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Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto can be described as sumptuous, lush, exotic. It is said that the composer himself was inspired by the Polish poet Tadeusz Miciński, and specifically his poem Noc Majowa (A Night in May). Just by reading...
Music Reviews:
Philip Glass, Piano Works (selection)
Víkingur Ólafsson (pianist)
Deutsche Grammophon
Bach, Solo Piano Works (selection)
Víkingur Ólafsson (pianist)
Deutsche Grammophon
Philip Glass
I have listened to a lot of different recordings of the Glass Etudes. These are among my favourite contemporary minimalist piano pieces. I stress the word...
Philip Glass, Symphony 11Bruckner Orchester LinzDennis Russell Davies (conductor)Orange Mountain Music
Philip Glass, the non-minimalist composer
In my review for the Ólafsson album of the Philip Glass Etudes, I noted how,...
New Collections
Hot Stuff Coming
Stenhammar Symphony 2, Lindberg
Is the Stenhammar 2nd symphony a great work? Listen to Lindberg’s account and you will realise that it is. And why shouldn’t it be?...
Igor Levit’s Variations (Bach, Beethoven, Rzewski)
Even though I had been thinking of reviewing this 3CD set, the fact that it was recently awarded the Gramophone Recording of the Year...
Ali Smith, “Autumn”
It’s not easy to blur the line between dreams and illusions, but Ali Smith succeeds effortlessly. "It was the worst of times, it was...
The Luminaries
Title: The Luminaries
Author: Eleanor Catton
Published: 2013
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton is massive book: massive in size, scope and depth. Set in 19th century New...
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LATEST ARTICLES
Philip Glass, Symphony 11, Dennis Russell Davies
Philip Glass, Symphony 11Bruckner Orchester LinzDennis Russell Davies (conductor)Orange Mountain Music
Philip Glass, the non-minimalist composer
Víkingur Ólafsson, Bach & Philip Glass
Music Reviews:
Philip Glass, Piano Works (selection)
Víkingur Ólafsson (pianist)
Deutsche Grammophon
Bach, Solo Piano Works (selection)
Víkingur Ólafsson (pianist)
Deutsche Grammophon
Philip Glass
I have listened to a lot of different recordings of the...
The Taiga Syndrome, Cristina Rivera Garza
Book Review:
Title: The Taiga Syndrome
Author: Cristina Rivera Garza
Published: Dorothy, a publishing project (October 2018)
The fairy tale imagery is apparent from the very beginning. But this...
Mahler Symphony 6, Currentzis, MusicAeterna
Review:
Mahler, Symphony 6 "Tragic"
MusicAeterna
Teodor Currentzis (conductor)
Sony Classical
This is not just another Mahler 6th. And this is no easy thing to say considering that the competition...
Rachmaninov Piano Concertos 2 & 4, Trifonov/Nézet-Séguin/The Philadelphia Orchestra
Rachmaninov, Piano Concertos 2 & 4
Daniil Trifonov (piano)
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Deutsche Grammophon, October 2018
When a piece of music is among your favourite works of...
Stenhammar Symphony 2, Lindberg
Is the Stenhammar 2nd symphony a great work? Listen to Lindberg’s account and you will realise that it is. And why shouldn’t it be?...
Rachel Cusk, Kudos
Author: Rachel Cusk
Title: Kudos
Published: 2018
Rachel Cusk’s works are important pieces of literature, in fact so important that they are the kind of books that...
Barenboim, Brahms, The Symphonies
This is Brahms as it should be. Bold, grand, shamelessly romantic. Of course, Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin have given us first-rate symphony cycles...
Nelsons, Shostakovich Symphonies 4 & 11
First the good news: This Shostakovich album by Nelsons is better recorded than the previous releases in this set (symphonies 5, 8, 9 and...
Ari Aster, “Hereditary”
Title: Heredirary
Director: Ari Aster
Release date: 2018
So much has already been written about Hereditary: for some, it’s the new Exorcist, for others it’s a combination...