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Do you write about classical music? Are you a blogger? Want to team up with Classical Connect? Send us a message, let's talk!
Do you write about classical music? Are you a blogger? Want to team up with Classical Connect? Send us a message, let's talk!
September 21, 2009
This week 103 years ago Dmitry Shostakovich, a great composer and a tragic figure in the world of classical music, was born. We’ll mark this event with the following selection. First, we’ll hear the Piano Quintet in g minor, opus 57 played by the pianist James Dick and the Eusia String Quartet. To change the mood, we’ll follow with The Pursuit, from the film score to the 1941 movie, The Adventures of Korzinkina (Shostakovich wrote many film scores in his life, both to earn money and to prove that he can write “music for the masses”). This little piece is performed by DUO, a collaboration of the pianists Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia. We’ll conclude with the Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99 in an old (1969) but wonderful performance by Albert Markov and the Moscow State Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Aranovich. To listen, please click here.
September 14, 2009
Monica Lee started playing the piano at the age of four. She went on to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Saint Louis Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. She has performed as soloist and chamber musician in Japan, Russia, Canada, and throughout the United States. Monica currently resides in San Francisco, where she maintains a full studio.
We present what could’ve been a delightful recital: Mozart’s Piano Sonata No.9 in D Major, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca by Liszt, two Preludes by Sergei Rachmaninov (Op.23, No.6 and Op.32, No.10), and Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 6. To listen, click here.
September 7, 2009
This week we celebrate the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, who was born in a small town near Prague on September 8, 1841. We start with Humoresque, played here in a transcription for viola and guitar with Brett Deubner, the violist. Next is the Piano Quintet played by Quintessence. Then Jonita Lattimore sings the American-inspired Lord, A New Song I would Fashion. She’s accompanied by Eric Weimer. We conclude with the String Quartet in E-flat Major, performed by the Pacifica Quartet and Michael Tree. To listen to the playlist, click here. And please don’t forget to sign in to listen to the complete performances.
August 31, 2009
New features. We’d like to let you know about improvements we recently made to the site. First of all, the Compare function. In the past, you didn’t immediately know if there was another recording that could be compared to the one being played. Now you can see this right away: if the Compare button is grayed-out, there are no other recordings, if it’s orange-yellow, there is it least one more. Read about it here.
In conjunction with Compare, we have also created a list of Multiple Performances. More details could be found here.
We have further created a list of all Composers. Read about it here.
And lastly, you can now share the music with everybody; just click the Share button on the player! We write more about it here.
August 24, 2009
We have uploaded a number of highlights from the 2006 – 2008 seasons of the International Festival-Institute at Round Top. The Festival joins talented young musicians from across the world with a distinguished faculty for the summer months. They participate in master classes and perform. Here are several orchestral pieces by the Texas Festival Orchestra, with young musicians working under the direction of such conductors as Grant Llewellyn (Wales), Pascal Verrot (France), and Christopher Campestrini (Austria). You can listen to Mozart (from Serenade No. 9), Bruckner (Scherzo from the 6th Symphony), Mussorgsky (finale of the Pictures), and the great Adagietto from Mahler’s Fifth here. The easiest way to find more of their performances is by entering “Texas” in the Search window.
August 17, 2009
This week we celebrate the great French composer Claude Debussy, who was born on August 22 of 1862. Scouring the 60-odd Debussy recordings in our library, we created a playlist that aims to demonstrate the many facets of the composer’s genius. We start with the pianist Jorge Federico Osorio playing Bruyères, from Préludes Book II. Then Michael Mizrahi plays Evening in Grenada, from Estampes. We follow with the flutist Nina Assimakopoulos playing Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. Then Shana Douglas plays the great violin sonata; soprano Tina Beverly sings Apparition from Quatre chansons de jenuesse, and Cypress Quartet performs String Quartet in g minor. We finish off with the pianist Gabriel Escudero playing Reflets dans l’eau, from Images. To listen, please click here.