NINO ROTA : Harp, Bassoon & Trombone Concertos (I Virtuosi Italiani · Marzio Conti) (2002) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

MOZART • WINTER • HUMMEL • ROSSINI : Bassoon Concertos (Jaakko Luoma · Tapiola Sinfonietta · Janne Nisonen) (2019) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

The material on this release by Finnish bassoonist Jaakko Luoma with the marvelous Tapiola Sinfonietta under Janne Nisonen may seem obscure enough to be aimed at bassoonists only. They will certainly find a valuable repertory here, but the album is of considerably wider interest. The only remotely familiar work is the Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191, by the young Mozart, an elegant work in the French style that receives a suitably bittersweet performance. The program opens with Hummel's Bassoon Concerto in F major, WoO 23, never published and rarely played since it was first composed. It shows Hummel in an unusually Mozartian mode, revealing its authorship mostly in the expansive first movement. The second half of the program contains the real find. Peter von Winter's single-movement Bassoon Concertino is an attractive, pleasingly operatic work by this Mannheim composer who, among other things, once wrote a sequel to The Magic Flute. The Bassoon Concerto of 1845 here, credited to Rossini, is of uncertain authorship, but it doesn't matter who wrote it: it's a virtuoso showpiece of the first order, and Luoma's clean rendering is worth the price of admission. Ondine gets fine sonic results from the acoustically superb Tapiola Concert Hall. Highly recommended. James Manheim

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837)
[1]-[3] Bassoon Concerto in F major, WoO 23

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
[4]-[6] Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K191

Peter von Winter (1754–1825)
[7] Bassoon Concertino in C minor

Gioacchino Rossini (1792–1868)
[8]-[10] Bassoon Concerto

Credits :
Jaakko Luoma - Bassoon
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Janne Nisonen - Concertmaster

PROKOFIEV : Violin Concertos No.1 and No.2 · Sonata for Solo Violin op.115 (Tianwa Yang · ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra · Jun Markl) (2021) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

Prokofiev first became fascinated by the violin upon hearing the playing of his private teacher, Reinhold Glière. A dozen years later Prokofiev wrote his Violin Concerto No. 1 – a work of contrasting open-hearted lyricism and whimsical playfulness that features a wild central Scherzo with dazzling technical gymnastics. By contrast, the Violin Concerto No. 2 is emotionally reserved and sardonic with an inspired plaintive and long-arching slow movement. Composed to an official Soviet commission for an ensemble piece to be played by talented child violinists in unison, the witty and upbeat Sonata for Solo Violin can also be played by a single performer. NAXOS   Tracklist & Credits :

DOHNÁNYI : Violin Concertos Nº 1 and 2 (Michel Ludwig · Royal Scottish National Orchestra · JoAnn Falletta) (2008) FLAC (tracks) lossless

Best known for his Variations on a Nursery Theme for piano and orchestra, the Hungarian composer Ernő Dohnányi also wrote two published Symphonies, two Piano Concertos and two Violin Concertos, all of which have been undeservedly neglected. The rarely heard Violin Concerto No. 1, notable for its Brahmsian slow movement, combines virtuosity and lyricism. Written in the mould of the great Romantic violin concerto, and with an unmistakably Hungarian flavour, the superbly orchestrated and remarkably inventive Violin Concerto No. 2 (1949-50) is worthy of being ranked alongside the Concertos by Barber and Korngold. naxos
Tracklist & Credits :

KOZELUCH : Complete Sonatas (Jenny Soonjin Kim) 12CD BOX-SET (2020) FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

In 1790, one musical dictionary described Leopold Kozeluch as ‘without question the living composer most loved by young or old’; his works displayed 'liveliness and grace, the noblest melody combined with the purest harmony, and of the most pleasing organization blended with rhythm and modulation.’ His music may have been eclipsed by the legacies of the towering figures Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven since his death in 1818, but performers such as Jenny Soonjin Kim are leading a Kozeluch revival which should see the reputation of this Bohemian-born master rise once more.

Having completed his studies in Prague, including lessons with Dussek, he made his name in Vienna as a teacher and successfulpublisher as well as composer. Though he composed in all the major genres, the best of him is to be found in the keyboard sonatas gathered here. He was regarded as a pioneer of writing for the fortepiano rather than the harpsichord, and he won particular praise from the influential writer Charles Burney: ‘[Kozeluch’s] style is more easy than that of Emanuel Bach, Haydn or Mozart; it is natural, graceful and flowing, without imitating any great model, as almost all his contemporaries have done. His modulation is natural and pleasing, and what critics of the old school would allow to be warrantable. His rhythm is well phrased, his accents well placed, and harmony pure.’

Jenny Soonjin Kim recorded this series between 2013 and 2018 at the Kresge Chapel in Claremont Graduate University, where she oversees the teaching programme for piano and fortepiano studies. Sylvia Berry (Early Music America 21, no. 4, Winter 2015) wrote of the second Kozeluch volume: ‘Kim’s playing is crystalline and lyrical, with exquisitely sensitive phrasing. She is an assured virtuoso who interprets Kozeluch’s music beautifully.’ Now gathered in a single volume they present the first chance to assess his output for keyboard at super-budget price, and in stylish new recordings on a magnificently colourful instrument, a modern copy of a Viennese fortepiano from 1795 made by Anton Walter.

The 50 keyboard sonatas by Leopold Kozeluch, for the first time complete, played on a period instrument!
Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818) was in his time a highly regarded, even famous composer, on a par with C.P.E. Bach and even Mozart. His keyboard sonatas, although relatively modest in length, share the same qualities with those of his illustrious contemporaries: strong focus on melody and melodious figuration, vivid and brilliant accompaniments and a genuine expression of feeling, both happy and dramatic. His 50 keyboard sonatas are a true treasure trove of hidden “pianistic” gems!
The sonatas in this new set clearly show an evolving, advanced style in terms of dramatic expression and complexity, as well as certain melodic and harmonic characteristics also found in the keyboard works of Mozart, Beethoven and even Schubert.
An international artist who regularly performs music ranging from Bach to Schoenberg in major venues across Europe, Asia and North America, Jenny Soonjin Kim is also a faculty member at Claremont Graduate University in California (the venue for this recording), where she teaches piano and fortepiano. It is her keen interest in scholarship – particularly historical performance practice – that led to her discovery of Kozeluch.
‘Kim’s playing is crystalline and lyrical, with exquisitely sensitive phrasing. She is an assured virtuoso who interprets Koželuch’s music beautifully. This set will interest pianists who would like to augment their repertoire with unknown gems from the period.’ (Early Music America). brilliantclassics.com    Tracklist & Credits :