CD and Book Reviews - my/maSCENA

CD Review | Iridescence (Leaf Music, 2023)

By Kristen Whittle on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews

Iridescence Frédéric Lambert, viola; Ali Kian Yazdanfar, double bass Leaf Music, June 2023 Violist Frédéric Lambert and bassist Ali Kian Yazdanfar aimed to create an album that showcases the instruments often left “in the shadows of the violin and cello.” Iridescence thus consists of new music suited to their unique instrumentation. The opening track, “The Fisherstreet Duo,” by Evan Chambers, is in two movements. The first movement is a lament for a past teacher, while the second is a slow, nautical Irish jig. While this thematic pairing may sound unusual, the music that brings it to life perfectly mirrors the…

CD Review | Butterfly Lovers (Sony Classical, 2023)

By Paul E. Robinson on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, World Music

Butterfly Lovers Joshua Bell, violin; Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Tsung Yeh, conductor Sony Classical, June 2023 The Butterfly Lovers is an ancient Chinese legend dating from about the 4th century AD. The story tells of an ill-fated love affair that concludes with the lovers joined together for eternity, as butterflies. Chen Gang and He Zhanhao wrote a violin concerto on this subject in 1958, based on Chinese folk songs using the Pentatonic scale, which immediately became a popular hit. The original version is written for soloist and orchestra, both playing Western instruments. In this new version, Joshua Bell is accompanied by…

New Releases (September 2023)

By Wah Keung Chan on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Opera, Piano, World Music

This section is an advertising supplement. To announce here, contact [email protected]. Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars Kevin Lau Rachel Mercer, cello; Scott St. John, violin; Angela Park, piano Leaf Music LM273; release date Sept. 15, 2023 Kevin Lau: Under A Veil of Stars invites you to explore the spectrum of human emotions and experiences. Across nine captivating tracks, each brimming with its own distinct mood and theme, Kevin Lau’s composition invites you to interpret their profound meaning through the prism of your own unique perspective. This album was recorded in a studio at Western University in London, Ont.,…

CD Review | Tendres Échos (Atma Classique, 2023)

By Kristen Whittle on 1 September 2023 Baroque and Early, CD and Book Reviews

Tendres Échos Anne Thivierge, flute; Mélisande Corriveau, viola da gamba; Eric Milnes, harpsichord Atma Classique, August 2023 In this collection of French baroque flute works, baroque flute specialist Anne Thivierge, multi-instrumentalist Mélisande Corriveau (here playing viola da gamba), and harpsichordist Eric Milnes join forces to present canonical French baroque flute pieces, using historically informed performance techniques and instruments. Thivierge’s tone is sweet and fluid; she expertly showcases the difference between the 17th-century German flute and the Boehm model used beginning in the Romantic era. Her musicality and inflection is extremely well-suited to the dance styles of many of the sonata’s…

CD Review | Things Lived and Dreamt (Analekta, 2023)

By Kristen Whittle on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews

Things Lived and Dreamt Francine Kay, piano Analekta, January 2023 Francine Kay is a Canadian pianist, often praised for her nuanced and profound interpretive skills. Her newest album, Things Lived and Dreamt, features the music of late 19th- and 20th-century Czech composers. Kay explores the evocative rhythms and melodies characteristic of Czech music, introducing the listener to more obscure pieces, paired with familiar favourites. The album opens with Leoš Janáček’s Sonata 1.X.1905. The work is an earnest tribute to František Pavlík, a carpenter who was bayonetted to death in 1905 during a demonstration in support of a Czech university in…

CD Review | Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1; Florence Price: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Adoration (Decca Records, 2023)

By Paul E. Robinson on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Strings

Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1; Florence Price: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Adoration Randall Goosby, violin; Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor Decca Records, 2023 Randall Goosby is a young American violinist and a recent Juilliard graduate. In the Bruch concerto, it sounds as though Goosby is somewhat overwhelmed by the high-powered accompaniment of the Philadelphians, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. While the orchestra leads, he seems to be following. The album features two Florence Price concertos, both of which were never performed during her lifetime, having only been discovered posthumously. The Violin Concerto No. 1 dates from 1939 and…

CD Review | Sommernachtskonzert 2023 (Summer Night Concert 2023)

By Paul E. Robinson on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews

Sommernachtskonzert 2023 (Summer Night Concert 2023) music by Bizet, Gounod, Ravel, Berlioz and Strauss Elīna Garanča, mezzo-soprano; Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor Sony Classical CD, June 2023 Every summer the Vienna Philharmonic presents an open-air concert in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The setting is spectacular, and the event draws thousands of listeners—in fact, it has become nearly as popular as the orchestra’s New Year’s concerts. For conductors, it is a singular honour to be invited. This year, Yannick Nézet-Séguin led a program of French music with Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča. Garanča offered familiar arias by…

CD Review | Jaap Nico Hamburger: Piano Quartet (Leaf Music, 2023)

By Hassan Laghcha on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music

Jaap Nico Hamburger: Piano Quartet Axel Strauss, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Yegor Dyachkov, Ilya Poletaev Leaf Music, 2023 In July, Halifax-based independent label Leaf Music released a new opus by composer Jaap Nico Hamburger. This three-movement work for quartet (violin, viola, cello and fortepiano) comes in at almost 12 minutes, and is interpreted by Axel Strauss, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Yegor Dyachkov and Ilya Poletaev. In fact, it’s a preview of Hamburger’s next album. The Dutch-born Canadian composer is currently an artist-in-residence in Montreal as part of the Mécénat Musica program. The label has announced that the recording will be part of Hamburger’s next…

CD Review | Canciones de mi abuelito (Atma Classique, 2023)

By Hassan Laghcha on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music

Canciones de mi abuelito Antonio Figueroa, tenor; La Familia Figueroa Atma Classique, April 2023 On his new album, Montreal tenor Antonio Figueroa, accompanied by the Familia Figueroa, invites us to share the musical moments that shaped his childhood and inspired his career. This collection is a “family story,” as the author describes it. Above all, it is a tribute to his grandfather and his career as a mariachi musician of recognized lyrical talent, with which he charmed the Quebec public shortly after he and his family moved to Montreal in the mid-1970s. The grandson thus regales us with some jewels…

CD Review | Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles (Hyperion, 2023)

By Kristen Whittle on 1 September 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Classical Music

Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles Marc-André Hamelin, piano Hyperion, September 2023 Pianist Marc-André Hamelin explores some of Gabriel Fauré’s lesser-known genres, the nocturne and barcarolle, in his newest album. While melancholy solo piano pieces presented in succession risk bordering on the mundane, Hamelin manages to expertly manipulate its most exciting quality: its intimacy. Hamelin’s unique and close relationship with this repertoire becomes immediately apparent in the opening E-flat minor nocturne. The listener almost feels like a “fly on the wall” during a closed-door event. The shape and contour of his phrases alongside the lightness in his playing meld to create a…

Browsing: CD and Book Reviews

CD Review | Iridescence (Leaf Music, 2023)

CD Review | Butterfly Lovers (Sony Classical, 2023)

New Releases (September 2023)

CD Review | Tendres Échos (Atma Classique, 2023)

CD Review | Things Lived and Dreamt (Analekta, 2023)

CD Review | Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1; Florence Price: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Adoration (Decca Records, 2023)

CD Review | Sommernachtskonzert 2023 (Summer Night Concert 2023)

CD Review | Jaap Nico Hamburger: Piano Quartet (Leaf Music, 2023)

CD Review | Canciones de mi abuelito (Atma Classique, 2023)

CD Review | Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles (Hyperion, 2023)

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