British-based composer Naresh Sohal was born on 18 September 1939 in Punjab in pre-Partition India, and was the first person of Indian origin to make his mark as a composer of western classical music. His family had no musical pedigree, nor any connection with western classical music; his musical tastes were formed by listening to…
Category: CD review
Charted territory: an African art music update
Rebeca Omordia is a pioneering champion of African art music – that is, works by African composers that blend the influence of both their own musical roots with their experience and knowledge of the Western classical ‘canon’. Back in spring 2022, I wrote about Omordia’s CD ‘African Pianism’ (SOMM Recordings), a stunning collection of solo…
“a warm tribute” – Matt Dibble: 24 Preludes & Fugues
“a warm tribute” – Matt Dibble: 24 Preludes & Fugues
Inside tracks: Olivia Chaney, ‘Circus of Desire’
Because Olivia Chaney only makes great records, it’s tempting to take her new album ‘Circus of Desire’ almost for granted: of course it’s another 40 minutes of uninterrupted beauty and understated elegance. But to do so would be a terrible mistake, especially if it meant ignoring the knotty contradictions and thrilling undercurrents in this latest…
A reflective, sensitive musical journey with pianist Ashley Wass
BLACK & WHITE Ashley Wass, piano This new release from British pianist Ashley Wass celebrates a significant milestone in his musical life – some 40 years since he first touched the keys of a piano. Black and White, the album and corresponding live concerts, is a reflection of the Wass’s desire to find stillness, focus…
A perfect prelude to spring – Natural Connections: Leon McCawley, piano
It’s a truly delightful recording to which Leon McCawley brings his characteristic tastefulness and clarity. Water really does glitter in his hands, lyrical melodies are deftly sculpted and sensitively phrased, and every single piece on this album is communicated with great care and obvious affection.
Composer Dani Howard and her ‘Trombone Concerto’ – a journey in rhythm and brass
ArtMuseLondon’s Karine Hetherington catches up with award-winning composer Dani Howard Growing up in Hong Kong you played piano and the drums. In your large-scale compositions, the percussion certainly stands out. Does the sense of rhythm and energy in your orchestral works come from your early days drumming? Absolutely – I definitely think that this early…
Spiritual awakening: Leon Bosch & Rebeca Omordia in concert and on disc
The African Concert Series was originally founded and curated by pianist Rebeca Omordia to shine a spotlight on African art music: the diverse work of African composers who, as the series website explains, create “a bridge between Western classical music and African traditional music”. Launched in 2019, the series has had a torrid infancy. After…
La Muse Oubliée II – Antonio Oyazarbal, piano
Music by women composers is now almost ubiquitous in concert programmes and recordings, and the contribution of female composers to classical music’s canon is finally being properly recognised, though not without significant effort on the part of advocates, such as Spanish pianist Antonio Oyazarbal, and the work of DONNE: Women in Music, for which he…
‘I had no other tools than to react as an artist.’ – Igor Levit, pianist
MENDELSSOHN – LIEDER OHNE WORTE (SONGS WITHOUT WORDS) IGOR LEVIT piano This new release on CD and streaming from German-Russian pianist Igor Levit is his personal response, in music, to the 7th October 2023 atrocities in Israel and the alarming rise of anti-semitism around the world. ‘I made this recording out of a very, very…
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