Four Centuries of Great Music June 8, 2025 May New Releases

Today on Four Centuries of Great Music I am playing some music from new classical music albums released in the month of May.  We start with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich.  There have been and will continue to be a large number of releases of the music of Dmitri Shostakovich this year because 2025 is the 50th anniversary of his death.  And I will be doing a special edition of Four Centuries of Great Music honoring Shostakovich on August 10th which is the day after the anniversary of his death.

We open to day’s episode with Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2

It is in 3 movements: largo, allegretto and allegretto

Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 - I. Largo
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 - II. Allegretto
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 - III. Allegretto


Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello and John Wilson conducting the Sinfonia of London
Shostakovich & Britten
Decca Classics
Released May 9th 


A common practice in the 1800s was to make piano transcriptions of orchestral music and opera which could be used for piano concerts and for playing in the home - remember there were no recordings of this music to playin the home.  Franz Liszt wrote a lot of these transcriptions.  And in May there was a release of a new recording of some of Liszt’s transcriptions of the operas of Mozart and Donizetti.

Here is a performance of 
Réminiscences de Don Juan (Mozart)
Konstantin Scherbakov, Piano
Franz Liszt: Mozart and Donizetti Opera Transcriptions
Naxos


4 - Bomsori - 04 KORNGOLD Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 - I. Moderato nobile
5 - Bomsori - 05 KORNGOLD Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 - II. Romance_ Andante
6 - Bomsori - 06 KORNGOLD Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 - III. Finale_ Allegro assai vivace

Bomsori, violin and Jakub Hrusa conducting the Bamberger Symphony
BOMSORI:  Bruch & Korngold
Deutsche Grammophon
May 9th

25:09

Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54_In Tempo d'un Menuetto
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54_Allegretto - Piu allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57_Allegro assai
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57_Allegro ma non troppo - Presto

David Korevaar, piano
DAVID KOREVAAR plays BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS: Heroic to Hammerklavier
Prospero Records

31:49