Michael Gielen Edition Vol. 10 (CD Review)
Michael Gielen Edition Volume 10: Music After 1945 SWR Sinfonieorchester, Michael Gielen conductor SWR 6xCD boxed set The tenth and final boxed set in SWR’s Michael Gielen Edition spotlights his…
Synchromy Concert: Tierkreis L.A.
On January 8 and 9, 2022, Synchromy mounted two live concert presentations of Tierkreis L.A. Jason Barabba and eleven other local Los Angeles composers contributed new pieces inspired by the…
Music edges back: Schell’s picks for 2021
Taken collectively, this year’s list reveals the remarkable depth, breath and quality of what we call “new music”, but it also conveys a certain tentativeness—one that perhaps befits a crossroads…
Best of 2021: New/Experimental Recordings
Best New/Experimental Recordings Trio IX and Exercises Christian Wolff Trio Accanto Nicholas Hodges, piano; Marcus Weiss, saxophone; Christian Dierstein, percussion Wergo CD Three String Quartets Christian Wolff Quatuor Bozzini New…
Best of 2021: ECM Recordings
Parker Quartet; Kim Kashkashian, viola György Kurtág: Six moments musicaux; Officium breve Antonin Dvořák: String Quintet op. 97 ECM Records The Czech composer Antonin Dvořák (1844-1901) and Hungarian composer György…
Best of 2021: Recording of the Year
Number Pieces John Cage Apartment House Another Timbre 4XCD boxed set John Cage’s Number Pieces, late compositions (from 1987-1992) are given two designations, a number indicating the size of the…
Best of 2021 – Burned into the Orange by Peter Gilbert (CD Review)
Burned into the Orange Music of Peter Gilbert Arditti String Quartet; Iridium Quartet, Emmanuele Arciuli, piano; et al. New Focus Records CD/DL This is composer Peter Gilbert’s second recording for…
Best EP of 2021: Light Past Blue
Best EP of 2021 Light Past Blue Alex Somers & Aska Matsumiya Mini LP Sometimes music sneaks up on you. This recording, Light Past Blue, just dropped Friday, indeed out…
Hannah Lash’s The Peril of Dreams premieres in Seattle
I was gratified to discover that Lash’s 45-minute work manages to avoid the clichés and sentimentality to which much of the harp repertory is prone.
The Orchestra Now at Carnegie Hall: Scott Wheeler, Julia Perry and George Frederick Bristow
Big name soloists, a symphonic work plucked from obscurity and a premiere. It’s an oft-used – and winning – programming formula used by The Orchestra Now. The ensemble’s performance at…