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The Arts Desk’s Classical Music Reviews For This Week
Straight from The Arts Desk this week comes classical music reviews of the latest classical music CDs, piano recitals, a composition by a musician with an age of 102 and a spot of light music.
Richard Nice’s week was made when he joined the audience at the piano recital by the eminent Russian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, which was held at the Wigmore Hall. Her programme focused on Schubert, finding depth and sorrow in his late work, and tackling the daunting ‘Wanderer’ Fantasy with style and impressive command. At the Wigmore Hall, Leonskaja conveyed far more than her past animated performances would have suggested to Nice, who already held her in great esteem. During the entire performance the whole audience, Nice included, were fully absorbed.
At the last night of the Aldeburgh Festival, the audience, including Igor Toronyi-Lalic, were treated to something rather special – a new classical composition by the 102-year-old Elliott Carter. With Colin Currie on marimba and Pierre-Laurent Aimard on piano, Carter’s ‘Conversations’ wowed everyone with its spirited, zesty energy and atmospheric range, moving swiftly from lively to mournful to romantic, demonstrably belying its composer’s age. To follow, with a great contrast in age, came a pair of young composers – Charlotte Bray with a mesmerizing violin concerto that left the reviewer eager for more and Helen Grime’s less fruitful piece. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and their conductor, Oliver Knussen, displayed their proficiency with Stravinsky for the rest of the programme.
Ismene Brown’s evening at the Wigmore Hall, which began with a frightful contemporary dance display, was saved from absolute ruin by a recital of Bach and Shostakovich by pianist Joanna MacGregor. MacGregor, playing in a late-night concert at the hall on Friday, impressed with supreme piano technique, communicating the classical tones like music for the electronic piano. Nevertheless, Brown eventually departed discontented as the narrow playing missed the depths and natural expression demanded by the pieces, despite its fascinating and detailed quality.
David Nice made an appearance at ‘Light Fantastic’ – an evening of light music at the Royal Festival Hall, held in honour of Eric Coates, John Wilson’s favourite composer of the genre. The concert was part of the Southbank Centre’s Festival of Britain celebrations and was recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Edward German’s Romeo and Juliet and the Forsyte Saga theme were among the other musical delights presented, in addition to pieces by Robert Farnon, Vivian Ellis and John Malcolm. A solely Coates programme would have been much more to Nice’s taste, however, as not all music was to his liking although, on the whole, the playing was superb and the music memorable
Meanwhile, Graham Rickson was in charge of sifting through the week’s classical music CD releases. Inspired by the well-known Turkish football club, ‘Galatasaray’ by Kamran Ince, a Turkish-American composer, was thought to be a peculiarly enthralling piece with allusions to Slavic oratorio, if a tad too long. Accompanying it are pleasant orchestral centrepieces, which supply much-appreciated calmness after the grandeur of the earlier pieces. Next in his selection was André Previn’s second full-length opera, ‘Brief Encounter’, the libretto of which closely follows Noël Coward’s screenplay for the classic David Lean film. It’s a sober retelling, with touches of many of Previn’s favourite composers, including Walton, Prokofiev, Strauss and Bernstein. Drenched in yearning for the Surrey life which the American composer once enjoyed, the creation is generally skillfully executed . Lastly this week is the lithe and shining voice of Julia Lazhneva, a youthful Russian soprano with an astoundingly mature singing voice who has recorded a debut CD of vibrant Rossini arias. Rickson was thoroughly entertained by her witty vocal pyrotechnics and impressed by Marc Minkowski and the Warsaw Chorus accompanying her. This is a CD to lighten the mood no end.
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Luigi Bormioli Strauss Shot Glass, Crystal Tableware Luigi Bormioli Strauss Shot Glass – Clear, Square Base… |
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Luigi Bormioli Strauss 13 Oz Flat Tumbler, Crystal Tableware Luigi Bormioli Strauss 13 Oz Flat Tumbler – Clear, Square Base… |
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Luigi Bormioli Strauss Ice Bucket, Crystal Tableware Luigi Bormioli Strauss Ice Bucket – Clear, Square Base… |
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Living Stereo 60 CD Collection Box $142.49 … |
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The Original Jacket Collection: Montserrat Caballé [Limited Edition] [Box Set] $52.20 … |
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Earl Wild: Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions $9.00 This exceptional recording is largely devoted to Earl Wild’s own dazzling piano transcriptions. Mr. Wild received a Grammy® Award in 1997 for this disc of Thirteen Virtuoso Piano Transcriptions. It is being re-released on Ivory Classics® in honor of Earl Wild’s 84th birthday! Praised by critics and music lovers around the world as a “stunning document of musical sensitivity and virtuosity” and “… |
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A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) $11.99 Following years of growing apart, Harold Lee (Cho) and Kumar Patel (Penn) have replaced each other with new friends and are preparing for their respective Yuletide celebrations. But when a mysterious package mistakenly arrive at Kumarâs door on Christmas Eve, his attempts to redirect it to Haroldâs house ends with the âhigh gradeâ contents â and Haroldâs father-in-law… |
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Strauss: An Alpine Symphony / Oboe Concerto $20.60 … |
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Lotte Lehmann Masterclasses – Opera $18.80 … |
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Hellboy 2 The Golden Army Exclusive 18 Wounded Hellboy Figure – Limited Edition of 500 Pieces Even demons can be mortally wounded and Hellboy is no exception. Taken from the pinnacle scene in the move Hellboy II The Golden Army is Mezco Direct’s Battle Damaged Hellboy Exclusive. Incredibly detailed & with real bandages that have the bloodied spear tip from Prince Nauda’s spear still protruding out of his chest this deluxe 18″ scale Hellboy figure is extremely limited. Featuring action-pack… |