Weekday mornings at 10 a.m., Alison Young plays a larger work titled a "Morning Glory." This week's focus: new releases.
Monday, 11/28:
Antonin Dvorak: Czech Suite
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Jose Serebrier, conductor
Warner 66656
Tuesday, 11/29:
Johann Sebastian Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 1
Les Violons du Roy
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Alexandre Tharaud, piano
Virgin 70914
Alexandre Tharaud is a fantastic French pianist who's quite comfortable playing Chopin and Satie, but really excels at Baroque repertoire, bringing out the lyric and emotional beauty of the music with a gentle touch. His disc of Couperin's piano works is a favorite around here, and on his most recent release, Tharaud and the King's Violins explore five keyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Wednesday, 11/30:
Ignaz Holzbauer: Gunther von Schwarzburg: Die Klufte sausen!
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Zaide: Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben
La Cetra Baroque Orchestra, Basel
Andrea Marcon, conductor
Mojca Erdmann, soprano
DG 16217
Mozart may now be one of the most well-known opera composers of his era, but while he was working on "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Zaide", he was also checking out what other (then more-famous) composers were writing. In this collection, soprano Mojca Erdmann presents some of Mozart's most familiar arias side-by-side with the arias that influenced them, charming and gorgeous works by composers like Johann Christian Bach and Antonio Salieri. This up-and-coming soprano, with an amazingly flexible tone, is backed by the bold and energetic period orchestra La Cetra led by Andrea Marcon.
Thursday, 12/1:
Leos Janacek: Pohadka (Fairy Tale)
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Christopher O'Riley, piano
Oxingale 2019
These two have been bending the definition of "classical" for some time, and transcribing songs by pop musicians for years, so it's unsurprising that this new collaboration between cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O'Riley is a wild romp through some evocative music. The first disc blends straight-ahead classical works by Igor Stravinsky and Leos Janacek with a striking rendition of Bernard Herrmann's music from "Vertigo," and the second disc delves into tunes more familiar to listeners of The Current-though with only a growling cello voicing the melodies, the transcriptions are sometimes more powerful than the original songs. It's one to share with your kids and your grandparents.
(the original Radiohead song)
(the O'Riley transcription)
Friday, 12/2:
Aram Khachaturian: Violin Concerto
London Symphony Orchestra
Kristian Jarvi, conductor
Mikhail Simonyan, violin
DG 16170
It may seem that there's a new "young violinist to watch" every few months, but even if we never hear from this kid again, this disc is definitely worth hearing. Violinist Mikhail Simonyan, born in 1985, chose the two concertos on this disc to represent his Armenian heritage and American upbringing. His ability rivals that of violinists from earlier generations, and he plays with fiery emotion. Simonyan is joined by the London Symphony Orchestra led by his good friend Kristjan Jarvi, who close the disc with a gorgeous rendition of Barber's "Adagio for Strings."
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