March is Women's History Month. And it's a great opportunity for Classics a Day to focus on the contributions of women to classical music.
Women composers are often unjustly overlooked by history. The problem is seldom the quality of their work -- just the worker's gender. The challenge in March is to post examples of music by women composers. There's a millennium of music to choose from. For me, the challenge was what to leave out. Here are my posts for the first week of #WomensHistoryMonth.
February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years.
Colonna expertly mixes textures, ranging from solo voice to full unison. And the space is treated as an instrument. The reverberations are an integral part of the sound. Echoes harmonize with each other and with the performers.
The full, robust choruses are thrilling. They foreshadow those of Handel's oratorios. Michele Vannelli masterfully leads his musicians. These are terrific performances. The singers fill the space. And the instrumentalists provide the proper amount of support.
Colonna's counterpoint isn't as complex as Bach's. But it does point towards Handel's. It's clean and clear, even with the rich acoustic of the basilica.
Glorious music, beautifully performed. It's one of the best Baroque choral albums I've heard in a while.
Giovanni Paolo Colonna: Caro Ardore Scro Amore
Concerted Psalms for Two Choirs and Orchestra
Coro e Orchestra Della Capella Musicale di S. Petronio
Ensemble Vocale "Color Temporis;" Michele Vannelli, maestro di cappella
Dynamic CDS8044
Weigl’s Jewish background meant his career ended when the Nazis took over Austria. In 1938, he emigrated to the United States, where he taught at the Boston Conservatory and the Philadelphia Music Academy. Throughout it all, he never forgot his beloved Vienna.
His Symphony No. 3 in B major, written in 1931, is a mature work with a grand, Mahlerian sound. But there’s also a touch of Wagner here. Weigl’s use of motifs weaves the entire 46-minute symphony into a cohesive, organic whole.
Also included is the Symphonic Prelude to a Tragedy from 1933. The word "symphonic" is key here. Weigl creates a sonic world filled with high drama and foreboding. Some passages reminded me of Richard Strauss, though Weigl’s aim is different—he’s not telling a story, but instead communicating a mood.
The Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, conducted by Jurgen Bruns, delivers a performance that meets expectations. These artists recorded the other Weigl symphonies, and Bruns’ interpretation stays true to form. Weigl was deeply influenced by the late-Romantic language of Mahler and Bruckner, and that’s precisely what Bruns emphasizes.
The ensemble’s sound is rich and full, with strong solo performances that make Weigl’s orchestrations truly sparkle. This is another excellent addition to the series. With only two symphonies left to record, I hope we’ll also get to hear some of his shorter works.
Karl Weigl: Symphony No. 3
Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; Jurgen Bruns, conductor
Capriccio C5489
February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years.
This particular release is an outstanding example. It features the six piano sonatas of Claudio Santoro. And they're performed by his son, Alessandro Santoro.
Claudio Santoro was a major figure in Brazilian music and an internationally recognized composer. He studied with Nadia Boulanger, co-founded the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, and created an extensive body of work.
His first sonata, Sonata 1942, is unnumbered and was written during his student years—though it is remarkably mature. In this piece, Santoro explores his interpretation of the 12-tone technique. While it isn't traditionally tonal, it maintains a strong sense of forward motion.
Three years later, he composed Piano Sonata No. 1, a more intricate work that applies tone rows in a more academic manner. However, it never feels like a dry intellectual exercise. Instead, it is an engaging and dynamic piece, full of surprises for the listener.
By the time he composed Piano Sonata No. 5 in 1988, Santoro had completed his stylistic evolution. The piece still features dissonances and thick textures. But here the complexity now stems from rich, yet distinctly tonal, harmonies.
Alessandro Santoro’s deep understanding of his father’s music is evident. These sonatas demand exceptional skill from the performer, and Alessandro delivers masterfully. His interpretations provide a clear and compelling insight into his father’s artistic vision.
Claudio Santoro: Complete Piano Sonatas
Alessandro Santoro, piano
Naxos 8.574486
Elsewhere, you can find my reviews of Naxos’ other Marschner recordings. Conductor Dario Salvi is now on his eighth volume of Marschner overtures and operatic music, highlighting the composer’s remarkable gift for melody.
This release reinforces that impression. While opera was Marschner’s forte—he composed 18—he also had a deep affection for the piano trio, writing seven in total. These works were highly esteemed by both Robert and Clara Schumann, and for good reason.
The Gould Piano Trio begins their survey of these pieces with a set of bookends, featuring Marschner’s first and last piano trios.
