The Boston Modern Orchestra Project has released David Sanford: Black Noise on its BMOP/sound label, led by conductor Gil Rose. Included are Sanford’s Black Noise; Prayer: In Memoriam Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and the orchestral version of the cello concerto Scherzo Grosso with soloist Matt Haimovitz. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has released Shostakovich’s Symphony Nos. 6 and 7, led by Music Director Andris Nelsons, on Deutsche Grammophon. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director JoAnn Falletta’s Built for Buffalo 2 recording has been released on the BPO’s Beau Fleuve label. Repertoire includes Jaakko Kuusisto’s Concerto for Trumpet, featuring BPO Principal Trumpet Alex Jokipii; Robert Deemer’s Vox Humana for English horn, soprano, and orchestra, featuring Anna Mattix, the orchestra’s oboe/English horn; and Caroline Mallonee’s Whistler Waves for Cello and Orchestra, featuring BPO Associate Principal Cellist Feng Hew. The Fort Smith Symphony in Arkansas has released a recording of Florence Price’s Symphony Nos. 1 and 4, led by Music Director John Jeter, on the Naxos label. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Prokofiev Piano Concerto Nos. 1, 3, and 4 with 2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko has been released on the Harmonia Mundi label; Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts. The Minnesota Orchestra has released a recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, with Music Director Osmo Vänskä and soprano Ruby Hughes, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, and the Minnesota Chorale, on BIS Records. On February 22, the New York Philharmonic will release a recording of its September-October 2018 performances of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps and Debussy’s La Mer, led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden, on the Decca Gold label. In February 2019, the Utah Symphony and Music Director Thierry Fischer are recording live performances of music by Boulez and Berlioz, for later release on the Hyperion record label. Repertoire includes Boulez’s Initiale and four Berlioz selections: Symphonie fantastique, “Sara la baigneuse” Ballade for Three Choruses and Orchestra, “La Mort d’Ophélie” from Tristia, and “Rêverie et caprice” for Violin and Orchestra. The Virginia Symphony Orchestra has released Night Owl, a recording featuring Michael Daugherty’s three-movement work of the same name. Music Director JoAnn Falletta led the work’s world premiere in April 2018 in Newport News, Virginia.
Switzerland’s Orchestra della Svizzera italiana has released The Rossini Project, Vol. 1: The Young Rossini, a recording of rarely performed symphonies, overtures, and operatic arias, led by Markus Poschner. The Nonesuch and New Amsterdam Records record labels have announced a new partnership focusing on American composers, with three recordings to be released each year. The first three composers will be Caroline Shaw, Daniel Wohl, and William Brittelle. Lisa Bielawa’s made-for-TV and online opera Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch’s Accuser, will be released as a CD/DVD on the Orange Mountain Music label on February 28. Following the release of Yo-Yo Ma’s Six Evolutions—Bach: Cello Suites recording last August, the cellist is touring his “Bach Project” in the U.S., Europe, Australia, India, and New Zealand during 2019, with all performances accompanied by collaborative events ranging from town hall discussions to nonprofit showcases, art projects, and joint performances with local talent. Pianists Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies have released a recording of their two-piano arrangement of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 4 on Supertrain Records. The piano trio Bearthoven—pianist Karl Larson, bassist Pat Swoboda, and percussionist Matt Evans—have released American Dream, featuring works of composer Scott Wollschleger, on Cantaloupe Music. American Modern Recordings has released Embracing the Wind, an album featuring the trio Auréole (flutist Laura Gilbert, violist Mary Hammann, harpist Stacey Shames) in music by Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim and Lior Navok and Americans Ian Krouse and Robert Paterson. Violinist Philippe Quint has released Chaplin’s Smile, a recording featuring arrangements of Charlie Chaplin’s music, on Warner Classics. Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are also featured on the recording, which celebrates Chaplin’s 130th birthday in 2019.
Posted February 6, 2019
