ClassicalCritic
@classicalcritic.bsky.social
Roving Classical Critic-at-Large & Translator. Opinions are my own - or stolen.
https://ionarts.blogspot.com/search/label/jfl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/
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https://ionarts.blogspot.com/search/label/jfl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/
Amazon links are affiliate links
The #NewYearsConcert broadcast: invariably home to your new year's first dose of cringe.
Diplomat Polka as acted out by ballet dancers must be this year's "highlight" in that regard, surely...
Diplomat Polka as acted out by ballet dancers must be this year's "highlight" in that regard, surely...
January 1, 2026 at 11:46 AM
The #NewYearsConcert broadcast: invariably home to your new year's first dose of cringe.
Diplomat Polka as acted out by ballet dancers must be this year's "highlight" in that regard, surely...
Diplomat Polka as acted out by ballet dancers must be this year's "highlight" in that regard, surely...
HappyNewYear #Weidringer[TM] from the Wiener Konzerthaus w/ the annual Beethocen 9th of the Wiener Symphoniker & Wiener Singakademie. Slobodeniuk conducting. Christiane Karg et al.
December 30, 2025 at 5:39 PM
HappyNewYear #Weidringer[TM] from the Wiener Konzerthaus w/ the annual Beethocen 9th of the Wiener Symphoniker & Wiener Singakademie. Slobodeniuk conducting. Christiane Karg et al.
#morninglistening to #JSBach in this very convenient collection of the BachPilgrimage/SDG/Gardiner Cantata cycle containing all the Christmas cantatas (but not the Oratorio-cantatas). W/ the Gardiner/monteverdi choir &orchestras
December 30, 2025 at 1:55 PM
#morninglistening to #JSBach in this very convenient collection of the BachPilgrimage/SDG/Gardiner Cantata cycle containing all the Christmas cantatas (but not the Oratorio-cantatas). W/ the Gardiner/monteverdi choir &orchestras
#morninglistening to #JSBach in this very nifty sub-box of the BachPilgrimage containing all the Christmas cantatas (but not the Oratorio-cantatas) of the Gardiner/@monteverdi_choir_orchestras /SDG Cantata cycle.
December 29, 2025 at 12:01 AM
#morninglistening to #JSBach in this very nifty sub-box of the BachPilgrimage containing all the Christmas cantatas (but not the Oratorio-cantatas) of the Gardiner/@monteverdi_choir_orchestras /SDG Cantata cycle.
#morninglistening to the #JSBach ChristmasOratorio w/JisVanVeldhoven & the @bachvereniging on @channelclassics - one of my absolute favorites, even if one might like to hear the basses more distinctly in the chorales. 😇🎄
December 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
#morninglistening to the #JSBach ChristmasOratorio w/JisVanVeldhoven & the @bachvereniging on @channelclassics - one of my absolute favorites, even if one might like to hear the basses more distinctly in the chorales. 😇🎄
#morninglistening to "MysticalMozart" - or really just his #PianoSonata set as played by jenniferlim on @genuinclassics . Does one's heart sink at such a title, fearing all kinds of immature goop and slop? Rather. The contents, so far, suggest a far happier result, however...
#Mozart #NowListening
#Mozart #NowListening
December 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
#morninglistening to "MysticalMozart" - or really just his #PianoSonata set as played by jenniferlim on @genuinclassics . Does one's heart sink at such a title, fearing all kinds of immature goop and slop? Rather. The contents, so far, suggest a far happier result, however...
#Mozart #NowListening
#Mozart #NowListening
#morninglistening to the rather wild ride of the EnsembleBayona in "Cuando el Fuego Abrasas": Strong quartet & voice with loads of Iberian flair! On eudorarecords
#nowplaying
#nowplaying
December 25, 2025 at 9:06 AM
#morninglistening to the rather wild ride of the EnsembleBayona in "Cuando el Fuego Abrasas": Strong quartet & voice with loads of Iberian flair! On eudorarecords
#nowplaying
#nowplaying
#morninglistening to PaulCreston's SurprisedByBeauty-symphonies, mvt.1 of №3, a symphonic life of Christ, being seasonally fitting. These are brilliant works, charming on the one hand. But they need concentration or a concert-setting lest they flit by, leaving not a trace.
Amzn: amzn.to/45aqd6m
Amzn: amzn.to/45aqd6m
December 22, 2025 at 11:35 AM
#morninglistening to PaulCreston's SurprisedByBeauty-symphonies, mvt.1 of №3, a symphonic life of Christ, being seasonally fitting. These are brilliant works, charming on the one hand. But they need concentration or a concert-setting lest they flit by, leaving not a trace.