The Piano Trio No. 1 in A minor, Op. 29, published in 1823, showcases a young Marschner at the start of his career. It brims with great ideas and has a free-flowing quality reminiscent of Schubert.
The Piano Trio No. 7 in F major, Op. 167, published in 1855—over 30 years later—reveals a more mature composer. The themes are tightly organized, and though this trio is longer than the first, it somehow feels more concise. Marschner is in full command of his material, with not a note wasted.
The Gould Piano Trio performs with warmth and sensitivity. Marschner’s music is expressive yet slightly reserved, and the trio plays as if engaged in conversation, at times making the music feel spontaneous.
I look forward to hearing more from this side of Marschner’s work.
Heinrich August Marschner: Piano Trios, Vol. 1
No. 1, Op. 29 and No. 7, Op. 167
Gould Piano Trio
Naxos 8.574612
February is Black History Month and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years.
InTactvs presents some delicate, yet intense performances. Their instruments, viella, cirla, oud, and recorders, have soft, warm sounds. But their performances deliver the rich emotional weight of the music.
There are songs of longing, of separation, reunion, and the simple joy of love. All are performed convincingly. So much so, that no translation is necessary.
Simone Gatto sings with clear, honeyed tones. She rarely uses vibrato, in keeping with authentic performance practices. Her singing evokes emotion. And she's especially adept at the unusual syncopations that frequent this music.
The music is mostly from anonymous composers. Francesco Landini has one selection, and music by Matteo da Perugia begins and ends the album. I didn't receive a booklet with my review copy. I'm not 100% sure. But it sounds like the three Ars Nova formes fixes are well represented -- rondeau, ballade, virelai. And there's a nice balance of sung pieces and instrumental works.
If early music is your thing, this is a fine album to add to your collection. But even if you're not, this music is both calming and engaging. It takes you to a time and place far away. And it's music that can easily be enjoyed with modern ears.
Ch'amor mi prese: Sacred and secular love in Medieval Italy
InVactvx; Simona Gatto, voice
Tactus TC 300005
Since 2007, the Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra has made a point of including at least one Fasch work in their concerts. This release, like the previous three volumes, features live performances.
Fasch spent most of his career as Kapellmeister at the court of Zerbst, in Saxony-Anhalt. In 1983, the town of Zerbst/Anhalt established the International Fasch Festival. This recording showcases performances from the 2023 festival.
Stylistically, Fasch stands at the transition to the style galante. His orchestrations are rooted in the High Baroque traditions of Telemann and Bach, yet his melodies possess a lightness and fluidity that anticipate Haydn and Mozart.
Tempesta di Mare delivers superb performances—no surprise, given their nearly 20-year commitment to discovering and premiering Fasch’s works. The ensemble's seamless blend and energetic approach bring out the elegance and vitality of his music. In this recording, Fasch leans more toward the style galante than the Baroque.
This is an outstanding recording and a remarkable series. I highly recommend all four volumes to anyone interested in Baroque music or in tracing the roots of the Classical era. It’s all here.
Johann Friedrich Fasch: Orchestral Works, Vol. 4
Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra
Chandos CHAN 0829
February is Black History Month, and a logical time to highlight contributions by people of color to classical music. Those contributions have been significant -- and not just in the past 50 years.
For January 2025 the Classics a Day team challenges you to look back a century. The "modern" era of music was well underway in 1925. Some of the works composed still shock audiences today.
The challenge is to post classical works that were created, premiered, or recorded for the first time in 1925. Here are my posts for the fifth and final week of #Classical1925.
The recordings came from the 1930s through the 1970s. They were great performances in their own right. But they also demonstrated how perceptions about Bruckner evolved.
Symphony No. 8 in C minor is performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, directed by Eugen Jochum. The recording is an aircheck of a live run-through from 1957. J
Jochum was the founding conductor of the orchestra and a Bruckner recording pioneer. He first recorded Bruckner in the 1930s. This performance has a lush, romantic sound. But it's one that crackles with energy and drama.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra plays Symphony No. 9 in D minor. This was a live performance, broadcast in 1966. Wolfg Sawallisch conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. It's electrifying. Sawallisch and the ensemble seem to push themselves to the limit.
They probably felt the weight of history. In 1903 the Vienna Symphony Orchestra premiered the work in the very same hall.
