In the words of American pianist Simone Dinnerstein, “Bach and Schubert, to my ears, share a distinctive quality. Their non-vocal music has a powerful narrative, a vocal element. The effect is that of wordless voices singing textless melodies." This week we feature Simone's latest recording as our KDFC CD of the Week. It includes the Partitas #1 and #2 of Bach and four of the Schubert Impromptus. Hear selections throughout the week on KDFC and buy it at a special price this week only at KDFC.com. (BTW, Dinnerstein will appear in recital at the Montalvo Arts center on Sunday, February 26.)
This new recording is a kind of "State of the Union" address, as the group's current membership revisits and refreshes examples of its unique contribution to the brass quintet universe. Founded in 1970, Canadian Brass celebrates with this CD four decades of performing with four centuries of music. From the early Canzona Prima a 5 by Giovanni Gabrieli to a new work by CB member Brandon Ridenour, "Takes Flight" reviews the music of the past and sets the stage for future flights. Hear selections from this hard-to-find CD throughout this week on the air and buy it now at a special KDFC price.
This week we offer another contender for your Holiday music wish-list. A Steinway Christmas Album features pianist Jeffrey Biegel and takes listeners on a journey through Christmases past and present. With sparkling arrangements of time-honored carols, well-loved winter melodies, and evocative new pieces, A Steinway Christmas Album is the perfect Holiday recording for lovers of the piano. Hear highlights on the air throughout this week and buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Dec 5 2011 12:00AM
Posted 62 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of December 5th
The Colors of Christmas/John Rutter
Dec 5 2011 12:00AM
Posted 62 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Bach Choir/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The latest from British composer and conductor John Rutter features beloved holiday classics as well as some lesser-known gems. The disc includes several works by Rutter himself including the brand new carol which gives the CD its title. Other composers represented are Mendelssohn (Hark, the Herald Angels Sing), Adolphe Adam (O Holy Night), and Mel Torme (The Christmas Song or Chestnuts Roasting) plus that holiday mainstay,"Traditional". Hear selections throughout the week and add it to your holiday collection now at a special KDFC price.
If Mozart were alive today, would he be writing for video games? He wrote music for the prevailing entertainment vehicles of the day and with video games being a lot more popular today than opera or ballet, it makes sense that some very talented composers are writing for the genre. Skeptical? Reserve your judgement until you hear these orchestral arrangements of themes from such games as Call of Duty, Halo, World of Warcraft, Angry Birds, and more performed by the London Phil!
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Jose Serebrier
Uruguayan conductor Jose Serebrier has embarked on a new recording project with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra that will encompass the complete Symphony cycle of Antonin Dvorak. Volume #1 starts at the end with Dvorak's final symphony, #9, "From the New World". The disc also includes the Czech Suite and two of the enormously popular Slavonic Dances. We'll be featuring selections from this CD throughout the week on KDFC and you can buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Our Bonus CD is a collection of vocal music re-imagined for a wordless medium: the piano duo. In their debut album, When Words Fade, Anderson & Roe present original piano duo arrangements of well-known classical vocal pieces alongside great hits of pop. Includes everything from Billie Jean by Michael Jackson to the Rachmaninoff Vocalise; Bizet's Carmen to Paranoid Android by Radiohead! Check them out on youTube.
Four of Johann Sebastian Bach's most important works for orchestral ensemble are collected on this new 2-CD set from the renowned Freiburg Baroque Orchestra. The four Suites for Orchestra or "Overtures" are a unique blending of French and Italian styles with Bach's own genius, which pretty much reinvents the genre. An indispensable treasure of the Baroque. We'll play selections throughout the week and you can buy it here at a special KDFC price.
