Classical CDs: Dogs, snare drums and long crescendos
Czech piano trios, English choral music and an influential wind soloist celebrated by Graham Rickson Saturday, 1 August 2026 Share Facebook Twitter Email All smiles: Trio Bohémo play music by Anton Reicha Andrej Grilc Saxophobia: Celebrating the Sax Craze of the 1920s Chad Smith (alto and C-melody saxophones), Sinfonia of London/John Wilson (Chandos) Image Saxophobia is a tribute to Rudy Wiedoeft (1893-1940). In the mid-1920s, the saxophonist was a massively successful in the US. He had first emerged as the child star in an immigrant family from Germany which had its own Wiedoft Orchestra, first in Chicago and later in LA. As an adult he turned into a showman with flair, and made hundreds of recordings and several films. There’s a famous quote from Bing Crosby that his way singing was based on Wiedoeft’s phrasing of solos. As becomes clear on this album, Wiedoeft’s stylistic leanings were towards a combination of novelty songs of vaudeville plus rag...
