Book reviews – Page 208
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ArticleSchumann: Piano Quintet in E flat major op.44. Schubert: Piano Quintet in A major (Trout), Die Forelle
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Atlantis Ensemble, Max von Egmond (baritone) Composer: Schumann, SchubertIt is said that Schumann wept aloud when he heard news of Schubert’s death. Hence this pairing is apt, for this epitome of 19th-century Romantics had the pantheon of Haydn, Mozart, ...
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ArticleWieniawski: Violin concerto no.2 in D minor. Szymanowski: Violin concerto no.2 op.61. Lutoslawski: Chain 2
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Benjamin Schmid (violin) Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Raiskin (conductor) Composer: Wieniawski, Szymanowski, LutoslawskiBenjamin Schmid is never less than highly impressive in this chronologically arranged programme, featuring three celebrated Polish works for violin. Yet one senses a special identification with ...
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ArticleDvorák: Terzetto in C major op.74, Piano Quartet in E flat major op.87. Beethoven: Piano Quartet in E flat major op.16
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Composer: Dvorák, BeethovenDvo?ák’s Terzetto, for two violins and viola, gives a clue to the strengths if also the limitations of these three readings by the respected Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. Their ...
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ArticleHaydn: String Quartets in G minor op.20 no.3, in C major op.74 no.1 & in G major op.76 no.1
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Amsterdam Quartet Composer: HaydnThat the players of the Amsterdam Quartet employ gut strings and use period bows is obvious from their highly distinctive tonal quality, and the avoidance of vibrato etches every nuance of their interpretations with total clarity ...
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ArticleJ.S. Bach: Six Suites for solo cello BWV1007–12
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) Composer: Bach Lightness and elegance are the keywords in these interpretations by French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. Although he has performed the works on a Baroque cello, he favours a modern set-up here for his ...
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Article
Kraus: Violin Concerto in C major VB151, Olympie (incidental music) VB33, Azire (ballet music) VB18
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Takako Nishizaki (violin) New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Uwe Grodd (conductor)Composer: Kraus The only surviving concertante work of Joseph Kraus (1756–92), the Violin Concerto in C major (1777), is substantial in both length and content. It incorporates moments of ...
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ArticleMozart: Violin Sonatas in G major K301, in E minor K304, in F major K376 & in B flat major K454
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Aaron Berofsky (violin) Thomas Sauer (piano)Composer: Mozart Aaron Berofsky argues in the CD booklet that Mozart described this group of works as ‘Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin’ out of convention, which didn’t prevent his later scores bringing the two ...
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ArticlePaganini: Violin Concertos nos.1–6
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Ingolf Turban (violin) WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, Lior Shambadal (conductor)Composer: PaganiniIn the hands of Ingolf Turban Paganini is not just an artist and virtuoso but an opera composer manqué. He plays many of the melodies as if they have lyrics, and mightily ...
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ArticlePaganini:‘Non piu mesto’ from Rossini’s ‘La cenerentola’ (arr. Kreisler), Caprice no.24 in A minor (arr. Kreisler), Variations on ‘God Save the King’, Cantabile (arr. Kinsky & Rothschild), etc
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Ning Feng (violin) Thomas Hoppe (piano)Composer: PaganiniBorn in Chengdu, China, Ning Feng enjoyed a string of competition successes while studying variously with Weiman Hu (Sichuan), Hu Kun (London) and Antje Weithaas (Berlin), before winning the 51st Paganini International Completion in 2006. His ...
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ArticleTishchenko: Concerto for Violin, Piano & String Orchestra, Dante-Symphony no.3 ‘Hell: Circles 7–9’
The Strad Issue: Febraury 2008Musicians: Alexander Rozhdestvensky (violin) Viktoria Postnikova (piano) String Orchestra of St Petersburg, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (conductor)Composer: Tishchenko The main event here is an all-too-painfully illustrative symphony (2001) concerned with the deepest circles of Hell in Dante’s Inferno that ...