Made in Britain is an anthology of British musical landscapes presented by a British ensemble with a British conductor. The Royal Philharmonic is led by John Wilson in selections by William Walton (Scapino), Frederick Delius (The Walk to Paradise Garden), George Butterworth (2 English Idylls), Arnold Bax (The Happy Forest) and the "king of the English pastoral sound", Ralph Vaughan Williams. His Lark Ascending is included on the disc with solo violinist James Clark impersonating the lark. "A harvest of good tunes, wistful nostalgia and unbuttoned exuberance". We'll be featuring this CD all week on the air and you can buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Shuffle.Play.Listen unites ground-breaking, Grammy-nominated cellist Matt Haimovitz with pianist Christopher O'Riley, host of From the Top (Sunday's at 7pm on KDFC) in a collaboration that blurs the boundaries between classical and pop music. Two performers, each a superstar in his own right, come together to plumb the virtuosic and lyrical possibilities of their instruments. Difficult to pigeon-hole, Shuffle. Play. Listen is intended for today's classical fans who have Wagner on their iPod right next to Lady Gaga! "Could be the coolest classical CD of the year", (Norman Lebrecht.) Hear selections on KDFC throughout this week.
A disc of Rachmaninoff Preludes featuring this British pianist was one of our favorite recordings from of 2009. Now Steven Osborne is back with the complete music for solo piano by Maurice Ravel. At nearly two and a half hours of music, this project goes a long way in explaining what the award-winning pianist has been up to since then. Ravel was a composer who often began with a piano version of his works, later arranging them for orchestra, so many of the pieces on these 2 CDs may sound familiar even if you've never heard the keyboard versions before. The well-received recording ("A set of stunning virtuosity, but with delicate colors at the same time. Steven Osborne demonstrates again his great feel for French piano music." William Kreindler, MusicWeb International) features Le Tombeau de Couperin, Menuet antique, Pavane for a Dead Princess, Sonatine, La valse, Miroirs, and the haunting Gaspard de la nuit. Hear selections on KDFC throughout the week and buy it now at our special KDFC price.
It must have been a dream come true for contemporary cellist Zuill Bailey to get a chance to actually play with the great (and late) Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, but that's what we encounter on this latest Zenph Re-Performance outing, The Spanish Masters. The Zenph folks are dedicated to breathing new life into classic old recordings through a process of data manipulation that retains the nuances of a performance but eliminates the extraneous noise. Thus it's Manuel de Falla (and Albeniz and Granados) on the piano sounding like it was recorded yesterday! Check it out!
On the November 8th edition of KDFC's The State of the Arts, KDFC's Arts Producer Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr chats with Zuill Bailey as he explores this exciting new recording. Click here to listen.
And tune in weekdays to hear The State of the Arts or visit KDFC's The State of the Arts page anytime for the latest edition and more!
Just as we're asking you to vote for this year's KDFC Classical All-Stars, the London Philharmonic has come out with their own version on a 4-CD set entitled The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music. And before you ask, "Says who?", take a gander at the line-up: Beethoven's Ode to Joy from the 9th Symphony, Holst's Jupiter from The Planets, excerpts from Orff's Carmina Burana, the Cavatina from The Deer Hunter, Mozart's A Little Night Music, the Pachelbel Canon, the Bach Air on the G String. You get the idea. How will this list compare with your 2012 Classical All-Stars? Hold that thought while listening to 50 faves from the London Philharmonic throughout this week, on the air and on sale at a special KDFC price right here.
Another departure from purely classical for Yo-Yo Ma and his very talented pals from other walks of musical life. Ma says, " What we’re trying to do is simply make music that transcends whatever roots or categories of backgrounds that it starts from – that just exists as something that we’re trying to express, through our community of values, as a moment in time creating very special music.” Head-scratching? You bet but a quick listen to some excerpts (click the link) will demonstrate what he's talking about. You'll also learn what a "Goat Rodeo" is! Fun stuff.
Curious to hear more? On the November 1st edition of KDFC's The State of the Arts, KDFC's Arts Producer Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr explores Yo-Yo Ma's latest genre-defying CD. Click below to listen. And tune in weekdays to hear The State of the Arts or visit KDFC's The State of the Arts page anytime for the latest edition and more!
