March 1, 2010. Chopin 200!

Yes, Frédéric Chopin was born on March 1 200 years ago! So, without further ado, let’s celebrate. We’ll hear pianists from many countries. Mara Dobresco of France plays the Valse in e minor, Op. Posth.; Elena Kuschnerova of Germany – the Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2; Bill-John Newbrough – the Grande Valse Brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 18; Konstantyn Travinsky of Ukraine plays Etude Op. 25, No. 12 in c minor and Valse Op. 70, No. 1 in G-flat Major; Dmitry Paperno, formerly of Russia, plays the Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 41, No. 4; John Ferguson – the Nocturne in c minor, Op. 48, No. 1; Spencer Myer plays the Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61; Elena Baksht, another former Russian pianist, plays the Scherzo No. 2 in b-flat minor; and Hayk Arsenyan, the pianist born in Armenia, plays the Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38. To listen, click here.

February 22, 2010

George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685, 225 years ago, in the German city of Halle, Saxony. He went on to study in Italy, settling in London in 1712 and later becoming a British subject. Handel was known for his operas in his lifetime (he wrote 62 of them, most in the Italian style), which fell out of vogue soon after his death but are enjoying a revival today thanks to artists like Cecilia Bartoli. We created this playlist to commemorate Handel’s anniversary. We start with the pianist Margarita Shevchenko playing Chaconne in G Major. Following that, the baritone Raymond Feener sings the aria Arm, arm ye brave from the great oratorio Judas Maccabaeus. In conclusion, the guitarist Charles Mokotoff solos in Concerto in B-flat Major for Guitar and Strings. To listen, click here.

February 15, 2010

The young pianist Irina Klyuev was born in Nikšić, Montenegro. She started her studies in her hometown and then continued on at the University of Montenegro. Later in London, she studied with Leonid Kontorovsky and Irina Ossipova, among others. There she received the John Lill and Colin Davis scholarships, and later took classes with Jeno Jando at the Royal Academy of Music, Dublin. Irina Klyuev was among the winners of a number of international piano competitions. We’ll hear Irina play J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in B flat minor, from Book 2 of Well-Tempered Clavier. She then performs Ondine, from Ravel’s Gaspar de la Nuit. We’ll conclude with two rarely performed pieces. First comes Arnold Schoenberg’s angular Piano Piece no. 3, and then a little bon-bon from the mid-19^th century French composer and pianist Charles-Valentin Alkan called Allegro Barbaro. To listen, click here.

February 8, 2010

John Ferguson is a pianist whose performances have been praised for their “proselytizing zeal” and "impressive qualities of pianistic brilliance.” He’s also a composer and a conductor. His recitals feature some of the most difficult works in keyboard literature, including Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata, Bach's Art of Fugue, and Rzewski's The People United Will Never be Defeated. Ferguson's performances have also included such rarities as Liszt's arrangements of Beethoven's symphonies, music from the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, and a wide range of contemporary music, including his own compositions. We’ll hear Franz Liszt’s Legend no. 2 "St. Francis Walking on the Waves," then Allegretto from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, arranged for the piano by Liszt. We’ll continue with Mr. Ferguson’s own composition, Duo for Piano and Vibraphone. We’ll then hear Sonata V for prepared piano by John Cage’s and will conclude with Anton Webern’s Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 10, with Mr. Ferguson conducting. To listen, click here.

February 1, 2010

Franz Schubert, the great Austrian composer, was born on January 31, 1797 in Alsergrund, which is now a part of Vienna. He lived most of his life in that city and died a short 31 years later. Still, he left us with a large body of work of supreme quality, including more than 600 Lieder, great piano sonatas and other instrumental music, and nine symphonies. We created a small playlist to celebrate Schubert’s birthday. First, you’ll hear Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3, played by the pianist Xiang Zou; then an arrangement for the violin of the song Ave Maria, played by Albert Markov. We follow with two Lieder: Der Wanderer an den Mond, sung by the baritone Thomas Meglioranza, and Im Frühling, performed by the soprano Hyunah Yu. We’ll finish with the Wanderer Fantasy, played by the pianist Alon Goldstein. To listen, click here.

January 25, 2010

Jeffrey Biegel is one of today's most respected artists, having created a multi-faceted career as a pianist, composer and arranger. His recent recordings include Leroy Anderson's 'Concerto in C,' conducted by Leonard Slatkin with the BBC Concert Orchestra and his own Vivaldi transcriptions for piano, both on the Naxos label. He also recorded the complete Sonatas by Mozart for the e1 label. Mr. Biegel is currently assembling a global commissioning project for Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's next work for piano and orchestra for the 2011-13 seasons. In 2010, Naxos will release Mr. Biegel's world premiere recording of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Millennium Fantasy (2000) and Peanuts Gallery. Mr. Biegel joined 18 co-commissioning orchestras for Lowell Liebermann's Concerto no. 3 for Piano and Orchestra, composed exclusively for him for the 2006-07-08 seasons.

We have a large selection of Mr. Biegels’s recordings, but today we’re presenting just one piece, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 3 in d minor. To listen, click here.