Blogcritics Category: Music: Classical

Music Review: Harry Connick, Jr. - What a Night! A Christmas Album

Fitz — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:52:42 EST

Harry still does big band right, even at Christmas!
After working for one holiday season in a mall as a teenager, I swore off canned Christmas music. Instead, I've done my best to find funny or alternative ways to get into the Christmas groove. Harry Connick, Jr. has a heart of swing and can invigorate even stale holiday standards.Going all the way back to the 1989 movie soundtrack for When...

Music Review: Monika Mauch & Nigel North - A Musical Banquet

Jeff Perkins — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 09:21:32 EST

A veritable feast of music, rich with history.
It is very nearly 400 years since A Musical Banquet was published by Robert Dowland. It proved to be a unique collection of lute pieces gathered together from England, Italy, Spain, and France. The book was the first publication of its kind that contained music in four different languages. Now A Musical Banquet is released as the latest in the...

Music Review: Phoenix Rising - Ascension

Brian Murff — Sun, 7 Dec 2008 08:24:52 EST

I�d love to hear more out of this accomplished ensemble.
I’ve got a confession to make: before writing this review, I hadn’t heard any music by Phoenix Rising. Their work isn’t the sort that I tend to play on a regular basis. That being said, I’m thoroughly impressed with what I’ve heard, and I’ve enjoyed getting a feel for their style over the past several days. They...

Opera Review (NYC): Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas by The Dido Project at the Samsung Experience

Jon Sobel — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 22:30:21 EST

The Dido Project transposes Purcell's Baroque opera about the Queen of Carthage and the hero Aeneas to the modern boardroom, with video aplenty.
Henry Purcell's 1689 Dido and Aeneas was one of the earliest English operas and is considered one of the composer's masterworks. It runs only an hour but is a true opera. Though the story, taken from Virgil's Aeneid, is a tragedy, Thursday night's performance at the Samsung Experience in the Time Warner Center was a joy, and one...

Music Review: Giya Kancheli - Little Imber

David R Perry — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 07:22:48 EST

Georgian composer Kancheli two war-inspired vocal works of post-modernist classical music in his latest collection, Little Imber.
Giya Kancheli is a Georgian composer (although currently residing in Belgium) who, at least for the past couple of decades, has found a prominent place within the school of Baltic post-modernists, sharing some stylistic sensibilities with Part, Vasks and Gorecki, while also forging his own distinctive sound. Although certainly no stranger to...

Retro Redux: Andre Kostelanetz And The Evolution Of A Genre

Big Geez — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:25:14 EST

Although the Russian revolution was taking place all around him, he was only interested in music.
André Kostelanetz is given credit by some for inventing Easy Listening music, but the whole concept of a genre being 'invented' is a little iffy -- at least as a conscious act. It seems to me that it's more of an evolution, a natural process of musicians stretching themselves to find a wider audience. But the Russian-born...

The Friday Morning Listen: Yo-Yo Ma - Bach: The Cello Suites Inspired by Bach

Mark Saleski — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:03:35 EST

Thanksgiving traditions transformed. Sort of.
Oh... my... gawd. I just looked up at the clock and realized that it was 11:26AM. Even more important, 11:26AM on a Friday. Yikes. The whirlwind of Thanksgiving preparations and celebrations has made me completely forget the day. So... Thanksgiving. Every year the Hallmark-style twist on the emotions begins -- that no matter how bad things might...

Music Review: Sarah Brightman - A Winter Symphony

Jordan Richardson — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:47:48 EST

A tremendous collection of songs in celebration of winter.
Perhaps the most striking thing about Sarah Brightman is how clear her voice is. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to experience the world’s top selling soprano do what she does best. With countless CDs and concert DVDs gracing our collection and tickets to Brightman’s show in Vancouver providing part of my better half’s...

Music Review: Josh Groban - A Collection

Stuart A Hamilton — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:20:43 EST

From light classical to show tunes, Groban gets the best-of treatment, just in time for Christmas.
Josh Groban is insanely popular in America, but mention his name to someone in the UK and you'll get one of two responses — either a shrug or a reply of "Didn't he sing that Westlife song?" — both of which are just plain wrong.A lot of people sneer at pop/classical crossovers, but the record-buying public seems to love...

Keeping Up With Yngwie Malmsteen

Charlie Doherty — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:14:21 EST

This living legend is back with a vengeance, excited about his new album, guitar, and all things Malmsteen.
For close to 25 years now, Swedish-born legend Yngwie Malmsteen has awed audiences worldwide with his groundbreaking brand of classical-style heavy metal and distinct approach to guitar playing. Whether it be slick, sweeping arpeggio riffs or lightning-quick shredding (which at times hard rock critics thought was a little overdone at the expense of...