In this imaginative and deeply satisfying new recording, the French period-instrument quartet named Nevermind finds the chamber music in Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Surprisingly, harpsichordist Jean Rondeau and his three colleagues find truths in the music that are beyond the reach of the original.
Nevermind’s Goldbergs, a Garden of Musical Colors Read More »
The original voice of Johann Friedrich Fasch is finally reaching today’s listeners, thanks to Philadelphia’s Tempesta di Mare. The ensemble’s latest recording, volume 4 in a series, offers modern-day premieres of Fasch’s playful, bouncy, and dramatic music. Our reviewer writes: ‘I find it impossible to tire of this joyous journey.’
Tempesta di Mare’s Fasch Fascination Read More »
Next Week, New Orleans’ OperaCreole and D.C.’s Opera Lafayette collaborate on a world premiere, 138 years after the music was written. Edmond Dédé fled antebellum New Orleans for France, where he was a successful conductor and composer. But his grand, four-act opera “Morgiane” was never performed, till now.
Edmond Dédé, America’s First Black Opera Composer Read More »
Four exceptional singers, backed by the ensemble Les Paladins and keyboardist Jérôme Correas, offer four celebrated cantatas on the harrowing tale of Lucretia, covering her emotional states, from rage to sorrow to silence.
Lucrezia Tells Her Own Story Read More »
It’s easy to speculate that J.S. Bach was tired of the daily grind as Cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig and found Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse a space to refresh his creative drive. Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire scored a 2024 hit with their “Bach’s Coffeehouse,” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical charts, as they celebrated the fun and flair of music by Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi — fit for café life.
Espresso Shots with Apollo’s Fire Read More »
