Gramophone January 2019

This feature article profiles Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, highlighting her distinctive compositional approach and major works. Thorvaldsdóttir begins her creative process by drawing her music before notating it conventionally, using the resulting pencil illustrations as compositional aids that "map where a piece is going." Her music draws deeply from Icelandic nature—both aesthetically and structurally—with the rhizome imagery of her native landscape influencing the organic development of her compositions. Her orchestral works, particularly Dreaming (2008), which won the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2012, and Aeriality (2011), demonstrate her confident handling of orchestral texture, building on principles of instrumental autonomy to create a single woven texture. Thorvaldsdóttir expands her musical language through quarter-tones and noise music, while her smaller works like Hrím (2009-10) for ensemble and Spectra (2017) for string trio lay bare the same compositional processes found in her larger pieces. Now based in London and holding residencies with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and as a Kravis Emerging Composer with the New York Philharmonic, Thorvaldsdóttir continues to develop her unique voice that combines humbling vastness, depth of colour, and technical innovation.

This Gramophone article features an interview with pianist Federico Colli discussing the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, one of the most celebrated piano transcriptions. Colli approaches the work through a theological lens, arguing that Busoni recognized the deep spiritual content of Bach's original violin piece and created the ideal pianistic medium to reveal this transcendence. He contrasts Busoni's approach with Brahms's left-hand transcription, which emphasizes the struggle between content and representation. Colli credits his artistic vision to Michelangeli's landmark 1948 recording, which he describes as suddenly clarifying his understanding of the work, as well as Pletnev's Carnegie Hall performance for its exceptional sound quality. Throughout the conversation, Colli emphasizes the importance of Busoni's detailed markings—sforzandos, tenutos, tempo indications—and how closely studying the score reveals the composer's soul. He discusses his interpretive choices, including stretching the pulse, achieving extraordinary dynamic range, and his decision to end in D major rather than D minor, viewing it as embracing the possibility of another world beyond our own.

"Defining Moments" is a Gramophone January 2019 feature that charts the key milestones in the career of an influential early‑music specialist. It opens with his violin and viola studies in Vienna under Ernst Moravec, later continuing with Firmin Touche in Paris while also pursuing musicology at Vienna University (1951‑53). In 1946 he began his association with the Austrian musicologist Josef Mertin, becoming concertmaster of Mertin’s Collegium Musicum and, in 1949, co‑founding the Vienna Viola da Gamba Quartet with future luminaries such as Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt. The chronology then records his move to Switzerland in 1955, where he led the New Zurich Quartet and held principal viola positions in Zurich and Winterthur, while still studying the violin with teachers like Alexander Schaichet and Peter Rybar. In 1958 he was appointed professor of violin, baroque violin and viola at the Vienna Academy, a post that allowed him to lecture on style and interpretation of string music. The final entry notes the creation of the Vienna Capella Academica in 1965, a small Baroque orchestra he typically led from the first violin desk, and marks his first recordings for Deutsche Grammophon’s Archiv label—steps that cemented his role in the revival of historically informed performance.

This article profiles Eduard Melkus, a Viennese violinist and viola player born in 1928 who was approaching his 90th birthday at the time of writing. Celebrated as one of the great Viennese violinists with a distinctive plangent tone and gemütlich style, Melkus traces his musical lineage from a family of amateur pianists in Baden near Vienna. His teachers included Ernst Moravec, Ysaÿe pupil Firmin Touche, Russian Alexander Schaichet, and Peter Rybar, while his key mentor was the musical polymath Josef Mertin, who guided him toward historical performance practices. In 1950, Melkus participated in Mertin's pioneering Vienna Concentus Musicus recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos alongside early music pioneers like Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Gustav Leonhardt. Though he faced criticism from Baroque purists for his vibrato and use of modern instruments, his approach combined scholarly research with musical sensitivity. His repertoire spanned from Baroque through Classical to modern works including Bartók's Viola Concerto and the premiere of Wellesz's violin concerto in 1962. Working with period instruments including a 1760 Aegidius Klotz violin, Melkus is especially renowned for his 1967 recordings of Biber's Mystery (Rosary) Sonatas, which the article describes as 'epoch-making' and 'still the most moving and involving' available.

