published by Ben Hogwood from the original press release
The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) continues its 50th anniversary celebrations with the release of a landmark new album, Beethoven & Brahms: Concertos for Violin and Orchestra, featuring Artistic Director Richard Tognetti as soloist. Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Orchestra’s very first concert, on 21 November 1975 at the Sydney Opera House, this release pays tribute to the ACO’s remarkable legacy while also honouring Artistic Director Richard Tognetti’s extraordinary 35 years of leadership.
Recorded live, the album showcases Tognetti and the ACO at their most vital and alive. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 was recorded in 2018 and Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 earlier this year. These cornerstones of the violin repertoire are reframed with the clarity, intimacy, and daring that have become hallmarks of the ACO’s sound.
It is the first time that Richard Tognetti has recorded the Brahms Concerto and his first full recording of the Beethoven for over 25 years.
Over the last five decades the ACO has become one of the world’s most dynamic ensembles, renowned for fearless programming, boundary-pushing collaborations and a singular, expressive sound. Tognetti has been at the centre of this transformation, reshaping the Orchestra into a globally recognised force through relentless curiosity and risk-taking artistry. More than a celebration, this album is a statement of intent: an affirmation that, at 50, the ACO remains as fearless, passionate, and forward-looking as ever.
Beethoven & Brahms: Concertos for Violin and Orchestra will be available as a special limited-edition vinyl release, with each copy signed by Richard Tognetti, as well as being released as a CD and in digital streaming and download formats.
by Ben Hogwood. Image by Charles Reutlinger, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day 150 years ago, the first performance took place of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no.3 in D major, his Op.29, took place with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein. The work carries the unofficial nickname Polish, on account of the Polonaise composed for its fifth and final movement.
The Third is almost certainly the least performed of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, yet it is increasingly winning a place in the hearts of the composer’s fans. Listen below and you will see why, for the piece has an abundance of melodic charm and character:
Published post no.2,724 – Wednesday 19 November 2025
published by Ben Hogwood. Photo of Hindemith in 1923 courtesy of the Hindemith-Institut als Rechteinhaber / Wikipedia
Two days ago we marked 90 years since the world premiere of Paul Hindemith‘s three-movement concerto for viola and orchestra, Der Schwanendreher (The Swan Turner). Now Arcana mark 130 years to the day since the birth of the composer himself. Back in 2013 I penned an appreciation of his music for the blog I was running – and would like to recycle it here:
“Hindemith’s absence from the concert hall is frequently baffling, because only a small proportion of his works fulfil the dull, academic caricature that insists on following him around. It is true that there are some pieces that are dry and more difficult to get on with, but doesn’t every composer have their weaker moments? For each of those there is one that sparkles with wit, invention and originality.
With this in mind, I wanted to share why Hindemith is one of my favourite composers, to explore on the surface some new recordings and to suggest some works it would be good to know better.
Hindemith’s orchestral output, for starters, is full of colourful scores. The most played of these tend to be the symphony constructed from his opera Mathis der Maler, the ballet Nobilissima Visione, the Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes of Weber and the Konzertmusik for strings and brass.
Three of these can be heard together on a fine disc from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins, released on Hyperion. The strings and brass shine on the latter piece, whose bold writing really blows away the cobwebs. In Brabbins’ hands the Mathis der Maler Symphony is shown off as the masterpiece it is, with broad melodies that often have a softer centre, as well as powerful orchestral tuttis that have an enchanted air, thanks to Hindemith’s frequently inventive orchestration. Finally the Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes of Weber are great fun, energetic and witty.
Nobilissima Visione is my personal Hindemith choice. In the suite it has a March and Pastorale of silvery beauty, and a noble Passacaglia that builds to a powerful and blazing conclusion. This is quintessential Hindemith, with a theme that moves in directions often contrary to the listener’s expectations while somehow making complete sense.
By way of contrast I would recommend the Piano Concerto, The Four Temperaments, a theme and four variations for piano and strings that finds Hindemith at his most mischievous but also has revealing and intimate asides. It bursts with melodic content, and its combination of humour and poignancy would make it an ideal concert piece. While that is sadly not likely to happen soon there are a number of good recordings – one of which was recently released by ECM, with Anna Gourari and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana conducted by Markus Poschner
Hindemith wrote for such colourful characters as Benny Goodman and Dennis Brain. His Concerto for clarinet and orchestra is a charming piece with a beautifully written solo part, while the Horn Concerto, a challenging work technically, is also extremely rewarding.
Hindemith wrote a lot of music, which is possibly part of the problem in getting it recognised though he showed what an extraordinarily resourceful composer he was by writing sonatas for tuba, trombone and cor anglais among others. My first encounter with him was through three short but surprisingly baleful pieces for cello and piano, the Three Easy Pieces – the first of which was a Grade 3 piece.
Finally another aspect of Hindemith’s output that should be noted is his vocal music, and there is an excellent disc from the Hänssler label of his Mass and Six Chansons. The Mass in particular is a substantial piece, difficult to sing but rewarding to listen to in a recording as open as this.
I would urge you, then, to discover the music of a composer whose greatness has often been lauded in the same breath as Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Bartók, but whose music no longer enjoys anything like their profile. I wager you won’t be disappointed!
by Ben Hogwood. Image unattributed, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day in 1895, the first performance took place of a much-loved work by Richard Strauss. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks) was published as the composer’s Op.28, and is a portrait of the German peasant.
Strauss’s melodic invention and canny orchestration make this piece a treat, with genuine wit and musical humour that works a treat when given a good performance. You can watch a live performance below, with the London Symphony Orchestra & François-Xavier Roth:
Published post no.2,719 – Saturday 14 November 2025
On this day in 1935, Paul Hindemith gave the first performance of his own three-movement concerto for viola and orchestra, Der Schwanendreher (The Swan Turner).
As the website notes, the concerto “is based on medieval German folk songs. While the ‘swan turner’ was literally someone who turned the spit of a roasting swan, metaphorically it referred to an itinerant minstrel whose street organ or hurdy-gurdy was cranked via a swan’s-neck handle. He composed the work between September and October 1935, and it was premiered at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with the composer (a virtuoso violist who did much to elevate the instrument’s status) serving as soloist.”
You can read more about the work – and the new release profiled above – on the Brilliant Classics website, or watch a superb live performance below, with soloist Antoine Tamestit and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi:
Arcana.fm 