The strange and largely true story of the composer George Antheil and the actress Hedy Lamarr, told in the style of fan fiction. Apologies to Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and everyone else.
Author: berggasse
Review: Bruckner Motets
Stunning performances in Bruckner’s timeless masterpieces from the Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh whose voices soar magically into the vast cathedral’s acoustic.
Review: Galina Grigorjeva – Nature Morte
Familiar yet strange, archaic but modern, these deeply felt choral pieces by Galina Grigorjeva are brought radiantly to life in these magnificent recordings.
Review: Rachmaninov – The Complete Preludes
The music of Rachmaninov has found a passionate advocate with the pianist Leon McCawley in these thrilling performances.
Review: Handel Messiah – The Choruses
Under the astute direction of Frieder Bernius, these lively and assured performances from the Kammerchor Stuttgart and the Barockorchester Stuttgart capture the spontaneity and sheer delight of Handel’s best-loved work.
Review: Saint-Saëns – Cello Concertos etc.
Who could possibly resist this collection? With cellist Truls Mørk’s commanding account of the Cello Concertos, a scintillating The Carnival of the Animals and Louis Lortie’s scene-stealing turn in the fantasy Africa, this album is a sure-fire winner.
An Epic Ring Cycle with Marek Janowski & the RSB
I had the honour of writing booklet notes for this very first complete cycle in multichannel surround sound.
Handel in The Strand
Formerly situated just off The Strand in London in front of Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece St Clement Danes church, the Crown and Anchor Tavern seems an unlikely birthplace for a revolution in choral music. Then, as now, taverns (or public houses) were colourful meeting places for eating, drinking, animated discussion and occasionally brawls. In the…
Review: I Heard You Singing – English Songs
Riveting performances by the English tenor Ben Johnson, winner of the Audience prize in the 2013 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, make this album of little-known English songs a delight.
Review: Bizet – Arlésienne Suites, Symphony in C Major
Once described as “the best conductor of French music the French never had”, Sir Thomas Beecham’s talents are on full display with these superb benchmark performances of Bizet’s irresistible works.