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/
Amazon links are affiliate links
https://ionarts.blogspot.com/search/label/jfl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/
Amazon links are affiliate links
#morninglistening to the #PeterSculthorpe-Requiem, which is a bit on the nose with its Australianiams, frankly, but not uninteresting, as Sculthorpe generally is intriguing. W/the @the_aso under JamesJudd on ABC.
#NowListening #AustralianClassicalMusic
#NowListening #AustralianClassicalMusic
December 13, 2025 at 5:49 PM
#morninglistening to the #PeterSculthorpe-Requiem, which is a bit on the nose with its Australianiams, frankly, but not uninteresting, as Sculthorpe generally is intriguing. W/the @the_aso under JamesJudd on ABC.
#NowListening #AustralianClassicalMusic
#NowListening #AustralianClassicalMusic
Cyclical #Weidringer[TM] at the Wiener Konzerthaus w/ Paavo Jarvi and his one true love, the The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in Schubert (the next cycle!) and the Richard Strauss Violin Concerto. For the second time in a week!
December 12, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Cyclical #Weidringer[TM] at the Wiener Konzerthaus w/ Paavo Jarvi and his one true love, the The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in Schubert (the next cycle!) and the Richard Strauss Violin Concerto. For the second time in a week!
#morninglistening to a disc that is so up my alley: Early works for #StringQuartet by Hans Krasa, Erwin Schulhoff, and Karel Ancerl! Theme w/ Variations + String Quartet, Divertimento for SQ4t & Two Student Fugues. With the @krasaquartet on Animalll. Yummm! Do explore!
December 10, 2025 at 10:38 PM
#morninglistening to a disc that is so up my alley: Early works for #StringQuartet by Hans Krasa, Erwin Schulhoff, and Karel Ancerl! Theme w/ Variations + String Quartet, Divertimento for SQ4t & Two Student Fugues. With the @krasaquartet on Animalll. Yummm! Do explore!
#CriticsNotebook: The L’Orfeo Barockorchester celebrates Mozart’s Death
Competent music-making and killing dolphins in the name of humanity
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Competent music-making and killing dolphins in the name of humanity
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Critic’s Notebook: A Requiem for Mozart
Also published in Die Presse : Mozarts Requiem wird unterminiert W.A. Mozart Requiem N.Harnoncourt, C...
ionarts.blogspot.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM
#CriticsNotebook: The L’Orfeo Barockorchester celebrates Mozart’s Death
Competent music-making and killing dolphins in the name of humanity
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Competent music-making and killing dolphins in the name of humanity
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Enviable pun. But also good that there's a decision from the admin that's reasonably easy to get behind.
"there's a new serif in town"
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
December 10, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Enviable pun. But also good that there's a decision from the admin that's reasonably easy to get behind.
#CriticsNotebook: Golden Apple Sauce — and a larger-than-life serving of Jakub Orliński
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Critic’s Notebook: Golden Apple Sauce — and a larger-than-life serving of Jakub Orliński
Also published in Die Presse : Hier rockt der Elvis der Alten Musik: Orliński im Konzerthaus Jakub Józef O...
ionarts.blogspot.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
#CriticsNotebook: Golden Apple Sauce — and a larger-than-life serving of Jakub Orliński
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
#morninglistening to #SeijiOzawa's @chicagosymphony RiteOfTheSpring on RCA which, if you are even mildly obsessed w/the work, is well worth seeking out!! Up there with the most thrilling, I'd say.
Amzn: amzn.to/44iUq2J
#LeSacreDuPrintemps #NowListening #Stravinsky
Amzn: amzn.to/44iUq2J
#LeSacreDuPrintemps #NowListening #Stravinsky
December 9, 2025 at 7:32 AM
#morninglistening to #SeijiOzawa's @chicagosymphony RiteOfTheSpring on RCA which, if you are even mildly obsessed w/the work, is well worth seeking out!! Up there with the most thrilling, I'd say.