This new CD from Spain's Cuarteto Casals features Boccherini's best known works in sparkling, fresh performances. Headlining is the evocative "Night Music in the Streets of Madrid" which was so out there for Boccherini that he didn't want it published during his lifetime. As the title implies, it depicts the sounds of late-night Madrid as the town is closing up shop. Then there's the String Quintet in E major, best known for its Minuet, the Quintet in D major, which concludes with a spunky Fandango, and rounding out the collection is the g minor String Quartet. Cuarteto Casals is joined by a second cellist, Eckart Runge (taking the part Boccherini would have played), guitarist Carles Trepat and in the Fandango we get to hear the castanet stylings of Daniel Tummer. We'll be playing selections from this new CD throughout the week on KDFC and you can buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Oct 17 2011 12:00AM
Posted 111 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of October 17th
All about Liszt
Oct 17 2011 12:00AM
Posted 111 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
It's all about music's first superstar this week as we head toward the 200th birthday of Franz Liszt on October 22. Three new recordings join the already long list of Liszt tributes. The latest from the young French pianist Lise de la Salle includes some of the large-scale works like the b minor Ballade and Funerailles as well as arrangements of works by other composers given the unique Liszt twist. The all-Liszt debut CD from Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili has been described as "breathtaking". She plays favorites like Liebestraum and the Mephisto Waltz and the spooky Gondola lugubre. Finally, a new CD from the French master, Pierre-Laurent Aimard performing works by Liszt and other great composers who were influenced by Liszt. Plus we bring back a release from earlier this year, Franz Liszt: Wild and Crazy; a specially-priced 2-CD celebration of Liszt piano fireworks from an array of virtuoso pianists like Lang Lang, Daniel Barenboim, Alice Sara Ott, the late Jorge Bolet, Martha Argerich and many others. Listen for selections from all 3 CDs on KDFC and buy any one or all of them this week at a special KDFC price.
The latest from superstar pianist Lang Lang is his own personal celebration of the 200th birthday of the composer who first got him interested in the piano, Franz Liszt. If you heard Lang Lang play Liszt’s first Piano Concerto on the San Francisco Symphony’s Opening Night Gala, you can relive the magic, because it’s here, along with hits like Liebestraum, Consolation, La Campanella and two of the Hungarian Rhapsodies. We'll play selections on KDFC throughout the week and you can buy this CD at a special price this week only at KDFC.com.
This week we're showcasing the Italian tenor, Vittorio Grigolo, with selections from his latest CD "Arrivederci" . Grigolo writes,"Arrivederci means "see you again soon". With this album I wanted to revisit the most beautiful music from opera to traditional Italian songs." Grigolo is better-known in his native Italy than here, although you may have seen him on Dancing with the Stars a couple of seasons ago! Born in Arezzo and raised in Rome, he sang in the choir of the Sistine Chapel as a boy. When he was just 13 he shared the stage with Pavarotti and was instantly dubbed Il Pavarottino, the Little Pavarotti. He is the first Italian man to be excused from military duty because of his promising career! Meet Vittorio Grigolo. It's the week that sings on KDFC! Look below to check out a great video of Vittorio in action.
Sep 26 2011 12:00AM
Posted 132 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of September 26th
De Falla: Nights in the Gardens of Spain Works for the Piano
Sep 26 2011 12:00AM
Posted 132 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Javier Perianes, piano/BBC Symphony Orchestra/Josep Pons, conductor
It's all about Spain on this new disc of selections by Manual de Falla with Spanish pianist Javier Perianes and Catalan conductor Josep Pons. Just one disc contains the complete works for solo piano by de Falla (who was "repelled" by the concept of the performing virtuoso) plus his evocative work for piano and orchestra, Nights in the Gardens of Spain. The solo pieces include tributes to de Falla's contemporaries, Debussy and Dukas and the pianist Artur Rubinstein. We'll play selections on KDFC throughout the week and you can buy this CD at a special price this week only at KDFC.com.
