From the Soul Frank Morelli, bassoon. Wei-Yi Tang, piano. Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano. Callisto Quartet Musica Solis 202602 Total Time: 59:06 Recording: ****/**** Performance: ****/**** Bassoonists will be most familiar with Frank Morelli, the first person awarded a bassoon doctorate from the Julliard School. He can be heard in many of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s recordings (notably the Mozart wind concertos disc) and also performed with the Chamber Music Society of L

Tiomkin: From New York to Hollywood—Music for Albertina Rasch and Classic Films Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Richard Kaufman Intrada 7191 Total Time: 72:13 Recording: ****/****Performance: ****/**** In 2020, Intrada released a fascinating collection of ballet music by Dimitri Tiomkin (1894-1979) composed for the Albertina Rasch Dancers (INT 7158). Rasch (1891-1976), was an early pioneer of modern dance and after some success on Broadway with Ziegfield productions

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) has announced its nominees for excellence in musical scoring in 2025 for the 22nd annual IFMCA Awards. Composer Alexandre Desplat leads this year’s field with six nominations, followed by Michael Giacchino with five and Simon Franglen with four. The bulk of Desplat’s nominations come for his work on two scores: director Guillermo del Toro’s new exploration of the classic horror story Frankenstein , and the latest inst

In the documentary, For the Living (2024), a group of cyclists participate in a moving journey retracing the movements of Holocaust survivor Marcel Zielinski’s 60-mile journey from Auschwitz to Krakow. The “Ride for the Living” reflects on that journey and man’s ability to dehumanize people. The film was shown at several festivals last year and had a limited November release. The score is from Daniel Alcheh ( The Tattooed Torah; The Trouble With Bliss ). “Liberation Path

Bach: Cello Suites, BWV 1007-1012 Inbal Megiddo, cello. Atoll Records 233 Disc One: Total Time: 70:47 Disc Two: Total Time: 77:34 Recording: ****/**** Performance: ****/**** Bach’s six cello suites are rites of passage for every cellist. Audiophiles will also have the standards to compare this new release whether it is Pablo Casals (who first discovered these works), Jacqueline du Pre, Mstislav Rostropovich, Janos Starker, or Yo-Yo Ma to name just a few. Inbal Megiddo

Paganini: Capriccio Tomas Cotik, violin. Monica Ohuchi, piano (tracks 1 & 19) Centaur 4130 Total Time: 77:05 Recording: ****/****...

Into the Light: Rediscovered Chamber Music by Christoph Graupner and others Musicians of the Old Post Road: Suzanne Strumpf, traverso. Sarah Darling, violin and viola. Jesse Irons, violin. Marcia Cassidy, viola. Daniel Ryan, cello. Benjamin Katz, harpsichord. OPR Recordings OPR001 Also available digitally. Total Time: 57:08 Recording: ****/**** Performance: ****/**** Based in Boston, the Musicians of the Old Post Road are a chamber group that focuses on the performance o

Passages: French Cello Works Louise Dubin, cello. Spencer Myer, piano .Julia Bruskin, cello. Bridge 9597 Total Time: 50:13 Recording: ****/**** Performance: ****/**** Passages features a collection of mostly lesser-known works for solo cello by French composers, several here receiving their world premiere recordings. Louise Dubin performs with the Baltimore and New Jersey Symphonies and is noted for her research on composer Auguste Franchomme (1808-1884) whose music and

It has been a rather full Fall working on a variety of composition projects including a multi-movement orchestral work whose shape is still in progress. So far there are 2 movements with one of them being a passacaglia. The holiday music continues to be popular both in the chamber music pieces and in the choral selections all of which are linked to JW Pepper from the WORKS LIST page. Rejoice-A Holiday Overture was one of the projects from this Fall with a slight reworking o

Project Encore, Volume 2 Timothy McAllister, alto/soprano saxophonesLiz Ames, piano. Neuma Records 235 Total Time: 67:48 Recording: ...