All Reviews articles – Page 102
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ReviewSchumann: Violin Concerto in D minor WoO23; Piano Concerto in A minor op.54
The Strad Issue: June 2016Description: Two of today’s leading violinists take on the challenge of Schumann’s ConcertoMusicians: Patricia-Kopatchinskaja; Dénes-Várjon; WDR-Symphony-Orchestra; Heinz-HolligerComposer: SchumannBoth Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Thomas Zehetmair relish the quick and unpredictable passions of Schumann’s music. There is nothing comfortable about their performances of the Violin Concerto, ...
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ReviewSchumann: Cello Concerto in A minor op.129; Piano Trio no.1 in D minor op.63
The Strad Issue: June 2016Description: The final instalment in these players’ trilogy delivers a revelatory TrioMusicians: Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello) Isabelle Faust (violin) Alexander Melnikov (fortepiano) Freiburg Baroque Orchestra/Pablo Heras-CasadoComposer: SchumannSchumann knew what he was talking about in describing Mendelssohn’s evergreen D minor Piano Trio of 1838 as ...
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ReviewGrand Tango!
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Van Keulen and friends revisit the tangos of Ástor Piazzolla Musicians: Isabelle van Keulen Ensemble Composer: Piazzolla The Dutch violinist Isabelle van Keulen formed her tango nuevo ensemble to perform ...
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ReviewMendelssohn: Piano Trios: no.1 in D minor op.49; no.2 in C minor op.66
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: An award-winning young piano trio takes on Mendelssohn Musicians: Fournier Trio Composer: Mendelssohn This is Mendelssohn the Romantic. The Fournier Trio performs the first movement of the D minor Trio ...
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ReviewHaydn: Six String Quartets op.76
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: The Doric players relish Haydn’s late set of six quartets Musicians: Doric Quartet Composer: Haydn The Doric Quartet’s accounts of Haydn’s six quartets op.76 are technically assured, carefully determined, strikingly ...
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ReviewHandel: Trio Sonatas: in F major HWV392, in B flat major HWV50a ‘Esther’, in G minor HWV393, in E major HWV394, in C minor HWV386a, in C major HWV403 ‘Saul’; Sinfonia in B flat major HWV339
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Neat and energetic birthday performances of Handel’s trio sonatas Musicians: Brook Street Band Composer: Handel This 20th-anniversary disc completes the Brook Street Band’s traversal through Handel’s trio sonatas. Its seven ...
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ReviewElgar: Serenade for strings; Salut d’amour; Chanson de matin; Chanson de nuit; In Moonlight; Introduction and Allegro. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending; Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Zukerman returns to VW’s Lark and the English music he loves Musicians: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Pinchas Zukerman (violin/viola) Composer: Elgar; Vaughan-Williams Principal guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009, ...
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ReviewDvorák: Cello Concerto in B minor op.104. Martinu¯: Cello Concerto no.1
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Poltéra explores dark places in two Czech cello concertos Musicians: Christian Poltéra (cello) Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Thomas Dausgaard Composer: Dvorák; Martinu¯ The Dvorák Concerto is as much a recording rite of ...
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ReviewBeethoven: Complete Cello Sonatas
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Cult cellist goes over the top in the five Beethoven sonatas Musicians: Daniil Shafran (cello) Anton Ginzburg (piano) Composer: Beethoven These excellent interpretations of the five Beethoven cello sonatas are ...
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ReviewBach: Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin BWV1001–6 (transc. Luolajan-Mikkola)
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Luolajan-Mikkola offers the lowdown on the solo violin works Musicians: Markku Luolajan-Mikkola (Baroque cello) Composer: Bach If the six Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin are, in Enescu’s words, ‘the ...
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ReviewMikka and other assorted love songs. Alcorn: Crossing the Threshold. Boulez: Anthèmes I. Carter: Riconoscenza. Durand: Roman. Lachenmann: Toccatina. Loevendie: Dance. Scelsi L’me ouverte. Suzuki: Sift
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Contemporary classics and new additions to the solo violin repertoire Musicians: Eric Rynes (violin) Composer: Alcorn; Carter; Durand; Lachenmann; Loevendie; Scelsi; Suzuki; Xenakis The recorded sound on this disc is ...