American pianist Becky Billock has just released a recording of solo piano pieces by American women composers. Muses Nine features beautiful, unique, and rarely heard selections by some of today's leading composers:Ellen Zwilich, Libby Larsen, Diane Thome and the early pioneers, Amy Beach and Margaret Bond. Hear tracks from this new CD throughout the week on KDFC and buy it at a special KDFC price this week only.
Sep 12 2011 12:00AM
Posted 146 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of September 12th
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra/Nicholas McGegan Vivaldi/The Four Seasons
Sep 12 2011 12:00AM
Posted 146 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's newest CD features studio recordings of seven Vivaldi violin concertos, including his beloved The Four Seasons, as well as the Concerto in B-flat major ( RV 375); the Concerto in E minor, “Il favorito”; and the Concerto in E major, “L’amoroso”. The soloist for all the concertos is 30-year veteran of the Orchestra, violinist Elizabeth Blumenstock. The recordings were made in December 2010 at Skywalker Sound in Marin. Hear selections on KDFC throughout this week and buy the CD at a special price this week only.
Sep 5 2011 12:00AM
Posted 153 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of September 5th
Anne-Sophie Mutter: The Complete Musician
Sep 5 2011 12:00AM
Posted 153 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
This week a 2-CD collection of highlights from the great German violinist's complete recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. Arranged in chronological order, this is a comprehensive over-view of 35 years on stage for Mutter including a never-before-released recording of the 11 year-old Mutter playing Prokofiev! ASM: 35 features Mutter's personal favorites among her recordings with music by Brahms, Mozart, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Lutoslawski, and many more.
Hear selections throughout the week on KDFC and buy this collection now at a special KDFC price.
Bonus CD!
Sep 5 2011 12:00AM
Posted 153 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Guitar Passions: Sharon Isbin and Friends
Renowned classical guitarist Sharon Isbin follows up her Grammy-winning album, Journey to the New World, with another extraordinary musical exploration, Sharon Isbin & Friends: Guitar Passions. This time, the journey is focused on Isbin’s musical mentors and has a Latin American flavor on many tracks. Joining Sharon on this new recording are three-time rock guitarist composer Steve Vai, innovative jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, and the platinum- selling rock band Heart’s guitarist/composer, Nancy Wilson, among others.
Check out this cool video!
Aug 29 2011 12:00AM
Posted 160 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of August 29th
Tabarinades: Music for the Theater of Tabarin
Aug 29 2011 12:00AM
Posted 160 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Les Boreades/Francis Colpron
Tabarin was the stage name of a French street performer of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His theatrical antics were a direct influence on the plays of Moliere. And the music which accompanied the almost-daily performances in Paris' Place Dauphine sounds as fresh and lively in this new recording from Les Boreades as it must have 400 years ago. Composers represented on this CD include Michael Praetorius, Lambert Beaulieu, Vincenzo Ruffo, and the always popular Anonymous!
Hear selections from this CD throughout this week on KDFC and buy it at a special price right now.
Collected onto a 3-CD set are all of Perahia's best-selling recordings of Bach Concertos. Brooklyn-born Murray Perahia has been one of our most important pianist for as long as I can remember. He appears here with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. "What puts Murray Perahia in the very top league of Bach players is his capacity for releasing the sheer, overwhelming spirit of Bach’s music," Sony.
Hear selections from this CD throughout this week and buy it at a special KDFC price this week only.
New from arguably the world's greatest oboist is a recording that demonstrates Bach's genius touch with the oboe. Heinz Holliger is back with his longtime partners, the Camerata Bern, for 6 Bach Concertos plus a Bach arrangement of the familiar Marcello d minor oboe concerto.
