Inhabiting a World Between
On AURA, RUTH McGINLEY and NEIL MARTIN take ten traditional Irish tunes into new and hauntingly evocative territories.
Classical Perspectives
Wherein Byzantine Chant Meets Sarum Liturgy
CAPPELLA ROMANA uses its 30th album to honor a little-known occasion when the Byzantine Emperor celebrated Christmas at the English court in Eltham, circa 1400 A.D.
Lusitano: The First Known Black Composer, Acknowledged With Luminous Clarity
THE MARIAN CONSORT resurrects the Motets of VICENTE LUSITANO, the first known Black composer and a highly regarded 16th Century music theorist.
When Tonality Means a Journey
Bernard Hughes music is both satisfying and challenging to sing, as well as being rewarding for both singer and audience. PRECIOUS THINGS, by the EPIPHONI CONSORT, is a case in point.
Where Grief and Anger Share Space
This new disc from Toccata Classics features chamber music by the young composer Noah Max and exudes, as one critic notes, 'a sense of loss pervading almost everything here.' Yet, it's not a downer.
Evoking Afternoons in 17th Century Hereford
Composer Matthew Locke was born 400 years ago this year, and to mark this occasion the British viol consort FRETWORK are marking the happy occasion with an album featuring seven of Locke's suites that have hitherto barely made a dent in the recorded catalogue.
Where Western Classical Meets Native American Musical Culture
A citizen of both the United States and of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, composer JEROD IMPICHCHAACHAHA' TATE's music reflects his dual heritage. ROBERT HUGILL offers an informed perspective on this intriguing composer's art.
A Composer Reclaims His Faith
Classical editor ROBERT HUGILL considers CALUM BUILDER's 'Messe (You Are Where You Want to Be), a work which deconstructs the Latin mass to explore the composer's own journey, deconstructing and reconstructing his relationship to faith.
Randall Goosby: Style, Soul, Virtuosity
Young violinist RANDALL GOOSBY's debut album, ROOTS, is one of this year's most exciting classical music events. Herewith a sampling of the across-the-board plaudits album and artist alike are receiving for this most striking recording.
The (Continuing) Resurrection of Florence Price
Paying loving tribute to pioneering African American composer FLORENCE PRICE, acclaimed pianist SAMANTHA EGE offers FANTASIE NEGRE: THE PIANO MUSIC OF FLORENCE PRICE. Review by ROBERT HUGILL.