~Program~
Various, arr. by Ronn McFarlane: Carol of the Bells; God rest ye merry, gentlemen; L’homme armé
Ronn McFarlane: A Star in the East; Early Christmas Morning Gigue
Ronn McFarlane, lute; Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba; Jackie Moran, bodhran
Mykola Dmytrovich Leontovych composed Carol of the Bells. The other titles are traditional in origin. You can listen to an interview with Ronn and Carolyn which aired on May 16 on our Conversations page.
Gabriel Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56
Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne, piano
Twenty-seven tracks of French piano music for four hands performed by Paul Lewis and Steven Osborne make for a delightful listening experience.
CD: Hyperion 2021 French Duets
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
The Knights, Eric Jacobsen
Gil Shaham, violin
This is Gil Shaham’s first solo release in almost 5 years, and his first recording of the Beethoven violin concerto, arguably the most anticipated addition to his recorded oeuvre.
CD: Canary Classics 2021 Beethoven / Brahms: Violin Concertos — Gil Shaham
Interview: Rob Kennedy speaks with John Jeter, conductor of the Fort Smith Symphony, about the music of Florence Price.
Florence Price: Ethiopia’s Shadow in America
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, John Jeter
Florence Price (1887-1953), was the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer. This recording is the latest in conductor John Jeter’s exploration of neglected music by Ms.Price.
CD: Naxos 2021 Price: Symphony No. 3/The Mississippi River/Ethiopia’s Shadow in America
Richard Danielpour: “An Elegy for our Time” from An American Mosaic
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
An American Mosaic is a fascinating study of how a contemporary composer can fuse the gestures and syntax of a tradition rooted in Bach with contemporary sensibilities… Jonathan Blumhofer in The Arts Fuse
CD: Supertrain Records 2021 An American Mosaic-Danielpour//Dinnerstein
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 Pentatone release.
CD: Pentatone 2021 Schubert Symphonies 4 & 5
Ludwig van Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F, Op. 5 No. 1
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Emanuel Ax, piano
Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax were in their 20s when they first recorded Beethoven’s works for cello and piano. In this recording, these two old friends revisit this music four decades later.
CD: Sony Classical 2021 Emanuel Ax & Yo-Yo Ma: Hope Amid Tears
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: Piano Concerto in C sharp for one hand, Op. 17
The Orchestra Now, Leon Botstein
Orion Weiss, piano
One of several concertos for the left hand commissioned for Paul Wittgenstein, a young pianist who lost his right arm in WW I. Korngold was 25 when he wrote this.
CD: Bridge 2021 Piano Protagonist/Korngold-Chopin-Rimsky-Korsakov
Rob Kennedy
December 19, 2021