The December 2022–January 2023 issue of The Whole Note features a wonderful review for our Mark Abel: Spectrum release: “Not only do we meet Isabel Bayrakdarian, a haunting soprano singing emotionally in praise of three women artists we might never have known if Abel had not set their lives to song, but we find ourselves…
Olga Kern and the Dalí Quartet’s Brahms & Shostakovich Piano Quintets are in the April Editor’s Corner of The Whole Note Magazine: “The contemplative spirit of the opening movements is interrupted by a truly joyous, ebullient Scherzo lasting a brief three minutes. A languorous Intermezzo follows before a playful and melodious Finale brings this beloved…
Jonah Kim’s new Approaching Autumn release with pianist Robert Koenig and featuring a world premiere from Mark Abel landed a wonderful feature in The Whole Note‘s December 2021 Editor’s Corner: “Kim’s…performance is outstanding – big, brash and gritty as called for in the outer movements; sensitive and lyrical in the Adagio (con gran espressione) – and his…
The Whole Note‘s Raul da Gama reviews the Latvian Radio Choir and Sigvards Klava’s recording of the Komitas Divine Liturgy: “The profound music of Divine Liturgy is a historic recording, performed to commemorate the 150th birthday of its composer, Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935). … a brilliantly daring new Divine Liturgy expressed as much in the eerie tones of Hovhannes Nersesyan’s…
The Whole Note declares Mark Abel “a compositional master” after reviewing his new album of chamber music: The Cave of Wondrous Voice. “Abel is renowned for his vocal works. His exciting song cycle Four Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva features four Russian poems translated to English for the first time by Alyssa Dinega Gilliespie. Soprano Hila Plitmann sings…
The Whole Note‘s Raul da Gama reviews Isabel Bayrakdarian, Jory Vinikour, Kaunas City Symphony, and Constantine Orbelian’s The Other Cleopatra in the May/June 2020 Issue: “What Bayrakdarian has also done as with many of her recordings, is to shed light on the historical riches of Armenia. More remarkably, however, on The Other Cleopatra: Queen of…
The Whole Note‘s February 2020 issue features a review for Dawn Wohn and Esther Park’s Perspectives album: “Perspectives is a fascinating CD by violinist Dawn Wohn and pianist Esther Park that explores the differing cultures and perspectives of women composers, reaching back to the 19th century and into the 21st. … Wohn plays with warmth, a crystal-clear tone and a…
The Whole Note‘s Terry Robbins reviews Ilya Gringolts and Dmitry Kouzov’s Eisler, Ravel, Widmann Duos album in their December 2019 issue: “The central work on the disc is the two-volume 24 Duos for Violin and Cello from 2008 by the German composer Jörg Widmann. … the double stopping and special effects present technical difficulties that bring brilliant…
The Whole Note Magazine’s October 2019 issue features a review for Robert DiLutis and the Mellifera Quartet’s Clarinet Classics at Riversdale: “What’s not to love about Carl Maria von Weber? … On Clarinet Classics at Riversdale, Robert DiLutis opens with Weber’s Quintet in B-flat Major OP. 34. Accompanied by the very fine Mellifera Quartet, DiLutis…
Tiina Kiik reviews A Tribute to Danny Granados in the September issue of The Whole Note magazine: “The Fidelis String Quartet is a tight ensemble with great musicality. Granados fits in so well that his unique colourful clarinet playing never overwhelms the quartet as it blends with the strings. Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op.115 is…
The February 2019 issue of The Whole Note features a great new review for Sabrina-Vivian Höpcker and Fabio Bidini‘s new Brahms: Hungarian Dances recording in their “Strings Attached” section: “The German violinist Sabrina-Vivian Höpcker is the brilliant soloist in Brahms Hungarian Dances, a recital of all 21 pieces originally written for piano four hands and…
Order Now “The relationships between composers and their favourite interpreters are responsible for some of the best vocal music ever written. … Georgy Sviridov found his muse in Dmitri Hvorostovsky. … Hvorostovsky became “the” voice for Sviridov’s music. The one project the composer did not finish before his death was an orchestral version of Russia…
Order Now “In her own time, Nadia Boulanger was truly a legend. A pianist, organist and conductor, as well as composer, she was a renowned educator who taught well over a thousand students during her long career. … Today, almost 40 years after her death, her legendary stature remains undiminished. But her compositions are largely…
“In writing Amorisms, which was jointly commissioned by ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, vocal ensemble Portara and the Nashville Ballet, [Paul] Moravec speaks of the challenges of writing engaging music for both, whilst not detracting from the dance performance. The resultant music, with recurring, carefully pruned texts, provides a gorgeous and evocative palette to enhance the stage…
Critic Robert Tomas, writing in the online Canadian music magazine The Whole Note, had some very positive things to say about three song cycles by composer Ben Moore, as recorded on Delos’ recent release, DEAR THEO (DE 3437). Tomas begins his review by reminding his readers of Moore’s distinguished reputation as a composer of art…
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