Spam Roundup May, 2020

There's spam, and then there's spam so oddly written it's somewhat amusing. Here's a roundup of some of the "best" comments I received this month from spambots around the world.

Faint praise, perhaps?

I think the intent was to leave a compliment. But I'm not quite sure.

- I visit each day a few web pages and websites to read articles or reviews, except this weblog provides quality based posts. [So you read web pages except for this one?!]

- This is a great inspiring article I am pretty much pleased with your good work.["Pretty much?" So we didn't quite hit the mark, then.]

The hidden depths of "Lumbering along"

Who knew this little toy could be life-changing?

This modest post about a vintage Japanese toy continues to bring in the traffic. And it seems that The Straco Express Layout, Part 23 - Lumbering Along really speaks to people (I mean spambots).

- I think that what you said was very logical. However, what about this? What if you were to create an awesome title? ["Lumbering along" seems awesome enough for most spambots]

- Very good article. I am going through some of these issues as well.[I hear ya, man.]

Words fail me

Sometimes your translation app just can't keep up.

- I for all time emailed this web site post page to all my friends for the reason that if like to read it next my friends wll too.

Words to live by

- Absolutely certain that your emails from proper unsound. It can be compulsive departed at finishes.

That's it for this month. And remember -- don't let your emails succumb to proper unsoundness!

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDistancing Week 4

Normally the Classics a Day theme for May involved May Day (#SovietaDay). Having a theme centered around social distancing/self-quarantine seemed more appropriate. The challenge for May is post works for unusual solo instruments or works about solitude.

Here are my selections for the final week of #ClassicalDistancing

05/25/20 Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020) - Cadenza for solo viola

In this eight-minute work, Penderecki explores all the possibilities of the instrument. The notation is somewhat vague, letting the player decide how best to phrase the music.

05/26/20 Robert de Visée (1655-1733) - Prelude and Allemand for Theorbo

The theorbo was similar to a lute. In addition to its outsized appearance, it also had a much lower range.

05/27/20 Mitchell Peters (1935-2017) - Yellow After the Rain

Peters was the principal tympanist and percussionist for the LA Philharmonic. Of his many compositions for percussion, this solo marimba piece is his best-known.

05/28/20 John Dowland (1563-1626) Lachrimae

Dowland's 1604 collection Lachrimae pavans is titled "Seaven Teares." Each refers to a different type of crying: old hurt, new hurt, love lost, etc.

05/29/20 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-18270 - Prisoners Chorus

Near the end of "Fidelio," prisoners are released from the dungeons. As they make their way out of their cells, they sing "Oh what joy, in the open air freely to breathe again!" We may sing this as well when restrictions are lifted.

Moritz Moszkowski Orchestral Series off to an ambitious start

Moritz Moszkowski was one of the most successful concert pianists of the 1890s. His fame today rests mainly on a small selection of his piano works that test the virtuosity of the performer. But this Polish composer wrote so much more; chamber music, concertos, and orchestral music.

With this release, Toccata Classics launches an ambitious series to explore some of Moszkowski's neglected orchestral music. Pianist/conductor Ian Hobson conducts the Sinfonia Varsovia in a powerful performance of  Moszkowski's "Johanna d'Arc."

This hour-long symphonic poem is big -- and the Sinfonia Varsovia rises to the occasion.  The twenty-year-old composer was inspired by Richard Wagner and Joachim Raff. The music is expansive and thickly orchestrated. The Sinfonia Varsovia plays with a full-bodied sound that seems, well, Wagnerian.

This epic symphonic poem is based on Friedrich Schiller's Jungfrau von Orleans. Like Wagner, Moszkowski establishes motifs for various aspects of the story; Joan, the innocent peasant girl; divine visions; conflict; victory, etc.

These motifs keep the work tightly knit together, despite its large scale. If you appreciate the music of Wagner or Raff, you should enjoy "Johanna d'Arc." I certainly did.

Hobson's interpretation coupled with Sinfonia Varsovia's fine performance made this a compelling listen from start to finish. I'm ready for volume two now.

Moritz Moszkowski : Orchestral Music, Volume One
Johanna d’Arc, Op. 19
Sinfonia Varsovia; Ian Hobson, conductor
Toccata Classics TPCC 0523

Un'Arpa Straordinaria - Fine selection of Baroque harp music

Up through the Renaissance, harps were relatively simple instruments, able to play diatonic scales. In response to more complex music of the early Baroque, an arpa doppia, or double harp was developed.

