CD and Book Reviews - my/maSCENA

CD Review | Breathe (Decca Records, 2022)

By Zenith Wolfe on 23 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

breatheChad Lawson, piano; Esther Yoo, Thomas Gould and David O’Leary, violins; Rachel Roberts, viola; Richard Hardwood and Peter Gregson, cellos; Royal Philharmonic OrchestraDecca Records, 2022 Remembering to breathe is instinctual, but with so much happening in the world, it can be easy to ignore such a necessary thing. Chad Lawson’s album breathe, which features solo piano works and orchestral arrangements, invites listeners to let go of everything they have held inside—to finally exhale. The works on the album are slow and relaxed, and there is not a single tense moment. Though works like irreplaceable and letting go tackle themes of…

CD Review | After (Leaf Music, 2022)

By Andrea Rush on 23 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

AfterAndrew Staniland, Benton Roark, composers; Kate Read, violaLeaf Music, 2022 Prominent Canadian violist Kate Read, based in Newfoundland, is a prolific performer. As a chamber musician, principal violist of the Newfoundland Symphony, veteran of leading orchestras in Europe (including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields), she is an eminent spokesperson for the viola. This is obvious from the stellar performances throughout the eclectic selection of conventional and new music. On the conventional side, EvenNight opens with fanfare and presence, performed with relentless energy. It is a characterized by a dance-like rhythm that is…

CD Review | Schubert: The Complete Sonatas and Major Piano Works, Vol. 7 – The Wanderer (Analekta, 2022)

By Pietro Freiburger on 23 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

Schubert: The Complete Sonatas and Major Piano Works, Vol. 7 – The WandererMathieu Gaudet, pianoAnalekta, 2022 Mathieu Gaudet’s courageous and impressive project, the recording of the complete Sonatas and Major Piano Works by Franz Schubert, reaches the seventh volume. The pianist (who is also an emergency-room physician) deals here with the youthful Sonata No. 1 in E Major, D.157, the Sonata No. 13 in A Minor, D.784, and the monumental Wanderer Fantasy in C Major, D. 760. What comes out of this CD is an admirable test of sound balance and clear structural conception of the pieces. What Gaudet manages to…

CD Review | Bocelli : A Family Christmas (Decca, 2022)

By Justin Bernard on 23 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

Bocelli : A Family ChristmasAndrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Virginia Bocelli, voicesDecca, 2022 Andrea Bocelli’s voice has remained fresh for more than 25 years. For those who don’t know it yet, it will continue to be fresh for the next generation! Bocelli: A Family Christmas presents the voices of the illustrious singer’s two offspring, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, reunited with their father for the first time on record. As you will understand, this is definitely not a Christmas album like others. The man who has dedicated his entire career to classical and pop crossover manages to recreate the perfect atmosphere for holidays…

CD Review | Scat C.A.T. (Self-produced, year)

By Marc Chénard on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

Scat C.A.T.Vodova DaySelf-produced, 2022 If a record cover telegraphs its content, this is the one. Behind the Scat C.A.T. stage name is one Claude Arnold Thibault, a jazzer at heart. Full marks to him for his flawless diction; you don’t miss a word. Next, he has recruited quite a team of sidemen, several being his own siblings, and a few established citizens of our community, pianists Felix Stüssi and John Sadoway, bassist Frédéric Alarie, and hornmen André Leroux and Ron Di Lauro making cameo solo appearances. Twelve jazz evergreens are heard in this hour-long album, the likes of Just…

CD Review | Essence Baroque (Self-published, 2022)

By Zenith Wolfe on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

Essence BaroqueJudy Hung, baroque violin, harpsichord and violoncello da spallaSelf-published, 2022 With a name like Essence Baroque, one would expect Judy Hung’s album to present a fulsome exploration of the baroque musical period, but the multi-instrumentalist only narrowly succeeds in this endeavour. Violin works by revered musicians like Bach, Matteis and Telemann populate the album, but save for the fourth and fifth parts of Bach’s Partita in D Minor, No. 2, Hung’s choices of compositions are not particularly dynamic. While they are all performed with technical prowess, they do not help Hung display the expressiveness and grandeur one would expect…