Amzn: amzn.to/45aqd6m
Amzn: amzn.to/45aqd6m
#morninglistening to the #Chopin Études of the then freshly baked ChopinPrize winner #MaurizioPollini, recorded at @abbeyroadstudios for EMI but not released. There will be those who prefer these as "more musical" than the more famous, ostentatiously perfect DG recording.
December 21, 2025 at 8:59 AM
#morninglistening to the #Chopin Études of the then freshly baked ChopinPrize winner #MaurizioPollini, recorded at @abbeyroadstudios for EMI but not released. There will be those who prefer these as "more musical" than the more famous, ostentatiously perfect DG recording.
#morninglistening, or just about to, anyway, to @EricLuPianist's second all-Schubert disc (@warner_classics) w/the Impromptus. (I heard him in Warsaw in '15; now he's won it!) Does he play Schubert a bit like Chopin? Would you mind?
Amzn: amzn.to/4j5zpyC
More soon. #PianoMusic #FranzSchubert
Amzn: amzn.to/4j5zpyC
More soon. #PianoMusic #FranzSchubert
December 20, 2025 at 10:57 PM
#morninglistening, or just about to, anyway, to @EricLuPianist's second all-Schubert disc (@warner_classics) w/the Impromptus. (I heard him in Warsaw in '15; now he's won it!) Does he play Schubert a bit like Chopin? Would you mind?
Amzn: amzn.to/4j5zpyC
More soon. #PianoMusic #FranzSchubert
Amzn: amzn.to/4j5zpyC
More soon. #PianoMusic #FranzSchubert
Wise-or-Stoned #Weidringer[TM] at the MusikTheater an der Wien for "Der Stein der Weisen" or The Philosopher's Stone. Mozart. et al. Hofkapelle München, Michael Schade et al
December 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Wise-or-Stoned #Weidringer[TM] at the MusikTheater an der Wien for "Der Stein der Weisen" or The Philosopher's Stone. Mozart. et al. Hofkapelle München, Michael Schade et al
#morninglistening to a long coveted gem on Hungaroton: the TátraiQuartet's #BelaBartok StringQuartets. If you think re-issuing this together w/the same quartets by the Takács & Microkosmos SQ4ts is a good idea, leave a comment! ♡♡♡ All oop; I think it'd be fab!
Amzn: amzn.to/4j3dU1m
Amzn: amzn.to/4j3dU1m
December 20, 2025 at 3:36 PM
#morninglistening to a long coveted gem on Hungaroton: the TátraiQuartet's #BelaBartok StringQuartets. If you think re-issuing this together w/the same quartets by the Takács & Microkosmos SQ4ts is a good idea, leave a comment! ♡♡♡ All oop; I think it'd be fab!
Amzn: amzn.to/4j3dU1m
Amzn: amzn.to/4j3dU1m
#morninglistening in prep for later tonight: #WAMozart's DerSchauspieldirektor. Here on @capricciorec, tonight at the @theateranderwien w/@hofkapelle_muenchen
Amzn: amzn.to/48ZzMGj
Amzn: amzn.to/48ZzMGj
December 20, 2025 at 1:02 PM
#morninglistening in prep for later tonight: #WAMozart's DerSchauspieldirektor. Here on @capricciorec, tonight at the @theateranderwien w/@hofkapelle_muenchen
Amzn: amzn.to/48ZzMGj
Amzn: amzn.to/48ZzMGj
#morninglistening to the popular @harrietkrijgh's #EdwardElgar & #Dvořák (also popular) CelloConcertos w/ @m.sieghart & the @tonkunstler_orchestra doing their best. On capriccio.
December 19, 2025 at 10:53 PM
#morninglistening to the popular @harrietkrijgh's #EdwardElgar & #Dvořák (also popular) CelloConcertos w/ @m.sieghart & the @tonkunstler_orchestra doing their best. On capriccio.
#morninglistening in prep to the inevitable w/nezetseguin. Just in case I have to come in off the bench. Here from 2002 w/SeijiOzawa on Decca. One of the best efforts in recent memory, actually.
Amzn: amzn.to/493ECmb
#Neujahrskonzert #NewYearsConcert
Amzn: amzn.to/493ECmb
#Neujahrskonzert #NewYearsConcert
December 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
#morninglistening in prep to the inevitable w/nezetseguin. Just in case I have to come in off the bench. Here from 2002 w/SeijiOzawa on Decca. One of the best efforts in recent memory, actually.
Amzn: amzn.to/493ECmb
#Neujahrskonzert #NewYearsConcert
Amzn: amzn.to/493ECmb
#Neujahrskonzert #NewYearsConcert
What are your four favorite @Vienna_Phil New Years' Concert recordings? (You may NOT include Kleiber)
But you may point out what you love about the chosen concerts!
#Neujahrskonzert
If you choose anything-Muti, please justify! 😆 (CD covers are decorative, not my ranking!)