Amzn: amzn.to/44iUq2J
#LeSacreDuPrintemps #NowListening #Stravinsky
Amzn: amzn.to/44iUq2J
#LeSacreDuPrintemps #NowListening #Stravinsky
Latest on ionarts:
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
The Vienna Academy Orchestra, Eight Great Soloists, and Rare Bach Cantatas!
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
The Vienna Academy Orchestra, Eight Great Soloists, and Rare Bach Cantatas!
Critic’s Notebook: Heavenly Secular Cantatas from the Vienna Academy Orchestra, Martin Haselböck, and The Supremes
Also published in Die Presse : Musikverein: So himmlisch tönen weltliche Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bach ...
ionarts.blogspot.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Latest on ionarts:
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
The Vienna Academy Orchestra, Eight Great Soloists, and Rare Bach Cantatas!
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
The Vienna Academy Orchestra, Eight Great Soloists, and Rare Bach Cantatas!
Latest for @diepressecom.bsky.social:
Bruckner Orchester @ the Musikverein w/a brilliant mix of unknown Bruckner & R.Strauss (Thanks, C.Widmann) & T.Larcher. That's 2-4-2 out of the park for Eva Ollikainen, this year! What a bloody fabulous conductor!
Link in description; DM for gift link.
Bruckner Orchester @ the Musikverein w/a brilliant mix of unknown Bruckner & R.Strauss (Thanks, C.Widmann) & T.Larcher. That's 2-4-2 out of the park for Eva Ollikainen, this year! What a bloody fabulous conductor!
Link in description; DM for gift link.
December 8, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Latest for @diepressecom.bsky.social:
Bruckner Orchester @ the Musikverein w/a brilliant mix of unknown Bruckner & R.Strauss (Thanks, C.Widmann) & T.Larcher. That's 2-4-2 out of the park for Eva Ollikainen, this year! What a bloody fabulous conductor!
Link in description; DM for gift link.
Bruckner Orchester @ the Musikverein w/a brilliant mix of unknown Bruckner & R.Strauss (Thanks, C.Widmann) & T.Larcher. That's 2-4-2 out of the park for Eva Ollikainen, this year! What a bloody fabulous conductor!
Link in description; DM for gift link.
#morninglistening to a classic recording can go right or wrong. This Guarneri take on the Janáček SQ4ts I *adored* when I first happened upon it. I discovered these works w/them. Reistening, however, I hear infelicities that you don't hear w/ later quartets.
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
December 8, 2025 at 11:06 AM
#morninglistening to a classic recording can go right or wrong. This Guarneri take on the Janáček SQ4ts I *adored* when I first happened upon it. I discovered these works w/them. Reistening, however, I hear infelicities that you don't hear w/ later quartets.
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
The sun is out for a Kenothaph-#Weidringer[TM] at the Musikverein Wien for Thomas Larcher and Strauss and Bruckner with Carolin Wiedmann, EvaOllikainen and the Bruckner Orchester Linz
December 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The sun is out for a Kenothaph-#Weidringer[TM] at the Musikverein Wien for Thomas Larcher and Strauss and Bruckner with Carolin Wiedmann, EvaOllikainen and the Bruckner Orchester Linz
#morninglistening to ColinDavis' #LaClemenzaDiTito on Philips. Dame JanetBaker is a bit of a liability, but even so this is one of great Clemenza recordings around, if you're into that opera at all. Popp, VonStade, Minton, Burrows...
Amzn: amzn.to/3MKlVHv
Amzn: amzn.to/3MKlVHv
December 7, 2025 at 10:57 AM
#morninglistening to ColinDavis' #LaClemenzaDiTito on Philips. Dame JanetBaker is a bit of a liability, but even so this is one of great Clemenza recordings around, if you're into that opera at all. Popp, VonStade, Minton, Burrows...
Amzn: amzn.to/3MKlVHv
Amzn: amzn.to/3MKlVHv
And the review on ionarts:
Where Were You, Ádám?
A fine evening of great Viennese Classicism from the Vienna Symphony — but a lingering “what if?”
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Where Were You, Ádám?
A fine evening of great Viennese Classicism from the Vienna Symphony — but a lingering “what if?”
