Recording reviews – Page 198
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ArticleStrauss: Volin Sonata in E flat major op.18. Prokofiev: Violin Sonata no.1 in F minor op. 80
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Sabrina-Vivian Höpcker (violin) Fabio Bidini (piano) Composer: Strauss, ProkofievSabrina-Vivian Höpcker impresses in this debut CD, with captivating readings of sonatas by Strauss and Prokofiev, and she is given impeccable support by pianist Fabio Bidini. Strauss’s beautiful but fiendish Sonata ...
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ArticleDvorák: Cello Concerto in B minor op.104. Herbert: Cello Concerto no.2 in E minor op.30
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Gautier Capuçon (cello) Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi (conductor)Composer: Dvorák, HerbertGautier Capuçon is not the first cellist to have paired these two concertos from 1890s New York, though I’m not convinced of the wisdom of showing up a mediocre work with ...
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ArticleEuropa. Janácek: Violin Sonata. Szymanowski: Mythes op.30. Enescu: Violin Sonata no.3 in A major op.25. Bartók:Violin Rhapsody no.1
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: David Grimal (violin) Georges Pludermacher (piano)Composer: Janacek, Szymanowski, Enescu, Bartók Juxtaposing major works written within the space of 13 years by four European composers would appear a fascinating concept, though in the event this disc shows just how ...
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ArticleRagaSaga for String Quartet
Musicians: V.S. Narasimhan (electric violins/electric viola) V.R. Sekar (electric cello) Composer: VariousV.S. Narasimhan’s musical experiences straddle the Western and Karnatak (South Indian) classical traditions, and his arrangements of the latter attempt to incorporate the former on this album.Firstly, a potential disappointment should be made explicit: this is ...
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ArticleVieuxtemps: Violin Concerto no.5 in A minor op.37. Wieniawski: Violin Concerto no.2 in D minor op.22, Fantaisie brillante on Themes from Gounod’s ‘Faust’ op.20
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Corey Cerovsek (violin) Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Hannu Lintu (conductor)Composer: Vieuxtemps, WieniawskiAlthough Corey Cerovsek and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra deliver polished performances here, this disc displays a conventional stylistic approach to the repertoire. Cerovsek, born in Vancouver and a graduate of Toronto’s Royal ...
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ArticleBrahms: Piano Quartets in G minor op.25 & in C minor op.60
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Nash Ensemble Composer: BrahmsThis is one of the finest CDs of the past year. I felt respectful towards the Nash’s Mozart piano quartets but in Brahms these players are in their element. Anchored by gigantic virtuosity from Ian ...
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ArticleBrahms: Viola Sonatas no.1 in F minor op.120 no.1* & no.2 in E flat major op.120 no.2† , Violin Sonata no.1 in G major op.78 (arr. viola Klengel–Rysanov)*, Trios in E flat major op.40* & in A minor op
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Maxim Rysanov (viola) Boris Brovtsyn (violin) Kristine Blaumane (cello) Katya Apekisheva (piano)* Jacob Katsnelson (piano)† Composer: BrahmsBrahms’s music is, of course, central to the repertoire of every viola player but, somewhat perversely, his only original compositions for viola, the Songs op.91, are ...
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ArticleChausson: Concert in D major op.21 for violin, piano & string quartet. Fauré: Violin Sonata no.1 in A major op.13
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Soovin Kim (violin) Jeremy Denk (piano) Jupiter QuartetComposer: Chausson, FauréSoovin Kim is a young American violinist who here teams up with Jeremy Denk for the second time on disc. It is also Kim’s second recording for Azica; the first, his 2006 recording ...
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ArticleSaariaho: Notes on Light*, Orion, Mirage†
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Anssi Karttunen (cello)* Karita Mattila (soprano)† Orchestre de Paris, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor) Composer: SaariahoThe music of the respected Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (b.1952) is precise and passionate, full of evanescent textures that suddenly dissipate or burst into ...
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ArticleSaint-Saëns: Complete works for cello and orchestra: Cello Concertos nos.1 & 2, Suite in D minor op.16, Romance in F major op.36, Allegro appassionato op.43, The Swan
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Johannes Moser (cello) Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra SWR, Fabrice Bollon (conductor) Composer: Saint-SaënsWith a collection of much-lauded CDs to his name already, Johannes Moser might be expected to produce a Saint-Saëns disc that is rather special. And indeed ...
