Music & Vision (now Classical Music Daily) is an online daily classical music newsletter which reviews CDs and DVDs, with audio and video extracts, and live performances. It also carries news items of interest to music-lovers – coming events, significant anniversaries, etc. The links below take you to the reviews of CDs, and occasional DVDs, I wrote for them between 2004 and 2010 (M&V is still in business but my interests shifted).
The Place We Began
Subtle, organic electro-acoustic pieces by master minimalist John Luther Adams.
15 June 2010
A German Bouquet
Trio Settecento plays German music from Schop and Schmelzer to Bach and Pisendel.
23 February 2010
Last Cicada Singing
Music for qin composed and performed by Christopher Roberts – a modern Western angle on ancient Chinese traditions.
11 January 2010.
The Floating Bubble
Contemporary music for percussion ensemble featuring Ron George, composer of one piece and leader and soloist in all three.
1 October 2009
Duo Virtuoso
The Elaris Duo play some wonderful music by Mozart, Halvorsen and Kodaly for violin and cello. Yes, they do live up to the ambitious title of their disc.
28 April 2009
Phoenix in Flight
Lovely music by Weber (Concerto and Concertino), Debussy and others for clarinet (Stoltzman) and orchestra.
17 March 2009
Glass Farm Ensemble
In Four, the debut disc of a unique New York quartet, full of premieres of modernist works.
31 December 2008
The Sound of One
Ambient neo-classical music from Andy Garbi.
31 December 2008
For Birds, Planes and Cello
One long electro-acoustic piece by Miya Masaoka.
31 December 2008
Bruce Cale: Orchestral works
Concertos for cello and violin by a senior but little-known Australian composer, with an orchestral suite for good measure.
27 November 2008
Hinchinbrook Riffs
Definitive performances of recent chamber music by Nigel Westlake, one of Australia’s leading mid-career composers.
5 November 2008
Mozart Serenades for Winds
Two serenades in a live recording by soloists of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, K.388 in C minor and K.361, the Gran Partita, in B flat major.
30 September 2008
Other Trumpets
Pieces for trumpet and electronics by English composer Jonathan Harvey and friends.
9 September 2008
Bach concertos
Bach transcribed many of his own concertos for different solo intruments. Here are some of the less-familiar versions, including a new reverse transcription for violin by the soloist, Midori Seiler.
30 August 2008
Music of American innovator Henry Brant
Brant’s very long career took him from jazz to large ‘spatialised’ compositions with groups of performers in every corner of the concert venue.
28 August 2008
The English Flute
English music for flute and piano from the late 19th to the late 20th century – unusual, attractive and very well played.
15 May 2008
Music of Turlough O’Carolan
Written in the baroque period but in the folk tradition, and played by a couple of Americans multi-tracking to sound like a quartet.
10 January 2008
Acrobats
Music composed between 1982 and 2002 by David Leisner for flute and guitar.
30 December 2007
Carmen Ballet (DVD)
Benazir Hussain is a fiery Carmen in this West Australian Ballet production. Shchedrin’s music is played by the WASO under Fraillon.
29 September 2007
Enclosure 7 (DVD)
This DVD is a wonderful introduction to Harry Partch, his unique instruments and his exotic music.
26 July 2007
Nos•tal•gia
South American music for guitar – bossa nova, samba, choros, and more – played very nicely by Nathan Kolosko. Carl Dimow joins him occasionally on flute.
23 June 2007
Chamber music featuring flute
Jeanne Baxtresser has assembled an enjoyable album with a mid-twentieth century focus. Highlights are Barber’s Summer Music and Gaubert’s Watercolours.
12 May 2007
Music of Warren Burt
The Animation of Lists and The Archytan Transpositions, a pair of pieces for tuned percussion, meditative but not sweet.
27 March 2007
Brink
Meridian Arts Ensemble play challenging new jazz/rock-influenced works for brass quintet.
26 December 2006
Christmas to Candlemas
Melbourne- based Ensemble Gombert sings renaissance motets for the season. No carols here!
19 December 2006
Unfamiliar Territory
Two CDs of baroque string music (Bach gamba sonatas and Corelli violin sonatas) played on alto trombone by Mike Hall with mixed success.
25 October 2006
John Jenkins: Six-part Consorts
Viol quartet Phantasm and two guests play late-Renaissance masterpieces.
30 August 2006
My Dear Siegfried
‘Sound art’ (the composer’s term) by David Behrman – spoken word accompanied by instruments and live electronics – reflecting on the beginnings of World War 2.
23 July 2006
World Wide Webster
The Webster Trio plays attractive arrangements for flute, clarinet and piano of Debussy, Brahms, Dvorak and Gottschalk.
21 June 2006
Handel’s Water Music – Recreating a Royal Spectacular (DVD)
A DVD from the BBC documenting their re-creation of the original performance of the Water Music on a barge on the Thames.
7 June 2006
Fry Street Quartet: Beethoven, Stravinsky, Rorem, Scearce
A 2-CD set from an excellent young string quartet; the theme of their programme is ‘voices of modernism’.
19 February 2006
Tangos & Dances
An enjoyable collection of Latin dances arranged and performed (with the RTE Concert orchestra) by solo violinist Fionnuala Hunt.
20 November 2005
Ensemble Guidantus: Vivaldi Concertos
Capable performances of some rarely-heard violin concertos.
22 October 2005
Duo LiveOak: Piva
Renaissance songs from Italy and Spain in enjoyable, approachable performances by one or two voices with lute or vihuela.
16 October 2005
Misa Criolla
One of the first folk masses, composed by Ramirez in the 1960s, Misa Criolla was deservedly popular when it appeared and is well served by this new recording from Robert de Cormier and Counterpoint.
14 September 2005
David Baker at Bay Chamber Concerts
Chamber music or easy-listening jazz? A cool fusion of both, really, and very nice indeed.
23 August 2005
Mirrors of Fire
Tim Kain plays new Australian music for guitar; the TSO joins him for Westlake’s Antarctica. More, please!
19 June 2005
Mystery System
Chamber music, mostly for percussion, by Lukas Ligeti. A couple of wonderful pieces.
1 June 2005
Sonatas & Sonatinas
Guitarist Nathan Kolosko plays music of Turina, Ponce, Brouwer and Berkeley.
27 April 2005
Yearning for the Bell
Riley Lee plays Zen meditation music on shakuhachi – beautifully.
24 March 2005
Land’s End Chamber Ensemble
New chamber music from a Canadian group, featuring Canadian composers but including Takemitsu and Gubaidulina; the ensemble’s debut CD.
10 November 2004
Red Earth
Chamber music from Australia, played brilliantly by an ensemble brought together for the recording. Composers include Edwards, Currie and Plush.
20 October 2004
Creshevsky: Hyperrealism
Complex, demanding, rewarding electro-acoustic music from a New York composer.
22 September 2004
Mozart in Prague
Mostly-familiar music transcribed for flute and organ by the performers.
14 September 2004
Fasch: Trio-sonatas
Sonatas for one or two oboes and basso continuo by a contemporary of Bach. Lovely!
29 August 2004
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