EMA Recording & Book Reviews

In this review-essay, noted scholar Rebecca Cypess speaks to Ian Pomerantz and Byron Schenkman with a view to understanding the multifaceted contributions of their album, 'Art Songs of the Jewish Diaspora,' both musically and culturally.

The Fieri Consort's latest album, 'The Excellence of Women,' offers music by the two foremost women composers of the Italian Renaissance, including premieres by Maddalena Casulana, the first European woman to publish self-attributed music. Casuela is paired with Barbara Strozzi, who produced more secular music than any of her peers. The Fieri's spectacular musicianship makes it 'a necessary addition to anyone's library.'

By now, we're used to the astonishing insights gleaned by 19th-century classics performed in a historically informed style. Trio Ilona's debut, in chamber music of Robert Schumann, adds yet more understanding. Their playing is at turns joyous, sparkling, and beautifully balanced.

Although scholars often research particular types of historical keyboard instruments — clavichords, harpsichords, pianos — the makers themselves would have dealt with whatever was current in their city and era. With this in mind, historical keyboard expert Stewart Pollens attempts an integrated history of all stringed keyboards, with mixed success.

Dresden's Ensemble Polyharmonique made an outstanding recording of Heinrich Schütz’s rarely performed Easter oratorio 'History of the Resurrection' and follow up with an award-winning film. In music, dance, and dark atmosphere, they depict 'a film-tale about love, faith, and the incomprehensible.'

The latest recording from the ensemble Profeti della Quinta, founded and led by Elam Rotem, explores Rore's lesser known first book of madrigals. Popular in their day, these were widely reprinted as vocal or instrumental pieces and used for teaching — but never recorded in their original four-voice setting till now.

Rome was second only to Venice in music publishing in 15th-century Italy. Jane A. Bernstein's new book details Roman publishers' ingenuity in meeting musicians' needs — with insights into composition and performance practice of the era. It's also a look into the 'synergistic relationship' between technological innovation and the diversity of musical expression.

The Philadelphia Baroque trio Filament has always been attracted to the fantastical sonatas of Dietrich Buxtehude. They performed the composer's music at EMA's 2021 Emerging Artists Showcase, and revisit his work now with their rewarding debut album, 'Alchemy of Another.'

Constantinople, a multi-cultural ensemble from Montreal, is expert in spanning musical cultures. Their latest album, inspired by Leonardo's plan to bridge the Bosporus, is at turns exhilarating, intoxicating, and oversaturated — a 'fantastical swirl of repertoire.'

East of the River, a cosmopolitan, multi-instrumental ensemble led by Nina Stern and Daphna Mor, celebrates the rich repertoire of the Sephardic diaspora, tapping influences from Spain, the Ottoman Empire, and Northern Africa, all regions where Sephardi Jews relocated after they were expelled from the Iberian peninsula between 1492 and 1497.