For any listener who has yet to encounter the beautiful music of Jean Cras, this Skarbo Classics CD of the composer’s works for violin and piano is a perfect introduction. It appeared originally in the mid-90’s, winning the coveted Grand Prix du Disque in France. Impeccable...

This is the second CD from Naxos devoted entirely to the music of Marcel Tyberg (1893-1944). In fact, aside from these two Naxos CDs, I haven’t found evidence that any others have ever been issued. The earlier release offered Tyberg’s Third Symphony and the Piano Trio in F major...

Recordings from the German record label TYXart began appearing on U.S. websites early in 2013. With their most recent releases, this small label has maintained a focus on less common music. This new album of Mexican Piano Concertos performed by pianist Claudia Corona is a perfect example of...

Coming from Naxos’ growing Spanish Classics line is this new recording of String Quartets nos. 1 & 2 by Jesús Guridi. These two fine chamber works are performed by the Bretón String Quartet, themselves formed with the express purpose of expanding the recorded catalog of quartets...

This new Champs Hill Records release of Jāzeps Vītols’ (1863-1948) piano music will be a welcome discovery for anyone who enjoys exploring the byways of the romantic piano literature. Pianist Reinis Zarins performs a hand-picked selection of pieces made up of miniatures and folksongs...

The excellent Vagn Holmboe series from Dacapo continues with this superb recording of three concertos. Performances are by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dima Slobodeniouk with soloists Erik Heide and Lars Anders Tomter, violin and viola respectively. By my count,...

A champion of the rich musical heritage of Denmark, the Dacapo label frequently surprises music lovers with unheard-of treasures. This time they do so with the chamber music for violin and piano of Knudåge Riisager. This is an enjoyable and varied hour of music performed by violinist Johannes...

The cover of this new Delta Classics recording of the violin sonatas and sonatinas by Russian composer Nikolai Rakov (1908-1990) declares “World Premiere Recording”, but it doesn’t indicate which piece or pieces are premieres. After a little digging around, it looks like the...

Leevi Madetoja’s Kullervo, Op. 15 opens with a sforzando by strings and timpani followed by a loud, sustained tremolo and timpani roll. Horns enter in unison with a commanding call, trading back and forth, then growing softer, fainter, receding into the distance until the music has all...

I have been listening to and enjoying this CD at intervals over the past several months. At some point, being so handily close by, it became my touchstone in the assessment of other choral albums that came my way. Of those that had to stand in comparison, few made the cut. The performances by...

Reinhold Glière (1875-1956) is famously known to cellists for his Cello Concerto Op. 87, written in 1945-46 and premiered by nineteen year old Mstislav Rostropovich. Music for cello holds an important place in other areas of Glière’s output, his chamber music for example. While he is best...

Listeners coming to the orchestral music of Ludvig Jensen for the first time will be completely taken aback by the quality of this little known Norwegian composer’s music. All of the tools of the romantic composer’s trade are evident in abundance, and cpo has given us over two hours of his...