Category Archives: Pitman Reviews
John Pitman Review: Randall Goosby ‘Violin Concertos’
All Classical Radio’s program director, John Pitman, chats with American violinist Randall Goosby about his second album with Decca Classics. The dynamic young soloist brings freshness to a concerto he first encountered as a teenager: Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and shimmering performances of Florence Price’s two Violin Concertos, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and …
John Pitman Review: Plínio Fernandes’s ‘Bacheando’
Plínio Fernandes is a London-based Brazilian guitarist who has just released his second album. Bacheando explores the long-established influence of Bach’s music on Brazilian composers. Chief among them is Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), whose series titled Bachianas Brazileiras fuse the Baroque-age forms of Bach with the rhythm and styles of Brazilian music. He recently spoke to All …
John Pitman Review: Carlos Simon’s ‘Together’
Composer Carlos Simon has received numerous awards and nominations for works such as 2021’s Requiem for the Enslaved. He recently spoke to All Classical Radio host John Pitman about his latest album Together, a 10-track project that came about from the desire to simply make music with friends and colleagues, after the long period of …
John Pitman Review: Andrew Brownell’s ‘Shades of Night’
Andrew Brownell is a pianist and former Portlander who, in the mid-1990s would occasionally stop by the All Classical studios for an interview with John Pitman. Often, Andrew would play something on the piano, or accompany violinist Nicholas Crosa (now part of Pink Martini), for an upcoming recital. Brownell recently stopped by for a chat …
John Pitman Review: Eric Whitacre & Voces8 ‘Home’
All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman recently spoke with American choral composer Eric Whitacre, who has a career now spanning over three decades, is one of the world’s most popular composers among audiences and choirs alike. Several of his works have been recorded multiple times, but even then, the composer sees opportunities when one special …
John Pitman Review: Benjamin Grosvenor Schumann & Brahms
All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman recently spoke with British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, whose new recording touches on the relationships of Johannes Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann. Grosvenor chose works that link together Brahms as a young man meeting Robert and his wife, pianist and composer, Clara Wieck Schumann, and Brahms later in …
John Pitman Review: Mao Fujita Takes On Mozart
Pianist Mao Fujita was born in Japan and now lives in Europe, where he is studying with Kirill Gerstein. Mao was invited to the renowned Verbier Festival in Switzerland a couple of years ago, on the strength of having a number of Mozart’s piano sonatas in his fingers. The Festival asked Mao if he could get …
John Pitman Review: Eldbjørg Hemsing’s ‘Arctic’
Arctic is a new release by Norwegian violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing that asks questions, through music, about the effects of climate change on the Arctic region, and on the life that exists there. Ms. Hemsing, who grew up near the Arctic Circle, says “the Arctic is often misrepresented as stark and uninhabitable wasteland.” Yet Hemsing explains …
John Pitman Review: Leif Ove Andsnes’s ‘Poetic Tone Pictures’
All Classical Portland’s Program Director John Pitman has long admired the artistry of Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, having featured his recordings regularly over the past 30-plus years. His newest release is especially exciting because it includes rare recordings of the complete Poetic Tone Pictures by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. In his latest interview with John, Mr. …
John Pitman Review: Hilary Hahn’s ‘Eclipse’
All Classical Portland Program Director John Pitman shares his latest review of a new album by violinist Hilary Hahn, which includes Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, the Violin Concerto by Alberto Ginastera, and Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra. The album, Eclipse, is available now on Deutsche Grammophon. As American violinist Hilary Hahn states, …