This Gramophone Editor's Choice feature from January 2019 showcases the magazine's top recording selections reviewed throughout 2018. The curated list spans a wide range of classical repertoire, from Baroque masters like Haydn to twentieth-century innovators such as Stravinsky and Messiaen, demonstrating the breadth of excellence in recent classical releases. The selections highlight performances by world-class artists including pianists Kirill Gerstein, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Lars Vogt, violinists Christian Tetzlaff and Alisa Weilerstein, as well as ensembles like the Chiaroscuro Quartet and Colin Currie Group. The collection emphasizes both established masterpieces and lesser-known works, offering listeners a comprehensive guide to the most compelling recordings of the year.

This Gramophone feature from January 2019 spotlights four contemporary pianists who are redefining classical piano performance through their distinctive artistic approaches. The article "Piano's New Generation" introduces Benjamin Grosvenor, whose sparkling account of Schulz-Evler's virtuosic Arabesques on Johann Strauss's 'Blue Danube' demonstrates his deep awareness of pianistic tradition. Igor Levit's recording of Busoni's arrangement of Liszt's Fantasia and Fugue showcases his remarkable ability to clarify complex music while maintaining fluency and nuance. Beatrice Rana's passionate interpretation of Schumann's Études symphoniques, which earned her a silver medal at the 2013 Van Cliburn competition, reveals her imaginative musical range and attention to texture. Finally, Yuja Wang's elegant rendition of Gluck/Sgambati's Mélodie illustrates her extraordinary ability to sustain a singing line with flexible rubato and a gorgeous tonal quality. Together, these artists represent how today's pianists honor classical inheritance while bringing fresh creative perspectives to standard repertoire.

This feature article celebrates conductor Kirill Karabits's 10-year tenure with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, highlighting his commitment to adventurous programming and discovery. The piece opens with the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Testament, a new song-cycle co-commissioned by the BSO and Weimar Staatskapelle, which Karabits describes as deeply personal given his Ukrainian heritage. The article then pivots to his new recording of Boris Lyatoshinsky's massive Third Symphony (1951), a work Karabits feels uniquely qualified to interpret given that his composer father studied with Lyatoshinsky while his musicologist mother is a leading authority on the composer's work. The article explores Karabits's philosophy of building trust with audiences through challenging repertoire, noting that the BSO has tackled Messiaen's Turangalîla-symphonie, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 14, and Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto to enthusiastic responses. Karabits also discusses his parallel role as General Music Director of the Weimar Staatskapelle, where he conducted the world premiere of Liszt's unfinished opera Sardanapolo, and his work with the youth orchestra I, Culture.

This feature article from Gramophone magazine's January 2019 issue celebrates the legacy of four legendary pianists from the Golden Age of piano recording. Titled "Marvel At Where It All Began," the piece highlights exceptional archival recordings that showcase the distinctive interpretive approaches of these masters. Ignaz Friedman's 1936 recording of Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major exemplifies the "singing line, subtle rubato and succulently extravagant tone" that defined the old school of piano playing. Josef Hofmann's performance of the Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise, taken from his 1937 Golden Jubilee Concert at the Met, demonstrates his effortlessly fanciful technique. Benno Moiseiwitsch's 1941 rendition of Liszt's La leggierezza showcases remarkable tonal control and "old-school charm," while Sergei Rachmaninov's 1929 recording of Schumann's Carnaval illustrates his inimitable rubato and emotional freedom. Together, these recordings offer modern listeners a window into an era when pianists possessed an unmistakable combination of technique and temperament that has become increasingly rare.

