When David Lang, Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe first met in the late 1980s, they were engaged in a mutual search for music that didn't exist yet. The three composers had been inspired by mavericks like Meredith Monk, Steve Reich and Philip Glass, but they were after something still different: something that wasn't quite minimalism, but drew on its pulse; that wasn't rock, but that showed evidence that rock existed; that wasn't… more »
One of the knocks against outta-left-field, Bach-loving piano phenom Simone Dinnerstein is that her take on the composer is too Romantic. Most people likely know how they come down on her Bach at this point — so what’s most interesting here is the inclusion of Schubert’s first series of Impromptus (which sit next to a couple of Bach Partitas). Those Schubert entries, written late in the life of a composer who sits more or less at the first blush of the Romantic era, do seem a natural choice for Dinnerstein’s gifts.
But if you thought she’d be looking to hedge or hide some of her interpretive tendencies in Romantic repertoire, you’d be wrong. From the opening of No. 1 in C… more »
Joshua Bell’s first album of sonatas since he signed with Sony in 1996 is also, after seven years playing with Jeremy Denk as accompanist, Bell’s first recording with him. Despite the title, none of this music is Impressionist — even Ravel’s Sonata is more jazz. But it’s nice to hear the Ravel alongside pieces other than the usual Debussy (an excellent Sarah Chang album offers the same program as Bell’s).
Others have found more depth and drama in Franck’s Sonata, but in terms of sheer beauty it’s hard to beat Bell and his rich, plummy tone. He milks this mighty opus for all it’s worth without taking immoderately slow tempos to do so. It’s his second recording of the work;… more »
Peter Philips was one of the greatest English composers of the Tudor era, but since it wasn’t a favorable time to be a Roman Catholic in England, he spent most of his adult life in Rome, Antwerp and Brussels, with his church work coming in Catholic contexts. Thus, this album of sacred choral music is filled with his settings of Latin texts (“Pater noster,” “Media vita,” “Salve Regina,” etc.) rather than English anthems. The 20 selections are from a 1612 publication of 69 five-part motets and a 30-motet set for eight voices from 1613; some of the motets received their first recordings at this 2000 session. Philips’s style is one of quiet dignity, but some of the more celebratory motets… more »
This is one of the great T&I recordings, perhaps the best since stereo came into use over a half-century ago. Tracked in a mere 10 days in December 1971 and January ’72, it is sonically beautiful, but every agonizing twist of the drama is driven home powerfully (the Act III Prelude is devastating in its chilling despair). Karajan’s technically impeccable Berliners play with characteristic sheen, and he shapes every phrase meticulously. While his tempos are languorously sensual, he never bogs down; it’s rivetingly expressive. The soundscape is realistic but defined with absolute clarity and thrillingly wide-ranging dynamics.
Tenor Jon Vickers, at his absolute peak, acts superbly in delivering one of the greatest, most dramatically sensitive Tristans on record. Although soprano Helga… more »
Want to get a snapshot of last year's best music? In our Best of 2011 radio station, you'll hear songs from the artists who provided our 2011 soundtrack. No matter what your taste -- indie rock, jazz, doom metal or avant-folk, you'll find it here in eMusic's Best of 2011 Radio. more »
