31.10.25
V.A. — FEMALE COMPOSERS (2025) 25xCD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
What composing like a woman does not mean – as the music in this collection makes clear – is a definable set of qualities or characteristics to the music itself which would distinguish the work of female composers from the music composed by men.
This remarkable set gathers many individual recordings of music by women composers, which Brilliant Classics has quietly yet actively championed in their catalogue for decades, uniting it with exciting new outings, so that a comprehensive historical picture of the highly varied struggles and successes of women composers through the ages to our present time are chronicled and celebrated.
Recordings date from 1994–2024.
Booklet in English contains liner notes by Peter Quantrill.
The revival of interest in female classical composers reflects a growing recognition of their overlooked contributions to music history. For centuries, women composers were marginalized, their works overshadowed by their male counterparts. However, recent efforts by musicians, scholars, and institutions have brought these composers into the spotlight, highlighting the richness and diversity of their compositions.
This renewed focus stems from a broader movement toward inclusivity in the arts, challenging traditional narratives that have historically excluded women. The rise of feminist musicology has also played a key role, offering fresh perspectives on these composers' lives and works.
This comprehensive box set offers a wide spectrum of works by female composers, from the Medieval mystic Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179) , through the Renaissance Isabella Leonarda (baptized 1620-1704), Francesca Caccini (1587-1640) und Barbara Strozzi (baptized 1619-1677), traversing the Baroque and Classical eras, and arriving in the contemporary field, with composers such as Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) and Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969).
A long due homage to the art and voice of female composers, spanning nearly a thousand years! brilliant
Tracklist & Credits :
11.1.22
BEACH : Piano Concerto, Op. 45 ♦ CHAMINADE : Concertstück In C Sharp Minor, Op. 40 ♦ HOWELL : Piano Concerto In D Minor (Danny Driver · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Rebecca Miller) (2017) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 70 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless
Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches its 70th album with this program of three concertos by women. The ongoing success of the series suggests that audiences are ready and waiting for wider repertoire, and pianist Danny Driver and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Rebecca Miller deliver a real find here. The Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 45, of American composer Amy Beach has been performed and recorded, but it's been in search of a recording that captures the autobiographical quality of the work, well sketched out in the booklet notes by Nigel Simeone. Essentially, Beach faced creative repression from her religious mother and to a lesser extent from her husband, who allowed her to compose, but only rarely to perform. These experiences, it may be said, poured out in this towering Brahmsian, four-movement piano concerto, which sets up an unusual quality of struggle between soloists and orchestra. It's this dynamic that's so well captured by Driver and Miller (who happen to be married to each other). Sample the opening movement, which has lacked this quality in earlier performances. Also worthwhile is the Concertstück in C sharp minor, Op. 40, of French composer Cécile Chaminade, now rarely represented on programs, but at one time so popular in the U.S. that there were more than 200 Chaminade Clubs there. Driver also gets the light, zippy quality of this work, which endeared Chaminade to audiences, if not to critics, for many years. The opening Piano Concerto in D minor of Britain's Dorothy Howell is less obviously in need of revival, but this recording is worth the time and money for the Beach performance alone. James Manheim
Tracklist :
Piano Concerto In D Minor (19:33)
Composed By – Dorothy Howell
Piano Concerto In C Sharp Minor Op 45 (34:51)
Composed By – Amy Beach
Concertstück In C Sharp Minor Op 40 (15:07)
Composed By – Cécile Chaminade
Credits :
Conductor – Rebecca Miller
Leader [Of Orchestra] – Laura Samuel
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Danny Driver
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