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Solid Gold: The Pacifica Quartet Conjures Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Chamber Music Magic
In recording Korngold’s evocative chamber pieces, the Pacifica Quartet sought to accentuate the composer’s renowned command of melody and harmony.
Features
Will America’s Mid-Century Concertos Finally Get Their Due?
Academic serialism, Cold War politics, shifting tastes, and some early promotional stumbles prevented many works from securing a foothold in the repertoire. A few determined artists are striving to change that.
Pop Music, Classical Vibe—Vitamin String Quartet Applies a New Aesthetic to Chart–Topping Hits
Recording and releasing classical-style arrangements of pop songs could be viewed as a whimsical endeavor, but to the producers, engineers, arrangers, and musicians of VSQ, the music is no joke.
Bach for More—Violist Edward Klorman Offers a Valuable New Installment in Cello Suites Scholarship
“I wanted to write a book that could be read by anybody who plays these pieces: Cellists. Violists. Bassists. Trombonists. Whoever!” says Klorman.
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Past Perfect? Why the Value of Golden-Age Italian Violins Belies Blind Test Results
Face-offs pitting new against old violins have long predated YouTube, and some have been conducted with the rigors of science.
Agent of Change—Film Composer and Hitchcock Collaborator Bernard Herrmann Influenced All Those Who Came After
Fifty years after his death, Herrmann’s music lives on in his iconic scores, orchestral suites, recital programs, recordings, and even in a hit ballet.
In with the New: Anne Akiko Meyers Releases Three Albums of Contemporary Music, with Two More on the Way
A champion of contemporary composers, Meyers’ website lists 38 composers whose work she has commissioned and/or premiered.
Curtis Stewart on Seeking, Finding, and ‘Recomposing’ the Lost Music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
The Grammy-nominated violinist-composer’s magnificent new recording brings a few lost gems to a world that, until now, has rarely had the opportunity to hear them.
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Jerod Tate and the Dover Quartet Chart New Territory for the American String Quartet
The ensemble’s work with composer Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha’ Tate has yielded new perspectives on modern American identity as well as on the enigmas of the creative process.
A Journey of Discovery: A Conversation with Fearless Fiddler Darol Anger
“I have one foot in various roots traditions and the other on a banana peel,” says the 72-year-old violinist.
Parlez-vous Italien? Violin Making in Turin Drew on Both French and Italian Traditions
Setting up shop in Turin in the early 1820s, luthier Giovanni Francesco Pressenda managed to capture the essence of his country—a little bit French, a little bit Italian—in his work.
The Miró Quartet Serves Up a Triple Helping of Ginastera
Seeking a canonic work to balance its 30th anniversary concert program, the group turned to the three string quartets of 20th-century Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera.
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Justin Robinson and Rhiannon Giddens Pay Homage to the Past on ‘What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow’
No mere collection of rustic folk tunes, the album is a reflection of the role that African music and African American musicians have played in the foundational culture of a nation.
Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet Has Been Spreading Cheer for Two Centuries
Two hundred years after its first performance in the Mendelssohn family home, the Octet is a fixture in public concert halls and private homes.
The SteelDrivers’ Fiddle Stalwart Tammy Rogers Sings the Praises of Modern Bluegrass
Rogers has been at the vanguard of the modern bluegrass movement, blending traditional bluegrass, country, soul, and gospel music.
Brooklyn Rider Celebrates 20 Years of Pushing—and Blurring—Boundaries
Perhaps no modern string quartet has tapped such a varied slate of collaborators.
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The Essays of Donald Tovey Still Inform Musicologists 150 Years After His Birth
Sir Donald Francis Tovey (1875–1940) raised the program note to a literary genre when he used them to provide audiences with the means of hearing music through his unique and perceptive lens.
For Her First Foray into the Concerto Medium, Anna Thorvaldsdottir Finds an Ideal Partner in Cellist Johannes Moser
Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir and cellist Johannes Moser discuss the creation of ‘Before we fall’—the first concerto Thorvaldsdottir has written.
The W. E. Hill & Sons Archive Tells the Story of Richard Bennett’s Fabulous Violin Collection
This was probably the finest 20th-century collection of instruments owned by a single individual.
15 of the Most Significant String Works of the 21st Century . . . So Far
To mark the first 25 years of this century, here are 15 new string pieces that proved especially significant and impactful (plus a few honorable mentions).
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On ‘Women,’ Esther Abrami Lends Her Voice to a Varied Cast of Underrepresented Composers
The French violinist is willing to bet you haven’t heard most of the music—or even the names of some of its composers—that you’ll find on this album.
Cellist and Composer Peter Gregson Creates an Eponymous Album with a Presence
Nine tracks for cello and electronics, ‘Peter Gregson’ (Decca) is distinctly contemporary.
The Late Composer and Multi-Instrumentalist John Hartford Left a Hidden Treasure Trove of 4,000-plus Fiddle Tunes
Until recently, few knew that Hartford, largely known as a banjo player and country-pop composer, had a nearly obsessive devotion to the fiddle.
No Strings Attached—A Look at the MacArthur Fellowship’s Multifaceted Impact
Among the benefits bestowed upon awardees of the coveted MacArthur Fellowship is the unrestricted ability to follow their creative impulses into uncharted realms.