Colin Clarke

The idea of Classical Explorer has always been to investigate the byways of the repertoire while also t o celebrate the known. This disc offers the perfect combination: the well-known "Coronation" Mass (C Major, K 317, 1779) and the much less familiar but equally extended Missa longa (also C Major,

The madcap world of Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020) probably first reached the general music-lover's attention when Hyperion relased two disc of his solo piano music performed by Steven Osborne. Here we have Russian jazz in symphonic format; many people seem to liken Kapustin to Gershwin in the synthesis of "Classical" forms

The neglect of Liszt's Lieder , both in the concert hall and in recordings, is one of the great mysteries. Schubert and Schumann - absolutely everywhere. But where does LIszt come in our awareness? Possibly pianists and music lovers wil be aware of the Petrarch songs that form the basis of

The BBC Young Musician winner’s first release for the label will explore the rich folk melodies of Kodály, Dvořák and Janáček, together with pianist Jâms Coleman (due for release February 2022). Cellist Laura van der Heijden comments: “I am so excited to be joining such a wonderful roster of

We have tackled Elgar choral music before on Classical Explorer, plus some orchesttral and vocal music (Sea Pictures and Falstaff), but not his songs as yet per se. This new album by the phenomenally talented Julia Sitkovetsky and the wonderful pianist Christopher Glynn on Chandos Records features  a rarity: the

Recorded and filmed in full HD in the Kunstkraftwerk, Leipzig (a graffitied, trendy industrial factory building) accentus and Cartier present this fine set of performances from Korean pianist Sunwook Kim. For once, the booklet notes have a real purpose: Ann-Katrin Zimmermann not only philosophises on the placement of Beethoven in

Vibrantly alive performances here of music by the wonderfully-named Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Known as a brilliant swordsman and athlete, in addition to his status as violin virtuoso and gifted composer, he was an early exponent of the hybrid symphonie concertante, the most famous examples of which probably come

The Fourth Chamber Symphony might be Weinberg's last completed piece but I am sure it won't be the end of our Weinberg explorations ....a terrific disc

The title "The Visionaries of Piano Music" is the title of this disc; it is also slightly misleading as neither William Byrd (c. 1539/40) nor John Bull (1562/3-1628) actually worte anything for the piano. But playing the m on a modern grand is no sin; and Kit Armstrong,

While one naturally associated the organ with huge swathes of sound and stomach-churning basslines that storm the Heavens, here Anna Lapwood goes out of her way to show the instrument's silvery soft side. Without further ado, let's see an example of that, the "Forlane" from Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin,

The recent Leeds Piano Competition boasted Imogen Cooper as Chair of teh Jury. Her most recent releae, on Chandos, is a single disc of some 83 minutes (!) that shows her at her absolute best. Cooper has chosen repertoire that has been with her since her student days in Paris and

Vivaldi's sequence of four concertos for violin and orchestra, the so-called "Four Seasons," have over the years acted as a magnet for the great and the good, and many more besides. Christian Li is a mere 13 years old. What were you doing at 13? Like myself, not recording a