20th Century - Classical Explorer

Choral

Arvo Part: Miserere

A timely reminder of the importance of the Arvo Pärt's music

20th Century

Robert Simpson's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies

Robert Simpson's symphonies have long had a small but die-hard following who, rightly, believed in their greatness ...

Opera

Es gibt ein Reich: Ariadne auf Naxos in Vienna

An act of pure joy as well as compositional virtuosity, Richard Strauss' opera Ariadne auf Naxos almost guarantees enjoyment

Clarinet

Caprices & Laments

A great combination of pieces, brilliantly performed with great understading

Choral

The Dead in the Square: Allan Pettersson's Twelfth Symphony

If you like Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms, Orff Carmina Burana, the Nordic symphonists in general or Shostakovich's Thirteenth Symphony, 'Babi Yar,' and perhaps even Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, you'll most likely love this

20th Century

Sing like a Nightingale: Vagn Holmboe and the string quartet

The virtuosity demonstrated by the Nightingale Quartet is astonishing. Recommended.

Americana

My Father Knew Charles Ives: The Music of John Adams

Those champions of new American music, the Nashville Symphony and Giancarlo Guerrero, turn their attention to the music of John Adams (born 1947; not to be confused with the composer John Luther Adams). Regular readers of Classical Explorer might wish to see this post as a logical extension of our

Orchestral

More than an Iron Foundry: the music of Alexander Mosolov

If you were expecting gritty dissonances with this disc, you'll be disappointed: it is full of fascination and, yes, joy

Strings

Plaisirs illuminés: Camerata Bern delivers a sensational programme

Fans of the music of Bartók who wonder what to listen to next need look no further than fellow Hungarian Sándor Veress' Musica concertante per 12 archi (Concertante music for twelve strings). Veress (1907-1992) was a student of both Bartók and Kodály; he taught the major Hungarian composers Ligeti and