CD Review | SIBELIUS: Symphonies 1-7/Tapiola/Orchestral Fragments (Decca Classics, 28948528509)

By Paul E. Robinson on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

SIBELIUS: Symphonies 1-7/Tapiola/Orchestral FragmentsOslo Philharmonic Orchestra/Klaus MäkeläDecca Classics, 2022 Finland is a small country but it has long been known for producing way more than its share of world-class conductors. Few have risen as fast as 26-year-old Klaus Mäkelä. He is in his second season as music director of the Orchestre de Paris and third season as music director of the Oslo Philharmonic, and just a few months ago he was chosen to be the next conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Because of his current commitments, he doesn’t take over in Amsterdam until 2027; in the meantime,…

CD Review | De mille feux – “To shine with a thousand lights” (Leaf Music, 2022)

By Andrea Rush on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

De mille feux – “To shine with a thousand lights”Andara Quartet: Marie-Claire Vaillancourt and Jeanne Côté, violins; Vincent Delorme, viola; Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy, celloLeaf Music (2022) The Andara Quartet’s latest offering, De mille feux, bubbles with the sheer joy of harmonious, passionate music-making. Based at the Université de Montréal, its reputation extends internationally to the delight of sold-out audiences. The members—Marie-Claire Vaillancourt (violin), Jeanne Cote (violin), Vincent Delorme (viola) and Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy (cello)—were guided since their formation by the great cellist Denis Brott (at the Conservatoire de Montréal). Their warmth, musicality and focused playing imparts a warm, distinctive sound. The full…

CD Review | Eclipse (Deutsche Grammophon, 2022)

By Zenith Wolfe on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

EclipseHilary HahnDeutsche Grammophon, 2022 Hilary Hahn’s overarching mission is to make classical music appealing to younger audiences, and Eclipse is yet another marker of success. The album opens with the three parts of Dvořák’s sweeping Violin Concerto in A Minor, a grand and dynamic work that sets an appropriately positive tone for Hahn’s return after a pandemic-induced hiatus. Her violin performance, accompanied by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, is passionate and honest. The listener can feel Hahn’s uncertainty melt away as she becomes reaccustomed to the stage, an experience that is all too familiar to young members of the public reincorporating…

CD Review | Taking Five (independent, services provided by Leaf Music, 2022)

By Andrea Rush on 22 November 2022 CD and Book Reviews

Taking FiveCatherine Little, cello; Gregory Myra, pianoLabel: independent (services provided by Leaf Music, 2022) Cellist and educator Catherine Little has released Taking Five, a CD which was recorded at St. Andrew’s Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia (a province which is becoming a centre of first-rate music-making in Canada) and distributed by Naxos in CD format with streaming and download rights. Little’s expert playing is elegant and well supported by a fine collaborative pianist, Gregory Myra. Technically proficient, both performers are in sync throughout their selection, which pleasingly displays their common conceptual approach. Little learned from good teachers (including noted doyenne of cello,…

Browsing: CD and Book Reviews

CD Review | Breathe (Decca Records, 2022)

CD Review | After (Leaf Music, 2022)

CD Review | Schubert: The Complete Sonatas and Major Piano Works, Vol. 7 – The Wanderer (Analekta, 2022)

CD Review | Bocelli : A Family Christmas (Decca, 2022)

CD Review | Scat C.A.T. (Self-produced, year)

CD Review | Essence Baroque (Self-published, 2022)

CD Review | SIBELIUS: Symphonies 1-7/Tapiola/Orchestral Fragments (Decca Classics, 28948528509)

CD Review | De mille feux – “To shine with a thousand lights” (Leaf Music, 2022)

CD Review | Eclipse (Deutsche Grammophon, 2022)

CD Review | Taking Five (independent, services provided by Leaf Music, 2022)

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