This covers responses to submissions for review, i.e., artists, composers, agents or others who have sent me music / media for reviewing. I’m keeping this as separate list of reviews, just so that you are clear about the “mechanism”. With music that I have purchased, I’m usually quite outspoken. I treat “gifts” similar to a concert review, i.e., I may be a little more careful. I won’t deliver complacency judgments, though, but will rather refuse to review and/or return the media if I think that my comment(s) might be detrimental to the submitter (artist / composer).
Note that I don’t always supply a rating. For example, I don’t rate DVDs / video recordings. And I may choose not to rate if I don’t have sufficient “points of reference” in a given field / area. The absence of a rating has no implication on the quality / value of a given recording. My reviews & comments just represent my personal opinion, as usual.
If you consider sending me music for reviewing: note that I’m pretty “booked out”, i.e., I can’t guarantee responses in a given time, nor even that I will review unsolicited submissions (you may want to check with me first). Please also read “Concert Critiques & Media Reviews: A Note to Organizers, Agencies, & Artists” (also available in German: “Hinweise für Konzertagenturen, Ensembles und MusikerInnen“)
Last update: 2023-10-26
Composer(s) | Title / Work | Artist(s) | Rating | Focus | New/Updated |
Ammann, Dieter (*1962) | Core – Turn – Boost, Unbalanced instability (CD, 2022) | Simone Zgraggen, Baldur Brönnimann, Basel Sinfonietta | ★★★★½ | Composer, Artists | 2023-04-12 |
Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685 – 1750) | Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, BWV 1001 – 1006 (viola) | Atilla Aldemir, viola | (see review) | Artist, Performance | 2023-03-07 |
Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685 – 1750) | Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, BWV 1004 – 1006 | Sebastian Bohren | (see review) | Artist, Performance | 2023-03-07 |
Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685 – 1750) | Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, BWV 1001 – 1006 | Tomás Cotik | (see review) | Artist, Performance | 2023-03-07 |
Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685 – 1750) | 6 Suites for Cello Solo, BWV 1007 – 1012 | Pablo de Naverán | (see review) | Artist, Performance | 2023-10-26 |
Bacri, Nicolas (*1961) | Piano Sonatas (CD, 2020) | Sabine Weyer | ★★★★ | Composer/Works, Artist | 2021-06-26 |
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770 – 1827) | Violin Sonatas No.9 (Kreutzer) & No.10 (The Cockcrow) (CD, 2020) | Lina Tur Bonet, Aurelia Vişovan | ★★★★★ | Performance, Artists | 2021-04-24 |
Danzi, Franz (1763 – 1826) | Piano Concerto in E♭, Cello Concerto in E minor, Overture in D (CD, 2018) | Nareh Arghamanyan, Aurélien Pascal, Howard Griffiths, MCO | ★★★★ | Artists | 2018-06-28 |
Dessner, Bryce (*1976) | Aheym, Tenebre, Skrik Trio, Lachrymae (CD, 2019) | Ensemble Resonanz, Hamburg | ★★★★ | Artists, Composer | 2020-01-18 |
Kobekin, Vladimir (*1947) | Works for cello / cello & piano (CD, 2016) | Anastasia Kobekina, Vladimir Kobekin | ★★★★ | Composer, Works | 2021-02-04 |
Lourié, Arthur (1892 – 1966) | Piano works (CD, 2018) | Christian Erny | ★★★½ | Composer, Artist | 2018-07-01 |
Mahler, Gustav (1860 – 1911) | Symphony No.8 in E♭ major (video/BD, Lucerne, KKL, live, 2016) | Riccardo Chailly, Lucerne Festival Orchestra | ★★★★ | Performance, Artists | 2017-08-07 |
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756 – 1791) | Divertimento in E♭ major, K.563; String Trio in G, K.562e (CD, 2019) | Trio Oreade | ★★★ | Artists | 2019-07-31 |
Myaskovsky, Nikolai (1881 – 1950) | Piano Sonatas (CD, 2020) | Sabine Weyer | ★★★★ | Composer/Works, Artist | 2021-06-26 |
Psathas, John (*1966) | Works for Percussion and Piano (CD Presentation) | Fabian Ziegler, Akvilė Šileikaitė | ★★★★½ | Artists, Composer/Works | 2022-12-16 |
Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906 – 1975) | Violin Sonata, op.134, arr. Tsinman / Pushkarev (Download, 2018) | Sebastian Bohren, Igor Karško / Camerata Zürich | ★★★★½ | Performance, Arrangement | 2021-04-21 |
Stravinsky, Igor (1882 – 1971) | Complete Music for Solo Piano (CD, 2018) | Oxana Shevchenko | ★★★★½ | Performance, Artist | 2019-12-05 |
Verdi, Giuseppe (1813 – 1901) | Messa da Requiem, Ballet (video/DVD, Zurich Opera, live, 2016) | Christian Spuck, Fabio Luisi, Philharmonia, Ballet & Choir of Zurich Opera | ★★★★½ | Performance, Artists | 2017-10-29 |
Waller, Michael Vincent (*1985) | The South Shore (2 CDs, 2015) | (various) | | Composer, Works | 2015-03-05 |
(various, see post) | Miniaturen 4: compositions and transcriptions for harp (CD, 2020) | Silke Aichhorn | ★★★ | Artist, Works | 2020-08-21 |