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ReviewTchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme; Sérénade mélancolique; Méditation from Souvenir d’un lieu cher; Souvenir de Florence
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Jan Vogler leads radiant performances of Tchaikovsky’s string works Musicians: Jan Vogler (cello); Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra/Andres Orozco-Estrada; Moritzburg Festival Ensemble Composer: Tchaikovsky For this enchanting recording ...
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ReviewLa Voix. Fauré: Violin Sonata no.1 in A major. Poulenc: Violin Sonata. Ravel: Tzigane; Pièce en forme de habanera
The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Silk-toned elegance in a programme of French violin-and-piano classics Musicians: Callum Smart (violin) Richard Uttley (piano) Composer: Fauré; Poulenc; Ravel Accompanied by an illuminating booklet note that captures the essence ...
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ReviewAnderson: In lieblicher Bläue; Alleluia; The Stations of the Sun
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS The Strad Issue: June 2016 Description: Widmann’s premiere performance of Julian Anderson’s Hölderlin concerto Musicians: Carolin Widmann (violin), London Philharmonic Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vladimir Jurowski Composer: Anderson Julian Anderson was the London Philharmonic ...
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ReviewThe Soul of Lady Harmsworth: Violin solos by Ernst, Paganini, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky and Wieniawski
The Strad Issue: May 2016Description: Encore works finely performed on a beautiful instrumentMusicians: Kristóf Baráti (violin) Gábor Farkas (piano)Composer: Ernst; Paganini; Sarasate; Tchaikovsky; WieniawskiKristóf Baráti performs this mixed bag of violin encores with striking technical facility, innate musicality and fearless panache. His accounts of Sarasate’s Romanza andaluza ...
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ReviewSaint-Saëns: Cello Concertos: no.1 in A minor op.33, no.2 in D minor op.119; Carnival of the Animals; Africa op.89; Wedding Cake op.76
The Strad Issue: May 2016Description: Saint-Saëns’s cello concertos are shown to be a game of two halvesMusicians: Truls Mørk (cello) Louis Lortie, Hélène Mercier (pianos) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Neeme JärviComposer: Saint-SaënsBerlioz once accused Saint-Saëns of lacking inexperience. I think it’s fairer to say that he was patchy in ...
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ReviewMozart: Violin Concertos: no.2 in D major K211, no.5 in A major K219 ‘Turkish’; Sinfonia concertante in E flat major K3641
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS The Strad Issue: May 2016 Description: Zimmermann continues his new cycle of Mozart’s violin concertos Musicians: Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin) Antoine Tamestit (viola)1 Bavarian Radio Symphony Chamber Orchestra/Radoslaw Szulc Composer: Mozart This is ...
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ReviewSpectrum. Janácek: Violin Sonata. Kreisler: Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta. Schubert: Violin Sonata in A major D574 ‘Grand Duo’. Stravinsky: Divertimento
The Strad Issue: May 2016Description: Beilman gets under the music’s skin in a dazzling recitalMusicians: Benjamin Beilman (violin) Yekwon Sunwoo (piano)Composer: Janácek; Kreisler; Schubert; StravinskyWorking alongside his regular accompanist Yekwon Sunwoo, Benjamin Beilman immediately draws us into the elusive sound world of Schubert’s D574 Sonata via his ...
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ReviewGrieg: String Quartet in G minor op.27. Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor op.56 ‘Voces intimae’. Thommessen: Felix Remix
The Strad Issue: May 2016Description: A Norwegian ensemble gets right inside Grieg’s singular String QuartetMusicians: EngegŠrd QuartetComposer: Grieg; Sibelius; ThommessenIt’s good to hear Grieg’s utterly individual string quartet played by an ensemble that has an equally distinctive sound – in this case, the EngegŠrd Quartet’s tight blend ...
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ReviewSerious Business. Fisher-Lochhead: Hack. Haydn: String Quartet in E flat major op.33 no.2 ‘Joke’. Macklay: Many Many Cadences. Reminick: The Ancestral Mousetrap Spektral Quartet
The Strad Issue: May 2016 Description: The Spektral’s exploration of musical humour is no laughing matter Musicians: Spektral Quartet Composer: Fisher-Lochhead; Haydn; Macklay; Reminick Serious Business, the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet knowingly calls its collection of four ...
