All Review articles – Page 138
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ReviewSibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor op.47, Humoresques in D major op.87 no.2, G minor op.89 no.2 & E flat major op.89 no.3. Adès: Violin Concerto ‘Concentric Paths’
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A fresh but purposeful coupling of two violin concertosMusicians: Augustin Hadelich (violin) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Hannu LintuComposer: Sibelius, AdèsThe Sibelius and Adès violin concertos are not obvious companions for a CD. But Augustin Hadelich likes pairing pieces in which he sees subtle ...
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ReviewMendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op.64. Adams: Violin Concerto
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Key Romantic and modern concertos make for an auspicious CD debutMusicians: Chad Hoopes (violin) MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kristjan JärviComposer: Mendelssohn, AdamsCleveland-trained Chad Hoopes, playing the magnificent 1713 ‘Cooper’ Stradivari, creates the ideal sound world for the Mendelssohn E minor Concerto: lithe, ...
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ReviewMlynarski: Violin Concertos no.1 in D minor op.11 & no.2 in D major op.16. Zarzycki: Introduction and Cracovienne op.35, Mazurka in G major op.26
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Rare works from the Polish tradition, colourfully performedMusicians: Eugene Ugorski (violin) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Michal Dworzy?skiComposer: Mlynarski, ZarzyckiVolume 15 in Hyperion’s series ‘The Romantic Violin Concerto’ features works by two adopted Polish composers, Lithuanian-born Auer pupil Emil Mlynarski and Ukrainian-born Aleksander Zarzycki. ...
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ReviewKreisler: Original compositions & arrangements of works by Gluck, Falla, Tartini & Dvorák
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Some of the violinist–composer’s best-known works are given a faceliftMusicians: Jack Liebeck (violin) Katya Apekisheva (piano)Composer: KreislerJack Liebeck and Katya Apekisheva have stripped away the sugary coating that has, over the years, surrounded Fritz Kreisler’s original compositions and revealed pleasing duets and ...
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ReviewFeldman: Music for cello: Two Pieces, Projection, Four Songs to Poems by e.e. cummings, Intersection 4, Two Instruments, Durations 2, Voices and Cello, Patterns in a Chromatic Field
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: There’s control but too little detachment in this Feldman surveyMusicians: Marco Simonacci (cello) Paola Ronchetti, Ilaria Severo (soprano) Fabio Frapparelli (horn) Giancarlo Simonacci (piano)Composer: FeldmanThere’s no mistaking the fervency nor the passion of young Italian cellist Marco Simonacci in this vivid two-disc ...
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ReviewBruch: Scottish Fantasy op.46. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major op.35
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Performances that don’t quite rise above the worthyMusicians: Ning Feng (violin) Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin/Yang YangComposer: Bruch, TchaikovskyAlthough conductor Yang Yang strikes just the right pulse and mood for the picture of an old bard that opens Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, the performance ...
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ReviewBritten: Cello Sonatas in A major & C major op.65, Cello Suites nos.1–3, Tema ‘Sacher’
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A well-performed set let down by recessed soundMusicians: Alexander Ivashkin (cello) Andrew Zolinsky (piano)Composer: BrittenAs a recording artist, Alexander Ivashkin, who died in January, will be best remembered for his series of Chandos discs in the 1990s: surveys of Russian repertoire ranging ...
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ReviewClarion Call. M. Berkeley Clarion Call and Gallop. Casken: Blue Medusa. Ferguson: Octet op.4, C. Wood: Septet
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: An adventurous disc of British music for mixed chamber ensemblesMusicians: Berkeley EnsembleComposer: M. Berkeley, Casken, Ferguson, C. WoodLaunched in 2011 the artist-led, download-only Resonus label has notched up close to 30 releases. If this disc is anything to go by – a ...
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ReviewBloch Schelomo, Voice in the Wilderness. Caplet: Epiphanie. Ravel: Kaddisch
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A poignant tribute to lost generationsMusicians: Raphael Wallfisch (cello) BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Benjamin WallfischComposer: Bloch, Caplet, RavelUnited by a biblical theme, these four works largely utilise the cello as a narrative voice, be it contemplative or commanding as in the two ...
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ReviewBeethoven: Violin Sonatas op.12 nos.1—3, op.23 & op.24 ‘Spring’
Description: Admirable accounts that could have exploited greater possibilities of period styleMusicians: Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin) David Breitman (fortepiano)Composer: BeethovenHistorically informed performances of Beethoven’s music have become an established part of the performance landscape, and this set, bringing together celebrated period-instrument specialists Elizabeth Wallfisch and David Breitman, promises much. ...