Also included is Psalm 150. Hilde Ceska is the soprano soloist. Henry Swoboda directs the Vienna Akademie Kammerchor and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. This was originally released on Westminster in 1950 -- its world recording premiere. Swoboda was another pre-war champion of Bruckner. His performances (like this one) tend to sound lean and tightly focused.
John F. Berky, president of the Bruckner Society of America, selected the recordings from their vast archives. Lani Spahr restored and remastered them, with a refreshingly light touch. He simply makes what's recorded sound its best. He refrains from reworking it into something it was never meant to be.
No matter how many Bruckner recordings you own, this series should be in your collection. There are some truly insightful performances here. And a few that made me hear these very familiar works in new ways.
Bruckner: From the Archives, Volume 6
Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9; Psalm 150
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; Eugen Jochum, conductor
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, conductor
Hilde Ceska, soprano; Vienna Akademie Kammerchor; Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Henry Swoboda, conductor
SOMM Recordings, Ariadne 5034
This is a wonderful collection of odds and ends. And with Charles Ives, odd is good!
The student takes a standard repertoire piano piece and arranges it for orchestra. Ives' orchestrations follow the constructions of the originals. But his mixture of instruments and even added music, preview his mature work.Ives was an early adapter of ragtime. It was considered vulgar by most classical composers. Ives doubled down on that prejudice. He based his Four Ragtime Dances on familiar hymn tunes. It's an Ivesian mixture of the sacred and profane.
The most ambitious work on the album is the Set of Incomplete Works and Fragments. These are fragments of pieces by Ives written throughout his life.
James Sinclair arranged and orchestrated them into something that works musically. And something that sounds true to the composer.
Two orchestras participate in this release. The Orchestra New England and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Navarra both give impressive performances. Ives is all about juxtaposition. It could be two or more keys played together. Or instrumental groups playing different tunes in different meters simultaneously. These place extraordinary demands on the performers. Both orchestras display a high degree of musicianship in handling these challenges.
This album is definitely one for the Ives completist. But it's also an entertaining listen for anyone wanting to hear something completely different.
Charles Ives: Orchestral Works
Four Ragtime Dances; Set of Incomplete Works and Fragments; Arrangements
Orchestra New England; Orquesta Sinfonica de Navarra; James Sinclair, conductor
Naxos
For January 2025 the Classics a Day team challenges you to look back a century. The "modern" era of music was well underway in 1925. Some of the works composed still shock audiences today.
The challenge is to post classical works that were created, premiered, or recorded for the first time in 1925. Here are my posts for the fourth week of #Classical1925.
He established the MacDowell Colony for artists. The Edward MacDowell Association supported many American composers at the start of their careers, including Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Leonard Bernstein.
And MacDowell wrote an impressive body of music. Today, he's mostly remembered for one solo piano piece, "To a Wild Rose." This collection does include that hit. But it also showcases MacDowell's more substantial works.
MacDowell spent eight years in Germany in the 1880s, studying and working with the best. Franz Liszt recommended MacDowell to his publisher. He consulted with Clara Schumann and studied composition with Joachim Raff.
MacDowell wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1885, while he was in Germany. It reflects the influences of the composers he worked with. And yet it's a work that's in MacDowell's own voice. It's a big, brawny concerto that should be better known. If you like the Romantic repertoire, you should enjoy this work.
Xiayain Wang delivers a fiery performance. MacDowell was a pianist. This work tests the technique of the soloist, and Wang passes with high marks. This is a real showpiece and Wang doesn't hold back.
The release includes two tone poems as well. Lancelot and Elaine, Op. 25 was composed in 1888, when MacDowell returned to America. Like the Piano Concerto, it shows the strong influence of the Germanic style.
Lamia, Op. 29 was written twenty years later. To my ears, it's a more interesting work. MacDowell has found his voice. It's not one full of Americanisms, but it's also not Brahmsian. It's simply... MacDowell.
John Wilson leads the BBC Philharmonic in some well-considered performances. I'm happy to see this is volume one. MacDowell was one of the most important composers of his generation. This album provides some hints as to why. Future volumes should solidify that reputation. And perhaps get rid of that one-hit-wonder perception).
Edward MacDowell: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Piano Concerto No. 1; Lancelot and Elaine
To a Wild Rose; Two Fragments; Lamia
Xiayin Wang, piano
BBC Philharmonic; John Wilson, conductor
Chandos CHAN 20305
This release features his popular Stabat Mater, RV 621. It also includes the vesper psalm Nisi Dominus RV 608. Also included is n furore iustissimæ iræ RV 626.
