All Reviews articles – Page 164
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ReviewNørgård: Violin Concertos no.1 ‘Helle Nacht’ & no.2 ‘Borderlines’, Spaces of Time
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A master violinist explores two atmospheric Nordic landscapesMusicians: Peter Herresthal (violin) Ida Mo (piano) Stavanger Symphony Orchestra/Rolf GuptaComposer: NørgårdThis compelling disc serves as much as a showcase for the unfussy, no-nonsense musicianship of Norwegian violinist Peter Herresthal as it does for the ...
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ReviewBartók: Violin Sonatas nos.1 & 2, Rhapsodies nos.1 & 2 (plus alternative ending for no.1), Andante in A major
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Thrilling accounts from a player who has triumphed in Bartók ’s concertosMusicians: James Ehnes (violin) Andrew Armstrong (piano)Composer: BartókAccording to the booklet this is the first volume of Bartók’s complete works for violin and piano. It doesn’t leave much for vol.2, but ...
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ReviewBach: Sonatas for Violin and Continuo BWV1014–19, BWV1021 & BWV1023
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Gutsy accounts of Bach’s accompanied violin sonatasMusicians: Florian Deuter (violin) Balázs Máté (cello) Philippe Grisvard (harpsichord)Composer: Bach Florian Deuter comes to this recording with the impeccable credentials of having served as concertmaster to a number of Europe’s major period-instrument ...
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ReviewBoccherini: Cello Sonatas in C minor G2b, A major G4, G major G5, E flat major G11, C major G17, B flat major G565, E flat major G566, F major G579, E flat major, A major ‘L’imperatrice’
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Cello playing that meets Boccherini’s many technical challenges head onMusicians: Gaetano Nasillo, Marco Vitali, Michele Tazzari (cello) Alessandro Ciccolini (violin) Jesper Christensen (harpsichord) Mara Galassi (hooked harp)Composer: Boccherini Just under one third of Boccherini’s cello sonatas are represented on ...
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ReviewBeethoven: Cello Sonata in A major op.69. Chopin: Etude op.25 no.7. Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G minor op.19, Romance op.21 no.11
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Warts-and-all recordings of cello classicsMusicians: Sietse-Jan Weijenberg (cello) Yun-Yang Lee (piano)Composer: Beethoven, Chopin, RachmaninoffIf you like your recordings immediate and exciting and don’t care too much about the odd imperfection, then this disc is worth a try. Young Dutch cellist Weijenberg, fourth ...
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ReviewBologna, 1689... La nascita del violoncello. D. Gabrielli: Ricercars etc, plus works by Vitali, Jacchini & Degli Antoni
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A CD and book package that aims to get back to the birth of the celloMusicians: Bruno Cocset (cello/bass violin/tenor violin/alto a la bastarda) Emmanuel Jacques (cello/tenor violin) Mathurin Matharel (cello) Richard Myron (double bass) Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord, organ)Composer: D. Gabrielli, Vitali, ...
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ReviewHolbrooke: Violin Sonata no.2 ‘Grasshopper’. Bantock: Viola Sonata in F major ‘Colleen’
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Two sonatas that mine the seam of early 20th-century English RomanticismMusicians: Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin/viola) Matthew Rickard (piano)Composer: Holbrooke, BantockJoseph Holbrooke’s ‘Grasshopper’ of 1917, which exists as both violin concerto and sonata, has a confusing history, and in unearthing different elements of the ...
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ReviewThe 5 Seasons. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons*. Sedlar: Spring in Japan†
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A highly personal approach to Vivaldi’s famous concertosMusicians: Nemanja Radulović (violin), Double Sens*, The Devil’s Trills† Composer: Vivaldi & Sedlar Nemanja Radulović’s performance of The Four Seasons comes as much from the heart as it does from the printed page. He often ...
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ReviewBerg: Violin Concerto. Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major op.61
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A coupling that sets two classic concertos in a new lightMusicians: Isabelle Faust (violin) Orchestra Mozart/Claudio AbbadoComposer: Berg & Beethoven In her booklet notes, Isabelle Faust credits Claudio Abbado with the idea for this CD, after they had performed both ...
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ReviewChopin: Cello Sonata op.65, Piano Trio op.8
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Playing that brings out Chopin’s French-inspired styleMusicians: Olivier Charlier (violin) Antoine Pierlot (cello) Abdel Rahman El Bacha (piano)Composer: ChopinThis disc brings together three important talents steeped in the French tradition: Olivier Charlier, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, Antoine Pierlot, a nominee ...
