Beethoven: The Late Piano Sonatas - Nos. 28-32 - Igor Levit, piano (Sony 370387) [2 discs]
"All of the positive attention and high praise that 26-year-old pianist Igor Levit has garnered in Europe is thoroughly justified by his Sony Classical debut release encompassing Beethoven’s last five sonatas. Levit’s affinity for the composer’s essentially linear style and intense expressivity borders on clairvoyance... This is Beethoven playing of the highest distinction, not to be missed.” - Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com. Listen to Mr. Levit's conversation with WCLV's Angela Schmidt.
Featured Thu 4/3, Mon 4/14, Wed 4/23
Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concertos #1-5 - Jean Efflam Bavouzet, piano; BBC Philharmonic/Gianandrea Noseda (Chandos10802)
Prokofiev wrote these works between 1911 and 1932, mostly as vehicles to display his own astonishing gifts as a pianist. The First Concerto is full of rhythmic energy, but its brief slow movement is surprisingly tragic. The Second Concerto poses some of the most significant technical challenges in the entire piano repertoire, while the bright and breezy Third is today his most popular piano concerto. Nos. 4 and 5 are the least well known, written at a time when Prokofiev was pushing his musical language in new directions, but both contain slow movements full of wistful lyricism, foreshadowing the spirit of later works such as ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
Featured Tue 4/1, Thu 4/10, Mon 4/21, Fri 4/30
Haydn: Lord Nelson Mass; Symphony No. 102 - Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Linn 426)
In what the Boston Globe called “a hard-to-believe bit of serendipity,” the scheduling of the ‘Lord Nelson Mass’ (also called ‘Missa in angustiis’ or ‘Mass in Troubled Times’) happened to coincide with the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings last year. “The Mass conveys terror and celebration,” the Globe reported. “It was fitting for Boston in another way. Haydn’s music is deeply felt but rarely confessional. It doesn’t wallow in sentiment. But it has more than its share of sincerity, dignity, and sturdiness of a kind that defies the world’s uncertainties. It seemed to be just what a bruised yet resilient city needed.” This recording documents that memorable concert.
Featured Wed 4/2, Fri 4/11, Tue 4/22
Peter Boyer: Symphony No. 1; Silver Fanfare; Festivities; Celebration Overture - London Philharmonic/Peter Boyer (Naxos 559769)
You may know Peter Boyer as the composer of the Grammy-nominated 'Ellis Island: The Dream of America'. The composer writes, “The five works included on this recording represent a cross-section of my orchestral music. 'Three Olympians' reflects my interest in mythology and history. Often I have received invitations to compose music for celebratory concerts, and three of the works included here – 'Silver Fanfare,' 'Festivities' and 'Celebration Overture' – were created for such occasions.” Symphony No. 1 is dedicated to the memory of Leonard Bernstein.
Featured Fri 4/4, Tue 4/15, Thu 4/24
Franz Schubert: Winterreise - Jonas Kaufmann, tenor; Helmut Deutsch, piano (Sony 379563)
Superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann could easily fill his performance calendar with Verdi, Wagner and Puccini. But for Mr. Kaufmann, interpreting the classical Lieder repertory is the highest order of singing and Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ is regarded as the composer’s greatest contribution to the repertoire. Schubert’s ‘Winter Journey’ is set to twenty-four poems by Wilhelm Müller and was completed in 1827. After working together closely for more than twenty years and giving a number of recitals of Schubert’s great song cycles, Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch make their first recording of ‘Winterreise’ documenting their special partnership. Listen to Jonas Kaufmann’s conversation with WCLV’s Angela Schmidt.
Featured Mon 4/7, Wed 4/16, Fri 4/25
Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6 “Pathétique” & Romances, Opp. 6 & 73 - Rotterdam Philharmonic/Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Lisa Batiashvili, violin (DeutGram 4790835)
Yannick Nézet-Séguin first heard Tchaikovsky's 'Pathétique’ live in Montreal at the age of eight. It was the work he chose for his debut with both the Orchestre Métropolitaine du Grand Montréal and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Conducting Russian music with the Rotterdam Philharmonic acknowledges his predecessor on the podium, Valéry Gergiev, and showcases the depth and refinement of the Dutch orchestra. “The point for me," says the conductor, "is this work’s pervasive lust for life, and the lack of faith in humanity which is the implicit message of the end.” The symphony is accompanied by two sets of Tchaikovsky’s songs, in arrangements for piano and violin featuring Lisa Batiashvili.
Featured Tue 4/8 Thu 4/17, Mon 4/28
Brahms by Heart: String Quartets Nos. 1-3; String Quintet No. 2 - Chiara String Quartet; Roger Tapping, viola (Azica 71289)
The title of this disc means what it says: the Chiara Quartet performs Brahms from memory for this recording and other composers when live in performance. After spending hour upon hour working toward playing ‘by heart,’ the musicians see sheet music now as a distraction instead of an aid! After memorizing a work, each member feels fully present in the moment, they say, truly performing from the heart. The link sends you to the Chiara String Quartet website.
Featured Wed 4/9, Fri 4/8, Tue 4/29