2021 Album Releases from 21C Artists
For Your Consideration
Despite the challenges of the past year, 21C artists have been as active in the studio as ever. In the spirit and season of gift guides, Grammys and year-end round-ups, here’s a reminder of some of the recordings released this year by 21C artists, in repertoire ranging from Bach to Bernstein and from Joan Tower to Angélica Negrón.
* * * * *
Daniel Hope: Schnittke: Works for Violin and Piano (Feb 5, Deutsche Grammophon)
Called “a riveting collection” by Arts Fuse and recorded with Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov, a celebrated Schnittke interpreter, Hope’s program ranges from the German-Soviet composer’s immediately accessible Polka and Tango to his complex First Violin Sonata, the work that first ignited the British violinist’s passion for his music.
Pat Metheny: Road to the Sun (March 5, BMG Modern Recordings)
Five of today’s foremost classical guitarists, namely Jason Vieaux and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, interpret works by American jazz guitarist, composer, and 20-time Grammy winner Pat Metheny. London Jazz News reports: “On this album you’ll hear some of the world’s finest classical guitarists playing new Metheny compositions of great beauty and virtuosity. … This album’s a must.”
Hanick Hawley Duo: A Gentle Notion (April 30, Il Pirata Records)
The Hanick Hawley Duo (pianist Conor Hanick and clarinetist Richie Hawley) “plays with verve and excellent communication” (The WholeNote) on its debut album on the duo’s own new label, Il Pirata Records. Celebrating the past half-century of American music for clarinet and piano, this combines works by Aaron Copland and Joan Tower with the world premiere recordings of new commissions from Jennifer Higdon and Pierre Jalbert.
Leif Ove Andsnes: Mozart Momentum 1785/1786 (May 28, Sony Classical)
“A remarkable achievement by all concerned” (Gramophone), Andsnes’s second project as inaugural Artistic Partner of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra explores one of the most creative and seminal periods of Mozart’s career. Named “Album of the Week” by Washington DC’s Classical WETA radio and “Recording of the Month” by Gramophone magazine, the album comprises Piano Concertos Nos. 20-22, the Piano Quartet in G minor, and the Fantasia in C minor.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Beethoven Hammerklavier (July 2, Pentatone)
On his newest solo album, the Grammy-winning French pianist – “a brilliant musician and an extraordinary visionary” (Wall Street Journal) – pairs Beethoven’s “Eroica Variations” with his monumental “Hammerklavier” Sonata, a pinnacle of the piano literature and one of the most challenging works for the instrument. “There are some recorded performances so remarkable that to praise them seems insolent. This recording … is among that tiny group” (BBC Music).
Inbal Segev: 20 for 2020, Vol II (Aug 27, Avie Records)
Combining “thrillingly projected, vibrato-rich playing” (Washington Post) with “complete dedication and high intelligence” (San Francisco Classical Voice), cellist Inbal Segev, a driving force in the creation of new cello repertoire, released the digital second volume of her “20 for 2020” commissioning project on Avie Records. Intended to capture something of the world’s collective experience in the tumultuous year, Volume Two of the four-part project features works by Christopher Cerrone, Viet Cuong, Avner Dorman, Vijay Iyer and Angélica Negrón. The previously released Volume I (on June 25) highlighted works by an equally exceptional array of composers: Timo Andres, Sophia Bass, James Lee III, Fernando Otero and Bruce Wolosoff.
Daniel Hope: Hope (Sep 3, Deutsche Grammophon)
A highly personal collection of timeless classics by Schubert, Elgar and Pärt, plus new arrangements of traditional songs and the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez, Hope showcases the talent and wide-ranging repertoire of the British violinist. Recorded by Hope during the pandemic, the album represents his “attempt to send out a ray of hope and to provide people, [himself] included, with a sense of support and perhaps even consolation.”
Marin Alsop: Porgy and Bess (Sep 7, Pentatone)
“A conductor with a vision” (New York Times), Marin Alsop continues to champion American music as she leads the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Morgan State University Choir, and an all-star cast in highlights from Gershwin’s folk opera. The first-rate cast includes Lester Lynch (Porgy), Angel Blue (Bess, Clara and Serena), Chauncey Packer (Sportin’ Life) and Kevin Short (Crown, Jake).
Daniil Trifonov: Bach: The Art of Life (Oct 8, Deutsche Grammophon)
The Grammy-winning Russian pianist’s new double album centers on The Art of Fugue, but also opens a window on the Bach family’s life and work. It includes selections from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, music by four of Johann Sebastian’s sons, Trifonov’s own version of The Art of Fugue’s final contrapunctus, and much more. Of a 2020 concert of The Art of the Fugue, the Chicago Classical Review wrote: “Trifonov proved as compelling in [the] music of Bach as in the Romantic repertoire in which he is heard most frequently.”
Marin Alsop: Candide (Oct 15, LSO Live)
One of the most admired interpreters of the music of her mentor, Leonard Bernstein, trailblazing conductor Marin Alsop captures the essence of Bernstein’s satirical operetta in a live recording made during celebratory concerts marking Bernstein’s centenary. Alsop conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, with a starry cast that includes Leonardo Capalbo, Jane Archibald, Anne Sofie von Otter and Sir Thomas Allen.
Upcoming in November:
The Atlanta Opera: Glory Denied (Nov 11, The Atlanta Opera)
Reflecting its deep commitment and connection to the veteran community, The Atlanta Opera will honor Veterans Day on November 11 by presenting the first fully orchestrated recorded version of the chamber opera Glory Denied, Tom Cipullo’s “mesmerizing” and “masterfully taut adaption” (Opera Today) of the story of the longest-held American prisoner of war. Nicole Paiement conducts the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and a stellar cast that includes baritone Michael Mayes as Colonel Jim Thompson and sopranos Kelly Kaduce and Maria Valdes as his wife at different ages.
# # #
© 21C Media Group, November 2021