These harps had a second course of strings (tuned differently than the first). This gave the player more notes, with the two courses even allowing chromatic passages to be performed.

Italian Baroque composers soon took advantage of the increased potential of the instrument. And this release presents some of the resulting works.

The program includes some big names, such as Girolamo Frescobaldi, Sigismondo d'India. Lesser-known composers such as Gregorio Strozzi, Ascanio Mayone, and Biagio Marini are also represented.

The release also features the arpa doppia in a variety of ensembles. There are solo works, such as Giovanni de Macque's Seconde Stravaganza. There are chamber works, such as Frescobaldi's Canzonas. And even vocal works, such as Giovanni Mazzocchi's "Ti lascio anima mia."

The arpa doppia has a softer, quieter sound than a modern harp -- almost like the contrast between a lute and a classical guitar. Vera Schnider delivers some thoughtful and insightful performances. For each track, the role of the instrument is different, and Schnider adopts her playing in kind.

As an accompanying instrument, Schnider's arpa doppia sounds a little forward of the rest of the basso continuo, but not unpleasantly so. As a soloist, Schnider plays expressively, drawing the listener into the music (or at least this one).

A wonderful collection of early Baroque pieces. And an effective showcase of the arpa doppia, one of the lesser-known instruments of the period.

Un'Arpa Straordinaria
Italian music in the 17th Century for Arpa Doppia
Vera Schnider, harp; Das Kleine Kollectiv
Ars Produktion

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDistancing Week 3

Normally the Classics a Day theme for May involved May Day (#SovietaDay). Having a theme centered around social distancing/self-quarantine seemed more appropriate. The challenge for May is post works for unusual solo instruments or works about solitude.

Here are my selections for the third week of #ClassicalDistancing

05/18/20 Anon. 14th C. - Medieval dance

The hurdy-gurdy was originally developed to accompany church and monastery choirs in the Middle Ages. While a popular Renaissance instrument, after 1600 it was used mainly for folk music.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - Adagio for glass harmonica

Creating sound by rubbing fingers on partially-filled glasses is nothing new. Benjamin Franklin's mechanical version was. And for a very brief time, composers wrote music for it.

05/20/20 John Cage (1912-1992) - Suite for Toy Piano

Playing a toy piano in a classical concert may sound silly. But Cage took the instrument seriously and wrote his suite accordingly.

05/21/20 Garrett Hecker - Three Pieces for Four Timpani

Hecker's 2020 work references Elliot Carter's "Eight Pieces for Four Timpani" (with original material added).

05/22/20 Stephen W. Beatty - 1044

The heckelphone was invented by Wilhelm Heckel in 1879. This double reed instrument sounds an octave lower than an oboe, and is so heavy it rests on a support peg -- like a cello.

Trio of Mikolaj Gorecki works present balanced portrait

The three works in this release each present a different facet of Mikolaj Gorecki's style. There are similarities: two are for orchestra; two feature a clarinet, horn, and piano trio. But each has its own character.

Gorecki's orchestral work Zan Tontemiquico was inspired by the pre-Columbian poem of Tochihuitzin. It begins  "We only come to dream. It is a kind of meditation on the human fate."

The music has a dreamlike quality to it. The strings play long, sustained chords changing very slowly. Other instruments drop in and out, providing color and further enhancing the other-worldly quality of the poem. Marek Mos and the Aukso Chamber Orchestra of Tychy perform with the disciplined sensitivity this music requires.

The Trio Concertante for clarinet, horn, piano, and orchestra is a quite different work. Here Gorecki uses an overlapping series of motifs that guide the listener through the work.

The opening reminded me quite strongly of Stravinsky's "Firebird." But that gradually transitioned into a quieter, consonant lyricism.

Trio Titanic may reference the famous tragedy, but don't expect the music to depict crashing icebergs or sinking ships. Rather, Gorecki's music is more about impressions than actions. The opening movement (before the collision) is serene, with flowing, consonant chords suggesting a smooth ocean voyage.

Gorecki titled the second movement "Don't you hear the band?" It references the Titanic's musicians playing to calm the passengers. But rather than a mournful hymn, we get lively, energetic reimaginings of ballroom dances.

The finale reflects on the tragedy itself. The music is slow, with lots of minor thirds and downward chromatic motions. It's a true masterwork and masterfully performed by the Silesian Trio.

