Recent reviews for IRR

In recent months I've been contributing to International Record Review, the monthly magazine that does what it says on the cover. Here’s a flavour of what I've been sent this month:

Léon Boëllmann: Chamber Music – Trio Parnassus (MDG 303 1755-2)

“The two substantial chamber works here – the Piano Quintet of around 1890 and the Piano Trio of 1895 – reveal Boëllmann’s talent for superbly woven structures that flow effortlessly between ideas. His ear for clarity and delicacy also impresses – never is the balance between instruments upset by bombast or overscoring...

“Like the music of so many of history’s short-lived composer, it all left me wondering what might have become of Léon Boëllmann had he managed a few more decades.”

Kurtág/Ligeti – Kim Kashkashian – Music for Viola  (ECM New Series 2240)

“Economy is key [to Kurtág]: nothing more than necessary is said. Often a wandering line suffices, always coloured with great delicacy by Kashkashian; harmony, when evoked, is spare and purposeful. Kashkashian excels at fine modulations of unconventional tone.”