Queen Elizabeth Hall, LondonThe Icelandic pianist’s Mozart-centred recital revealed only slowly its sense of purpose and personality, but there were glimpses of intense, personal playing Admirers of Víkingur Ólafsson who were unable to get to his Lond…
On DSCH: Shostakovich and Stevenson/Igor Levit | Andrew Clements’s classical album of the week
Igor Levit(Sony Classical, three CDs)Pairing Stevenson’s Passacaglia on DSCH with Shostakovich’s equally epic 24 Preludes is a unique combination of rarity and virtuosityTwo years ago, Igor Levit devoted a recital at the Wigmore Hall to Ronald Stevenso…
Penderecki: Complete Quartets review | Andrew Clements’s classical album of the week
Piotr Szymyślik/Silesian Quartet(Chandos)Heard together, the differences between Penderecki’s First and Fourth quartets map an epic journey in 20th-century musicKrzysztof Penderecki’s four numbered string quartets do not trace the course of his creativ…
John Cage: Number Pieces review | Andrew Clements’s classical album of the week
Apartment House (Another Timbre, four CDs)Clearly a labour of love for Apartment House, who play every note of these late works by Cage with wonderful commitment Between 1987 and 1992, the final years of his life, John Cage composed some 40 works that …
Hindemith: Mathis der Maler review – vivid version of an unmistakably political opera
Wolfgang Koch/Kurt Streit/Manuela Uhl/Vienna SO/Bertrand de Billy(Naxos, Blu-ray or 2 DVDs)The visionary story of an artist caught up in social turmoil still resonates in this superbly conducted productionMathis der Maler is easily the best known of Pa…