Bach: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Chaconne - Joshua Bell, violin; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (Sony 308779)
As follow up to last-year’s acclaimed all-Beethoven recording, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell continues as Music Director and Conductor of the world-renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields. On their new collaboration, he conducts mostly from the concertmaster’s chair in an all-Bach program, featuring the two violin concertos and the mighty Chaconne as arranged by Felix Mendelssohn. Movements from Bach Suites round out the disc. Joshua Bell is the first American and first person to hold the title of Music Director since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958.
Featured Wed 10/1, Fri 10/10, Tue 10/21, Thu 10/30
Dances - Benjamin Grosvenor, piano (Decca 4785334)
For his second solo album on Decca, the young English pianist has assembled an imaginative and appealing program of music inspired by dance from Bach to Boogie-Woogie, via Chopin, Granados, Albeniz, Scriabin and the Blue Danube. This CD was inspired by a letter from the great pianist-composer Ferruccio Busoni to his pupil Egon Petri proposing a “dance program” as a theme for Petri’s recitals, a concept Grosvenor expanded on for his Queen Elizabeth Hall debut recital in 2012. The Financial Times said of the concert, “Grosvenor is above all a technical wizard, a Harry Potter-like conjuror of the keyboard who can summon breath-taking cascades of notes. And yet, unlike other technically brilliant pianists, he does not seem to want to show off. He never bangs, never plays to the gallery, and certainly would not think of breaking into a sweat.” A former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, Grosvenor was awarded the honor of opening the BBC Proms Concerts season in 2011 and the youngest-ever soloist to perform on the ‘First Night.’
Featured Thu 10/2, Mon 10/13, Wed 10/22, Fri 10/31
The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”, Choral Fantasy Op 80 - Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Mahler Chamber Orc hestra; Prague Philharmonic Choir (Sony 305886)
Celebrated Norwegian pianist, and 2013 Gramophone Hall of Fame inductee, Leif Ove Andsnes completes his exploration of Beethoven’s complete piano concertos with The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor.” Like the first two titles in the series, the new album was recorded with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and directed from the keyboard by the pianist himself. As with the two previous albums, Piano Concerto No. 5 was recorded live at the Prague Spring Festival earlier this year. The Beethoven Journey: Piano Concerto No. 5 is timed to coincide with Andsnes’ upcoming all-Beethoven performances in Los Angeles in October and New York City in February 2015. Paired with the “Emperor” is a hybrid composition, the Choral Fantasy: part sonata, part concerto and with a choral finale that prefigures the Ode to Joy of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Featured Fri 10/3, Tue 10/14, Thu 10/23
Carl Nielsen Symphony No. 1 & Symphony No. 4 “Inextinguishable” - New York Philharmonic/Alan Gilbert (DaCapo 220624)
Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic continue the highly praised Nielsen Project with this release of two great symphonies. This is the second recording in the series, drawn from the March 2014 performance featuring Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4, subtitled The Inextinguishable. Symphony No. 1, noted for its lovely slow movement, was never previously performed by the New York Philharmonic. The Inextinguishable is a powerful, intense and dramatic work of the composer's maturity, making Nielsen a 20th century romantic. Of this series, the New York Times stated "Music directors should have personal passions and it is heartening to see Mr. Gilbert turning one of his into a major statement."
Featured Mon 10/6, Wed 10/15, Fri 10/24
Homecoming: A Scottish Fantasy - Nicola Benedetti, violin; BBC Scottish Symphony/Rory Macdonald (Decca 21290)
Despite her Italian heritage, Nicola Benedetti is Scottish through and through and she presents a program bringing together Scottish folk artists and a Scottish orchestra. Songs such as Loch Lomond and My Love is Like a Red Red Rose are included, featuring collaborations with leading Scottish folk musicians Phil Cunningham (accordion) and Aly Bain (fiddle). Ms. Benedetti performs Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. She is passionate about promoting music education and is a patron of Sistema Scotland’s ‘Big Noise’ project, a music initiative partnered with Venezuela’s iconic El Sistema. Her last album The Silver Violin spent 7 weeks at No. 1 in UK classical charts and was the highest-charting classical instrumental album in the UK since Nigel Kennedy in 1991, even reaching No. 32 in the pop charts. She was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 and her following both in the UK and abroad continues to grow.
Featured Tue 10/7, Thu 10/16, Mon 10/27
Moderato Cantabile: Music by Komitas, Gurdieff, Mompou - Anja Lechner, cello; François Couturier, piano (ECM 2367)
After a decade of shared work in the Tarkovsky Quartet and an ongoing alliance in the Pergolesi Project, German cellist Anja Lechner and French pianist François Couturier unveil their new duo. The players approach the music from different vantage points: Lechner is a classical soloist with an uncommon interest in improvisation, Couturier a jazz musician travelling ever further from jazz. On Moderato Cantabile they present their own arrangements of works by three fascinating outsiders from the margins of music history – G.I. Gurdjieff, Komitas, and Federico Mompou. To differing degree their music reveals influences from the east, both in terms of relationship to folk traditions and religious music, and philosophically. A contemplative air pervades the session. The program has connections to Anja Lechner’s acclaimed account of Gurdjieff’s music on the earlier Chants, Hymns and Dances, but the new duo has its own identity, and time spent in Armenia has deepened Lechner’s understanding of the contexts from which the music emerged: her cello assumes almost a singer’s role in these pieces, exploring the strong melodies. François Couturier’s compositions function as both contrasting and complementary elements. As a player, François has a long history of working with Mompou’s music. He has been influenced, too, by his association with Anouar Brahem, and the sonorities of the Middle East are part of his palette.
Featured Wed 10/8, Fri 10/17, Tue 10/28
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 18 & 19 - Uchida; Cleveland Orchestra (Decca 4786763)
Here’s Classic FM’s headline in August: “One of the greatest pianists of our time returns to two marvelous Mozart concertos.” John Suchet continues: “Lauded as one of today's finest Mozart interpreters, Mitsuko Uchida continues her series of his great piano concertos, performed with the Cleveland Orchestra which she directs from the keyboard. This latest live recording combines Mozart's B flat Major Concerto, No. 18 and the F Major Concerto, No. 19, two of the great series he wrote in Vienna in the mid-1780s. As should be expected, Uchida brings grace and flair to her performance. The Cleveland Orchestra too, with which Uchida has a truly tangible rapport, provide superbly subtle support.”
Featured Thu 10/2, Mon 10/13, Wed 10/22, Fri 10/31