new release

A New Release, Festival, And Birthday For Young Pianist

John Clare — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:16:18 +0000

"It came to me in one night - a dream! I like to say that those dream images were probably rooted in my just going to college for the first time," says Conrad Tao about his Vestiges for piano. That was the start for the new album, Voyages.

So Percussion New Release: So Good, So Unique

John Clare — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:43:23 +0000

Dan Trueman isn't a household name - but he's a very original composer making waves with new music for So Percussion. Their latest collaboration is "Neither Anvil nor Pulley," a very unique and entertaining release from Cantaloupe Records.

Soothing Sounds From Pine's New Violin Lullabies

John Clare — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:32:39 +0000

London saw the printing of "Mother Goose-Melody" around 1765 - you might remember it from childhood, and perhaps even sung it to your child. Violinist Rachel Barton Pine has been singing to her daughter Sylvia, and decided to make an entire album of lullabies.

Slatkin On Recording, Revitalization, And Rachmaninoff

John Clare — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:03:30 +0000

This week the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performs two different programs at Carnegie Hall. Leonard Slatkin, their music director, is happy to be part of the Spring For Music festival. "More than any composer I can think of, you span not only his musical growth, but literally the coming of age of American music with these four [Ives] symphonies."

Fairouz Fills Native Informant With New Sounds

John Clare — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:34:27 +0000

Not many composers under 30 years old can say they have had a Carnegie Hall premiere - or several recordings of their music. Mohammed Fairouz laughed when I mentioned that by the age of 26 he had accomplished this and more: "No, I'm only 27!" he said.

The latest from the Arab-American composer is called "Native Informant," out on the Naxos label, which features violinist Rachel Barton Pine in the title track.

Dynamic Duo Brings Spanish Flair To New Release

John Clare — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:52:09 +0000

The latest release from Augustin Hadelich and Pablo Sainz Villegas is hot! "Histoire du Tango" is filled with passion, flair, and a lot of notes - featuring music from Astor Piazzolla, Manuel de Falla, Nicolo Paganini, and Pablo de Sarasate.

Parker Makes Stravinsky Ballets One Man Band

John Clare — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:53:23 +0000

Igor Stravinsky made an original piano version of his ballet "Petrushka," so why would someone else make one?

"Well, I played it as a student, and I remember thinking, you know, I would actually trill this octave, not that one," says Jon "Jackie" Kimura Parker.

Parker has made a solo piano version of the entire ballet, not just a few scenes.

The Violin "a la Francaise" With Maria Bachmann

Deirdre Saravia — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:24:20 +0000

Maria Bachmann's latest CD, "French Fantasy," featuring pianist Adam Nieman, pays tribute to those lyrical and dramatic French composers Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saens, and Cesar Franck, whose sonata she considers the "heart" of her latest album.

"Night" Is A Bold And Beautiful New Recording

John Clare — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 14:52:23 +0000

Mixing genres in music can be easily compared to cooking, or baking. But none of them are easy tasks. While Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt make it sound (and even look) effortless, their journey together wasn't easy. Night, their collaboration out now on Sony Classical, is delicious.

David Chesky's 'The New York Rags,' Faster Than A New York Minute

Randy Anderson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:22:33 +0000

Visiting New York City is exhilarating. The hassle of air travel, the expense of the cabs and buses falls away and suddenly you are there, surrounded by familiar buildings, that great skyline beckoning, and people!