In this album we find Westminster Cathedral Choir at the peak of their powers, performing masterpieces of the ItalianRenaissance. These two magnificent and contrasting settings perfectly demonstrate why Palestrina has been acknowledged as the master of this repertoire from his lifetime to the present day.
Approaching 150 years since the birth of Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941) there remains a certain ambivalence about his legacy. Should he be judged primarily as a pianist or as a composer-pianist? The three works on this disc make the strongest possible case for the latter. The large-scale Piano Sonata in E flat minor, Op 21, is a powerful, turbulent work, showing the composer’s affinity with Rachmaninov in its passion and extreme technical difficulty, contrasting on occasion with writing of affecting simplicity. The brilliant Jonathan Plowright is the ideal apologist for this music—a keen advocate of the Polish Romantic repertoire, possessed of the highest qualities of technique and interpretation.
Haydn’s remarkable Opus 20 quartets are rightfully regarded as landmarks in the history of the string quartet. Throughout the six contrasting quartets the composer employs compositional techniques that were to shape and define the genre. We witness a deviation in style from the lightness and wit of his previous quartets to a mood of emotional intensity and darker musical imagery. The six Opus 20 works are all individually exquisite masterpieces and demonstrate a composer at the height of creative maturity. They display an astonishing consistency of excellence and a huge variety of form and style, contrasting dynamics and relentless energy. Increasingly polyphonic textures are infused with a sense of drama, and the cello is often freed from its basso continuo roots to a position of prominence.The London Haydn Quartet is the ideal advocate for these works and gives elegant, radiant and exhilaratingly assured performances.
'Marais' music is full of interest, and the strong contrasting characters of individual movements are well served by the Purcell Quartet' (Which CD)
Angela Hewitt’s legion of fans will be delighted at this eagerly awaited third volume of Beethoven sonatas. Her first two releases in this series were praised for their ‘clarity, intelligence and elegance’ … ‘fusing poetry and passion’, and all these trademark qualities of her playing are fully present in this third disc. Four contrasting sonatas are presented here, including Op 27 No 2 ‘Moonlight’, which needs no introduction. Utwory: Piano Sonatas Vol 3: Piano Sonata in A flat major Op 26Piano Sonata in F major Op 10 No 2Piano Sonata in E minor Op 90Piano Sonata in C sharp minor ‘Moonlight’ Op 27 No 2