Salonen: Wing on Wing
About the Composer: Aside from his extensive conducting career, Finlander Esa-Pekka Salonen (1958- ) has spirited away to his writing desk on several occasions and has cemented his reputation as one of the most significant modernist composers.
About the Music: Shortly after Vince began exploring various Naxos Lutosławski recordings and discussed them in [...]
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Dvořák: Cello Concerto; Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations
About the Music: After exploring Dvořák’s final three symphonies many moons ago, I read about his renowned Cello Concerto (Op.104), which was written in 1895 while he was residing in the United States. I have been curious about the cello for some time, as it strikes me [...]
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Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
About the Composer: Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was one of the most prominent Twentieth Century Russian composers. Probably best known for his didactic children’s work Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev also invested his energies into creating symphonies, piano concertos, ballets, and numerous shorter pieces.
About the Music: I’m not averse [...]
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Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
About the Composer: Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a famous French romantic composer who created several notable solo piano compositions. Regrettably, Ravel is most often associated with his orchestral work Bolero, a repetitive and somewhat mind-numbing piece that does not demonstrate his true mastership. In addition to his [...]
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SHOSTAKOVICH: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
About the Composer:
Dimtri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was the preemminent Soviet-era Russian composer. New theories abound about his Communist orthodoxy, but having read 2 biographies and his letters to Isaak Glickman, I’m convinced he was more anti-Stalinist than anti-Communist (though the theroies about musical codes are interesting). His music is often [...]
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BORODIN: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 2
About the Composer:
Alexander Borodin taught himself the Cello at age 17, but took up the profession of chemistry. He began composing music at the behest of his friends who recognized his talent.
Borodin composed 2 symphonies, a number of popular songs, and a small amount of influential chamber music before [...]
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OHKI: Japanese Rhapsody / Symphony No. 5, “Hiroshima”
About the Composer:
According to Naxos, he lived from 1901-1971. Symphony 5 “Hiroshima” is based on the first six of the “The Hiroshima Panels” - paintings depicting human suffering from Atomic/Nuclear warfare. Hard to find biographical info about this composer. Does anyone have any information besides what Naxos offers [...]
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