Press Releases

Harmonia Mundi Review

THE CAPITAL TIMES

PIANO CDS: Last week, I talked about what a memorable semester this will be for piano fans, what with Christopher Taylor's complete Beethoven sonata cycle, concerto appearances by Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman and Anne-Marie McDermott, chamber music by Robert McDonald, a recital by Christopher O'Riley and many other concerts.

Piano fans may also want to check out a new series of recordings from Harmonia Mundi featuring winners of the competitions held by the American Pianists Association, which was founded in 1979 by Victor Borge and Tony Habig with the mission to discover and support young world-class keyboard talent in the United States.

I have sampled the first three releases by Michael Sheppard, Stephen Beus and Spencer Myer. All three CDs feature outstanding performances and fine engineering and sonics.

But besides getting to know pianists you've probably never heard of, you also get to hear some repertoire that is rarely programmed, much of it understandably American.

In his "Preludes and Variations" theme CD, Myer plays Aaron Copland and Ellis Kohs, for example, as well as Debussy and Busoni. Beus performs a half-dozen major and miniature works by the American composer Charles Griffes (1884-1920) as well as works by the well-known Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. And Sheppard's CD is truly all-American with works by Earl Wild, George Crumb, Samuel Barber, William Bolcom, Richard Rodgers and John Corigliano.

At a time when most major classical labels are pulling back and retrenching, this new exploration of rarely heard repertoire and unknown artists once again shows why a smaller label like Harmonia Mundi, which is based in Europe, not America, is often replacing the bigger, more mainstream and less adventurous classical labels.

One waits with great anticipation to see what other performers and pieces the series will be offered by this label that has featured other notable debut series ("The New Interpreters") to establish and promote young talent (British pianist Paul Lewis, German cellist Alban Gerhardt) who have since gone on to big careers and prize-winning recordings.

Reach Jacob Stockinger at The Capital Times at 252-6480 or jstockinger@madison.com. You can also read his daily blog Art Talk here .

Jacob Stockinger  —  1/17/2008 12:15 pm