By Justin Davidson, eMusic ContributorBach's B minor Mass is a masterpiece that by rights shouldn't really exist. A setting of Catholic liturgy by a Lutheran composer, it seems to have been willed into being for no clear purpose. Though… more »
By Seth Colter Walls, eMusic ContributorOne 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… more »
By Jayson Greene, Managing EditorCurious about classical music but don't even know where to begin? Join the crowd. For the uninitiated, browsing any classical catalogue can feel a bit like doing your own taxes — the only thing you… more »
By George Grella, eMusic ContributorAmong a large pool of exceptional Bach recordings these are arguably the finest of the keyboard concertos, and certainly the first-choice for modern piano performances. Perahia came to Bach after an already substantial career of… more »
By Justin Davidson, eMusic ContributorI'll get flak from tuba players and piccolo virtuosos for saying this, but of all the orchestra's marvelous menagerie of instruments, the cello seems to me the most human. To play it, you lean its head against your shoulder and curl yourself around its life-sized body. It can travel from the tectonic grumble of a low C up to whistling harmonics, but the center of its warm, pliable voice is a masculine, baritone range. Alone, it utters almost embarrassing intimacies; listening to the Bach Cello Suites can feel like eavesdropping on a therapy session. But it can project full-throated grandeur, too: The cello in Dvorak's famous concerto is a large-scale public emoter, lobbing melodies into a vast concert hall and practically daring the populace not to be stirred. The development of Western music has been told by pianists, fiddlers and conductors. You could erase all the cello sonatas and concertos from… more »
By Justin Davidson, eMusic ContributorLast September, British classical music journalist Norman Lebrecht announced, "At the start of 2004 I predicted that this would be the industry's last year. Well, I was over-cautious. No need to wait for Christmas: it's… more »
By Justin Davidson, eMusic ContributorThe comeback is a great American sport. Tainted politicians, child actors grown grey, disco-era musicians, defeated generals, superannuated celebrities, even deceased writers — everyone gets a chance to stagger back into the limelight for a… more »