Mikolaj Gorecki: Zan Tontemiquico;  Trio Concerto; Trio Titanic
Silesian Trio
Aukso Chamber Orchestra of Tychy; Marek Mos, conductor
DUX

Calin Huma Symphony-Concerto a true original

Sometimes being an amateur -- rather than a professional -- has its advantages. I'm referring to the original meaning of " amateur" -- one who loves the subject.

If you're an amateur composer, you're free from the constraints of professional composers. You don't have to compose a certain way to gain commissions, or recognition, or even tenure. You can simply write the music you want.

It worked for Charles Ives, a professional insurance broker. And it works equally well for Calin Huma, CEO of a multi-national support services corporation. Huma, like Ives, composes in his own style, quite independent of current trends.

Unlike Ives, Huma prefers a new-Romantic tonal language. This release features two world premiere recordings; the Symphony-Concerto, and Symphony No. 1.

I liked the Symphony-Concerto, but I loved the first symphony. The Symphony-Concerto places the solo piano and orchestra on equal footing. To my ears, it sounded somewhere between Rachmaninoff's last concerto and Addinsell's "Warsaw Concerto."

There are plenty of big, sweeping gestures, rich, gooey harmonies, and roiling drama. Don't get me wrong. I did enjoy it, especially pianist Sergiu Tuhutiu's enthusiastic performance. It's just it all sounded a little familiar.

Symphony No. 1 "Carpatica," on the other hand, was outstanding. Here Huma moved beyond the confines of Post-Romanticism. The symphony's subtitle refers to the Carpathian Mountains of Huma's native Romania.

There's a strong flavor of Romanian music running through the symphony, taking it in fresh directions. Huma's harmonies arent' based on traditional key relationships. Nevertheless, there's a strong sense of forward motion.

Huma uses his thematic material effectively. At every stage, the listener knows where they are, and yet are still surprised at what comes next.

I would very much like to hear Huma's second symphony, and other works he may have. Huma may be an amateur composer, but his skill level is professional grade.

Calin Huma: Symphony-Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Symphony No. 1, "Carpatica"
Sergiu Tuhutiu, piano
BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Christopher Petrie, conductor
Guild GMCD 7824

A Fine Collection of Opéra-Comique Overtures

Michael Halász and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra deliver an attractive selection of French Opéra-Comique overtures. The genre evolved over time, from light, frothy entertainment to more serious and realistic subjects.

 But the overture was always a curtain-raiser. And that's just what we get. Maestro Halász keeps things moving. Orchestral contrasts are suitably dramatic, and the ensemble is light on its feet when it needs to be.

 The recorded sound is good, although I wished for a little more definition. Nevertheless, the ensemble blend is wonderful. The performances are good-humored, and even the serious passages don't sound all that dire.

 The program features a nice sampling of the genre. The earliest overtures are from the Revolutionary Era: Françle;ois-Adrien Boieldieu Le Calife de Bagdad (1800), and Etienne Mehul's Héléna (1803). And a few from the late 1800s, like Alexandre-Charles Lecocq La Petite mariée (1875).

Famous composers such as Jacques Offenbach are represented by lesser-known works (in this case) "Le mariage aux lanternes." The selections make the entire program sound fresh. These are buoyant feel-good curtain-raisers. And for me, it was just plain fun to listen to.

Opéra-Comique Overtures 
Works by Boieldieu, Delibes, Gounod, Halévy, Herold, Lecocq, Maillart, Méhul, Offenbach 
ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra; Michael Halász, conductor 
Naxos 

Great performances of Ignacio Jerusalem marred by recording

The Chicago Arts Orchestra and Chorus specialize in exploring the music of New Spain. Their first release was "Al Combate: Rediscovered Galant Music from Eighteen-Century Mexico."

It featured works by  Ignacio Jerusalem and Santiago Billoni. This release delves deeper into Jerusalem's repertoire, presenting a mass, a symphony, and some shorter choral works.

Ignacio Jerusalem emigrated to Mexico in 1742. In short order, he became the Lully of Mexico City (that's how I'd put it). He was chapel master at the Catedral de México.

He composed prolifically, and in the process changed Mexican sacred music from a Palestrina-inspired style to a lighter, tuneful Galant style.

He also modernized notation for the Latin church's music copyists. The cathedral orchestra expanded under Jerusalem's direction.

