice of music. The pieces here ae rarely heard, and of the three composers only one has anything like the recognition he deserves, and even then it’s somewhat lacking (Bliss). […]

Unsuk Chin, Bartók, Debussy, Ravel Bertrand Chamayou (piano); BBC Symphony Orchestra / Dinis Souza (conductor)  Unsuk Chin Alaraph, ‘Ritual of the heartbeat’ (2022, London premiere)  Bartók  Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz 119 / BB 127 (1945)  Debussy La […]

t is lovely to see some Johann Friedrich Fasch, his music is always colourful and imaginative. While in employment under Prince Johann August von Anhalt- Zerbst (1677-1742) as court Kapellmeister at the Anhaltinische Hof in […]

The EP can be streamed for these sources:  https://w.lnk.to/leeds24 Here’s the official intro: This highly anticipated debut release showcases a selection of Izik-Dzurko’s remarkable performances from the competition, including Chopin’s Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, […]

Se in 14th-century Siena, Italy, Francesco Cilea’s opera Gloria, performed here in its 1932 revised edition, contains the tragic story of two lovers caught up in a conflict (between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines: of […]