The program also features three instrumental works by the Red Priest. The Concerto for strings in G minor RV 157 opens the program. The Sinfonia in B minor ‘Al Santo Sepolcro’ RV 169 and Concerto ‘Madrigalesco’ in D minor RV 129 are also included.
It's a smart decision. By alternating between instrumental and vocal works, listener interest is kept high.
If you only know Vivaldi through "The Four Seasons," give this release a listen. Vivaldi's vocal works are exceptionally well-crafted. And they're idiomatic, existing in a different world than his instrumental compositions.
Carlo Vistoli has a remarkably strong voice. Countertenors simulate the vocal sound of the Baroque castrati. To do so, they sing in the range of a mezzo-soprano, without sounding falsetto. It's an art and one that Vistoli has mastered.
His singing has a nice, full sound. His phrasing is smooth, and his vocal ornamentations sound natural and unforced. His performances were real pleasures to listen to.
The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin are past masters of historically authentic performances. This ensemble has been active since 1982. It plays with a warm, transparent sound. It's not thin, but rather crystalline and finely balanced.
The Akademie have a series of landmark recordings in their catalog. This is a strong addition to that list.
Antonio Vivaldi: Stabat Mater, RV 621
Carlo Vistoli, countertenor
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin; Georg Kallweit, concertmanster
Harmonia Mundi HMM 902383
For January 2025 the Classics a Day team challenges you to look back a century. The "modern" era of music was well underway in 1925. Some of the works composed still shock audiences today.
The challenge is to post classical works that were created, premiered, or recorded for the first time in 1925. Here are my posts for the third week of #Classical1925.
Sure, they've released recordings of the basic repertoire. But their strength is bringing their high degree of musicianship to marginal works. Living composers, 20th-century music, works from different eras and cultures -- all benefit from the BSO magic.
In this case, it's 18th-century horn concertos. Specifically, concertos for two horns. Jacek Muzyk and Daniel Kerdelewicz are both members of the BPO -- Principal Horn and Associate Principal Horn respectively. Individually and together these two players deliver some exciting and impressive performances.
In the 18th century, the horn was just a long tube without valves. That limited the notes to the harmonic series of tube. In the low register, notes are spaced far apart. It's only in the extreme upper register that they're close enough together to form scales. This means these performers need lips of steel to get through these concertos!
Both players are using modern instruments with valves. That makes playing the notes easier, but there's still a lot of playing in the stratosphere. Plus there are rapid arpeggios, trills, and other challenging techniques involved.
Except for Leopold Mozart, most of these composers may be unfamiliar. But that doesn't mean their music isn't worthy of attention. After hearing these works, I formed a different opinion of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's horn concertos. He may have improved on the form, but he didn't invent it out of whole cloth. He would have been familiar with some of these composers.
JoAnn Falletta conducts the BPO with a light touch. This is music of the Enlightenment, where elegance and balance were the hallmarks. The performances are so fine one wonders why we don't hear these works in concert -- at least once in a while.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the music of Haydn or Mozart. Or any fan of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Golden Age of the Horn
Concertos for Two Horns
Hoffmeister, L. Mozart, Pokorny, Witt
Jacek Muzyk, Daniel Kerdelewicz, horn
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Naxos 8.574646
This release features three Wrantizky symphonies, including one of his most celebrated.
The Symphony in C minor, Op. 31 is titled "Grande sinfonie caractéristique pour la paix avec la République françoise." That is, "Grand Characteristic Symphony for Peace with the French Republic." Wranitzky wrote it in 1797. The work depicts the hope that France and Europe can achieve peace.
In his "1812 Overture," Tchaikovsky used French and Russian anthems to represent the opposing armies. Wranitzky anticipates this technique for portraying Napoleonic battles almost 100 years before Tchaikovsky. In this case, Wranitzky gives us English and German marches to represent the allies. The third-movement battle music rivals Tchaikovsky's in its use of percussion. Without heavy artillery, that is.
The Symphony in D major, P17 is a more typical Wranitzky symphony. Here the music isn't representational. It's abstract and laid out in the balanced, four-movement framework developed by Haydn. Audiences of the day thought Wranitzky's works rivaled those of Mozart and Haydn. I tend to agree. This is well-crafted music.
The "Hunt Symphony" is just what the title says it is. The four movements depict a lively hunt through the forest, ending with a kill. Several composers in this era wrote hunt symphonies. All used French horns as hunting horns, blatting out fanfares over bouncing strings. Wrantizky's use of horns is a subtler. And he uses a bass drum to represent the shots from the hunters.
