News & Reviews

This week on The Classical Station, Master of Music Emily Moss sat down with Jose Olea Vico & Julius Adams, Fellows of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, to discuss artistic identity, musical mentorship, and how public performance brings community together.

Throughout history, classical music has been seen as a force so potent that authoritarian governments have sought to silence it. This week in Classical Considerations, we explore how these banned compositions not only survive but thrive, continuing to challenge and inspire us in ways that repressive regimes feared.

This week on Preview! Join host Rob Kennedy and guitar virtuoso David Jacques as they dig into Volume 3 of the critically acclaimed Histoires de guitares series.

Classical music might bring to mind quiet contemplation more than dance. But did you know it wasn’t always this way? Centuries ago, classical music was the soundtrack to Europe’s most lively dance floors. In fact, many of the great composers wrote music specifically for dancing. So, are you ready to explore some forgotten dance styles—and maybe even feel the urge to get up and move?

Dr. Philip Cave, Associate Director of Chapel Music at Duke University, will be our guest on Preview!, Sunday, September 29, 2024 to discuss the music and significance of Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso.

Staff writer Matthew Young reviews the latest recording of Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 from the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Semyon Bychkov and released under the Pentatone label.

Ever wondered what key your dog barks in? How about the chord created by cannon fire? The tonality of a hammer striking an anvil? Perhaps unsurprisingly some of the greatest composers of classical music have pondered these very questions, and with some striking results. Today's Classical Considerations reviews some of the strangest “instruments” included in classical music and asks the question: “daring innovation or simply for shock-value?”

From Pentatone's website: "The cello concerto was composed in 1935 and premiered in 1938 in Boston by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Serge Koussevitsky. Cellist Matt Haimovitz talks about de Hartmann and his music on Preview!, Sunday, September 22.

From the Convivium website: The Choir of Royal Holloway College, University of London reveals itself as a force to be reckoned with in these fine performances of choral music by American composer Dan Locklair (b. 1949), professor of music at Wake Forest University in Western-Salem, North Carolina (where he is also composer in residence). Locklair’s music is nuanced and varies from the brightly inspirational to the touchingly personal. Dan Locklair will be our guest on Preview! Sunday, September 15 at 7 p.m. Eastern.

From the Chandos website: 'The Neave Trio’s programme Rooted features a range of works based on folk music. Smetana’s distinctive nationalistic style was largely based on the inclusion of bohemian rhythmic and melodic elements, and he was acclaimed in his native Bohemia as the father of Czech music. His Trio in G minor was composed in 1855 as a response to the death of his four-year old daughter and shows the influence of Liszt. Josef Suk was a favourite pupil of Dvorák’s, and his early Piano Trio, whilst shorter in length and less intense than Smetana’s, is embedded in that Czech tradition. Also deeply influenced by Dvorák, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was inspired by his African heritage, as well, and his Twenty-Four Negro Melodies for Piano was a prime example of his research. He subsequently arranged five of these pieces into the suite for piano trio that we hear on this album. The programme concludes with Frank Martin’s Trio from 1925, which is based on traditional Irish melodies. Members of the Trio will be our guests on Preview! "

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff’s birth (1873-1943), PaTRAM Institute invites you to experience the sublime beauty of his choral tour de force, the All-Night Vigil, as adapted and performed by the PaTRAM Institute Male Choir, a GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble. Octavist Glen Miller talks about this recording this week on Preview! at 7 p.m. Eastern.

American concert pianist Steven Masi explores the depths of Romantic and Impressionist piano literature on his latest recording, Ballades and Other Musings, on the Navona label. Steven is our guest on Preview! Sunday, August 25.

From Navona Records: “Inspired by Bach’s profound lyricism and informed by historical insights, O’Riley’s interpretation transcends conventional keyboard traditions. Through meticulous attention to intonation and rhythmic flexibility, O’Riley uncovers layers of meaning, echoing the Japanese concept of ‘Ma’ — the significance of space and silence." Christopher O'Riley is a classical pianist and former host of NPR's From the Top. He'll speak to us this Sunday on Preview! about his interpretation of Bach's keyboard masterwork. Join us!

From Atma Classiques: "Cellist Cameron Crozman presents his fourth album for ATMA Classique, featuring Joseph Haydn's Cello Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, playing alongside the dynamic Quebec-based Les Violons du Roy under the direction of Nicolas Ellis, one of Canada’s top young conductors." Cameron will be our guest this Sunday on Preview!

The delightful chamber music on this recording by the Frahm-Lewis Trio commemorates Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812). The Frahm-Lewis Trio, Nathan Buckner, Ting-Lan Chen, and Noah Turner Rogoff, will be our guests on Preview! this week at 7 p.m. Eastern.