Catégorie : Reviews
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Bruno Walter, a Conductor of Life: a conversation with Rémy Louis
To mark the 150th anniversary of Bruno Walter’s birth on September 15, 1876, Warner Classics is reissuing all of the conductor’s recordings for HMV and Graphophone between 1924 and 1939, beautifully restored by Christophe Hénault from Studio Art et Son. To look back at this major period—undoubtedly the most striking and foundational of Walter’s career—I…
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Herbert Blomstedt and the smile of Haydn Variations
BR Klassik, the Bavarian Radio label, has just released a recording of Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn, performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Herbert Blomstedt. The BRSO is undoubtedly the finest orchestra in the world. With an ethereal texture whilst revealing a dizzying depth of sound, the ensemble’s tonal palette…
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Heroic, the genius Volodos has struck again!
After an early career which, through no fault of his own, had confined him to a virtuoso repertoire – limiting his public image to that of a technical prodigy – Arcadi Volodos has, in recent years, turned his attention to the great classical repertoire. For the pianist, this represented a quest for depth and truth,…
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With the same creativity as her ’Piano Heroines’, Claire Hungci delivers a magnificent album!
Following her splendid recordings of Bach’s Toccatas, released in 2021, Claire Huangci presents a complex programme, bringing together the voices of German composers Fanny Hensel (Mendelssohn) and Clara Wieck (Schumann) — the decision to separate their names from those of the composers with whom they are usually associated is undoubtedly significant — and American composers…
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Furtwangler conducts Wagner
The original podcast (narration in French, English and German subtitles) When people talk about Furtwängler, a certain cliché springs to mind for far too many music lovers. Furtwängler is supposedly a ponderous, slow conductor, embodying the Germanic tradition and a sweeping, extreme expressiveness. He is thus often compared to Otto Klemperer and contrasted with Toscanini.…
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Severin von Eckardstein and Konstantin Emelyanov live recordings at the Salle Cortot
French version following the English one The Les Nuits du Piano de Paris Festival, which regularly stages concerts at the Salle Cortot, adjacent to the École Normale de Musique de Paris (link here: https://lesnuitsdupianoparis.fr/index.html ), is releasing two outstanding concerts: the first by Severin von Eckardstein, recorded on 17 December 2024, and the second by…
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The Goldbergs make me sad
Quite recently, harpsichordist Julien Wolfs brought out a fabulous version of the Goldberg Variations. It was totally refined, beautifully expressive, full of arpeggios, so essential that ornamentation would have seemed superfluous. But listening to it recently I realised – again, in fact – one thing: the Goldberg Variations make me sad. I’m not saying there’s…
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Fantastic Schumann’s Fantasy by Nikolai Lugansky
Recently, Nikolai Lugansky has had a knack for getting people talking about him. Musically speaking, in a good way. A very good way, in fact. A compelling album devoted to Beethoven’s late works, followed by a Wagner album featuring his own transcriptions of selected excerpts. A marvellous album, constantly alert, where the fantastic rubs shoulders…
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My favorite 2025 recordings
What records will you remember from 2025? Which ones made a particular impression on me, and which ones will go down in history? Here’s a brief overview of the recording year that’s just gone by, backed up by reviews and personal opinions – all subjective, of course! Let’s start with the piano. Yunchan Lim has…
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Furtwangler conducts Beethoven
The original podcast (narration in French, English and German subtitles) After trying to show what made Furtwangler’s Brahms so special, I’d like to talk to you about the conductor’s vision of Beethoven’s symphonies, and why this vision, even if it’s a purely personal opinion, is as brilliant as it is problematic. Not in the sense…