Winter 2025: Recording Reviews
Winter 2025; Vol 16, No. 4
Shura Cherkassky (1909–1995) was the embodiment of the stereotypical “mercurial” musician; his freewheeling manner at the piano drove conductors to distraction and made certain critics foam at the mouth with rage. The 13-year-old of 1923 was a very different musician than the variable pianist heard...
Winter 2024: Recording Reviews
Winter 2024; Vol. 15, No. 4
This recording clearly illustrates two points: Polish composer Karol Szymanowski merits greater acclaim, and Krystian Zimerman’s sublime artistry remains untarnished. (Zimerman recorded Masques, Op. 34, in 1994, and all other tracks in 2022.) The selections from Preludes, Op. 1, published in 1900 when Szymanowski was...
Five Things You Might Not Know About Margaret Bonds
Discovery homeSign up for email updatessubmit a question Check out Sarah Rushing’s archived webinar of Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water, where she explores the preparation, practice, and interpretation of this unique piece. 1. Margaret Bonds was raised by four independent, career-oriented women. At the tender age...
Spring 2023: Recording Reviews
Spring 2023; Vol. 15, No. 1
Dutilleux: Complete Music for Solo Piano Vittoria Quartararo, pianoPiano Classics PCL10167[Total Time 59:14]piano-classics.com Though she states that “…Dutilleux’s works cannot be consumed without concentration,” Vittoria Quartararo makes the listener’s job an easy and enjoyable one in her recent album featuring the composer’s complete works. Her...
Winter 2023: Recording Reviews
Winter 2023; Vol. 14, No. 4
Uncommon Voices: Women Composers from Eastern Europe Natasha Stojanovska, pianoNavona NV6440[Total Time 69:55]navonarecords.com This album includes works by six women, including two Phantasies by the performer. In these works, Stojanovska uses rhythmic frameworks and rhapsodic filigree emanating from Macedonian music, cast in a tonal/modal pitch...
Spring 2022: Discover: First Looks: Recordings
Spring 2022; Vol. 14, No. 1
PIANO FANTASIES Pavel Gintov, piano Navona NV6379. Total Time [71:05]. navonarecords.com Though fantasies may not share compositional or stylistic similarities from one piece to the next, one common theme emerges: the fantasy represents a journey. Pavel Gintov takes us on a spectacular one in his latest album, which includes beloved favorites by...
Autumn 2021: First Looks: Recordings
Autumn 2021; Vol. 13, No. 3
RÜCKBLICK: NEW PIANO MUSIC INSPIRED BY BRAHMS: Ann DuHamel, The depth of programming and playing in DuHamel’s latest album, which introduces newly commissioned works inspired by Johannes Brahms’ oeuvre, is striking. Casual listeners will enjoy snippets of his most beloved melodies, while astute connoisseurs will be...