But you may point out what you love about the chosen concerts!
#Neujahrskonzert
If you choose anything-Muti, please justify! 😆 (CD covers are decorative, not my ranking!)
December 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM
What are your four favorite @Vienna_Phil New Years' Concert recordings? (You may NOT include Kleiber)
But you may point out what you love about the chosen concerts!
#Neujahrskonzert
If you choose anything-Muti, please justify! 😆 (CD covers are decorative, not my ranking!)
But you may point out what you love about the chosen concerts!
#Neujahrskonzert
If you choose anything-Muti, please justify! 😆 (CD covers are decorative, not my ranking!)
#morninglistening in prep to the inevitable w/@nezetseguin, later this season. Here from 1991 w/ClaudioAbbado on DG. Notably, #EduardStrauss' Carmen-Quadrille is a sensationally awful piece of music, so bad or needs to be heard! Schubert & Mozart are welcome.
Amzn: amzn.to/492GEmA
Amzn: amzn.to/492GEmA
December 18, 2025 at 7:41 PM
#morninglistening in prep to the inevitable w/@nezetseguin, later this season. Here from 1991 w/ClaudioAbbado on DG. Notably, #EduardStrauss' Carmen-Quadrille is a sensationally awful piece of music, so bad or needs to be heard! Schubert & Mozart are welcome.
Amzn: amzn.to/492GEmA
Amzn: amzn.to/492GEmA
#morninglistening to EliahuInbal's Frankfurt RSO [HRSO] #Bruckner of original and 1st versions. Here the 5th and the Samale/Mazzuca finale of the 9th. Not that any one the versions have convinced me per se, the work does need a 4th movement lest it become sentimental.
Amzn: amzn.to/3N7iOhV
Amzn: amzn.to/3N7iOhV
December 18, 2025 at 9:13 AM
#morninglistening to EliahuInbal's Frankfurt RSO [HRSO] #Bruckner of original and 1st versions. Here the 5th and the Samale/Mazzuca finale of the 9th. Not that any one the versions have convinced me per se, the work does need a 4th movement lest it become sentimental.
Amzn: amzn.to/3N7iOhV
Amzn: amzn.to/3N7iOhV
#morninglistening to #KurtMasur's Gewandhaus Bruckner 8th on Eurodisc/RCA/Sony. Listened to on recommendation but I'm afraid not much is happening here. Good, hardly great. Or I'm missing something. But I know which 8th I'll listen to next! 🤩
December 18, 2025 at 1:46 AM
#morninglistening to #KurtMasur's Gewandhaus Bruckner 8th on Eurodisc/RCA/Sony. Listened to on recommendation but I'm afraid not much is happening here. Good, hardly great. Or I'm missing something. But I know which 8th I'll listen to next! 🤩
#CriticsNotebook: Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir in Seasonal Bach
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Critic’s Notebook: Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir in Seasonal Bach
Also published in Die Presse : Feiern mit dem Concentus: Bach im Musikverein J.S. Bach Chri...
ionarts.blogspot.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:49 PM
#CriticsNotebook: Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir in Seasonal Bach
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
#CriticsNotebook: An Orgy of Musicality with Ollikainen, Larcher, Strauss, Widmann
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Critic’s Notebook: An Orgy of Musicality with Ollikainen, Larcher, Strauss, Widmann
Also published in Die Presse : Unbekanntes von Großen – und Großes von einem lebenden Komponisten ...
ionarts.blogspot.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:48 PM
#CriticsNotebook: An Orgy of Musicality with Ollikainen, Larcher, Strauss, Widmann
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
#morninglistening to KurtMasur's #Bruckner Seventh, which I'd like to say is meaty and raw but it's just fine and uneventful, even for being his inaugural concert w/the NYPhil. More or less as expected, despite high recommendations in some (NY) quarters.
December 16, 2025 at 7:41 PM
#morninglistening to KurtMasur's #Bruckner Seventh, which I'd like to say is meaty and raw but it's just fine and uneventful, even for being his inaugural concert w/the NYPhil. More or less as expected, despite high recommendations in some (NY) quarters.
Double trouble #Weidringer[TM] for Daniel Lozakovich & Renaud Capuçon at the Wiener Konzerthaus in Prokofiev, Wieniawski, Ysaÿe, Leclair... rather old fashioned two violin recital, in a way...
December 16, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Double trouble #Weidringer[TM] for Daniel Lozakovich & Renaud Capuçon at the Wiener Konzerthaus in Prokofiev, Wieniawski, Ysaÿe, Leclair... rather old fashioned two violin recital, in a way...
Sneak preview of our upcoming #ClassicalDiscoveries podcast on #Schreker!
December 15, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Sneak preview of our upcoming #ClassicalDiscoveries podcast on #Schreker!