Aho: Symphony No 9; Cello Concerto

Advantages: Everything you could ever want from a classical CD
Disadvantages: none

...Beethoven 5. Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 6. Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in E minor Composed by Sir Edward Elgar 7. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov 8. Concierto de Aranjuez Composed by Joaquín Rodrigo 9. Swan Lake Composed by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky 10. Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" in E minor Composed by Antonín Dvorák 11. Variations on an Original Theme, 'Enigma' Composed by Sir Edward Elgar 12. Sonata for Piano No. 14, 'Moonlight' in C sharp minor Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven 13. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C minor Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov 14. Adagio for Strings Composed by Samuel Barber 15. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 21, "Elvira M in C Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 16... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: It is simply one of the finest pieces of music ever written
Disadvantages: How dare you ask of any disadvantges!?!

...a melody in 9/8 time. In May, Elgar, his wife Alice, and daughter Carice went to their summer residence of Brinkwells, a cottage in Sussex, for some rural relaxation and healing (Elgar loved the countryside). Finally, in August, he suddenly was attacked by a great surge of creativity. He had his piano taken out of storage and wrote a Violin Sonata in E minor, Op.82, which was soon followed by the String Quartet in E minor, Op.83 and Piano Quintet in A minor, Op.84. This sudden surge showed a new streak of creative development in Elgar's music that was more elusive, economical and a million miles away from his bombastic past. The three works were premiered in May 1919, after which Elgar set out on his great summation of this new style (as well as career): the Cello Concerto in E minor, Op.85. There is not much documentation of the work... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Gorgeous music, played with much passion
Disadvantages: None really

..., especially if the potential piece has real quality. How do we know if it is going to capture the audience's imagination if we don't even try?! Fortunately the record company Hyperion have always had a great philosophy about bringing out recordings featuring unusual repertoire, and this CD is a prime example of this. Combined with a soloist, the cellist - Alban Gerhardt - and a conductor - Carlos Kalmar - both passionate proponents of the musical path less travelled, they've produced a fascinating recording which should hopefully achieve a lot in making these works better known. Artists: Cellist Alban Gerhardt is one of the top international cello soloists on the circuit today, with a very wide-ranging repertoire, appearing with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful