Classical > Delius, Frederick (Theodore Albert) Classical

A musical delight

Advantages: Beautiful songs, beautifully sung
Disadvantages: None!

Ian Bostridge is the young English tenor who's been hailed as one of the biggest talents to hit the scene for a long while. Reviewers rave about his intelligence, his ability to bring out the sense of the songs he sings, and to make the texts spring to life - all the more remarkable since he came to singing quite late: he was an academic and gained his PhD before diverting to music. His new-ish disc with pianist Julius Drake - 'The English Songbook' ...
...on this disc). The sensitive accompaniment of Julius Drake (equally intelligent as a pianist) shines out, and the recording is well-balanced. Highly recommended if you like English songs, and if you haven't heard Ian Bostridge before, this is a good place to start. Head out to you local record-shop now! ...

pennyg 04.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Ian Bostridge - The English Songbook

Dazzling pianistic virtuosity and sensitivity

Advantages: Wide range of little-know music played live by world-class pianists
Disadvantages: None for those who enjoy classical Piano Solo music

For nearly twenty years there has been a festival of piano music at Schloss vor Husum. Over the years, many famous pianists have played there, including the "super-virtuoso" Marc-Andre Hamelin who started playing there before he became world-famous. Each year there is a single CD issued with a selection of performances from the festival. CDs are currently available for most of the festivals. I bought the 1998 one from eBay last year, so I am reviewing ...
...CD of piano music I have. Six different pianists are featured. The selections are large enough to enjoy in their own right, rather than as samplers, but they are likely to inspire the listener to buy other CDs by the same artists, as I have done. Oleg Marshev Oleg Marshev has recorded the complete works of Emil von Sauer (on Danacord). Sauer is better known as an editor of piano works by Liszt, but he wrote sonatas, a large number of concert studies, ...

skriabini 14.04.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss vor Husum, 1998

A little bit of traditional English!!

Advantages: Quintessentially English
Disadvantages: I only listened to the compostions I am familiar with!

...track and Vaughan Williams. Fantasia on Greensleeves I adore this peice being a Flautist, as it is a Harp and Flute solo to open the piece. It is a very tranquil opening, gently lilting into the traditional and well known Greensleeves tune. I always think of Henry VIII and knights in shining armour when I here this. The string section provdes a lush melody and accompanyment through out. An excellent track for beginner classics lover to start with. ...
...lazying in golden fields and restiing by a babbling brook is what this fine piece of composition conjures for me! Based on a Poem by George Meredith (1828-1909) the music is written about htis carefree bird. The solo violin enters with soaring appeggios, indicating the gain of height and with a delicate winds section supporting the country folk theme feel. The English Folk Song Suite (My favourite) I adore this, I have musically played Principle ...

armychick 22.07.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Fantasia on Greensleeves

Sumptuous works by a little-known composer

Advantages: Good recordings of unfamiliar, but rewarding works
Disadvantages: None

Karlowicz is a relatively unknown composer whose chief claim to fame was his untimely death in a skiing accident just before the First World War. He left a small collection of works, the later of which (figured in this disc) show a talent that was tragically snuffed out before he could achieve greatness. The Symphonic Poems featured here reveal a composer adept at interesting orchestral effects (try the sad theme at the start of the Lithuanian Rhapsody, ...
...writing for the lower-toned instruments of the orchestra. Karlowicz has clearly learnt a lot from Richard Strauss, whose shadow fell across much pre-1914 music, but it often lacks the extrovert quality of the Gernman composer's tone poems; as the inlay notes say, there is a 'brooding' quality to much of this music, particularly evident in the middle sections of these works. Another feature of Karlowicz's writing is his tendency to pick himself up ...

chivhu 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Karlowicz: Symphonic Poems Vol 1

Music for Meditation

Advantages: A good introduction to sacred music
Disadvantages: A rather niche album on which those into the genre will find nothing new

...the same. Requiem is subtitled "music for Reflection and Meditation". It takes various well known settings of the requiem mass, together with a couple of other fitting pieces and puts them together in one place. If one is so minded, one should note that this album is NOT a requiem mass. The pieces don't follow in the right order but, having said that, to the knowledgeable, the whole album stands on its own as a good religious set. One of the other ...
...who are less well-known. When one says "requiem" one might think of Verdi or Mozart but here we also have offerings from Spanish composer Lobo (a motet) and the Italian Pergolesi (an extract from his Sabat Mater). I feel that Naxos have really got it right with this compilation. The perfect balance between the known and the unknown is struck with excerpts from the more well known Requiems by Mozart and Verdi featuring more than once meaning ...

CareBear 15.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Requiem - Classical Music for Reflection & Meditation