All Review articles – Page 163
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ReviewMurmurs and Drones
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A potentially involving Celtic travelogue that is let down by its presentationMusicians: Jamie Laval (violin) Ashley Broder (violin/mandolin) Robin Bullock, Zac Leger, Owen Morrison (guitar) Stuart Kenney (double bass) Kevin Krantz (cello) Rod Weeks (Scottish smallpipes) Ben Mawhorter (tablas)Composer: Trad.American fiddler Jamie ...
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ReviewGaluppi: Trio Sonatas
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Sympathetic performances of chamber music by a neglected Baroque composerMusicians: Accademia Dei Solinghi: Claudio Andriani Rauler, Abramo Raule (violin) Alessandro Peiretti (cello) Rita Peiretti (harpsichord)Composer: GaluppiThe verdict of history is inevitably selective, and this may explain the obscurity of Baldassare Galuppi (1706–85), ...
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ReviewMendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op.64. Schumann: Violin Concerto in D minor WoO1, Fantasy op.131
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A brave coupling of two 19th-century violin concertosMusicians: Christian Tetzlaff (violin) Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Paavo JärviComposer: Mendelssohn & SchumannThe first fruit of Christian Tetzlaff’s partnership with Ondine, this disc could prove a real test of his popularity in the marketplace. Schumann’s Violin ...
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ReviewThe Soviet Experience Vol.1. Shostakovich: String Quartets nos.5–8. Miaskovsky: String Quartet no.13 in A minor op.86
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Performances of Shostakovich refreshingly free of political subtextsMusicians: Pacifica QuartetComposer: Shostakovich & MiaskovskyOver the years performances of Shostakovich’s music have become increasingly laden with political subtexts. Even the most innocent of gestures and elegant of structures are almost invariably forced ...
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ReviewUstvolskaya: Composition no.2 ‘Dies irae’*, Grand Duet† , Piano Sonata no.6‡
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Compelling music by a contemporary Russian who pulls no punchesMusicians: Ludus Gravis/Stefano Scodanibbio*, Rohan de Saram† (cello) Fabrizio Ottaviucci*, Marino Formenti† ‡ (piano) Laura Mancini* (wooden cube)Composer: UstvolskayaMake no mistake: this isn’t an easy disc to listen to. The reclusive Russian ...
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ReviewGrieg: Violin Sonata in F major op.8. Olsen: Six Old Village Songs from Lom Thoresen Yr op.23. Trad.: Hardanger fiddle tunes
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Norwegian music for violin and Hardanger fiddle from a skilled young playerMusicians: Ragnhild Hemsing (violin/Hardanger fiddle) Tor Espen Aspaas (piano)Composer: Grieg, Olsen, Trad.On the evidence of this recording, 23-year-old Ragnhild Hemsing is destined for great things. Already a leading performer in her ...
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ReviewSchubert: Piano Trio in E flat major D929, Notturno in E flat major D897
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A high level of playing from an international trioMusicians: Trio Latitude 41: Livia Sohn (violin) Luigi Piovano (cello) Bernadene Blaha (piano)Composer: SchubertFormed in 2009, Trio Latitude 41 was so named because of the common latitude of the cellist’s base in Rome and ...
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ReviewLa Belle Danse: Ballets Anciens & Modernes. Music by Lully, Marais, Muffat, Brade, Praetorius & Rossi
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A new recreation of a renowned Baroque French string ensembleMusicians: Capriccio Stravagante Les 24 Violons/Skip Sempé (director)Composer: Lully, Marais, Muffat, Brade, Praetorius & Rossi This live recording from the 2010 Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht has impressive clarity and presence. It marks this ...
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ReviewViolin in Motion. Works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Liszt, Beethoven & Franck
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Modern advocacy for the art of the transcriber from a virtuoso duoMusicians: Lidia Baich (violin) Matthias Fletzberger (piano)Composer: Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Liszt, Beethoven & FranckThe age of violin and piano transcriptions of symphonic works had long passed when the music that ...
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ReviewVaughan Williams: Suite, Flos campi. McEwen: Viola Concerto
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2012Description: The leading British violist explores more of the Tertis legacy to great effectMusicians: Lawrence Power (viola) BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of Wales/Martyn BrabbinsComposer: Vaughan Williams, McEwenJohn Blackwood McEwen’s Viola Concerto was the first of many works commissioned by the great ...
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Review
The Dam Levels
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: An unusual jazz trio that has a cello instead of the usual double bassMusicians: Will Martinu (cello) Jason Lindner (piano) Richie Barshay (drums)Composer: Will Martinu et alWill Martinu’s group bears some of the hallmarks of recent notable jazz trios The Bad Plus and EST ...
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ReviewKennedy: The Four Elements
The Strad Issue: Feburary 2012Description: Nigel Kennedy’s venture into composition suggests he should stick to playingMusicians: Nigel Kennedy (violin etc) Members of the Orchestra of LifeComposer: KennedyYou can’t fault Kennedy for ambition. Writing almost an hour of new music as a ‘21st-century response to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons’ ...
