At last! The wait is over. Here is my round-up of favourite releases from the previous calendar year. 2023 felt richer than ever and there were so many wonderful records to choose from. As usual, I’ve spared myself the agony of ranking the selections: democracy rules and the list is in alphabetical order, by artist…
Category: CD review
EARTHCYCLE – A Four Seasons for the 21st century
EARTHCYCLE Orchestra of the Swan An innovative and timely project from ever-inventive Orchestra of the Swan (OOTS), Earthcycle finds a compelling way to engage with the threat of climate change, and the human impact on the Earth’s environment and the disruption of its natural rhythms through music inspired by or evoking the natural world,…
Voice recognition: Carolyn Sampson
As many of you will know, soprano Carolyn Sampson reached her 100th recording as a soloist with the release of ‘but I like to sing…’ in November. She celebrated this achievement online, with a series of short videos explaining some of the background to each recording. Full of relaxed charm – with an extra layer…
Songs for Our Times: A unique collaboration to support classical music and composers
“Songs for our Times” is the result of a unique collaboration between two leading British contemporary classical music composers, Stuart MacRae and Bernard Hughes, and Nigerian-American poet/lyricist and medical doctor Chinwe D. John. I first encountered Chinwe’s writing in March 2022 when an EP of settings of some of her poems, “Within A Certain Time…
‘Letter(s) to Erik Satie’ – Pianist Bertrand Chamayou explores the Cage Satie Connection
In Letter(s) to Erik Satie, Bertrand Chamayou celebrates the works of Erik Satie (1866-1925) and John Cage (1912-1992). Satie and Cage might seem an unusual pairing, yet both were idiosyncratic composers, separated by time and geography. The cabarets of 19th century Paris were Satie’s training ground, whereas Cage a conceptual artist from California was blooming…
Astral peaks: Raf and O, ‘We are Stars’
This is the most exquisite album yet from Raf and O, who I believe belong to that select group of artists who create not only great music, but also a universe in which that music can live and breathe. Open and upfront about their key influences – chiefly David Bowie and Kate Bush, more of…
Quiet Rhythms Live at Spectrum NYC
Dynamically quiet yet profoundly expressive, this is mesmerising music that ebbs and flows
Rigour & Freedom: FANTASIA – Igor Levit, piano
FANTASIA Works by JS Bach, Berg, Busoni, Liszt, Schubert Igor Levit (piano) Sony Classical 19658811642 (2 discs) Igor Levit, dubbed by The New Yorker as a pianist “like no other”, doesn’t do things by halves. He has forged a reputation and loyal following around the world by performing and recording some of the most challenging…
Elizabeth Sombart on the “hope” in Mozart in conversation with ArtMuseLondon
ArtMuseLondon : Elizabeth, you have a double album out in which you play Mozart’s greatest piano concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Why have you chosen Mozart, and why these concertos? Elizabeth : Following the difficult times we have gone through, I feel that Mozart can bring us joy, hope, and some much needed magic to…
“micro-glimpses into countless worlds” – CASCADE Cordelia Williams, piano
This new release from pianist Cordelia Williams celebrates the notion that small is not only beautiful – but also witty, imaginative, colourful, varied, virtuosic and transcendent. The piano miniature, of which this disc is a selection of some of the best, is a genre that includes some of the most exquisite and inventive music in…
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