It's not great art, but it is great fun. And a little better than it needed to be to satisfy his audience.
Marek Štilec directs the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice. This team has turned in some fine performances for the previous volumes in this series. And they don't disappoint here. The orchestra is small, but it can deliver the power of a larger ensemble when needed. And in the "Grand sinfonie," that quite often.
Wranitzky wrote 45 symphonies. With this volume, Naxos has recorded 15. This may take a while.
Paul Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 8
Grande sinfonie caractéristique pour la paix avec la République françoise
Symphony in D major; Symphony in E flat major ‘Jagd-Sinfonie’
Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice; Marek Štilec, conductor
Naxos 8.574616
For January 2025 the Classics a Day team challenges you to look back a century. The "modern" era of music was well underway in 1925. Some of the works composed still shock audiences today.
The challenge is to post classical works that were created, premiered, or recorded for the first time in 1925. Here are my posts for the second week of #Classical1925.
Second, director Graham Ross had the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge record standing in a circle. These perfectly blended yet perfectly balanced performances reveal the artistry of Palestrina's polyphony.
Ross also chose to intersperse contemporary British choral works into the program. These reveal Palestrina's influence on English composers. They also show his influence on British choral traditions.
Missa Memor esto verbi tui a 5 was first published in 1972. Missa Emendemus in melius a 4 was published in the Missarum liber septimus (1594). Both are models of Palestrina's art. The text is always clearly declaimed and easily understandable. And that holds true no matter how complex the polyphony becomes.
I was most impressed by the performances recorded here. There's a luminous quality to the choir's blend that suits this music. Yet each line was easy to follow throughout. There was also a nice balance of room ambiance. It made the voices sound full, without muddying the sound.
Well executed on every level.
Palestrina Revealed
Palestrina, Byrd, White, Mundy
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge; Graham Ross, director
Harmonia Mundi HMM 905375
For January 2025 the Classics a Day team challenges you to look back a century. The "modern" era of music was well underway in 1925. Some of the works composed still shock audiences today.
The challenge is to post classical works that were created, premiered, or recorded for the first time in 1925. Here are my posts for the first (partial) week of #Classical1925.
And the music written between those two milestones? Well, sort of a mix of Baroque instrumentation with proto-Classical melodies. In other words, transitional.
Except it wasn't. Especially to those who lived through it. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach built on the music of their father. But they also contributed to a new style of music -- Empfindsamer Stil (Sensitive Style).
Francesco Corti titled his album "The Age of Extremes." It accurately describes the music it contains, the music of Empfindsamer Stil. Composers of the Baroque Era followed the Doctrine of Affections. That is, each movement should consistently present just one emotion. It's one of the reasons movements in Baroque suites are so short.
Empfindsamer Stil strove for a more natural expression of music. Melodies became simpler and eschewed the fussy ornamentation of the Baroque. And dramatic contrasts within movements became common. Dynamics also became more nuanced, in search of "natural" expression. And movements became longer to accommodate the contrasts within.
Corti and Il Pomo d'Oro present works by three composers who embraced this style and made it their own. Georg Benda is represented by two harpsichord concertos. Benda's writing for the instrument is innovative, concentrating on melodic expression.
A harpsichord concerto by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach is also present. He was Johann Sebastian Bach's eldest son. His music, to me, bears strong similarities to his father's work. Wilhelm can't quite let go of melodic ornamentation. And his work doesn't have the relaxed flow of Benda's. All that aside, it's a well-crafted piece of music that deserves an audience.
Il Pomo d'Oro is a fine ensemble. They play with both delicacy and precision. It gives the music the Empfindsamer Stil hallmarks -- lightness and transparency. And they can deliver the power when needed!
Corti presents two solo harpsichord works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. He was Johann's second eldest surviving son. As a composer, he was recognized for his innovative use of harmony and manipulation of form. Corti is a phenomenal player, as these works demonstrate.
Bach's "Les Folies d'Espagne" is not for the faint of heart (or shaky of skill). His Andante in C minor is a simpler work but requires a different skill. It must sound emotive and charming. Easy when played on a piano, but not on a harpsichord. Corti has that skill.
If you still believe that the music in the 1760s was transitional, give this a listen. Corti shows that Empfindsamer Stil had a distinctive sound and a valid aesthetic all its own.
The Age of Extremes
Georg Benda; C.P.E. Bach; W.F. Bach
Francesco Corti, harpsichord and conductor
Il Pomo d'Oro
Arcana A573