Hear selections from this CD throughout this week and buy it at a special KDFC price this week only.
English-born pianist Stephen Hough revisits the Chopin Waltzes in this new CD on the Hyperion Label. His earlier recordings of the same repertory garnered critical acclaim and it's interesting to hear how time and age have influenced his interpretations. We'll play selections throughout the week on KDFC and you can buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Cello Explorations featuring the Angeli Ensemble:
The preeminent American cellist Lynn Harrell has released a new recording with an enigmatic title, The Known Unknowns. Featuring four Cello Concertos, the disc ranges from the familiar Haydn Concerto in C (re-discovered in 1959) to a concerto arrangement of the Couperin Pieces en concert. The A major Concerto of C.P.E. Bach may have been written originally for flute, harpsichord or cello (unknown) and the Boccherini work Harrell plays started out as a Sonata. Teamed with the Angeli Ensemble, Harrell is his usual masterful self. Hear selections throughout this week and buy it at a special KDFC price right now.
As a complement to the Harrell CD we offer this fun new recording: 2CELLOS with Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser. They are a YouTube sensation with their dueling cellos versions of pop hits like "Smooth Criminal" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit"! We'll play a little name-that-tune this week with these guys!
Aug 1 2011 12:00AM
Posted 188 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of August 1st
Liszt: Wild and Crazy
Aug 1 2011 12:00AM
Posted 188 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Classical music's original Rock Star is 200 years young! Happy Birthday Franz Liszt. Here is a specially priced 2-CD celebration of Liszt piano fireworks from an array of virtuoso pianists like Lang Lang, Daniel Barenboim, Alice Sara Ott, the late Jorge Bolet, Martha Argerich and many others. From the Hungarian Rhapsodies to the Mephisto Waltz, virtually all of Liszt big piano hits are included. Hear selections on the air throughout this week and buy this new release now at a special KDFC price.
Jul 25 2011 12:00AM
Posted 195 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of July 25th
The Very Best of Karl Jenkins
Jul 25 2011 12:00AM
Posted 195 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Welsh composer Karl Jenkins is most famous for his “Diamond Music,” but he is the most performed living composer in the world. This 2-CD set, includes the “Diamond Music,” excerpts from his beautiful choral works “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” and “Requiem,” his Kazakh violin concerto “Sarikiz” and much more. Artists include sopranos Dame Kiri te Kanawa and Kate Royal, trumpeter Alison Balsom, harpist Catrin Finch and violinist Marat Bisengaliev. Hear selections from this new CD throughout the week and buy it at a special KDFC price this week.
The great Spanish cellist Pablo Casals was and is an inspiration to generations of cellists including the young German, Alban Gerhardt. Gerhardt has released a tribute to Casals in this new collection of encores. Included are familiar works like Saint-Saens' The Swan and Faure's Apres un reve as well as lesser-known miniatures by David Popper and Edward MacDowell. Hear selections from this new CD throughout the week and buy it at a special KDFC price this week.
Jul 11 2011 12:00AM
Posted 209 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of July 11th
Summer in the Park
Jul 11 2011 12:00AM
Posted 209 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Ah, Summer! Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and another neat seasonal compilation from EMI Classics, the latest in their “…in the Park” series. “Summer in the Park” features 15 tracks of lazy, hazy days music, along with a few for those few moments of hustle and bustle that get you in the mood for the next nap. Featuring a typical great roster of EMI performers, including clarinetist Sabine Meyer, cellist Han-Na Chang, pianist Ingrid Fliter, the Berlin Philharmonic, the London Symphony and more, this disc will be perfect for those relaxing moments as the barbecue winds down. Hear selections from this recording throughout this week and buy it now at a special KDFC price.
