New Releases Jan. 28: Composer Focuses and Music of the Philippines

By Keegan Morris |

Share this Post

Seong-Jin Cho (Photo: Christoph Köstlin / Deutsche Grammophon)

New recordings explore the music of Maurice Ravel, Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber, Antonio Vivaldi, and Claude Debussy. And a recording by Filipino-American artist Norman Menzales, Wyoming Symphony Orchestra’s principal flutist, shares musical treasures from the Philippines.

Star Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho marks the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel’s birth by recording his complete solo piano music. Cho’s insightful readings of Ravel, on stage and in the studio, underline his status as one of today’s most elegant and accomplished pianists, ten years after his First Prize win at the Chopin International Competition. Seong-Jin Cho has always felt a close connection with the French piano literature and found himself fully immersed in Ravel while studying at the Paris Conservatoire.

Discussing the challenges of the solo works, he points to the composer’s orchestral sound and meticulous attention to detail. “Ravel really knew what he wanted, so I try to follow his specific markings,” he says. “Miroirs, for example, is incredibly technically demanding. It’s so sensitive and dramatic, full of imagination and color – it’s almost impossible to apply every marking, but I try my best!” A recording of the two Ravel piano concertos with the Boston Symphony Orchestra is forthcoming. Cho returns as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra later this winter.

As their first decade of performing together coincided with the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the Calidore String Quartet embarked on a tour to perform the complete cycle of the composer’s sixteen string quartets.

“Performing the Beethoven cycle is the musical equivalent of scaling Mount Everest,” said violinist Ryan Meehan, who once appeared on WFMT’s Introductions. “It is a grueling nine hours of music comprised of some of the most technically intricate and emotionally demanding music ever conceived, to which we have dedicated much of our studying and performing since the quartet’s inception.”

The quartet now presents the third installment in their award-winning recording series of the Beethoven cycle with a three-disc album of the Early Quartets. The first album of Late Quartets won the Chamber Music Award at the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2024, and their second album of Middle Quartets was named Chamber Recording of the Month in Gramophone Magazine.

French clarinetist Arthur Stockel has established himself as a passionate and eclectic musician through his virtuoso career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. For his debut solo album, he is partnered with the Hanson Quartet and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, where was appointed principal clarinet at the age of 21. The repertoire features the two concertos and clarinet quintet by Carl Maria von Weber, three works dedicated to the 19th century clarinetist and composer Carl Baermann, who substantially reworked the clarinet part of the concertos in his edition, which has now passed into posterity. Arthur Stockel returns to the sources of the original scores. More stripped down, the solo part highlights the link between these pieces and the composer’s lieder and opera, notably his masterpiece Der Freischütz, composed ten years after the clarinet concertos.

Flutist Norman Menzales is Principal Flutist of Montana’s Great Falls Symphony, Colorado’s Fort Collins Symphony, and the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. In Panoramas, he reflects on his Filipino heritage through a series of chamber ensemble collaborations. The album’s title work is by the groundbreaking Filipino composer Nicanor Abelardo (1893-1934). Panoramas, scored for flute, violin, viola, celeste, and piano, blends Filipino folk songs with post-Romantic styles. The album also includes works by contemporary Filipino composers Nilo Alcala, AJ Villanueva, Sungmin Shin, and Joed Balsamo. All works are new to the WFMT library.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte has quickly become one of today’s most sought-after violin soloists. His almost super-human dexterity on both the baroque and modern instrument has mesmerized critics, while his passion and conviction has made him a star with audiences everywhere. In a recent review, Gramophone wrote, “I’m running out of ways to recount Théotime’s brilliance….Most of all, I’m in awe of his seemingly effortless blend of control and abandon.” The 29-year-old virtuoso leads the expanded forces of his period instrument chamber ensemble Le Consort—now the Orchestra Le Consort—in an exploration of Vivaldi, centering the inexhaustible cycle The Four Seasons.

In addition to other works by Vivaldi, two-disc album includes two works new to the WFMT library, a suite of character dances by Gregorio Lambranzi and a tender Adagio from a Trio Sonata by Giorgio Gentili, both performed by the original members of Le Consort.

The Nash Ensemble presents Debussy’s String Quartet, Violin Sonata, Cello Sonata, Sonata for Flute, Viola & Harp, and a chamber ensemble arrangement of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. From two players to twelve, the elite musicians of the Nash Ensemble respond with authority to the varied demands made by this wonderful collection of Debussy’s chamber music.

Currently celebrating its 60th season, the members of the Nash Ensemble continue to set the standards across a dauntingly wide repertoire. To date, the group has recorded over 100 albums, premiered over 330 new works by 225 different composers, including over 240 commissions written specially for the ensemble.