Imprinting: Beethoven and Schubert • Accademia Bizantina
I was a bit surprised to see another Italian conductor taking up Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony so soon after our earlier experience here with Enrico Onofri’s album.
romantic
Songs without Words • Bertrand Chamayou
Felix Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte hold an odd place in the repertoire. In the nineteenth century they were among the most widely played piano music in Europe, and for much of the twentieth they were among the most…
Beethoven & the Italians
This Harmonia Mundi release from the Munich Chamber Orchestra, with nearly three hours of music, works as three separate productions across three discs; each disc pairs a Beethoven symphony with additional music by…
Opus 109 “Green Album” • Ólafsson
One of the first things I noticed about this program is its centering on the keys of E major and E minor. The liner notes reveal that the pianist experiences synesthesia—not the first musician to associate musical keys…
Beethoven & Liszt • Zhang
Albums like this one often serve as calling cards for younger pianists: they establish technical command through repertoire that everyone knows, while the best also reveal a distinctive interpretive voice.
Vision String Quartet • Webern • Dvorak
On Sunday, July 6, 2025, I attended a concert by the Vision String Quartet at London’s Wigmore Hall. The program included two pieces plus an encore: The concert was special for me on several fronts: first, the location.
Inmost Heart: Bach, Brahms, Busoni, Reger
When I saw Bach and Busoni attached to this recording, I assumed it would include the Bach Chaconne arranged by Ferruccio Busoni, a piece that for me is a wonderful ride.
J. Prégardien Records Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin
I endured a deep dive into Schubert’s song cycle known as the Miller’s Daughter or Fair Maid of the Mill in one of my music theory classes in college.
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas op.10 1-3
Pianist Paul Lewis has recorded the entire piano sonatas by Beethoven on Harmonia Mundi, the 8th CD in the complete 10-CD set features op. 10 1-3 (C min, F maj, D maj).