Classical Music

Classical Music Album Reviews: “Brahms Reimagined Orchestrations” and Shani conducts Bruckner

July 23, 2024
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The Kansas City Symphony’s new Brahms album with outgoing music director Michael Stern showcases three of his works with keyboard in arrangements for orchestra; Lahav Shani’s  cycle of Bruckner symphonies with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra continues with a sterling account of the Fifth.

Classical Music Album Reviews: Rattle conducts Mahler and “Vienna: Joyful Apocalypse”

July 22, 2024
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Sir Simon Rattle’s latest traversal of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is something special; Pianist Aurélien Pontier’s stylish disc is a celebration of the music of fin de siècle Vienna.

Classical Album Reviews: Elder conducts Elgar and Pappano conducts Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky

July 20, 2024
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Sir Mark Elder’s latest traversal of Edward Elgar’s two symphonies supplies orchestral playing of the highest level; Sir Antonio Pappano provides plenty of electrifying moments in a pairing of orchestral favorites.

Opera Album Review: Meyerbeer’s Disturbing Look at a Demagogue, “Le Prophète” (1849) — at Bard Summer Festival and on a New Recording

July 19, 2024
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Long one of the most-performed French operas, “Le Prophète,” thanks to some splendid performances, feels as vivid and relevant as ever.

Concert Review: A Far Cry — A Compelling Evening of Music about Homecoming

July 18, 2024
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Happily, the string orchestra A Far Cry has the skill to back up its good intentions with good music.

Classical Album Reviews: Avalon String Quartet and Decoda

July 1, 2024
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The debut album of Decoda, the first – and, so far, only – affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, and a disc featuring a trio of works by two mid-century Chicago-based composers, Florence Price and Leo Sowerby.

Classical Album Review: Alive and Conversational Performances of Mozart Symphonies

June 30, 2024
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Some solidly impressive Mozart — aside from the filler, fifteen minutes of mono-dynamic, schlocky medleys.

Classical Album Reviews: Jordan Bak’s “Cantabile: Anthems for Viola” and Charles Martin Loeffler’s “Forgotten Sounds”

June 29, 2024
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 Two discs: Jamaican-American musician Jordan Bak celebrates music for the viola and a reconstruction of Charles Martin Loeffler’s abandoned Octet.

Opera Album Review: A Devilishly Good First Recording for Louise Bertin’s “Fausto”

June 26, 2024
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Much praised by Berlioz and others, this Italian opera (composed for the great mezzo María Malibran) brings a notable female composer out of the shadows.

Concert Review: Sister Act — The Naughton Piano Duo at Rockport

June 22, 2024
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In truth, recordings don’t capture the Naughtons’ symbiotic flair — the performance at Rockport revealed them not only to be a superb piano duo, but a significant cut above.

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