Beethoven: The Piano Concertos - Rudolf Buchbinder; Vienna Philharmonic (Sony 374521) [3 discs]
“For me this is like chamber music on a larger scale,” says the pianist appearing at Severance Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra this month (in the Rachmaninoff ‘Paganini Rhapsody’). In this, Mr. Buchbinder’s second traversal of Beethoven’s mighty five, he plays the composer’s own cadenzas and conducts the Vienna Philharmonic from the keyboard, recorded live in 2011 at the Musikverein.
Featured Mon 3/3, Wed 3/12, Fri 3/21
An Amadeus Affair - Anderson & Roe Piano Duo (Steinway 30022)
Here Greg Anderson & Elizabeth Joy Roe's infatuation with Mozart comes alive in a sonic whirl of intrigue, scandal, exhilaration and mischief. ‘An Amadeus Affair,’ their second release on the Steinway label, celebrates Mozart with a brilliant recording of his Sonata for Two Pianos surrounded by scintillating four-hand arrangements of music from his operas and concertos. Their first Steinway release, ‘When Words Fade’ (another WCLV Choice CD), spent over a dozen weeks on the Billboard Classical Charts.
Featured Tue 3/4, Thu 3/13, Mon 3/24
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 4; Sonata K 305 - Ray Chen, violin; Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Orchestra/Christoph Eschenbach (Sony 544775)
Violinist Ray Chen appeared recently at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and here he is in his first album of Mozart, joined by the renowned Christoph Eschenbach as conductor and piano accompanist. For both of the concertos, Mr. Chen composed his own cadenzas. Listen to Chen's conversation with WCLV’s Mark Satola here.
Featured Wed 3/5, Fri 3/14, Tue 3/25
Alwyn Concerti Grossi Nos. 2 & 3; The Moor of Venice; Serenade; Seven Irish Tunes - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic/Lloyd-Jones (Naxos 570145)
That almost all of William Alwyn's orchestral music is now available on the Naxos label is, according to critic John France of MusicWeb International, "...a magnificent achievement that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams some 40 years ago." WCLV listeners most often hear Alwyn's music on Movie Quizzes (‘Odd Man Out,’ ‘The Winslow Boy,’ ‘A Night to Remember’), but you may become as big a fan of his concert music as Mr. France after listening to this disc!
Featured Thu 3/6, Mon 3/17, Wed 3/26
Classical Impressions - Burning River Brass (Burning River 2013)
The original inspiration behind Burning River Brass was to give great players who were also good friends a chance to play together on a consistent basis. Soon after the first rehearsal in May 1996, BRB began to grow rapidly. The ensemble made its debut in September of 1996 under the auspices of Arts Renaissance Tremont and by 1998 was touring nationally. This new disc features many of the arrangements they have performed in concert over the years. Works by Debussy, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, and more! (The link sends you to the Burning River Brass website.)
Featured Fri 3/7, Tue 3/18, Thu 3/27
The Four Seasons: The Vivaldi Album - Anne Akiko Meyers; English Chamber Orchestra/David Lockington (eOne 7790)
This new recording of Vivaldi’s famed ‘Four Seasons’ – as well as the Triple Concerto on which the soloist plays all three parts – marks the recording debut of the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri del Gesù violin, considered one of the finest fiddles in existence. This release debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Classical Chart and is Ms. Meyers’ second consecutive recording to chart at Number One in its first week of release. Arvo Pärt’s ‘Passacaglia’ rounds out the program.
Featured Mon 3/10, Wed 3/19, Fri 3/28
Romantic Piano: Antonio Pompa-Baldi Live in Cleveland – Works by Czerny, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Schubert (Centaur 3280)
This CD documents the January 29, 2012 recital by former CIPC Gold-medalist Antonio Pompa-Baldi, presented in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art by the Tri-C Classical Piano Recital Series. Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Corelli Variations’ are at the center of the program which includes a set of variations by Carl Czerny, excerpts from Liszt’s ‘Years of Pilgrimage,’ and the Schubert-Liszt ‘Soirées de Vienne No. 6.’
Featured Tue 3/11 Thu 3/20, Mon 3/31