Stewart Goodyear Celebrates Beethoven

New recording of the piano concertos raises the bar (again)   In the year of celebrating the 250th year of Beethoven’s birth — and at a time when so many planned live concerts have been silenced by the pandemic — we are all the more grateful for the steady stream of recordings of everything from…

“Once Upon a Time” becomes a new “happily ever after”

The Skylark vocal ensemble anchors a compelling and fresh take on familiar tales   If you thought you were familiar with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” or “The Little Mermaid,” take a listen to a stunning recent release by the vocal ensemble Skylark. Director Matthew Guard would be quick to point out that the…

A Second Dive into Beethoven’s “Kitchen Sink”

Six more CDs sampled from the Naxos 90-disc every-note-he-wrote collection After what was mostly a taste of major and personal favorite works a few weeks ago, this installment of reviews from Naxos Records 90-CD ultra-complete Beethoven collection stays mostly off the beaten path. And in sum…it was a whole lot of fun! From the Orchestral…

Beethoven—and His Kitchen Sink

Being the first of three reviews of the Naxos 90-CD boxed set   In case you hadn’t checked your calendar and done the math—or somehow hadn’t heard yet—2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Since his birthday was December 16, we’re still more than a year away from the actual celebration, but that hasn’t…

Art Songs Are Alive and Well

Soprano Mary Mackenzie and pianist Heidi Louise Williams survey mostly 21st-century songs in a compelling 2-CD set   It has been some months now (back in 2018 in fact) since Albany Records released “Vocalisms,” a 2-CD set of songs by four leading and living composers: John Harbison, James Primosch, Daniel Crozier and Ned Rorem. While…

A Testament of Greatness

New documentary of Birgit Nilsson reminds us of what we had—and can still treasure I’ve spent most of my life believing that Birgit Nilsson was the greatest Wagnerian soprano of my lifetime. A 2018 Unitel DVD, “Birgit Nilsson: A League of Her Own,” (distributed by Naxos), gives ample evidence to even make the argument she…

A Requiem Review for a Birthday

We celebrate John Harbison’s 80th birthday with a review of the first recording of his Requiem   We don’t need a reason to join thousands of other music lovers around the world in honoring John Harbison, the Pulitzer Prize-winning (among many other high honors) composer born December 20, 1938. But it is particularly fitting (even…

Harbison and Stucky Headline a Stirring Naxos CD

Fascinating program from conductor David Alan Miller   A recent CD in the “American Classics” series from Naxos offers a compelling combination of works, masterfully played by the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, conducted by David Alan Miller. John Harbison headlines the booklet, but the first work on the disc is the earliest, Sun-Treader, by Carl…

Walton Wins Us Over

BBC Symphony and James Ehnes are revelatory on new Chandos CD   My first focused exposure to William Walton’s music was a recording of his early and celebrated Façade, and I was an instant fan. Still, I didn’t diligently seek out all of his works, but surely I encountered his Concerto for Viola and Orchestra…

“Copland Conducts Copland” a Real Time Capsule

Naxos DVD reissue provides a powerful encounter with two American icons   It certainly is to be expected that many folks have personal reasons for their eager anticipation of hearing a particular recording, seeing a film, et al. I surely did as soon as I learned that Naxos was releasing a “new” DVD titled “Copland…