English
The sea in many forms: the Finnish premiere of Matthew Whittall’s piano concerto
Matthew Whittall's new piano concerto, Nameless Seas, was effective in evoking not only literal but also metaphorical feelings of the sea. Respighi is best known for his ecstatically colorful symphonic portraits of Rome, which ...
Irene Dalis in recital, for collectors and everyone else
This priceless CD illustrates, as if that were still necessary, and strongly underscore the consummate vocal and dramatic mastery of this great American mezzo of the 50’s and 60’s. It offers ...
Par excellence : Vilde Frang in Britten’s Violin Concerto
Vilde Frang may have some tough competition, but she could just be the interpreter par excellence of Britten's Violin Concerto. In the past decade or so, frequent performances and new recordings of Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto seem to ...
Ulf Wallin tackles Pettersson’s massive Violin Concerto No. 2
Christian Lindberg made a thoroughly convincing argument of the inherent drama of Pettersson's music while emphasizing the fact that there is ultimately a song informing the music. Even in his native ...
Top class : Renée Fleming and Sakari Oramo at the Helsinki Festival
This evening's performance of Nielsen's Symphony No. 2 provided further evidence that the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra belongs in the top echelon of the world's great orchestras. Sakari Oramo is currently Chief Conductor ...
Finnish premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto
At least on this first hearing, Salonen's new Cello Concerto seemed confident and uncertain at the same time. This evening's concert marked the opening of Esa-Pekka Salonen's second season as Artist-in-Association with the Finnish National ...
The fascinating Michał Gondko, an accomplished lutenist
Having spent the last 18 years on the activities of the La Morra ensemble, the Polish lutenist Michał Gondko is becoming a sought-after soloist. Particularly seduced by the polyphonic art ...
Men and Women : Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 6 in ballet form
Men and Women by Antoine Jully, chief choreographer of the Oldenburg ballet, on Allan Pettersson's Symphony n°6 expresses a wide range of emotions between the genders. Jully's reflection of the composer's ...
Kreutzer Sonata or Bridgewater Sonata ?
The Bridgewater Sonata by Emmanuel Dongala presents a fictionalized version of the apprenticeship of the Polish virtuoso violinist George Bridgetower, to whom his friend Beethoven initially dedicated his Violin Sonata ...
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 at Prague Spring
The Prague Philharmonic and Kühn choirs just might have stolen the show with their power, clear diction, and their ability to conjure up countless shades of color. There are certainly many ...
Sakari Oramo in Elgar’s Symphony No. 2
Sakari Oramo did not hesitate in bringing Elgar's unabashedly passionate and emotional elements to the fore. During his tenure as principal conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (RSPO), Sakari Oramo ...
Broadly : Kent Nagano in Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8
Nagano's performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8, while abundant in individual highlights, was not quite a fully convincing interpretation of this massive work. Anton Bruckner is arguably the perfect example of ...
Exploring the depths : Osmo Vänskä in Sibelius’ Symphony No. 4
Osmo Vänskä is unrivaled in his ability (and willingness) to explore the deepest depths of Sibelius' Symphony No. 4. Osmo Vänskä earned himself and his former band (the Lahti Symphony Orchestra) international recognition ...
Chouchane Siranossian, double violonist
In 2017, French violinist Chouchane Siranossian is a double Award winner of ICMA (International Classical Music Awards), for her CD L’ange et le diable with Jos van Immerseel and as ...
Tamsin Waley-Cohen, an adventurous violinist
Tamsin Waley-Cohen was the only British nominee for 2016's European Concert Hall Organisation's (ECHO) Rising Stars recital tour, which coincide with her latest disc : a CD of violin concertos ...
Truls Mørk’s noble Schelomo with the Helsinki Philharmonic
Truls Mørk brought nobility to Schelomo's lamenting qualities. The current, inaugural season of Susanna Mälkki's tenure as music director of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (HKO) is focused considerably on 20th-century French orchestral music, which ...
Damrau & Grigolo in « Les Contes d’Hoffmann » at LA Opera
For her LA debut, Diana Damrau was scheduled (announced with great fanfare) to undertake the roles of Hoffmann’s three loves. Events, however, proved otherwise… Therefore, a great disappointment ensued, especially when ...
Herbert Blomstedt in Sibelius and Beethoven
This was undoubtedly one of the great performances of Sibelius' Symphony No. 4. Herbert Blomstedt is approaching his 90th birthday and is showing no signs of slowing down. A quick look at his ...
An Outstanding Event – ICMA Award Ceremony and Gala Concert at Leipzig’s Gewandhaus
Ten soloists, one chamber orchestra, one choir and a big symphony orchestra, plus the presence of nearly all the musicians winning the 2017 International Classical Music Awards. In his opening ...
Everything in clear focus: Christian Lindberg in Allan Pettersson’s Symphony No. 14
This new release in the series of Allan Pettersson's symphonies by Christian Lindberg impresses once again by fanatical fidelity to the score and obsessive attention to detail. Slowly but surely, Christian Lindberg ...
ICMA Announce Classic Event of the Year
Leipzig’s Gewandhaus will host on 1 April an outstanding classic event: ICMA's Gala Concert and Award Ceremony. For the first time in Germany, the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), the only ...
Details and the big picture: Christian Lindberg in Pettersson’s Symphony No. 5
In Petterson’s Symphony No. 5, Lindberg shaped and controlled the latent tension so effectively that the music felt deeply oppressive, almost suffocating in its intensity. Patience is definitely a virtue with ...
Robert von Bahr : The Man With The Pram … And 2.300 Recordings
The Swedish label BIS is Label of the Year of the International Classical Music Awards. Known for the quality of sound and music, for a substantial catalogue of more than ...
Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic in Mahler’s Symphony No. 6
Throughout the first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 6, careful attention was given to accents, articulations, and dynamics, along with a clear focus on orchestrational detail. Susanna Mälkki's recent performances with ...
All-British with the Tapiola Sinfonietta and Janne Nisonen
After Sakari Oramo, Janne Nisonen could very well be the next great Finnish interpreter of British music. Orchestral programs dedicated entirely to British music are rare in the Helsinki region, so ...
The Winners of the International Classical Music Awards – ICMA 2017
The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards – ICMA today announced the winners for 2017. “The ICMA Jury comprises 16 leading media from 14 countries, having the most up to ...
Focus on Shakespeare : The Tempest by Osmo Vänskä in Helsinki
The performance of The Tempest by Osmo Vänskä and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra was a true celebration of some of Sibelius' most forward-looking music. The work of Shakespeare and his influence ...
