Classical
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As with Pau Casals, so Andres Segovia was a master of his instrument. If Casals established the cello’s proper place in the orchestra and as a solo instrument, Segovia raised the guitar to an entirely new status on the concert platform. Born in 1893 in Linares, Jaen – where there is now a statue erected […]
For all its delightful and ethereal tinkliness, the harp suffers from something of an identity crisis. It lacks the versatility of the piano or the piercing qualities of the violin, let alone the brute force of the brass, so if it isn’t careful it can find itself relegated to a soothing, background role. Catrin Finch […]
ROGER NORRINGTON: Who was it who said that two of the most fascinating things in life are sex and the 18th century? Certainly for lovers of classical music it is a century of quite extraordinary riches: beginning with the late baroque joys of Bach and Handel, overseeing the rise of opera, the sonata, string quartet […]
ERICA JEAL: There are two violinists at work on this recording, and it doesn’t take anything away from Vilde Frang’s exhilarating performance to say so. In Beethoven’s concerto there is nothing remotely laboured about her playing, yet her light touch and unfailingly sweet tone is the vehicle for a satisfyingly large-scale interpretation. In the Stravinsky […]
From our archives: As Radio 3 dedicates a week to the German composer many find difficult to love – but whose work was hair-raisingly modern. Ivan Hewett writes: Some composers we know are lovable, just because the whole world loves them. Think of Mozart or Tchaikovsky or Puccini. Brahms is different. In person, he was […]
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I first encountered the cultivated and masterful pianism of Alberto Reyes on a hard-to-find 1995 Connoisseur Society release devoted to Liszt’s Verdi Paraphrases, and later had the pleasure of reviewing his all-Schumann double CD set in these pages (6/11). His newest release may be his best yet. Unlike certain pianists who view the Bach-Busoni Chaconne […]
From the archives Ivan Hewett writes: Britain’s conservatoires are among the best in the world. As the Royal College of Music launches a £25m appeal to reinvent its campus, Ivan Hewett explains the conservatoires’ success and profiles some of their most exciting graduates. Please click HERE to continue
Nalen Anthoni joins the harpsichordist as he records the ‘Württemberg’ Sonatas. Things ain’t what they used to be. Borough High Street as ‘a continued ale house with not a shop to be seen between’ – recounted by 17th-century playwright Thomas Dekker – is no more. But turn into Trinity Street for architectural changes that achieve […]
Known by an audience far wider than the average ‘classical music lover’ for his Bach discs, Glenn Gould assumed an iconic status during his life. Eccentric and opinionated, Gould abandoned concert-giving aged 31 to focus on studio recording Continues HERE
Stephen Pritchard writes: This is one of those rewarding recordings that makes you totally reassess music from the mainstream repertoire. Robin Michael’s gut-strung cello is softly sonorous, a perfect match for Daniel Tong’s masterly pianism on an 1897 Blüthner – said to have been played and chosen by Brahms on a visit to the Leipzig […]
Hugo Shirley wrote: On the eve of her 80th birthday, Hugo Shirley is granted a rare interview with the great soprano at her apartment in Vienna Continues HERE
Thirty years after his first recording, Gardiner returns to this towering summit of Western music with the same forces as before. By Lindsay Kemp Continues HERE
Alice Coote tripped and slipped a disc in front of Domingo, but neither that setback nor others have impeded her progress towards Covent Garden and glory, she tells Jessica Duchen Prince Charming played by a woman? It may sound like the Christmas panto, but this is midsummer at the Royal Opera House and the Cinderella […]
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/article/video-20-great-violinists-in-25-minutes
I have just acquired the big DG Karajan box and it highlights a dilemma I find increasingly in the era of multiple reissues. How do you know which remastered version of the recording you are getting? For example, a while back I saw the Galleria issue of HvK’s Beethoven overtures cheap on a resale website […]
The symphonies explored by nine leading conductors: Norrington, Zinman, Jansons, Vänskä, Gardiner, Iván Fischer, Tilson Thomas, Paavo Järvi and Chailly https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/beethovens-symphonies-the-complete-guide?utm_content=The%20complete%20guide%20to%20Beethoven%27s%20Symphonies&utm_campaign=Gramophone%20Newsletter%20-%2014MAR17%20%28Subs%29&utm_source=Gramophone&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=https%3A//www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/beethovens-symphonies-%25E2%2580%2593-the-complete-guide
JN writes: 80-90 % of the sources that run through my stereo set-up are multy channel capabele sources, TV settup box, Apple TV or the Amazon like alternatives, BluRay player, which provide surprisingly good sounding CD quality, MS X-box, Nintendo switch, and other great game consoles and yes I play vinyl too. But talking about […]
Bach’s initial Christmas Day Vespers as Thomaskantor was an overt display of music-making, with his Magnificat taking pride of place. For the Dunedin Consort’s new recording, John Butt has reconstructed the whole service as Bach might have celebrated it in 1723, writes David Vickers Continues HERE
Sarah Knapton writes: Professional violinists cannot actually tell the difference between a Stradivarius and a modern instrument, experts find. The name Stradivarius has been synonymous with musical excellence for three centuries with instruments selling for millions amid claims that their sound quality is unparalleled. However it may pain purists to learn that professional violinists cannot […]
Ian Skelly introduces music making from Andrew Manze in Germany alongside performances of works by Weber, Ligeti, Debussy, Haydn and Tchaikovsky. Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata No 1 in D Op5 – ii. Allegro (fuga)Andrew Manze (violin)Richard Egarr (harpsichord) Carl Maria von Weber: Overture – The Ruler of the Spirits Op27BBC PhilharmonicVassily Sinaisky (conductor) György Ligeti: Concert […]
There is only one eyewitness report of Monteverdi directing Vespers music after his permanent relocation to Venice: the Dutch tourist Constantijn Huygens attended a Vespers for the Feast of St John the Baptist on June 24, 1620 (probably at SS Giovanni e Paolo), and ‘heard the most perfect music I think I shall ever hear […]