This album gives us a good idea of what all that meant. The works are mostly late, from around 1760. Jerusalem's choral writing is far removed from Mexico's then-current proto-Palestrina style. The choruses are mainly homophonic, with only a modicum of counterpoint.

This Galant style is especially evident in the Symphony in G with Hunting Horns. It strongly reminds me of the Mannheim School composers, such as Carl Stamitz. The music has a wide dynamic range. The ensemble swells in volume at key points, emulating (after a fashion) the Mannheim Rocket.

Jerusalem's work is quite interesting and historically important. His music spread across New Spain and served to inspire others. The Chicago Arts Orchestra under the direction of Javier Mendoza delivers some good performances. Mendoza has made a study of Jerusalem's music and he brings out the cosmopolitan nature of this Italian transplant's work.

But I don't think they're served well by the recording. The sound seemed a little closed-in to me, both of the orchestra and the chorus. The soloists also sounded a little thin. The musical selections made me happy. The recorded sound less so.

Ignacio Jerusalem: Mass in G "De los Ninos"
Symphony in G with Hunting Horns
Chicago Arts Orchestra and Chorus; Javier Jose Mendoza, artistic director
Navona

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDistancing Week 2

Normally the Classics a Day theme for May involved May Day (#SovietaDay). Having a theme centered around social distancing/self-quarantine seemed more appropriate. The challenge for May is post works for unusual solo instruments or works about solitude.

Here are my selections for the second week of #ClassicalDistancing

05/11/20 Eric Homour - Devil's Branch

According to the composer, this work was inspired by a creek he crosses on his walks to town. In this work, he equates his crossing Devil's Branch with Orpheus crossing the Styx.

05/12/20 Steven Paulus (1940-2014) - Pilgrim's Chorus (The Three Hermits)

Paulus' opera is based on a Tolstoy short story. "The Three Hermits" are self-isolated monks on a remote island, devoted to meditation and prayer. Until the bishop comes calling.

05/13/20 Wu Man - White Snow in the Spring

This traditional Chinese piece dates to the early Ming dynasty (14th C.). It's part of the standard repertoire for the pipa, an instrument that dates back to the 2nd Century.

05/14/20 Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) - Serenade no. 12 for solo tuba

Persichetti's 15 Serenades were mainly for unusual instruments and combinations. No. 6 is for trombone, cello, and viola; No. 9 for solo recorder and No. 13 for two clarinets are just a few examples.

05/15/20 Carl Friedrich Abel - Prelude, WKO 205

This work is part of the Drexel Collection of the NY Public Library. It contains 27 manuscript works for solo viola da gamba by Abel.

Vieuxtemps Works for Violin and Orchestra Demand Virtuosity

Henri Vieuxtemps was one of the greatest violin virtuosos of his age, considered by some to be Paganini's successor. Not surprisingly, most of his compositions were for the violin (including seven concertos).

This release features some of Vieuxtemps' shorter works for violin and orchestra. But shorter doesn't necessarily mean easier.

As violinist Reto Kuppel remarked, "Embedded in the pulsing of the orchestra, the violin rises to a frenzy of the highest virtuosity and to the limits of what is possible on the instrument."

And how.

Every one of these works features several types of advanced techniques. But they also feature some beautifully crafted melodies. Vieuxtemp creates concise, interesting works that deliver on excitement.

Especially interesting is the Duo Brilliant for violin, cello, and orchestra. Vieuxtemps wrote two cello concertos and was well aware of the instrument's possibilities. In this 15-minute work, Viextemps challenges both soloists technically, and also musically. This piece depends on the performers not losing the thread of the melody. And neither Reto Kuppel nor cellist Kirill Bogaturev does.

I was only familiar with Vieuxtemps' concertos (and only a few of them). This release helps me further appreciate this Belgian artist. And also the artistry of Reto Kuppel.

Henri Vieuxtemps: Works for Violin and Orchestra
Reto Kuppel, violin; Kirill Bogaturev, cello
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra; Marcus Bosch, conductor
Naxos 8.573993

Hans Gal - Music for Viola, Vol. 1 full of lyrical gems

Toccata Classics has released several volumes of Hans Gal's music. And in the process, I think, helped audiences rediscover his remarkable music. Gal's career in his native Austria was cut short with the arrival of the Nazis.

Because of his Jewish ancestry, he was forced to flee and settled in England in 1940. Although well-respected in his adopted country, his music never regained the prominence it had before the war.

Part of the reason may have to do with Gal's style. He continued to write in a post-Romantic style that changed very little over time. During his later life, he was considered outdated.