This feature article examines how a new generation of pianists, including Daniil Trifonov, Yuja Wang, Benjamin Grosvenor and Beatrice Rana, are reviving the aesthetic values of the 19th-century Romantic piano tradition. The author Jed Distler argues that these young artists combine the golden age characteristics of tonal beauty, textural diversity, textual freedom and singing melody with impeccable modern technique. The article draws parallels between these contemporary performers and legendary pianists like Josef Hofmann, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and Vladimir Horowitz, whose playing emphasized individuality over literal interpretation. Notably, Trifonov's extraordinary 2013 Carnegie Hall debut is highlighted as evidence that Romantic pianism remains alive, while Wang's free-spirited approach and Grosvenor's luminous Bach playing further demonstrate this revival. The piece contextualizes this trend as a reaction against the objective, textually faithful approach that dominated late 20th-century piano performance, influenced by Artur Schnabel's legacy. Despite Schnabel's sway, outliers like Shura Cherkassky, Georges Cziffra and Horowitz kept the Romantic flame alive until today's resurgence.

The Gramophone feature from January 2019, written by James Jolly, uses Brahms’s 1878 Violin Concerto as its point of departure. It points out that, like Beethoven’s Eroica for the symphony, Brahms’s concerto raised the technical and expressive stakes for violinists, becoming a central repertoire work after its premiere by Joseph Joachim. Early virtuoso challenges such as Wieniawski gave way to its universal acceptance. Jolly selects several complementary works to deepen the listener’s journey: Brahms’s Piano Quartet No 1 with its famous gypsy‑inflected rondo, the Double Concerto (a reconciliation piece between Brahms and Joachim) and the Third Violin Sonata in D minor, all sharing thematic or emotional connections with the concerto. He then turns to Joachim’s own output, highlighting the rarely performed Second Concerto and the salon‑like Notturno, as well as Bruch’s ever‑popular First Concerto, whose finale draws on Hungarian rhythms reminiscent of Joachim’s heritage. The article also surveys a range of larger Austro‑German concertos, from Goldmark’s melodious 1877 work to Reger’s hour‑long masterpiece, Hindemith’s 1939 concerto and Schoenberg’s 1936 twelve‑note Violin Concerto. Across these works Jolly references notable recordings, recommending the Kavakos/Chailly Decca version as the standout Brahms account, while also endorsing the Argerich/Kremer/Bashmet/Maisky DG piano quartet and the Capuçon brothers’ Erato Double Concerto as exemplary companion discs. The piece serves as a curated guide for anyone eager to explore beyond the familiar Brahms concerto.

This Gramophone article profiles soprano Diana Damrau, exploring her remarkable career spanning from Mozart's Queen of the Night to Verdi's Violetta at the Met. The feature highlights her recent activities including a world premiere of Iain Bell's 'The Hidden Place' at the Barbican, a new Traviata production at the Metropolitan Opera under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and a live recording of Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch with Jonas Kaufmann on a 12-city tour for Erato. Damrau discusses her artistic philosophy, emphasizing that 'music is not loudness' and advocating for subtle, emotionally communicative performances over spectacle. She addresses the challenges of modern opera productions that prioritize dramatic staging over musical pacing, and reflects on her physical approach to singing that integrates movement with vocal technique. Now 47 and based in Zurich, Damrau credits her passion for opera to hearing Teresa Stratas in Zeffirelli's La Traviata film at age 12, and cites Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland, Edita Gruberová, and Kiri Te Kanawa as key influences. The article showcases her uninhibited spontaneity through anecdotes of her playful collaborations with Kaufmann, including a dramatically motivated gesture during their Wolf recitals.

The Gramophone January 2019 feature on Icelandic composer Thorvaldsdóttir introduces her life and artistic outlook. Born in 1977 in Borgarnes, she studied composition at the University of California, San Diego, and has been recognized with the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2012 for her orchestral piece Dreaming, as well as Icelandic Music Awards in 2011, 2012 and 2015. Since January 2018 she holds the composer‑in‑residence position with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, having previously been the Kravis Emerging Composer at the New York Philharmonic, a tenure that culminated in the orchestral work Metacosmos. The article includes a personal performance note in which Thorvaldsdóttir likens a long sustained pitch to a fragile flower that must be carried carefully across a thin rope, emphasizing the need for absolute tranquility and concentrated attention. This metaphor encapsulates her approach to texture, time and subtle sonic nuance, reflecting a compositional style that balances delicate stillness with precise articulation. The feature highlights her role as a leading voice in contemporary Icelandic music and underscores the growing international visibility of her work.