Blessed with a gift for musical invention and structural organisation, Johann Stamitz was one of the pioneering figures in symphonic music before the emergence of Haydn. He drove the development of symphonic form via the assimilation of the new operatic overture style resulting in works of brilliance and skilful orchestration. His Op. 3 symphonies, though not composed as a set, showcase why Stamitz was held in such high regard and was so influential: outer movements fizz with energy, and contain virtuosic string writing with frequent dynamic contrasts, while slow movements are intricate and refined.
Dream 6 is actually the original name for the band that would become Concrete Blonde, comprised of future Blonde members Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey (Michael Murphy handles drumming). They released this six-song EP in France four years before their self-titled debut and there's nothing very remarkable about it…
J.S. Bach's six Cello Suites are most frequently heard as they were written, though these beloved works are no longer the exclusive domain of cellists, because they have been increasingly arranged for other instruments, especially the viola. On this hybrid SACD from BIS, violist Maxim Rysanov plays the Suites No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6, as arranged by Simon Rowland-Jones. Because the viola's tuning is an octave higher than the cello, the keys and much of the music remain the same, except for a few minor technical changes.
et ready for the shock of the new , or, in this case, the old. This disc of Beethoven concertos by keyboardist Arthur Schoonderwoerd has a highly unusual sound, even by the standards of the historical-performance movement. Performances of the Beethoven concertos in period style are rarer than those of the sonatas, which are themselves rarer than those of music by Mozart and Haydn. This is partly because the whole issue is more problematical with Beethoven, who was clearly striving toward larger dimensions. But Schoonderwoerd makes some educated guesses about actual pianos, ensembles, and techniques that might have been used, and apparently were used at times.