The Bay Area's own Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs three of Haydn's London Symphonies on this new CD release, recorded live in 2007-2009 at Berkeley's First Congregational Church. Represented are Haydn's "London" Symphony, #104, the "Clock" Symphony, #101 and the Symphony #88. "Seldom have (Haydn's) elemental dynamic contrasts sounded so properly in proportion and so mercurial."-New York Times. Hear selections from this CD throughout this week and buy it now at a special CD of the Week price!
Jun 27 2011 12:00AM
Posted 223 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of June 27th
Katia and Marielle Labèque: Rhapsody in Blue & West Side Story
Jun 27 2011 12:00AM
Posted 223 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Just in time for the 4th of July, Katia and Marielle Labèque present an inspired and uplifting program of American music for two pianos. The Labèques' recording of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue launched a stellar international career and was one of the first gold records in classical music. This new release from their own KML Records features the sisters' new look at Gershwin's immortal Rhapsody coupled with Irwin Kostal's arrangement of music from Leonard Bernstein's beloved musical West Side Story. Hear selections throughout the week leading up to the 4th of July and buy this release at a special price right now.
Jun 20 2011 12:00AM
Posted 230 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of June 20th
Vivaldi:The French Connection 2
Jun 20 2011 12:00AM
Posted 230 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
In this follow-up to French Connection 1, Adrian Chandler and his group La Serenissima again explore the increasing interest that French and Italian musicians had in each other's music during the 1720's and 1730's. This rich cultural exchange is reflected in Vivaldi's "Paris" Symphonies and other works written with the French taste in mind. This disc is particularly notable for featuring the World Premiere recording of the newly-discovered Vivaldi Flute Concerto,"Il Gran Mogul" which KDFC first aired in February. "They play with the effortless musicality of birds", The Independent. Hear selections from this new release throughout this week and buy it now at a special KDFC price.
Jun 13 2011 12:00AM
Posted 237 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of June 13
New Recordings of Bach's Cello Suites
Jun 13 2011 12:00AM
Posted 237 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
We've seen so many new recordings of the Cello Suites lately that we decided to spotlight a few of them as our CDs of the Week. First, from the Bay Area's Tanya Tomkins (Philharmonia Baroque, American Bach Soloists) a performance of the Suites as played on Baroque Cellos. We'll contrast that with Helen Callus' new recording on viola, making the case that Bach may have written the Suites for an instrument which was more akin to the viola than our modern cello. Then there's the straight-ahead reading from the young French cellist Ophélie Gaillard.
Tanya Tomkins:
Helen Callus:
Ophélie Gaillard:
Jun 6 2011 12:00AM
Posted 244 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of June 6th
Milos Karadaglic: The Guitar
Jun 6 2011 12:00AM
Posted 244 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
This week we introduce you to the 27 year-old guitar virtuoso from Montenegro, Milos Karadaglic. On his debut CD, Milos explores music from Spain, Italy, Greece and beyond. Already a star in the UK, Milos is poised to win over American music-lovers with his virtuosity and his charisma. "...the impending stardom of this remarkable musician will come as no surprise."-The Independent.
Hear selections from this recording throughout this week and buy it now at a special KDFC price.
May 30 2011 12:00AM
Posted 251 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of May 30th
Nelson Freire: Liszt - Harmonies du soir
May 30 2011 12:00AM
Posted 251 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
The Hungarian composer Franz Liszt was born October 22, 1811 and music lovers the world over are celebrating his bicentenary with concerts, recordings and more. Liszt is often described as the first rock star because of his incredible following during his lifetime and because he set the bar very high for all pianists who came after him. The Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire has long been an exceptional interpreter of Liszt's music. Our CD of the Week is his new selection of Liszt's works, from the grandly opulent early works to the bitter-sweet melodies of his later years.
The Italian early-music ensemble Europa Galante expands their rich catalogue of Vivaldi’s works with six concertos – five from La Stravaganza (The Eccentric) and another in F major – published as a set in London in 1728 by John Walsh. These Concertos became a cornerstone of the composer’s international fame in his lifetime. Listen for tracks from this new CD throughout the week and buy it at a special price this week only.