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
December 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
And the review on ionarts:
Where Were You, Ádám?
A fine evening of great Viennese Classicism from the Vienna Symphony — but a lingering “what if?”
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
Where Were You, Ádám?
A fine evening of great Viennese Classicism from the Vienna Symphony — but a lingering “what if?”
ionarts.blogspot.com/2025/12/crit...
#morninglistening to the ever-fascinating #ArrigoBoito in his second opera, NERONE. From the @operabudapest, cond. EveQueler, on @hungarotonclassic. Caruso accepted the title rôle but Boito wavered. Had he not, it might be in the repertoire instead of obscure.
Amzn: amzn.to/48ISB0w
Amzn: amzn.to/48ISB0w
December 6, 2025 at 8:12 PM
#morninglistening to the ever-fascinating #ArrigoBoito in his second opera, NERONE. From the @operabudapest, cond. EveQueler, on @hungarotonclassic. Caruso accepted the title rôle but Boito wavered. Had he not, it might be in the repertoire instead of obscure.
Amzn: amzn.to/48ISB0w
Amzn: amzn.to/48ISB0w
#morninglistening to a classic recording can go right or wrong. Here, YefimBronfman, EsaPekkaSalonen & LAPhil on sonyclassical in the Shostakovich PianoConcertos, it goes very right: still a cracking, stunning recording; the reference recording to this day, in the US, anyway.
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
December 6, 2025 at 10:50 AM
#morninglistening to a classic recording can go right or wrong. Here, YefimBronfman, EsaPekkaSalonen & LAPhil on sonyclassical in the Shostakovich PianoConcertos, it goes very right: still a cracking, stunning recording; the reference recording to this day, in the US, anyway.
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
Amzn: amzn.to/48RioVr
#morninglistening to #KarlBöhm's early Berlin Phil #Beethoven 5th and 1959 stereo 7th. Fun, much more gruff than his Vienna takes, unsurprisingly. Oldies but fairly goodies, the 7th moreso.
Amzn: amzn.to/4pg7cra
The 5th is Böhm's first recording for DG. And then he never stopped.
Amzn: amzn.to/4pg7cra
The 5th is Böhm's first recording for DG. And then he never stopped.
December 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM
#morninglistening to #KarlBöhm's early Berlin Phil #Beethoven 5th and 1959 stereo 7th. Fun, much more gruff than his Vienna takes, unsurprisingly. Oldies but fairly goodies, the 7th moreso.
Amzn: amzn.to/4pg7cra
The 5th is Böhm's first recording for DG. And then he never stopped.
Amzn: amzn.to/4pg7cra
The 5th is Böhm's first recording for DG. And then he never stopped.
Deadly #Weidringer[TM] for the MozartRequiem on his 234rd deathiversary. Jeunesses Musicales MV & L’Orfeo Barockorchester | Michi Gaigg
December 5, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Deadly #Weidringer[TM] for the MozartRequiem on his 234rd deathiversary. Jeunesses Musicales MV & L’Orfeo Barockorchester | Michi Gaigg
#morninglistening to #WAMozart, who died today, 234 years ago. Not my favorite opera, "Abduction", but what a timeless, trimmed account Fricsay's is. Haefliger as fresh a ever. Stader keeping the vibrato in check. Streich super-feisty. Exsultate, jubilate! (Also included)
Amzn: amzn.to/48v729H
Amzn: amzn.to/48v729H
December 5, 2025 at 10:04 AM
#morninglistening to #WAMozart, who died today, 234 years ago. Not my favorite opera, "Abduction", but what a timeless, trimmed account Fricsay's is. Haefliger as fresh a ever. Stader keeping the vibrato in check. Streich super-feisty. Exsultate, jubilate! (Also included)
Amzn: amzn.to/48v729H
Amzn: amzn.to/48v729H
#morninglistening to Hogwood's Haendel Messiah on lOiseauLyre. This has been for years THE reference, certainly for a HIP version. Eventually surpassed (McCreesh et al) but still great even if some voices sound dated (Elliot). Kirby still a delight. And the @aamorchestra too.
