All Review articles – Page 156
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ReviewBruch: Violin Concerto no.1 in G minor op.26. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op.64. Beethoven: Romances nos.1 & 2
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A revitalising take on a classic concerto couplingMusicians: Philippe Quint (violin) Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineria/Carlos Miguel PrietoComposer: Bruch, Mendelssohn, Beethoven Bruch’s G minor Concerto cries out for espressivo intensity and Philippe Quint delivers it in spades. Like Isaac Stern ...
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ReviewBy Footpath and Stile. Finzi: By Footpath and Stile op.2, Romance op.11, Prelude, Interlude op.21, Elegy op.22, Five Bagatelles op.23
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A notable recording debut for a young British string quartetMusicians: Finzi Quartet, Marcus Farnsworth (baritone) Robert Plane (clarinet) Ruth Bolister (oboe)Composer: Finzi Prizewinner at the 2010 Royal Over-Seas League Competition, the Finzi Quartet has turned to its namesake for ...
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ReviewTelemann: 12 Fantasies for solo viola TWV40:14—25 (transcr. Kam)
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Historically aware account of a collection for solo violaMusicians: Ori Kam (viola)Composer: Telemann (transcr. Kam) Telemann’s Fantasies, published in 1735, are sometimes thought of as poor cousins to Bach’s slightly earlier unaccompanied violin and cello works, but – although admittedly less ambitious ...
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ReviewMendelssohn: String Quartets in E flat major op.12, A minor op.13 & E flat major (1823)
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2012Description: An ebullient recording of Mendelssohn’s early music for quartetMusicians: Mandelring QuartetComposer: Mendelssohn The Mandelring Quartet, in concert or on disc, always achieves an instinctive internal balance, and here the players bring their distinctive blend and contrast of ...
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ReviewThe French Album. Franck: Violin Sonata in A major op.14. Debussy: Cello Sonata in D minor. Fauré: Élégie op.24, Sicilienne op.78, Après un rêve. Offenbach: Les larmes de Jacqueline op.76 no.2
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A promising debut from a young Dutch cellistMusicians: Harriet Krijgh (cello) Kamilla Isanbaeva (piano)Composer: Franck, Debussy, Fauré, OffenbachIn this tried and tested repertoire, Harriet Krijgh gives a fervent account of the Franck Violin Sonata in its cello guise, entirely appropriate to the ...
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ReviewVoyage musical. Stravinsky: Suite italienne (arr. Dushkin). Bloch: Nigun. Hindemith: Solo Violin Sonata op.31 no.2. Schoenberg: Phantasy. Prokofiev: Cinq mélodies op.35b. Ravel: Tzigane
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: An enjoyable collection of short 20th-century piecesMusicians: Noah Bendix-Balgley (violin) Reiko Hozu (piano)Composer: Stravinsky (arr. Dushkin), Bloch, Hindemith, Schoenberg, Prokofiev, Ravel Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 28-year-old US violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley here offers a thoughtfully chosen selection of ...
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ReviewChausson: Concert in D major op.21, Poème op.25
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A highlight of French Romanticism that could benefit from deeper insightMusicians: Bruno Monteiro (violin) Jõao Paulo Santos (piano) Lopes-Graça QuartetComposer: ChaussonCompleted in 1892, Chausson’s Concert is a unique attempt at creating a score of symphonic proportions for just six musicians, with its ...
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ReviewHaydn: String Quartets op.64 nos.3, 4 & 5
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A disc for those who prefer a light touch in HaydnMusicians: Leipzig QuartetComposer: Haydn The Leipzig Quartet is working its way through Haydn’s quartets in idiosyncratic fashion. It started in 2009 with the Seven Last Words and has since ...
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ReviewMozart: Duos for violin & viola in G major K423 & B flat major K424. Halvorsen: Passacaglia after Handel. Brustad: Capricci for violin & viola
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A rewarding disc of duos for violin and violaMusicians: Elise Bätnes (violin) Henninge Bätnes Landaas (viola)Composer: Mozart, Halvorsen, Brustad In many ways, this is a conventional disc: the Mozart duos are of course much recorded, and Halvorsen’s virtuosic Passacaglia ...
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ReviewKlengel: Capriccio for solo cello*, Three Pieces for two cellos & organ, Little Suite for three cellos, Impromptu for four cellos, Hymnus for twelve cellos. Bach: Sarabande from Suite no.5† . Tartini:
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A worthy tribute to a great cellist–composer and teacherMusicians: Raphael Wallfisch*, Julius Klengel† (cello) Cello Classics EnsembleComposer: Klengel, Bach, Tartini, Cossmann, PopperThis disc pays tribute to Julius Klengel (1859–1933). Born in Leipzig, he played in the city’s famous Gewandhaus Orchestra for ...