May 16 2011 12:00AM
Posted 265 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of May 16th
The Symphonic Celtic Album/City of Prague Philharmonic
May 16 2011 12:00AM
Posted 265 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
The featured CD this week is a new compilation of movie music that draws on the haunting celtic sound, used to great effect in such movies as Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, Barry Lyndon, and more. Memorable film music from composers like Thomas Newman (Shawshank Redemption), Carter Burwell (Miller's Crossing), John Williams (Far and Away), Trevor Jones (Last of the Mohicans) and Hans Zimmer (Gladiator). A musical journey to the heart of the British Isles.
May 9 2011 12:00AM
Posted 272 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of May 9th
Mozart: Piano Concertos 20 and 27
May 9 2011 12:00AM
Posted 272 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Mitsuko Uchida plays/conducts The Cleveland Orchestra
Mitsuko Uchida has been described as the outstanding Mozart interpreter of our time. The latest release in this Grammy-award winning series features two of Mozart's best-loved concertos- the Concertos #20 and #27 with Uchida leading the orchestra from the piano. The Japanese-born pianist spent her formative years in Vienna where her father served as the Ambassador from Japan. She is now a naturalized British citizen and became Dame Mitsuko in 2009.
May 2 2011 12:00AM
Posted 279 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of May 2nd
Janine Jansen: Beau Soir
May 2 2011 12:00AM
Posted 279 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
New from the young Dutch violinist, Janine Jansen is Beau Soir, a recital of French music inspired by the night. From Debussy's Beau soir and Clair de lune to Faure's Apres un reve and a Nocturne by Lili Boulanger, Jansen and her partner on piano Itamar Golan take us from dusk into evening and finally a moonlit night. The disc includes three world premieres by Paris-based composer Richard Dubugnon. Click to see a cool video of Janine in action.
Apr 25 2011 12:00AM
Posted 286 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of April 25th
Music for a Royal Wedding/Various Artists
Apr 25 2011 12:00AM
Posted 286 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Friday April 29th will be a national day of celebration in England when His Royal Highness, Prince William marries Kate Middleton. Just in time for the big day (and for the general wedding season for us commoners) is this handy compilation of music that has been featured at royal weddings in years past. Tracks include the Pachelbel Canon, The Flower Duet from Lakme with soprano Lesley Garrett, as well as patriotic British selections like Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March #4.
Apr 18 2011 12:00AM
Posted 293 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of April 18
Albeniz: Spanish Music for Classical Guitar David Russell, guitar
Apr 18 2011 12:00AM
Posted 293 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Scottish-born David Russell moved with his family to the Spanish island of Minorca when he was five. There he was exposed to the guitar and almost immediately started playing. Today he is recognized as one of the world's leading classical guitarists and pays tribute to his adopted homeland with this new Albeniz CD. However, you can take the boy out of Scotland but you can't take Scotland completely out of the boy: Russell is also an outstanding amateur golfer!
Apr 11 2011 12:00AM
Posted 300 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of April 11
Springtime in the Park
Apr 11 2011 12:00AM
Posted 300 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
The most recent installment in the seasonal "In the Park" series from EMI explores the sounds of Spring in music of Beethoven, Grieg, Debussy, Faure, Holst, and more. Featuring such performers as violinist Sarah Chang, pianist David Fray and clarinetist Sabine Meyer along with conductors Wolfgang Sawallisch, Simon Rattle, and Riccardo Muti. This is a compilation of music that's perfect for the blossom-filled days of April.
