classical cd

​I was completely unfamiliar with composer Peter Heise, thus I relied on the excellent CD booklet more than usual for information about him and his music. It contains comprehensive liner notes written by Jens Cornelius, […]

Here we have another invaluable release from the indefatigable Naxos label, presenting a heretofore unknown orchestra (the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra in Brazil) and their principal conductor (Fabio Mechetti) playing the music of unknown composer […]

After two disappointing orchestral releases (from John Wilson on Chandos and, especially, Barbara Hannigan on Alpha Classics), followed by 2 that I was more than pleased with (featuring music of Mel Bonis), I was thrilled […]

That’s not necessarily a biblical quote coming from me (hardly!), but a phrase which is nonetheless apropos in this context. In my review of Trio Wanderer’s “Art Nouveau” collection of French chamber music, I loved […]

“An American Dream?” Why the question mark? There’s a lot to get to on this one, not least of which is why the title of the album is a question. Barbara Hannigan explains that in the […]

“God it’s just so boring.” That’s the extent of my listening notes for this new album from John Wilson and company. So do I even need to go on? (I suppose I could elaborate a bit. […]

​Berg and Webern probably wouldn’t have enticed me to buy this CD, but the inclusion of Schulhoff’s Five Pieces did. So reading my headline there, you might be wondering why I left Schulhoff out. Well, […]

Here’s another album of new music with an “arty” title which is becoming so commonplace on Classical releases these days. This one is adorned with “Undreamed Shores” – and I wondered, what does that even […]

I was enticed by this album’s alluring title, which has more relevance and meaning than many seen on Classical albums these days. This one makes sense, so it works – and I welcomed it. After this […]

An intriguing title comes from Alpha Classics and a conductor who made a strong impression on me when I encountered her a couple years ago, on an album of Harp Concertos, with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. […]