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ReviewSchubert: String Quartets in A minor D804 ‘Rosamunde’, D minor D810 ‘Death and the Maiden’ & G major D887
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Benchmark recordings of Schubert masterpiecesMusicians: Artemis QuartetComposer: SchubertThese are remarkable performances, constantly gripping, seductive, strong and satisfying. The Artemis palette is vast, and the players can turn from raw power to silky tenderness in an instant. Melodic lines are vividly ...
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ReviewVivaldi: La cetra op.9
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Convincing performance of Vivaldi’s set of twelve violin concertosMusicians: Rachel Podger (violin) Holland Baroque SocietyComposer: Vivaldi The undisputed prowess of this album’s personnel sets up high expectations, and these performances do not disappoint. Here, we have lively and animated ...
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ReviewConcertos for Strings with Percussion Orchestra. Sekhon: Lou*. Saunders Smith: Nightshade† . Liptak Concerto for viola and percussion‡. Timpson: Dongxidongxi¶. D. Adams: Camouflage**
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Beautifully crafted accounts of new string concertosMusicians: Carolyn Stuart* (violin) John Graham† (viola) Scott Kluksdahl‡ (cello) Dee Moses¶ (double bass) Haiqiong Deng** (zheng) McCormick Percussion Group/Robert McCormickComposer: Sekhon, Saunders Smith, Liptak, Timpson, D. Adams There’s a small ...
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ReviewJones: ?Chamber Airs for a Violin (and Thorough Bass)
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Well-characterised performance of a mid-17th-century English collectionMusicians: Kreeta-Maria Kentala (violin) Lauri Pulakka (cello) Mitzi Meyerson (harpsichord)Composer: Jones Richard Jones’s eight Chamber Airs are strikingly inventive. Comprising three or four movements, they are essentially Italianate in style, but also incorporate French dance elements ...
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ReviewVenice by Night. Works by Albinoni, Lotti, Pollarolo, Porta, Veracini & Vivaldi
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A nocturnal celebration of the music of a great cityMusicians: La Serenissima/Adrian Chandler (violin/director) Mhairi Lawson (soprano) Simon Munday (trumpet) Peter Whelan (bassoon)Composer: Albinoni, Lotti, Pollarolo, Porta, Veracini & Vivaldi This compilation reflects the variety of musical fare on offer ...
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ReviewSilence, on joue! A Time For Us. Film themes by Rota, Williams, Barry, Morricone, Shore, Horner, Iglesias, Gardel/Rodríguez, Hisaishi, Korngold, Arlen, Chaplin, Dompierre & Myers
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Limited ambition in a collection of film themes arranged for stringsMusicians: Angèle Dubeau (violin) La PietÁ Composer: Rota, Williams, Barry, Morricone, Shore, Horner, Iglesias, Gardel/Rodríguez, Hisaishi, Korngold, Arlen, Chaplin, Dompierre & MyersThere’s a hint of self-indulgence in ...
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ReviewBach to Jazz. Works by Bach, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Ysaÿe, Sarasate, Monti, Kötscher/Plessow, Rodríguez, Ellington, Withers & Desmond
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A dance-based recital of varied violin repertoireMusicians: Caroline Adomeit (violin) Julian Riem (piano) Thomas Hastreiter (percussion)Composer: Bach, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Ysaÿe, Sarasate, Monti, Kötscher/Plessow, Rodríguez, Ellington, Withers & DesmondBach’s Third Partita and the 13 ‘encores’ that follow display the esoteric musical tastes of ...
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ReviewDedications... A Life in Music. Works by various composers
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A treasure trove of interesting repertoire from a veteran cellistMusicians: Keith Harvey (cello) Linn Hendry, Peter Pettinger, Meralyn Knight (piano)Composer: Various During his professional career as an orchestral soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra and ...
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ReviewTchaikovsky: Violin Concerto. Nielsen: Violin Concerto
The Strad Issue: Sepember 2012Description: Nimbleness and muscularity from a rising Norwegian star of the violinMusicians: Vilde Frang (violin) Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Eivind Gullberg JensenComposer: Tchaikovsky, Nielsen The concertos of Tchaikovsky and Nielsen are not an obvious coupling, but the young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang has established ...
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ReviewShostakovich: Violin Concertos no.1 in A minor op.77 & no.2 in C sharp minor op.129
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: An impressive pairing of two of Shostakovich’s darkest masterpiecesMusicians: Sayaka Shoji (violin) Ural Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitri LissComposer: Shostakovich Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji took first prize at the 1999 Paganini Competition, and her teachers have included Zakhar Bron and Shlomo Mintz. ...
