Accompanied by her own early music ensemble Orfeo 55, the French contralto Nathalie Stutzmann sings Georg Friedrich Händel’s “Ah, mio cor, schernito sei,” an aria from the 1735 opera Alcina. This performance is recorded for Stutzmann and Orfeo 55’s 2017 album Quella fiamma – Arie Antiche, a selection of pieces from Arie antiche, a 19th Century collection of songs edited by the Italian composer and music editor Alessandro Parisotti (24 July 1853 – 4 April 1913) to be a vocal primer.
Continue reading “Nathalie Stutzmann records Händel aria “Ah, mio cor, schernito sei””Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini [Yuja Wang]
Accompanied by the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Yuja Wang performs Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, a concertante work that was written for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano concerto, all in a single movement. Conductor: Gerard Oskamp. Conductor: Gustavo Gimeno. This performance was recorded at the Kinnekswiss Park in Luxembourg on July 1, 2023.
Continue reading “Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini [Yuja Wang]”Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme [Anastasia Kobekina, hr-Sinfonieorchester]
Accompanied by the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra), the Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina performs Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra. Conductor: Anja Bihlmaier. This performance was recorded on November 3, 2023, at the hr-Sendesaal Frankfurt.
Continue reading “Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme [Anastasia Kobekina, hr-Sinfonieorchester]”Pavarotti sings Mamma [Bixio] [Pesaro, 1986]
The legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sings Mamma, a popular song composed in 1940 by Cesare Andrea Bixio (1896-1978) with Italian lyrics by Bixio Cherubini (1899-1987) under the title “Mamma son tanto felice” (Mum, I am so happy). Flauto: Andrea Griminelli, a renowned flautist who has performed with leading orchestras and conductors around the world. Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia conducted by Emerson Buckley. Recorded on August 15, 1986 in Pesaro, Italy.
Continue reading “Pavarotti sings Mamma [Bixio] [Pesaro, 1986]”Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jeunehomme” [Maria João Pires]
Accompanied by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo (Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra), one of the greatest pianists in the world, Maria João Pires performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, K. 271, known as the Jeunehomme or Jenamy concerto. Conductor: Kazuki Yamada.
Continue reading “Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 “Jeunehomme” [Maria João Pires]”Evgeny Kissin plays Liszt: Liebesträume No. 3 on Liszt’s original C. Bechstein piano
Evgeny Kissin plays Franz Liszt’s Liebesträume No. 3, the third of a set of three solo piano works (S.541/R.211), on Liszt’s original C. Bechstein piano. Liebesträume means “Dreams of Love” in English. Liszt’s C. Bechstein piano is in the salon at the Liszt House in Weimar, Germany, where he resided during the summer months and gave master classes to students as well as private concerts from 1869 until his death in 1886.
Continue reading “Evgeny Kissin plays Liszt: Liebesträume No. 3 on Liszt’s original C. Bechstein piano”Fauré: Sicilienne, Op. 78 [Gautier Capuçon, Michel Dalberto]
Accompanied by pianist Michel Dalberto, Gautier Capuçon plays Sicilienne, Op. 78, a short work by Gabriel Fauré, composed in 1893. It was originally an orchestral piece, written for a theatrical production that was abandoned. In 1898, Fauré arranged the unperformed music as a work for cello and piano.
Continue reading “Fauré: Sicilienne, Op. 78 [Gautier Capuçon, Michel Dalberto]”Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 [Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim]
Accompanied by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the great Argentine pianist Martha Argerich performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19. Conductor Daniel Barenboim. This performance was recorded at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2015. Encore: “Bailecito” by the Argentine composer Carlos Guastavino.
Continue reading “Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 [Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim]”Chopin: Études, Op. 10 & Op. 25 [Sviatoslav Richter]
The legendary pianist of the 20th century, Sviatoslav Richter performs Frédéric Chopin’s Études Op. 10 (Nr. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 12) and Études Op. 25 (Nr. 5, 6, 8, 11). This performance was recorded in London in 1989.
Continue reading “Chopin: Études, Op. 10 & Op. 25 [Sviatoslav Richter]”Christopher Morrongiello performs “Lachrimae” [John Dowland]
The British musicologist, performer, teacher, luthier, impresario, and director who specializes in early music, Christopher Morrongiello performs Flow My Tears (Lachrimae), a lute song (specifically, an “ayre”) by the Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer John Dowland (c. 1563 – buried 20 February 1626). Originally composed as an instrumental under the name “Lachrimae pavane” in 1596, it is Dowland’s most famous ayre, and became his signature song. This performance was filmed in the Chapel from Le Château de la Bastie d’Urfé at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on April 15, 2015.
Featured Instrument: This lute, attributed to Wendelin Tieffenbrucker, a German craftsman active between 1570 and 1610, dates from the late 16th century. It was made in Padua, Italy, using yew, spruce, ebony, and maple. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York acquired this piece through a purchase, which was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert P. Freedman, by exchange, in 1989 (1989.13).
Continue reading “Christopher Morrongiello performs “Lachrimae” [John Dowland]”