But recordings like this one let us hear the merits of Gals music, regardless of how they fit the fashions of the time.

Gal was a masterful composer, and that's obvious in every one of these works for the viola.

The Suite Concertante for Viola and Orchestra is a tightly-constructed 20-minute work of five short movements. Gal wrote the piece to be performed with either orchestra or piano, solo viola, or solo alto saxophone. And yet there's nothing generic about the sound. Gal makes some interesting choices in his orchestration, playing effectively off the sound of the viola.

The Suite Concertante gets its world recording premiere with this release, as does the Trio for Oboe, Violin, and Viola.

When Gal first arrived in the UK, he was interred as a potentially hostile alien. This trio is one of the first works he completed after his release.  Gal was a life-long student of Bach. The work is actually a set of three-part inventions woven together. The counterpoint is flawless. It's a charming work of simple beauty.

Violist Hanna Pakkala performs these works with great understanding. Her playing yields a rich, singing tone that highlights the inherent lyricism of Gal's music.

Hans Gal: Music for Viola, Vol. 1
Hanna Pakkala, viola; Reijo Tunkkari, violin; Takuya Takashima, oboe; Irina Zahharenkova, piano
Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra; Sakari Oramo, conductor
Toccata Classics

Henry Cotter Nixon orchestral series finishes strong

Toccata Classics have completed their Henry Cotter Nixon series. And I see the logic of their release schedule.

Nixon spent most of his career outside of Victorian London, and therefore in the margins of British music. He didn't have the resources available to his cosmopolitan colleagues and composed accordingly.

The first volume of his orchestral music is, I think, the strongest of the three. The works have a fresh, original sound to them (while still retaining a charming Britishness). And leading with your best material is the logical way to establish a series.

Volume two had (in my opinion) Nixon's less-successful orchestral works. They were well-written but suffered in comparison with the quality of volume one's selections. This concluding volume gathers together Nixon's remaining works, many in various stages of completion. 

Only the Concert Overture No. 1 could be performed unedited. Paul Mann, the conductor, and driving force behind the series explains "everything else has been reconstructed, completed, or newly orchestrated from incomplete sources." And, I think, Mann did an excellent job doing so.

Comparing the music across the volumes I didn't hear anything uncharacteristic in Mann's realizations. And the works he rescued are wonderful. I love the excerpts to Nixon's uncompleted comic opera "The Gay Typewriters." It has the light-hearted humor of Gilbert and Sullivan,  yet still in Nixon's distinctive voice.

The Coronation March, written for a competition in 1902, is everything it should be. The music uplifts and inspires in a dignified fashion appropriate to the occasion.

Henry Cotter Nixon: Complete Orchestral Music, Volume Three
Kodaly Philharmonic Orchestra; Liepaja Symphony Orchestra
Ana Török, violin
Paul Mann, conductor
Toccata Classics TOCC 0523

   

Domenico Gerasani's Sensitive Performances of Cutting Lute Music

Little is known about the life of English lutenist Francis Cutting. He was a musician for the Howard family (Anne Boleyn's peeps), and one of his ten children, Thomas, also became a respected lutenist.

What is known is Cutting's music. He wrote "Packington's Pound," which has been recorded countless times by early music ensembles. He's also known for a set of variations, the "Divisions on Greensleeves."

Cutting wrote over fifty works for the lute, and this recording features a little over a third of them. Cutting's exceptional playing ability allowed him to create music with intricate polyphony and rapid scalework.

Domenico Cerasini seems to match Cutting in ability. His performances are calm and assured -- a player in full command of his instrument and the music. Cutting's music is quite intellectual and carefully constructed. Cerasini takes care to articulate the structure of each work. It's not just that melodic lines are brought to the fore. Supporting tones are also given different weights depending on their function.

Take "Four Divisions on Packington's Pound," for example. The melody is the loudest. But quite present is the ground bass, providing a firm foundation for the variations. Additional notes sound softer, providing a multi-layered texture to the music.

This is an excellent portrait of Francis Cutting, both as a composer and as a performer. Domenico Gerasani brings these delicate masterworks to life.

Francis Cutting: Lute Music
Domenico Gerasani, lute
Brilliant Classics 96099

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalDistancing Week 1

Normally the Classics a Day theme for May involved May Day (#SovietaDay). Having a theme centered around social distancing/self-quarantine seemed more appropriate. The challenge for May is post works for unusual solo instruments or works about solitude.

