~Program~
Frédéric Chopin: Fantasie in F minor, Op. 49
Chelsea Guo, piano
Chelsea Guo is a student of both piano and voice (soprano) at the Juilliard School. She has gained attention for performing as her own accompanist while singing, not a common practice in the world of classical music. The album is entitled Chopin in My Voice-Chelsea Guo on the Orchid Classics.
Franz von Suppé: Overture to Poet and Peasant
Vienna Philharmonic, Riccardo Muti
An estimated 50 million viewers worldwide watched this year’s virtual New Years Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. Riccardo Muti conducts the orchestra in a performance of a listener favorite, Franz von Suppé’s Overture to Poet and Peasant. You can find this and the rest of the concert on 2021 New Years Concert on the Sony Classical.
Claude Debussy: Petite Suite
Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne, piano
The combination of two virtuoso pianists and some delightful French music is the stuff of Hyperion’s 2021 release French Duets.
Sir Granville Bantock: Scenes from the Scottish Highlands(Suite for Strings)
Southwest German Chamber Orchestra, Douglas Bostock
Sir Granville who? Bantock is not exactly a household name in classical music, but he was an accomplished teacher and composer. He also helped found the orchestra which became the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. CPO release a CD entitled British Music for Strings II including Bantock’s Suite for Strings.
Rob Kennedy speaks with conductor Rodney Wynkoop, Artistic Director of the Choral Society of Durham, on the occasion of his 35th anniversary with the Choral Society of Durham.
Antonio Vivaldi: Violin Concerto in E flat, RV 257
Benedetti Baroque Orchestra
Nicola Benedetti, violin
The Benedetti Baroque Orchestra is a group of period-performance specialists assembled for this recording. Ms. Benedetti records for Decca. The playing of both Ms. Benedetti and her colleagues is sprightly and thoroughly delightful.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Krystian Zimerman, piano
The artists recorded this concerto during a series of live-stream performances in December 2020. Deutsche Grammaphon released it as part of the recording entitled Ludwig van Beethoven- Complete Piano Concertos.
C.P.E. Bach: String Symphony in A
Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer
According to the ensemble’s website, Gli Incogniti “is named after the Accademia degli Incogniti, an artistic and academic circle that was amongst the most active and libertarian of 17th century Venice.” We’ll sample C.P.E. Bach’s String Symphony in A from their new release on the Harmonia Mundi label appropriately entitled Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Complete String Symphonies.
Maurice Ravel: Mother Goose Suite
Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne, piano
More music for four hands at one piano from Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne as they play the much-loved Mother Goose Street by Maurice Ravel..
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B flat, D. 485
B’Rock Orchestra, René Jacobs
The B’Rock Orchestra, founded in 2005 in Ghent, Belgium, brings new vibrancy to the music of Baroque and Classical composers. The name is a play on the words “baroque” and “rock”. René Jacobs who is well-known for his early music performances conducts Schubert’s Symphonies 4 & 5 on a Pentaton release.
Rob Kennedy
August 29, 2021