Evil Penguin Classic

14/03/2025

🎶 Tom Beghin & The True Art of Variation 🎶

Tom Beghin, one of our principal investigators, is an expert in 18th and early 19th-century music, and his latest project brings the genius of C.P.E. Bach to life. In September 2024, Evil Penguin Records released C. P. E. Bach: Sonatas with Varied Reprises, Wq 50, described by Gramophone as “a fascinating research project into C.P.E. Bach’s music and, most importantly, a wonderful listening experience.”

C.P.E. Bach’s Sonaten mit veränderten Reprisen (Six Sonatas with Varied Reprises) is a masterpiece where every repeat is varied, showing Bach’s brilliance in pushing the art of variation. As the keyboardist-composer, Beghin brings this inventive style to life, blending precision, nuance, and flair with every repetition. Critics have praised the album for its impeccable performance, historical insight, and the perfect symbiosis between composer, performer, and instrument.

🌟Tom Beghin […] joue nos six sonates avec précision, nuances et quand il le faut vigueur, en évitant toute précipitation et en laissant cette musique « parler aux cœurs », comme le souhaitait son auteur. Une grande réussite.
—Marc Vignal, Classica (Dec./Jan. 2024/25)
🌟Tom Beghin’s control of the clavichord and style are superb. The historical essay and the CD performances are first-rate from this performing scholar. […] Bravo!
—Bradley Lehman, American Record Guide (Jan./Febr/ 2025)
🌟I can think of few better introductions to the clavichord. […] An exemplary project, with composer, performer/researcher and instrument in perfect symbiosis; and it’s gorgeous too.
—Fabrice Fitch, Gramophone (Nov. 2024)

Alongside the album, a film version of the performance, directed by Beghin and Anastasios Zafeiropoulos, delves into the paradox of scripted improvisation, exploring how music translates visually and performatively.

🔗 Watch the full video and listen to an extract on our website: https://orpheusinstituut.be/nl/with-varied-repeats/cd-c-p-e-bachs-sonaten-mit-veranderten-reprisen-wq-50

Evil Penguin Classic Evil Penguin TV

03/03/2025

"Ein Hörgenuss ohne Ende…" or "A never-ending delight to listen to..."
Full review of Michael Kube available on HörBar 👇

Als Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach 1760 in Berlin seine Sonaten «avec des reprises variées» (mit variierten Wiederholungen) veröffentlichte, betrat er damit Neuland – aber nur, indem er exemplarisch ausformulierte, was er von einem geübten und geschulten Clavieristen erwartete. In einer Zeit, in d...

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The Zemlinsky Quartet present Smetana’s string quartets. They blend deep Czech heritage with intense, programmatic expression, showcasing his genius even in deafness. Stream it here 👇
𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 ᴅᴏʟʙʏ ᴀᴛᴍᴏꜱ 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤, 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭.

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07/02/2025

Cristian Sandrin releases last single as a teaser for his upcoming album. Curious? Stream it here 👇 𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 ᴅᴏʟʙʏ ᴀᴛᴍᴏꜱ 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤, 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭.

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13/01/2025

Get a preview of Crisian Sandrin's upcoming album 👇

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01/10/2024

Since the emergence of the Ensemble Diderot or Le Consort in the French baroque scene, I hadn't heard a group as vibrant, full of fire and virtuosic precision, attentive to detail and contrast, as this ensemble, whose energy recalls the legendary Goebel formation.

This is the second album by this ensemble, founded by flutist Taya König-Tarasevich and cellist Bartolomeo Dandolo Marchesi, which has not been very well known in our regions, and the sound recording is so exceptional that it would be worth verifying this excellence live. The repertoire, moreover, is a compilation of very well-known Italian works, so the exceptionality lies in the impressive interpretation.

The dazzling ex*****on of Corelli's Concerto grosso Op. 6 no. 4 is breathtaking, with an opening movement that already cuts the breath, performed by Guglielmo Dandolo Marchesi and Anna Maddalena Ghielmi as solo violins, the aforementioned cellist, a string section formed by Eugenia Ottaviano and Archimede de Martini on violins, Erin Kirby on viola, and a magnificent continuo with Elias Conrad on theorbo, Sergio Gasparella on harpsichord, and Peter Ferretti on double bass.

Verità Baroque also shows its virtues in more intimate works, though full of contrasts, like Vivaldi’s Sonata no. 1 from Op. 1. The Sinfonia a 5 Op. 2 no. 6 by Albinoni becomes majestic in their hands, overflowing with elegance, and they perform the Concerto a 4 no. 1 by Galuppi expressively. Stunning, and with a dose of extravagance, is the thrilling interpretation of Vivaldi’s concert La Notte by soloist König-Tarasevich.

A neo-baroque composition by Nicola Canzano closes the album. The musical lineup for this recording, made in four historic palaces, is completed with André Lislevand, Marco Crosetto, Peter Ferretti, Alexander von Heissen, and Mario Filippini.

⎯ Manuel de Lara Ruiz (Scherzo)

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Brussels Philharmonic and give a sneak peek of their second release together. Listen here to Strauss' Hero 👇

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Carme Miró (Sonograma) on Piano Quintets by Zemlinsky Quartet and Paolo Giacometti: "What is most striking is the purity of their timbres and the beautifully articulated phrasing."

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In dit tweeluik van Hongaarse pianokwintetten uit het decennium voor Wereldoorlog I tonen Béla Barto´k en Ernst von Dohna´nyi zich respectievelijk als aanstormend talent en man-van-het-moment.

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📣Exciting News Alert! Zemlinsky Quartet and are joining forces to bring 20th Century Hungarian piano quintets! Check out their first single here 👇

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