Here are my selections for the first day of May, and the first full week of #ClassicalDistancing

05/01/20 Samuel Barber (1910-1981) - Hermit Songs, Op. 29

Barber's song cycle is based on the poetry of Medieval monks. These anonymous poems were written in the margins of books the monks were copying and illuminating.

05/04/20 David Bennet Thomas (1969 - ) - Because for Basson solo

Thomas is equally at home in the jazz and classical worlds. He's also written solo works for alto flute.

05/05/20 John Harbison (1938 - ) - Four Songs of Solitude

According to Harbison, "The solitude is the composer's, but even more the performer's. The listeners can, if they wish, add in their own inner distances."

05/06/20 Dai Fujikura (1977 - ) - Serene for solo recorder

This Japanese-American composer's "Serene" was premiered in early 2020. As with most of his commissions, Fujikura worked closely with the artist to create the music.

05/07/20 Max Reger (1887-1916) - Der geigende Eremit

"The Hermit with his Fiddle" was inspired by an Arnold Böcklin painting. It's part of Reger's Vier Tondichtungen nach A. Böcklin.

05/08/20 Carl Maria von Weber - The Hermit's Aria

Weber's opera " Der Freischütz" features the Hermit, a bass role. "Wer legt aug ihn so strengen Bann" is his big aria in Act III.

Plawner Quintet perform important chamber music from Poland

Stanislaw Moniuszko is considered the father of Polish national opera, and one of the country's most important composers of the mid-19th Century. This release features his two string quartets. It also has a piano quintet by Juliusz Zarebski, one of Poland's leading composers of the late 19th Century.

The members of the Plawner Quintet have a clean, precise ensemble sound, with very precise attacks and unisons. Their performances are also wonderfully expressive, really bringing the music to life. And the way the musicians are recorded makes it easy to hear fine musical details

Moiuszko's two quartets date from 1839. It's the same year Mendelssohn published his first piano trio. The parallel is relevant, I think. The clear, straightforward construction of these works reminded me strongly of Mendelssohn.

Moniuszko uses simple, easily identifiable motifs to build out his music. Even at first hearing, I always knew exactly where I was in the score, and where Moniuszko was taking me. The quartets have a lightness to them as well, very close to the Mendelssohn ideal.

Zarebski's quintet is anything but. Zarebski was a piano virtuoso who studied with Franz Liszt. The piano part is quite challenging, and the music is written with a different aesthetic than Moniuszko's

Harmonies are thick, with chromatic transitions that sometimes obscure the motion. Zarebski's melodic gestures and big and exciting -- it's drama not form that's top priority here.

In my opinion, all three works are well-crafted and encourage active listening. I can't say I heard anything particularly "Polish" in either Moniuszko or Zarebski's music. But that also didn't matter. This release provided three engaging listening experiences. And that's just fine with me.

Stanislaw Moniuszko: String Quartets 1 & 2
Juliusz Zarebski: Piano Quintet op. 34
Plawner Quintet
CPO

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Flute Concertos betray emotion

2019 marked the centenary of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's birth. There was a sudden outpouring of Weinberg releases. Some may be due to the centenary, but I like to think enough people have rediscovered his music to finally hit critical mass.

Weinberg was often characterized as a poor man's Shostakovich. The two were close friends and colleagues, and their music does share some elements.

But Weinberg used those elements in a unique way, creating works that were in his own voice. That's the case with the flute concertos on this release.

The Flute Concerto No. 1 is a jaunty little number. Its skipping melodies and odd meters give it a superficially light air. But there's much more to this 1961 work.

One trait Weinberg does share with Shostakovich is repressed emotion. The concerto is quite tonal, and simple in structure. But played the right way -- as it is in this recording -- one can hear the sadness and frustration behind the facade.

Flutist Claudia Stein effectively brings out that undercurrent, especially in the middle movement. She mostly plays with a smooth warm tone. But she can also add a strident edge when necessary.

When Weinberg wrote his second flute concerto in 1987. The world had changed, and Weinberg had more freedom to write the music he felt. This work has a relaxed feel to it. Stein's playing also seems to match the mood. It's calm, assured, but mixed with a hint of nervous energy.

The release also includes Twelve Miniatures for Flute and Orchestra. Originally written in 1947, Weinberg revised the work in 1983. The original charm of these youthful works remains, albeit in a much more polished orchestral setting.

