New Video Of ‘Rusalka’ Is Appealing Evidence Of Its Rising Popularity
DIGITAL REVIEW – There are now several plausible video versions from which to choose. Opus Arte's new version, filmed at London's Royal Opera in 2023 and starring Asmik Grigorian with Semyon Bychkov conducting, has considerable virtues.
Applying Modern Prism, CD Shifts Perspectives On Women Composers
DIGITAL REVIEW – On their album Venus Rising, percussion ensemble Trio SR9 and singer-composer Kyrie Kristmanson offer innovative arrangements that refocus centuries of music by women from Hildegard von Bingen to the present.
Rare Tchaikovsky Opera Displays Charms Before Killing The Characters
DIGITAL REVIEW – Seldom seen in the west, The Enchantress, a lengthy drama that mixes abuse of power and betrayal, is the novel subject of a DVD from Oper Frankfurt directed by Vasily Barkhatov and conducted by Valentin Uryupin.
Motets From History’s Shadows Are Diamonds In Rough Performance
DIGITAL REVIEW – In 1598, Orfeo Vecchi published the third volume of his Motets for Six Voices, stunning examples of late-Renaissance polyphony that have been recorded for the first time, albeit imperfectly, by Cappella Musicale Eusebiana.
Out Of A Covid Project, Mozart Piano Sonatas Eloquent And Complete
DIGITAL REVIEW – Post-pandemic, pianist Orli Shaham has been releasing portions of her streamed cycle on CDs. The six volumes of all 18 sonatas, coming this summer as a set, offer a comprehensive display of brilliance and honesty.
Baritenor’s CD Traces Glittering Paths That Led Opera To Wagner
DIGITAL REVIEW – In his latest recital disc, In The Shadows, the eternally curious baritenor Michael Spyres surveys some of the Bayreuth bard’s antecedents, and also recaps his own vocal journey as he embarks on the Wagnerian canon.
Even Lacking Visuals, Handel’s Vivid Music Illustrates ‘Alcina’ CD
DIGITAL REVIEW – Conductor Mark Minkowski’s period-instrument orchestra, Les Musiciens du Louvre, has recorded many Handel operas since its founding in 1982, but nothing in two decades. For Baroque opera fans, this Alcina is good news.
Freshening Up Josquin With A Scholarly Flair, Down-To-Earth Clarity
DIGITAL REVIEW – On a disc of motets and chansons, Cut Circle under Jesse Rodin achieves a deeply human sound, not rarefied or operatic, that makes Josquin’s emotional use of rhythm and dissonance feel like a friend telling you a secret.
Through Diverse Voices Over Millennia, Cantata Invokes Spirit Of Mercy
DIGITAL REVIEW – With six languages under his belt, composer Daniel Knaggs is keenly aware of every aspect of text, a sensitivity that serves him well in the world-premiere recording of his Two Streams, featuring the Houston Chamber Choir.
Schubert Song Cycles, Recycled In Lyric Glory Of Marginalized Mezzo
DIGITAL REVIEW – Mezzo-soprano Inez Matthews (1917-2004) belonged to a generation of Black singers blocked from much classical work, but she pursued a career. Her restored recordings of Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise bear attention.
In An Unlikely Kinship, Shostakovich Echoes Heavy Metal On Disc
DIGITAL REVIEW – Rachel Barton Pine, virtuoso violinist and self-admitted passionate metalhead, couples Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 with fellow violinist-metal fan Earl Maneein's concerto, which aims to bridge heavy metal and classical.
Purcell CDs Showcase Historical Music-Making In Vibrant New Frames
DIGITAL REVIEW – New recordings of Dido and Aeneas by La Nuova Musica and fantasias by the John Holloway Ensemble serve as a reminder that Purcell’s music can be both a gem of historical performance and a playground for exploration.
You’re Doin’ Completely Fine, Oklahoma! (On CD That’s Not So Complete)
DIGITAL REVIEW – A new recording, touted as all-in, indeed contains every note from the original 1943 musical, and it's played as it was written. But without the essential dialogue, we get only a superficial sense of what the story is about.
Pianist Spans Centuries On CD Featuring Music By Female Composers
DIGITAL REVIEW – At Play, the third and final disc in this project by pianist Sarah Cahill, which she initiated in 2018, stands out for the many living composers included. It shows her commitment to the series title, The Future is Female.
Slow Food For Thought: Late Beethoven Quartet Mulled At A Snail’s Pace
DIGITAL REVIEW – Slow Beethoven is a recording project – a sonic journey, a composition, an exploration of reverberation – that transforms the opening fugue of his String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, in a new, elongated perspective.
Bologne Comic Opera, An 18th-Century Gem, Flourishes In CD Debut
DIGITAL REVIEW –L'amant anonyme, the only surviving opera by Joseph Bologne, also known as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, receives a stylish, charming, and thoroughly vivacious recording by the Chicago-based Haymarket Opera Company.
The Play Was The Thing For Henry Purcell, Other Restoration Composers
DIGITAL REVIEW – In its recording Love Restor’d, the British ensemble Ceruleo examines the musical art of later 17th-century England, particularly the way instrumental and vocal music interacted in Restoration works of theater.
In Music Of Our Time, Venerable Harpsichord Speaks In New Accents
DIGITAL REVIEW – On a new CD collection of 10 modern harpsichord works by 10 women, the Italian keyboardist Luca Quintavalle offers an eye-opening exhibit of music we didn't know we were missing. The old instrument is not just old school.
17th-Century Blossoms Strewn By The Handful: Music For Triple Harp
DIGITAL REVIEW – On a new CD titled Laura, after Laura Peverara, a member of the Duke of Ferrara’s celebrated ensemble of women, Marie-Domitille Murez plays a multi-strung instrument that produces a rich, almost orchestral sound.
Gods Behaving Badly, But Stylishly, Ignite CD Of French Opera Rarity
DIGITAL REVIEW – It seems Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) wrote only one opera. But the orchestra and choir of Il Giardino d’Amore, directed by Stefan Plewniak, have polished up this hidden gem, Scylla et Glaucus, to a high sheen.