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ArticleBeethoven: String Quartets op.18 nos.1-6
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Tokyo Quartet Composer: BeethovenFew ensembles exceed the high standards of the Tokyo Quartet. Its members here produce a sumptuous, beautifully blended sonority from their matching set of Stradivari instruments and perform with outstanding musical insight, unanimity ...
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ArticleBrahms: ‘Double’ Concerto in A minor op.102, Clarinet Quintet in B minor op.115
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Renaud Capuçon (violin) Gautier Capuçon (cello) Paul Meyer (clarinet) Capuçon Quartet, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, Myung-Whun Chung (conductor)Composer: Brahms Gautier Capuçon’s first cello entry sets the scene for an affectionate view of the ‘Double’ Concerto, very much ...
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ArticleRózsa: Violin Concerto, Sinfonia concertante for violin and cello
Musicians: Anastasia Khitruk (violin) Andrei Tchekmazov (cello) Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Dmitri Yablonsky (conductor) Composer: RózsaMíklós Rózsa may have composed the music for over 90 films, but his ‘classical’ output reveals him on a par with his contemporary Erich Korngold. Indeed his solo string concertos, ...
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ArticleTaneyev: String Quartets vol.1: no.1 in B flat minor op. 4 & no.3 in D minor op.7
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Carpe Diem QuartetComposer: Taneyev It has taken us a long time to come round to Sergei Taneyev (1856–1915). Melodiya made several Soviet-era recordings, and aficionados know something of his magnificent opera The Oresteia, but otherwise his symphonic output and ...
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ArticleTchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D op.35. Gang ChenZhanhao He: The Butterfly Lovers: Concerto for Violin
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Gil Shaham (violin) Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Lan Shui (conductor)Composer: Tchaikovsky, Gang ChenZhanhao He: In terms of scorching commitment, Isaac Stern’s CBS/Sony account of the Tchaikovsky with the Philadelphia Orchestra in meltdown under their long-time music director Eugene Ormandy ...
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ArticleBach: Sonatas for violin and keyboard nos.1–6 BWV1014–19
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Richard Tognetti (violin) Daniel Yeadon (viola da gamba/cello) Neal Peres Da Costa (harpsichord/organ)Composer: BachSeveral fine period-instrument recordings of this glorious music currently grace the catalogue, including those by Rachel Podger (Channel), Andrew Manze (Harmonia Mundi), Giuliano Carmignola (Sony), Elizabeth Wallfisch ...
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ArticleDavid Matthews: Winter Remembered. Alwyn: Pastoral Fantasia. John McCabe: Concerto funebre. Holst: Lyric Movement. Maconchy: Romance
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Sarah-Jane Bradley (viola) Orchestra Nova, George Vass (conductor)Composer: David Matthews, Alwyn, John McCabe, Holst, Maconchy Is there a better British violist than Sarah-Jane Bradley? I write just a week after hearing her play a demanding recital and after several ...
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ArticleDvorák: Cello Concerto in B minor op.104, Symphonic Variations op.78
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Pieter Wispelwey (cello) Budapest Festival orchestra, Iván Fischer (conductor)Composer: Dvorák During these hard-pressed financial days it’s a luxury to re-record the same concerto as Wispelwey has done with this work. His first, made with Lawrence Renes and the ...
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ArticleElgar: Violin Concerto in B minor op.61, Serenade for Strings op.20.
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: James Ehnes (violin) Philharmonia Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor) Composer: ElgarAndrew Davis and James Ehnes do not fall into the trap of exaggerating the wide mood swings of the first movement, and they never allow the tension levels in the ...
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ArticleGiger/Dähler. JS Bach: Towards Silence
The Strad Issue: January 2008Musicians: Paul Giger (violin) Marie-Louise Dähler (harpsichord)Composer: JS Bach If you’ve encountered any of Paul Giger’s ECM albums before now, and especially Ignis, you’ll know what I mean when I write of his unclassifiably sacred compositions. They’re not attached to ...