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ArticleShostakovich: Cello Concerto no.2 in G major op.126. Britten: Cello Symphony op.68
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Jamie Walton (cello) Philharmonia Orchestra, Alexander Briger (conductor)Composer: Shostakovich, Britten This second in a projected series of three discs by these artists, each pairing an English and a Russian 20th-century concerto, brings together two masterworks inspired ...
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ArticleSpohr: Duo in E minor op.13. Rolla: Duo concertant in C minor op.4 no.2. Kalliwoda: Duet in C major op.208 no.1
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Vaughan Jones (violin) Reiad Chibah (viola)Composer: Spohr, Rolla, KalliwodaThe violin–viola duet repertoire rarely provides the most marketable listening fare, but Vaughan Jones and Reiad Chibah perform these well-crafted, challenging works with commendable accuracy and ensemble, as well as in an appropriately conversational ...
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ArticleSzymanowski: String Quartets nos.1 & 2. Rózycki: String Quartet in D minor
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Royal QuartetComposer: Szymanowski, Rózycki Szymanowski spent much of the early 1900s studying the folk music of his native Tatra mountains, enthusing that ‘each man must go to the earth from which he derives’. As time went by his ...
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ArticleVivaldi: Cello Concertos vol.2: in C major RV399, in C minor RV401, in D major RV403, in B minor RV408, in F major RV411, in G minor RV417 & in A minor RV422
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Christophe Coin (cello) Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini (conductor)Composer: Vivaldi Vivaldi’s rhythmically punchy and harmonically direct style always sits well with period-performance ensembles, of which Il Giardino Armonico is a particularly imaginative example. The group’s timbre is ‘nutty’ and ...
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ArticleGnattali: Waltz. Santoro: String Quartet no.3. Guarnieri: String Quartet no.3. Villa-Lobos: String Quartet no.6
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Radamés Gnattali Quartet Composer: Gnattali, Santoro, Guarnieri, Villa-LobosThe music of four 20th-century Brazilian composers comes vividly to life in this recording by the Radamés Gnattali Quartet. This is playing of real energy, laced with a poignant touch of nostalgia: ...
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ArticleGrieg: Holberg Suite op.40. Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik K525. Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings op.48
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Moscow Soloists, Yuri Bashmet (conductor) Composer: Grieg, Mozart, TchaikovskyDespite its obvious merits, I cannot issue a compulsory purchase order for this disc. At least one colleague has raved about it but I am left with a rather chilly ...
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ArticleIn recital. Waxman: Carmen Fantasy. Tchaikovsky: Valse–Scherzo op.34, Méditation from Souvenir d’un lieu cher op.42. Szymanowski: Mythes op.30. Chausson: Poème op.25. Stravinsky: Suite italienne
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Mayuko Kamio (violin) Vadim Gladkov (piano) Composer: Waxman, Tchaikovsky, Szymanowski, Chausson, StravinskyStill only 22, Mayuko Kamio made her concert debut in her native Japen at the age of ten, and as a teenager she won a ...
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ArticleAlwyn: String Quartets nos.1–3, Novelette
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Maggini Quartet Composer: AlwynWilliam Alwyn (1905–85) was one of the great English masters of the last century. His vast output ranged from five symphonies to various concertante pieces, song cycles, operas, some 60 film scores and music for nearly ...
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ArticleMy Favourites. Bruch: Violin Concerto no.1 in G minor op.26. Bach: Partita no.1 in B minor BWV1002, Chaconne from Partita no.2 in D minor BWV1004
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Ayako Yonetani (violin) Slovak State Philharmonic of Ko?sice, Zbyn?k Müller (conductor)Composer: Bruch, Bach Born in Japan, Ayako Yonetani won the country’s national competition at the age of nine, and later moved to the US to complete her studies with ...
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ArticlePaganini: Violin Concertos nos.1 & 2
The Strad Issue: January 2009Musicians: Jean-Jacques Kantorow (violin) Bernard Thomas Orchestra, Bernard Thomas (conductor)Composer: PaganiniThe origins of Paganini’s works in the achievements of his forebears are often overlooked, given the predominance of his reputation as a mysterious and even unearthly figure. From today’s perspective, his concertos fit ...
