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Meng-Chieh Liu’s Amazing Chopin Nocturnes
Meng-Chieh Liu is a highly acclaimed pianist with Taiwanese roots; he has recently released his latest album demonstrating the deeply moving nocturnes of Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). Consisting of 21 pieces, this exquisite collection spans a total of two hours, exhibiting
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Between the Andes and the Amazon
Po Sim Head – Piano
Think of the music of Latin America and one immediately conjures up the foot-tapping idioms and rhythms of dance – tango, salsa, bachata, merengue, samba, to name but a few. A keen advocate of lesser-known repertoire, in her new album
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Report From Pesaro – Rossini Opera Festival 2023: Great Casts Trump Directorial Largesse
This very first production of Eduardo e Cristina at the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) completes the performed oeuvre of the great Pesarese maestro. The epicentre of Rossiniana possibly left it so late because of the challenges of this barely performed
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Pianist James Iman Shines a New Light on Debussy’s Images
IMAN: ALBUM II James W. Iman, piano (Divine Art Recordings) This second album from American pianist James Iman places Debussy’s evergreen ‘Images’ alongside works by Donald Martino (1931-2005) and contemporary composer Jenny Beck (b.1985), whose work ‘Stand Still Here’ receives
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Chinese Orchestras: Bringing in a New Sound
American violinist Joshua Bell has just released 3 Western classics and 1 Chinese classic in new orchestral arrangements. Working with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, conducted by Tsung Yeh, Bell has taken Saint-Saëns’ Introduction et rondo capriccioso, Massenet’s Médiation from Thaïs,
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The Composer is Dead: Introducing the Orchestra to Young People
Who among music lovers hasn’t heard Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, or Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, or Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra? These works are treasured favorites, appreciated equally by audiences and musicians. Each
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Lost in the Maze
Niloufar Iravani’s The Maze
Iranian composer Niloufar Iravani’s 2017 string quartet The Maze contains a wonderful analogy for how people listen to music. In its three movements, Energetic, Lyrical, and Mysterious, the work presents us with the various emotions in problem solving. If we
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Dvořák’s Works for Small Ensembles
The Shaham Erez Wallfisch Trio
There’s something special about piano trios. Perhaps the combination of violin, cello, and piano makes the perfect pocket ensemble. They’re not as complex as string quartets, and the addition of the strings makes an ensemble that embraces the top and
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