Martin Slidel: Classical Music Reviews

Various composers Kyle Horch, saxophone; Yshani Perinpanayagam; Anya Fadina, piano Norwood Recordings (2021) October marked the release of ‘Fairy Tales’, a collection of recital music from Eastern Europe. It features Kyle Horch on alto and soprano saxophones. Twenty-four short – often very short – pieces.  Yshani Perinpanayagam plays piano on thirteen tracks. These commence with Tcherepnine’s ‘Sonatine Sportive’. ‘Lutte’, the first of three, instigates the terrific tonal and dynamic balance of the performances. I n ‘Mi-temps’ t here is an almost flute-like quality to the sax, a tincture of the music’s potency. The album offers world premiere recordings including Horch’s arrangements of Prokofiev’s ‘Cinq melodies’. ‘Andante’ is busy but unhurried  –  exemplifying the appealing dichotomies within each. ‘Lento, ma non troppo’ reveals elements of a Debussy- esque  refrain. ‘Animato, ma non allegro’ has a pleasing undercurrent of modernity. E xpansions of form v eer to s...

Pancho Vladigerov, composer; Etsuko Hirose, performer Mirare Records (2021) New on the Mirare label is ‘Impressions’ – Etsuko Hirose’s performances of piano works by the 20C Bulgarian composer and teacher Pancho Vladigerov. The album comprises of a set of ‘Impressions’ plus a Bulgarian-themed suite. ‘Langueur’ is immediately attractive, water rippling from Hirose’s hands, in gently descendant lines. These invert as the mood heightens before resolving with deeper undertones. ‘Étreinte’ conjures an image of silent movie stars. Its swirling colours infuse a downtime of a 1920s Parisian cocktail bar. ‘Valse-Caprice’ is an enchanting and thrilling waltz, with a pleasing variation in tempo. Again, Hirose contains an emotive response to affect a delicate balance. ‘Caresse’ offers an air of nostalgia. Its influences range from Late Romantic to early Music Hall. ‘Élégance’ also marks the intersection between Romantic and Modern. Another intimate recording: ‘clean’, effortless, and elegance inde...