jessica pratt featured

The Cosmopolitan Queen of Bel canto

Classical contributor JOSEPH NEWSOME sits down for an enlightening chat with JESSICA PRATT, 'The Cosmopolitan Queen of Bel canto,' upon the release of her debut recital disc, SERENADE
by David McGee
 

 
 
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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.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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A Fresh Take on Fibich

Among Czech nationalistic composers, Zdenek Fibich's work has been woefully overlooked. The Czech National Symphony offers a partial corrective on its new CD.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Echoes From A Distant Time

IN ECHO , an ensemble devoted to 16th and 17th century music, offers MUSIC IN A COLD CLIMATE, a selection of songs from a time when the seafaring nations of Northern Europe were connected culturally and commercially by the Hans...
by David McGee
 

 

 
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The Warmth of Arctic Saxophone

Haunting and beautiful, ARCTIC SAXOPHONE, by Norway's Ola Asdahl Rokkones, is an unforgettable experience.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Harpsichord In a New World

MAHAN ESFAHANI continues to break new ground for the harpsichord on his latest CD, TIME PRESENT AND TIME PAST. Review by ROBERT HUGILL.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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An Influential Recording Returns, And Then Some

Under the direction of JOHN RUTTER, the CAMBRIDGE SINGERS bring fresh vitality to works by SIR CHARLES VILLIERS STANFORD and HERBERT HOWELLS in an expanded reissue of a 1992 classic, STANFORD AND HOWELLS REMEMBERED.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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‘As long as you can look fearlessly at the sky, you’ll know you’re pure within’

Introduced on stage in 2005, James Whitbourn's Annelies, the first adaptation of Anne Frank's diary into a large-scale choral work, will at last be released on CD on Jan. 22. Here's our preview of the first important recording ...
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Shakespeare, In Concept

CLARA SANABRAS has adapted SHAKESPEARE'S 'THE TEMPEST' into an operatic production and, now, a concept album with Britten Sinfonia and others. It's a beauty. ROBERT HUGILL reviews.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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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.
by David McGee
 

 

 
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Melody and Drama from a Baroque Master

As part of CECILIA BARTOLI's Steffani Project, I BAROCCHISTI, under the direction of DIEGO FASOLIS, has recorded 'a first-class collection of instrumental suites and movements from Agosto Steffani's operas, DANZE E OUVETURES. P...
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Feeling Nature’s Rhythms, Mystery and Spiritual Beauty

A sequence of nine evocative, often poignant solo piano pieces by the young Scottish composer/pianist Alexander Chapman Campbell, inspired by a walk through Norwegian mountains
by David McGee