Apr 4 2011 12:00AM
Posted 307 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of April 4
Daniel Hope:The Romantic Violinist, A Celebration of Joseph Joachim
Apr 4 2011 12:00AM
Posted 307 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
With The Romantic Violinist, Brit Daniel Hope pays tribute to the 19th-century violinist Joseph Joachim. Joachim was an important influence on some of the most important composers of his time, especially Brahms, Bruch, and Dvorak. The Romantic Violinist includes the Bruch Concerto as well as works by Brahms and Dvorak and even Joachim himself. With a wide range of styles from concerto to chamber, Hope reveals the impact this one violinist had on classical music and violin writing.
Mar 28 2011 12:00AM
Posted 314 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of March 28
Yundi: Live in Beijing
Mar 28 2011 12:00AM
Posted 314 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Yundi Live In Beijing is a recording of Yundi’s June 2010 concert in China’s new National Centre of the Performing Arts. Apprearing with our SF Symphony this week, Yundi is famed throughout his homeland since his win in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2000, where he was the first Chinese pianist to win the competition, as well as the youngest ever winner. Yundi played the music on this disc around the world in 2010 in honor of Chopin's bicentennial. Included are Nocturnes, Mazurkas and the important piano Sonata #2. A DVD of the concert is part of the package on sale this week!
Mar 21 2011 12:00AM
Posted 321 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of March 21
Zuill Bailey and Awadagin Pratt: Brahms Works for Cello and Piano
Mar 21 2011 12:00AM
Posted 321 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
KDFC artist and friend, Zuill Bailey’s Bach Cello Suites recording was a surprise bestseller in 2010 and he is following up with an all-Brahms release with longtime collaborator, the pianist, Awadagin Pratt. Their partnership has been hailed as “engaging their two instruments in a conversation... both speaking clearly, articulately and passionately,” Zuill and Awadagin perform Brahms’ Sonatas for Cello and Piano Nos. 1 and 2, his Sonatensatz and five songs on this Spring 2011 recording.
Mar 14 2011 12:00AM
Posted 328 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of March 14
Yuja Wang Plays Rachmaninoff
Mar 14 2011 12:00AM
Posted 328 days 4 hrs 59 mins ago
Bay Area audiences and critics alike have embraced the young Grammy-nominated pianist Yuja Wang. She has just released her first orchestral recording which features two favorites from Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the Piano Concerto #2. Claudio Abbado leads the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Make do with Yuja on CD until her return appearances with the SF Symphony this June.
Mar 7 2011 12:00AM
Posted 335 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of March 7
Nicola Benedetti Plays Tchaikovsky and Bruch
Mar 7 2011 12:00AM
Posted 335 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Nicola Benedetti burst onto the scene at the age of 16, winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year award. Now at 24, the young Scottish violinist is releasing her 5th album which pairs two of the best-known and best-loved concertos in the repertory: the Tchaikovsky and the Bruch. These are works against which all violinists must test themselves.
Feb 28 2011 12:00AM
Posted 342 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Week of February 28
Albrecht Mayer: Bonjour Paris (Decca)
Feb 28 2011 12:00AM
Posted 342 days 3 hrs 59 mins ago
Virtuoso oboist Albrecht Mayer celebrates a lifelong passion for France with an album of popular French melodies and by growing a very gallic-looking mustache! The CD includes favorites by Debussy, Faure, and Ravel, plus the World Premiere of an impressionistic work entitled "Ete" or Summer written especially for Mayer by Gotthard Odermatt.
Feb 17 2011 4:34PM
Posted 352 days 11 hrs 25 mins ago
Week of February 21
Feb 17 2011 4:28PM
Posted 352 days 11 hrs 31 mins ago
San Francisco Symphony: Beethoven's 5th and Piano Concerto No. 4
(San Francisco Symphony)
One of two new releases by our own SFS is a recording of Beethoven's Symphony #5 and his Piano Concerto #4 with soloist Emanuel Ax. According to music director Michael Tilson Thomas, "Beethoven brings out the subtler, more elegant, poised side of the orchestra and the ability to make even very familiar music feel new, real and alive." We'll be featuring this CD throughout the week and you can buy it at a special price this week only at KDFC.com.
