Picks of the Year: 1998

There are two worlds of classical music today, and they are increasingly distinct from each other. One is the world of superstar soloists, conductors, and their orchestras, who carry on a saprophagous relationship with a more or less fixed repertoire …

“Nicolas Flagello” (biography)

Nicolas Flagello was one of the last composers to develop a distinctive mode of expression based wholly on the principles and techniques of European late-Romanticism. Born in New York City in 1928, Flagello grew up in a highly musical family …

BARBER: Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47

Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47,by Samuel Barber Samuel Osborne Barber II was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1910, and died in New York City on January 23, 1981. He composed the Third Essay for Orchestra during the summer of …

BARBER: Second Essay for Orchestra, Op. 17.

Second Essay for Orchestra, Op. 17,by Samuel Barber Samuel Osborne Barber II was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1910, and died in New York City on January 23, 1981. He completed the Second Essay for Orchestra in March of 1942, …

NOVÁK: Pan (Tone Poem). Songs of a Winter Night

NOVÁK  Pan (Tone Poem).  Songs of a Winter Night · Margaret Fingerhut (pn) · CHANDOS CHAN-9489 (73:17) Vítezslav Novák (1870-1949) was, along with Josef Suk, the leading Czech composer of the early 20th century, until Janácek achieved a greater prominence than either of them.  In previous reviews (Fanfare 17:1, …

MUCZYNSKI: (arr. Kynaston) Saxophone Concerto; HEIDEN: Fantasia Concertante. Diversion; Arrangements of music by GERSHWIN, BRUCH, PUCCINI, and MASSENET.

MUCZYNSKI (arr. Kynaston)  Saxophone Concerto.  HEIDEN  Fantasia Concertante.  Diversion  – Eugene Rousseau (sax); Frederick Fennell, cond; Winds of Indiana – DELOS DE 3188 (71:28) GERSHWIN (arr. R. Hermann)  Porgy and Bess Medley.  BRUCH (arr. Kimura)  Kol Nidre.  PUCCINI (arr. R. Hermann)  Tosca Fantasy.  MASSENET (arr. Curnow)  Thais: Meditation This is an attractive showcase for the artistry of Eugene Rousseau, one …