Four Centuries of Great Music August 2, 2026 New Classical Album Releases in July Episode 2

This episode of Four Centuries of Great Music is the second episode featuring new releases from the month of July.

We begin with music by Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock.

I want to say a few words about Jocelyn Morlock who was a friend.  She was born December 14, 1969 in Saint Boniface, Manitoba.  She studied piano with Robert Richardson, Sr. and completed a Bachelor of Music in piano performance at Brandon University.   While at Brandon she studied composition with both Gerhard Ginader (electroacoustic music) and T. Patrick Carrabré ( instrumental composition).  Following a hand injury she switched her musical path to composition earning both a master's degree and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of British Columbia where her composition teachers included Stephen Chatman, Keith Hamel, and the late Russian-Canadian composer Nikolai Korndorf.   I met her almost a decade ago when visiting Vancouver, British Columbia and we chatted  and had lunch in her office at the Vancouver Symphony where she at the time was the composer in residence.  In subsequent visits to Vancouver I always tried to spend some time with her to continue our conversations.  Her piece My Name is Amanda Todd won the 2018 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year.   On March 27, 2023 she suddenly and unexpectantly died.  This was a huge loss to the Vancouver and broader Canadian music community and to me. 
 Her friend and collaborator and acquaintance of mine, flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor has assembled an album which was released this past Thursday,  July 30th featuring a number of works of hers induing the piece I will be playing here, Unfurl.   In addition Mark and I will be talking about the whole album Jocelyn Morlock: Artemis Sleeps on an upcoming episode of Contemporary Classics.


Jocelyn Morlock: Unfurl
Mark Takeshi McGregor, flute/flûte; Joo Bin Yi, oboe/hautbois; Aidan Mulldoon Wong, clarinet/clarinette; Holly Bryan, horn/cor; Sophie Dansereau, bassoon/basson
Jocelyn Morlock: Artemis Sleeps
Redshift Records


ALFRED SCHNITTKE:  Complete Works for Two Violins
Concerto grosso No. 1 (1976–77) for two violins, harpsichord, prepared piano and strings 
1 I. Preludio: Andante 5:52 
2 II. Toccata: Allegro 4:32 
3 III. Recitativo: Lento – Poco più mosso – Lento – Poco più mosso 8:21 
4 IV. Cadenza – 2:40 
5 V. Rondo: Agitato – Meno mosso – Andante – 7:23 
6 VI. Postludio: Andante – Allegro – Andante 2:50 
Vadim Gluzman, Friedemann Eichhorn, Violin; Evgeny Sinaiski, Prepared Piano and Harpsichord; Deutsche Radio Philharmonie conducted by  Valentin Uryupin 
SCHNITTKE:  Complete Works for Two Violins
Naxos

Joe Hisaishi:  Harp Concerto
Joe Hisaishi, conductor, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and harpist Emmanuel Ceysson
Joe Hisaishi - Symphony No. 3 Metaphysica and Harp Concerto
Deutsche Grammophon


Beethoven:  Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 - I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
Beethoven:  Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 - II. Allegro molto
Beethoven:   Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 - III. Adagio ma non troppo
Beethoven:   Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 - IV. Fuga (Allegro ma non troppo)
Mitsuko Uchida, piano 
Beethoven- Piano Sonatas, Op. 109, 110 & 111
Decca Classics
 (07-24-26)