(no subject)
On the principle of finding order in chaos - with or without fries - two recent classical releases provide some relief from the stress of modern living. Amy Dickson is an Australian saxophonist (not always the most promising instrument from a classical perspective) who has re-arranged Philip Glass' epic Violin Concerto for soprano saxophone. From this slightly alarming starting point comes a really wonderful piece of music. Possibly not as good as the original arrangement but it is still really worth checking out.
With a similar if darker cover, Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang's recordings of Sibelius' Violin Concerto and Prokofiev's first Violin Concerto are fantastic. The latter is one of my favourites anyway, and she plays it really well. Amy's cover is all Australian sunshine whilst Vilde's is dark Norwegian and both capture the mood of the albums perfectly.