Amzn: amzn.to/4rF8CNC
Amzn: amzn.to/4rF8CNC
December 4, 2025 at 11:31 PM
#morninglistening to Hogwood's Haendel Messiah on lOiseauLyre. This has been for years THE reference, certainly for a HIP version. Eventually surpassed (McCreesh et al) but still great even if some voices sound dated (Elliot). Kirby still a delight. And the @aamorchestra too.
Amzn: amzn.to/4rF8CNC
Amzn: amzn.to/4rF8CNC
Rezension zum Bild:
www.diepresse.com/20372943/bee...
Beethoven durch den Ólafsson-Filter
Víkingur Ólafsson präsentiert im Konzerthaus einen Abend in durchgehendem E-Dur und Moll.
www.diepresse.com/20372943/bee...
Beethoven durch den Ólafsson-Filter
Víkingur Ólafsson präsentiert im Konzerthaus einen Abend in durchgehendem E-Dur und Moll.
December 4, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Rezension zum Bild:
www.diepresse.com/20372943/bee...
Beethoven durch den Ólafsson-Filter
Víkingur Ólafsson präsentiert im Konzerthaus einen Abend in durchgehendem E-Dur und Moll.
www.diepresse.com/20372943/bee...
Beethoven durch den Ólafsson-Filter
Víkingur Ólafsson präsentiert im Konzerthaus einen Abend in durchgehendem E-Dur und Moll.
Latest for Die Presse: Hier rockt der Elvis der Alten Musik: Orliński im Konzerthaus
Der polnische Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński und das Ensemble Il pomo d’oro mit der Show „Beyond“: Verdienter Gemeinschaftserfolg.
www.diepresse.com/20368080/hie...
Der polnische Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński und das Ensemble Il pomo d’oro mit der Show „Beyond“: Verdienter Gemeinschaftserfolg.
www.diepresse.com/20368080/hie...
December 3, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Latest for Die Presse: Hier rockt der Elvis der Alten Musik: Orliński im Konzerthaus
Der polnische Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński und das Ensemble Il pomo d’oro mit der Show „Beyond“: Verdienter Gemeinschaftserfolg.
www.diepresse.com/20368080/hie...
Der polnische Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński und das Ensemble Il pomo d’oro mit der Show „Beyond“: Verdienter Gemeinschaftserfolg.
www.diepresse.com/20368080/hie...
#morninglistening to @yulianna.avdeeva, who impressed me in her Musikverein-recital recently, n her @pentatonemusic release of the sublime #Shostakovich PreludesAndFugues op.87. Sofia Sacco's is next.
Which is your favorite and why is it KeithJarrett?
Amzn: amzn.to/449w2AG
Which is your favorite and why is it KeithJarrett?
Amzn: amzn.to/449w2AG
December 3, 2025 at 5:21 PM
#morninglistening to @yulianna.avdeeva, who impressed me in her Musikverein-recital recently, n her @pentatonemusic release of the sublime #Shostakovich PreludesAndFugues op.87. Sofia Sacco's is next.
Which is your favorite and why is it KeithJarrett?
Amzn: amzn.to/449w2AG
Which is your favorite and why is it KeithJarrett?
Amzn: amzn.to/449w2AG
#morninglistening to #SergeiProkofiev PianoSonatas w/#SviatoslavRichter. I'm not nearly as enthused about his recordings as a proper connoisseur ought to be*, but his Prokofiev is in fact always amazing.
(*This is a safe space to confessing of you feel his recordings are wildly overrated.)
(*This is a safe space to confessing of you feel his recordings are wildly overrated.)
December 3, 2025 at 4:10 PM
#morninglistening to #SergeiProkofiev PianoSonatas w/#SviatoslavRichter. I'm not nearly as enthused about his recordings as a proper connoisseur ought to be*, but his Prokofiev is in fact always amazing.
(*This is a safe space to confessing of you feel his recordings are wildly overrated.)
(*This is a safe space to confessing of you feel his recordings are wildly overrated.)