My understanding of Weinberg -- and his dissimilarity to Shostakovich -- grows with each new recording. This one adds appreciably to that understanding.

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Flute Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Claudia Stein, flute
Elisaveta Blumina, piano
Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra; David Robert Coleman, conductor
Naxos 

Scott Perkins - A New England Requiem a new masterwork

Any composer can write for choirs.  But not everyone is a choral composer. Scott Perkins certainly is a choral composer.

He began his career as a tenor, and he thoroughly understands the potential of the human voice. More importantly, the potential of combined human voices. 

Bottom line: this is an exquisitely beautiful album of contemporary choral music. If you like Eric Whitacre, Bob Chilcott, or Morten Lauridsen, you will find much to like here. Perkins, like the aforenamed, has created his own tonal language that sounds both timeless and contemporary.

The Da Capo Players and Choir are at the top of their form, making Perkins' beautiful creations sound even more so. The major work on the album is "A New England Requiem."   

This is indeed a requiem mass in form. The text blends the traditional Latin with New England poets -- Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Lydia Huntley Sigourney, Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Perkins' small ensemble is supplemented with organ. The overall ensemble sound is light and open, almost Coplandesque. The slight American flavor of the music serves the texts well. And does so in subtle ways. 

This is a serious, spiritually deep contemplation on death and life. Perkins' blend of texts connects the past with the present -- and gives the work a strong sense of place. It's difficult to describe, but this sounds like New England. 

The rest of the album features some of Perkins' shorter sacred works. My personal favorite is "The Beautiful Land." In my opinion, it's just a perfect choral work. If you're in a church choir, please lobby your director to give this a try. Really. 

Scott Perkins: A New England Requiem

Sacred Choral Music

Da Capo Players and Choir; Tom Mueller, organ

Brett Alan Judson, conductor

Gothic G-49322

Francis Cutting Lute Music - Tudor Treasures

Little is known about the life of English lutenist Francis Cutting. He was a musician for the Howard family (Anne Boleyn's peeps), and one his ten children, Thomas, also became a respected lutenist.

What is known is Cutting's music. He wrote "Packington's Pound," which has been recorded countless times by early music ensembles. He's also known for a set of variations, the "Divisions on Greensleeves."

Cutting wrote over fifty works for the lute, and this recording features a little over a third of them. Cutting's exceptional playing ability allowed him to create music with intricate polyphony and rapid scalework.

Domenico Cerasini seems to match Cutting in ability. His performances are calm and assured -- a player in full command of his instrument and the music. Cutting's music is quite intellectual and carefully constructed. Cerasini takes care in articulating the structure of each work. It's not just that melodic lines are brought to the fore. Supporting tones are also given different weights depending on their function.

Take "Four Divisions on Packington's Pound," for example. The melody is the loudest. But quite present is the ground bass, providing a firm foundation for the variations. Additional notes sound softer, providing a multi-layered texture to the music.

This is an excellent portrait of Francis Cutting, both as a composer and as a performer. Domenico Gerasani brings these delicate masterworks to life.

Francis Cutting: Lute Music
Domenico Gerasani, lute
Brilliant Classics 96099

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalQuartet Week 5

April is the fourth month of the year. And so the Classics a Day team decided to make classical quartets this month's theme. One could easily fill up a month of postings with nothing but great string quartets. But I decided to explore further.

A piano trio is made up of four musicians. So is a vocal quartet, a percussion quartet, a brass quartet, and so on. I decided to seek out some of the more unusual quartet compositions. And while I do include some string quartets, they're not written by the usual suspects. 

Here are my #Classicsaday selections for the fifth and final week of #ClassicalQuartet

04/27/20 Elfrida Andree (1841-1929): Piano Quartet in A minor

This Swedish composer and organist studied with Neils Gade. Many of her compositions are keyboard-centric, including this 1870 piano quartet.

04/28/20 Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Sonata for Four Horns

Hindemith's quartet is a neo-Baroque composition. But while the music looks back to the 1790s, it's also music impossible to play on valveless horns of the period.

04/29/20 Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936): Saxophone Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 109

Glazunov completed this quartet in 1932, one of his last compositions. At the same time, it was one of the earliest saxophone quartets.

04/30/20 Arnold Schoenberg String Quartet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 7

Schoenberg asked for help composing this 1897 quartet. He consulted with Alexander Zemlinksy, who showed a draft to Johannes Brahms. Brahms thought it was OK.