Arts & Culture

Two concerti plus variations make up this new Signum Classics disc

Pianist Alessio Bax is one of the most exciting young pianists today. His accolades include first prizes in the Leeds and Hamamatsu international piano competitions, as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Alessio has just been named the 2013 recipient of the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award.

New albums of music by the "Three Bs," Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, prove that going back to basics has its advantages. Hear a sweet-toned violin concerto, an audacious piano sonata and a solo cello suite caressed by a lute.

With so many music groups in Austin for SXSW it is easy for any of them to get drowned out by all the noise, but luckily for World Music artists, their foreign musical stylings give them a uniqueness that audiences tend to stop and pay attention to.

The language barrier doesn't seem to matter

Many world groups sing in English in order to tap into the English-speaking market, but there is still a healthy demand for music sung in foreign languages.

As members of the Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas began preparations for its annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, including a Saturday "Hooley," President Kevin Dowd reflected on the tradition.

"The Irish will fight to the death for what they believe in," he said as he cut hundreds of sausage links at Beethoven Maennerchor Hall on Pereida St. "Right or wrong, that's just the way we're made."