Search - Michael Spivakovsky, Malcolm Arnold, Heitor Villa-Lobos :: Tommy Reilly plays Harmonica Concertos

Wonderful playing, delightful CD

peter krampert | 02/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tommy Reilly is very good and he brings the mixed reedy/brass sound of a harmoica to a professional level I never heard before.I didn't know a harmonica could be so delightful.The James Moddy Piece is my favorite I think."

A Nice Sampling Of Pieces Wriiten For Classical Harmonica

peter krampert | eharmonica.net | 12/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tommy Reilly was one of that rare breed of harmonica players, the classical soloist. There have only been about a dozen or so in the history of the instrument who have really taken a shot at playing the harmonica with orchestras and these players are extremely special to the instrument. To date, there have only been a couple dozen or so pieces composed for the harmonica and on this CD, Soloist Tommy Reilly performs 5 pieces written for the harmonica.Tommy Reilly began, as most classical soloist did, in harmonica bands. During WWII he spent his time in a German POW camp recieving harmonicas from his captors. He used the time to perfect his skills and after the war he made his name as one of the premiere soloists of the harmonica.For anyone interested in studying the harmonica's place in Classical music, this CD is definitely a must-have recording. There are compositions by Spivakovsky, Arnold, Villa-Lobos, Moody and Farnon. Reilly plays these pieces with precision. this collection definitely adds to the scope of what the harmonica is capable of."