performed by Roland Pöntinen, or below by Eduard Steuermann (cover image by h-e-n-g-s-t-r-e-a-m) It may sound like a cliche, but Schoenberg’s earlier (by a little over a decade) opus 11 really was a watershed moment for the composer in dealing … Continue reading Schoenberg: Fünf Stücke, op. 23
performed by the Orchestre de Radio Luxembourg under the composer’s baton (cover image by Kawin Harasai) So this one really tops them all, I think. What do you to to top off a symphonic cycle, even if it’s just a … Continue reading Milhaud Little Symphony no. 6, op. 79
performed by the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra under John Avison (cover image by Brenda Helen) Since this article isn’t going to be very long, let’s talk briefly about the conductor above, John Avison. He was born on April 25, 1915 … Continue reading Rosenberg: Sinfonia da Chiesa no. 1, op. 15
performed by the Divertimenti Ensemble (Sorry, again no YouTube here, but go support good record labels like Hyperion and buy the album if it’s something you feel you may like. I’ll be honest. There are some works that I’d purchase … Continue reading Herbert Howells: String Quartet no. 3 ‘In Gloucestershire’
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay & Mats Lidström, or below with Janine Jansen, violin; Torleif Thedéen, cello; Eldar Nebolsin, piano Soviet disturbances weren’t the only bane of Shostakovich’s existence. He suffered from health ailments throughout his life, it seems. At … Continue reading Shostakovich Piano Trio in Cm, op. 8
performed by David Oistrakh and Sviatoslav Richter, from the recital in the Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory in 1972 I’d like to say I planned it, but I didn’t. Both of Bartok’s violin sonatas, written within a year or so … Continue reading Bartok Violin Sonata no. 1, Sz.75/BB 84
performed by the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra under Michel Plasson It’s about trains. Or is it? So Pacific 231 is a kind of train, and Arthur Honegger was, as Wikipedia says: …widely known as a train enthusiast, and once notably said: “I … Continue reading Arthur Honegger: Pacific 231
Fugue for Thought 