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BR Klassik

November Short Fuses – Materia Critica

Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.

By: Bill Marx Filed Under: Featured, Review, Short Fuses Tagged: Allen Michie, Angela-Hewitt, BR Klassik, Bright Shiny Things, Glenn, Glenn Rifkin, Hannah Collins, Hannah Kendall, Henry Beston, Huntington Theater Company, Hyperion, Joann Green Breuer, Jonathan Blumhofer, Lisa Fischer, Love songs, Phoenix, Resonance Line, Resonance Lines, Riccardo Muti, Shalin Liu Performance Center, Stewart Goodyear, Susan Miron, The Outermost House, Witch

Classical CD Reviews: Mariss Jansons’s “The Final Concert,” Ravel & Debussy Orchestral Works, and “Tudor Queens”

Mariss Jansons’ ultimate performance, taped live at Carnegie Hall, shows the maestro at the top of his game; François-Xavier Roth’s new recording of pieces by Ravel and Debussy is a bit of a hit-or-miss affair; Diana Damrau’s Tudor Queens, a survey of heroines from three Donizetti operas, is nothing short of terrific.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: BR Klassik, Diana Damrau, Erato, Francois-Xavier Roth, LSO Live, Mariss Jansons

Classical CD Reviews: Wagner’s “Die Walküre,” Johann Strauss’s “Blindekuh,” and Mendelssohn’s “Die erste Walpurgisnacht”

The two best things about Simon Rattle’s new recording of Die Walküre are, well, Rattle, himself, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; a strongly played and majestically sung performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s unfairly neglected Die erste Walpurgisnacht.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Blindekuh, BR Klassik, Carus, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Felix Mendelssohn, Kammerchor Stuttgart, Naxos, Simon Rattle’

Classical CD Reviews: Isabelle Faust plays Schoenberg, Mariss Jansons conducts Saint-Saëns and Poulenc, and John Wilson conducts Korngold

Isabelle Faust makes Arnold Schoenberg’s thorny Violin Concerto sing; Mariss Jansons lends heft to Saint-Saëns’ Symphony no. 3, and John Wilson continues to be your go-to conductor for Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: BR Klassik, Chandos, Harmonia Mundi

Classical CD Reviews: Beethoven & Knecht Orchestral Works, Josef Suk’s “Asrael,” and Berlioz’s “Symphonie fantastique”

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin’s pairing of Beethoven with Knecht is intelligent, programmatically and musically, but Thierry Fischer’s Symphony fantastique is a disappointing misfire.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: BR Klassik, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion

Classical CD Reviews: Ádám Fischer conducts Mahler, Mariss Jansons conducts Rodion Shchedrin & Respighi, and John Eliot Gardiner conducts Schumann

Ádám Fischer’s reading of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony is breathtakingly clean.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: Ádám Fischer, Avi, BR Klassik, John Eliot Gardiner, LSO Live, Mariss Jansons

Classical Album Reviews: Andris Nelsons’ CBSO Recordings, and Mariss Jansons’ SACD Recordings

A collection that provides a fascinating bit of context for how Andris Nelsons has developed as a conductor over the last decade-plus, and an honest, mostly flattering, tribute to a much-loved conductor, the late Mariss Jansons.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: Andris Nelsons, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, BR Klassik, ity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mariss Jansons, Orfeo

Classical CD Reviews: George Li plays Tchaikovsky, Jansons conducts Shostakovich, and Andris Nelsons conducts BSO premieres

Terrific, fiery playing from George Li, one of the most compelling young pianists on the scene; Mariss Jansons’ recording of Shostakovich’s Tenth trudges from start to finish; irrefutable proof of Andris Nelsons’ excellence as a new-music conductor.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: Andris Nelsons, BR Klassik, George Li, Mariss Jansons, Naxos, Warner Classics

Classical CD Reviews: Herbert Blomstedt conducts Mahler, Christopher Jacobson plays Saint-Saëns & Poulenc, and Kirill Petrenko conducts Tchaikovsky

Herbert Blomstedt conducts a powerful version of Mahler’s valedictory essay, organist Christopher Jacobson provides a so-so “Organ” Symphony, and Kirill Petrenko’s initial recording as the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic is lovely.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: Berliner Philharmoniker, BR Klassik, Christopher Jacobson, Herbert Blomstedt, Kirill Petrenko, MAHLER, Pentatone, Saint-Saëns & Poulenc, Tchaikovsky

Classical CD Reviews: François-Xavier Roth conducts Mahler, Mariss Jansons conducts Schumann & Schubert, and Daniel Lippel plays Steve Reich

François-Xavier Roth’s Mahler offers plenty of personality and ideas; there’s nothing on Mariss Jansons’ disc that’s really worth your time; guitarist Daniel Lippel draws out Steve Reich’s lyrical qualities.

By: Jonathan Blumhofer Filed Under: Classical Music, Featured, Music, Review Tagged: BR Klassik, Daniel Lippel, Francois-Xavier Roth, Harmonia Mundi, Mariss Jansons, New Focus Recordings

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