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ReviewForsyth: Viola Concerto in G minor. Martin: Ballade for viola. Bruch: Romanze in F major op.85
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Three rare works for viola and orchestra receive elegant performancesMusicians: Hartmut Rohde (viola) Philharmonie Baden-Baden/Pavel BaleffComposer: Forsyth, Martinu BruchAlthough two of them don’t sound like it at all, these three pieces were all written in the 20th century. Cecil Forsyth’s concerto, premiered ...
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ReviewGubaidulina: The Lyre of Orpheus*, The Canticle of the Sun†
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Persuasively played recordings of two expressive contemporary masterpiecesMusicians: Gidon Kremer* (violin) Nicolas Alstaedt† , Marta Sudraba* (cello) Kremerata Baltica*, Andrei Pushkarev† , Rihards Zalupe† (percussion) Rostislav Krimer† (celeste) Riga Chamber Choir Kamer/Maris Sirmais† Composer: GubaidulinaWith its explanations of complex acoustical ...
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ReviewDanielpour: A Child’s Reliquary. Ludwig: Concerto for Violin and Cello. Hagen: Masquerade*
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Three recent double concertos offer ample rewards to players and listenersMusicians: Jaime Laredo (violin) Sharon Robinson (cello) Vermont Symphony Orchestra/Sarah Hicks, Troy Peters*Composer: Danielpour, Ludwig, HagenThese three double concertos were written for Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson, and sit well together here. ...
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ReviewTurnage: A Constant Obsession, Three for Two, Four Chants, A Slow Pavane, Grazioso!
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Glowing interpretations of some recent British chamber musicMusicians: Nicky Spence (tenor) Chamber Domaine/Thomas Kemp (violin)Composer: TurnageThis fascinating and beautifully played collection (available in various file formats as a download only) brings together recent contrasting chamber works by Mark-Anthony Turnage, several with prominent ...
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ReviewA French Soirée. Music by Lully, F. Couperin, Marais, Rebel, Leclair & Rameau
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2012Description: A Gallic Baroque delight from a well-matched American trioMusicians: Trio SettecentoComposer: Lully, F. Couperin, Marais, Rebel, Leclair & RameauAs the perfect companion to previous Baroque compilations ‘An Italian Sojourn’ and ‘A German Bouquet’ (both also on Cedille), ‘A French Soirée’ ...
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ReviewDebussy: String Quartet. Ravel: String Quartet
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Refreshingly rethought interpretations of a classic quartet couplingMusicians: Eroica QuartetComposer: Debussy, RavelModern attitudes as to how these wonderful pieces should sound have been conditioned by the enhanced smoothness and sweetness of metal-wound strings, a vibrato-at-all-costs approach to creating a seamless cantabile and ...
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ReviewFeldman: Piano and String Quartet
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Radiant account of a modern masterpieceMusicians: Eclipse Quartet, Vicki Ray (piano)Composer: FeldmanA few held chords, some rippling arpeggios, all appearing in countless subtly different combinations yet never rising above a dynamic of quiet restraint. That’s pretty much all there is to Morton ...
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ReviewThe Goat Rodeo Sessions
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Yo-Yo Ma leads a colourful exploration of American roots musicMusicians: Yo-Yo Ma (cello) Stuart Duncan (violin/banjo/mandolin) Edgar Meyer (double bass/piano/gamba) Chris Thile (mandolin/guitar/gamba/vocals) Aoife O’Donovan (vocals)Composer: TradReal-life goat rodeo would be a rough ride indeed, but this is anything but. Instead, it’s ...
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ReviewShostakovich: String Quartets nos.1, 3 & 8
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Beguilingly lyrical accounts of three of Shostakovich’s more neo-Classical worksMusicians: Ludwig QuartetComposer: ShostakovichNow over a quarter of a century old with only two changes of personnel from the original 1985 line-up, the Ludwig Quartet is justly famous for its richly opulent sound ...
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ReviewFrench Impressions. Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata no.1 in D minor op.75. Franck: Violin Sonata in A major. Ravel: Violin Sonata in G major
The Strad Issue: January 2012Description: Joshua Bell excels in repertoire that has always been close his heartMusicians: Joshua Bell (violin) Jeremy Denk (piano)Composer: Saint-Saëns, Franck, RavelJoshua Bell and Jeremy Denk have been regular duo partners for seven years now, but this is the first time they have ...