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ReviewPlay. Works by Monti, Elgar, Paganini, Glazunov, Rostropovich, Fauré, Dvorák, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Françaix, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Popper, Schubert, Gluck, Bloch & Chopin
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Stunning virtuosity from a new young star of the celloMusicians: Edgar Moreau (cello) Pierre-Yves Hodique (piano)Composer: Monti, Elgar, Paganini, Glazunov, Rostropovich, Fauré, Dvorák, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Françaix, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Popper, Schubert, Gluck, Bloch & ChopinA new gladiator enters the arena. If ...
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ReviewBrahms by Heart. Brahms: String Quartets op.51 nos.1 in C minor & 2 in A minor & op.67 in B flat major, String Quintet no.2 in G major op.111
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: An outstanding set performed entirely from memoryMusicians: Chiara Quartet, Roger Tapping (viola)Composer: BrahmsPrior to op.51, Brahms had made at least 20 attempts (all destroyed) to compose a string quartet worthy of the Viennese tradition that he held so dear. What ...
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ReviewMansurian: Double Concerto for violin and cello, Romance, Quasi parlando, Four Serious Songs
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Visceral playing on a disc celebrating an Armenian composer’s 75th birthdayMusicians: Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin) Anja Lechner (cello) Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson (violin)Composer: MansurianIt’s hard to imagine a richer, more persuasive match between performers and music than that revealed on this remarkable, ...
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ReviewProto: Nine Variants on Paganini. Rabbath: Reitba
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Double takes from two leading double bassistsMusicians: François Rabbath (double bass) Michael Cherlock, Frank Proto (piano/conductor) ESF Chamber Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra/David StahlComposer: Proto, RabbathTwo of the most eminent bassists around come together for what proves to be a thoroughly enjoyable, thrillingly ...
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ReviewPejaÄeviÄ : Violin Sonatas in D major op.26 & B flat minor op.43 ‘Slavic’, Canzonetta op.8, Menuet op.18, Romance op.22, Élégie op.34, Meditation op.51
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A valuable rediscovery of early 20th-century music from the BalkansMusicians: Andrej Bielow (violin) Oliver Triendl (piano)Composer: PejaÄeviÄThe tragically short-lived Dora Peja?evi? (1885–1923) was born into a highly cultured and wealthy Croatian family who ensured that her exceptional talent for the violin, piano ...
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ReviewHindemith: Viola Sonatas op.11 no.4 & op.25 no.1, Der Schwanendreher, Trauermusik
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: An enjoyable collection of Hindemith’s major works for violaMusicians: Antoine Tamestit (viola) Markus Hadulla (piano) Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Paavo JärviComposer: Hindemith Compared with several complete surveys of Hindemith’s viola music already available, Antoine Tamestit’s latest CD presents a conspectus ...
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ReviewDvorák: String Quartet in E major op.80, Miniatures op.75a, Cypresses
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Slightly tame accounts of some of Dvorák's lesser-known music for quartetMusicians: Zemlinsky QuartetComposer: DvorákGiven that Dvorák produced 15 string quartets in all (including his op.1, with two violas), he might be considered to be disproportionately overlooked by many ensembles. Marking its 20th ...
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Review20th century: The American Scene. Copland: Violin Sonata. Carter: 4 Lauds. Cage: Six Melodies for violin and piano. Corigliano: Violin Sonata
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: An enterprising disc marred by variable playingMusicians: Tai Murray (violin) Ashley Wass (piano)Composer: Copland, Carter, Cage, Corigliano It’s a bold ambition – as the fine booklet notes in Tai Murray’s generously filled disc admit – to try to encapsulate the breadth and ...
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ReviewSaint-Saëns: Complete Works for Violin and Orchestra & Cello and Orchestra
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A comprehensive survey of the complete violin and cello works with orchestraMusicians: Elina Buksha, Jolente De Maeyer, Harriet Langley, Maria Milstein, Liya Petrova, Tatiana Samoui (violin), Pau Codina, Wojciech Fudala, Adam Krzeszowiec, Deborah Pae, Noëlle Weidmann (cello), Royal Liège Philharmonic Orchestra/Christian ArmingComposer: ...
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ReviewBritten: String Quartets nos.1–3, Three Divertimenti
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A return to Britten’s quartet oeuvre by a group of pioneering interpretersMusicians: Endellion Quartet Composer: BrittenThe all-British Endellion Quartet has long been a champion of Britten’s chamber repertoire, not least in its EMI recording of the string quartet works almost 30 ...
