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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!
June 1, 2009
Has there ever been a more a more profound piece of music than the Hammerklavier sonata? This, of course, is a rhetorical question: we cannot describe music or even categorize it – esthetical and philosophic concepts prove inadequate, even when applied by great writers such as Thomas Mann. Here's Eteri Andjaparidze's interpretation of Beethoven's Sonata number 29, op.106.
May 25, 2009
James Dick is a brilliant concert pianist. He's also the founder of the International Festival-Institute at Round Top. Now in its 39th year, the Festival-Institute is a summer program for talented young musicians from all over the world. They study, perform and participated in master classes, forums and musical events. The faculty, which includes James Dick, consists of star-quality musicians. We have a number of recordings made by James Dick for the Festival's label, Round Top Records. Listen here to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 (the "Emperor"), recorded in July of 2000. Stefan Sanderling (son of Kurt Sanderling) conducts the Texas Festival Orchestra.
May 18, 2009
When we heard the Cypress String Quartet performance of the second movement of Debussy's quartet, our first thought was: but why just the second movement? Fortunately, it turned out that the rest of the quartet was recorded as well, and now you can enjoy the complete performance. The Cypress String Quartet is a young ensemble from California (they are in residence at San Jose State University). In addition to playing the traditional repertory of Haydn, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, they have commissioned and premiered over 25 works of America's leading composers. In the words of Cypress, they've "created a dialogue between the old masters and living composers." As an encore, you can hear the bravura performance of the finale of Haydn's Quartet Op. 76 No.5. To listen to Cypress, click here.
May 11, 2009
Something old, something new: Thomas Bergeron plays trumpet. We start with a very classical piece: the 2nd Movement of Haydn's Trumpet concerto. Then you'll hear something new indeed: the recording of the premiere performances of Jay Wadley's "Upon Awakening, Still Burning." Wadley is 26, recently out of Yale. The style of "Upon Awakening" borrows both from minimalism and jazz improvisations, but on the whole, delivers an original and interesting composition. The last piece on the playlist is Villa-Lobos's Aria from Bachianas Brasilieras. To listen, click here.
May 4, 2009
The pianist Alon Goldstein is a sensitive and highly intelligent musician. His technique is impeccable, but much more important is his warmth and ability to communicate. He has had an active career as a soloist but also enjoys collaborating with other musicians, such as the violinist Ilya Kaler, cellist Amit Peled and clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein (we have samples of their work in our library). Alon Goldstein has a broad repertory, which is reflected in the playlist presented here. This is just a sample of what we have: for example, we included one Schumann song (Der Nussbaum) but you might enjoy more of Schumann and Schubert sung by a wonderful soprano Hyunah Yu and accompanied by Mr. Goldstein.
April 27, 2009
In the hands of a real musician, the viola has the most beautiful sound. The only reason we don’t hear it more often as a solo instrument is a somewhat limited repertory. This week we present two violists, Brett Deubner and Eric Nowlin. Both have performed extensively in the US and abroad, both are technically brilliant and have a wonderful sound. Brett Deubner performs several smaller pieces and, as befits a champion of modern music, the finale of the viola concerto by Frank Lewin. Eric Nowlin plays Franck’s violin sonata transcribed for viola. Listen to these viola selections here and please browse the site: we have much more in our library.