All Reviews articles – Page 118
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ReviewYsaÿe: 6 Sonatas for solo violin op.27, Sonata for 2 violins in A minor
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A ravishing disc of Belgian masterpiecesMusicians: Tedi Papavrami, Svetlin Roussev (violins)Composer: YsaÿeYsaÿe’s six sonatas for solo violin have witnessed a surge of popularity in recent years, at least if the number of recordings is anything to go by, including notable versions by ...
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ReviewTelemann: Violin Sonatas (Frankfurt 1715), Ouverture in G minor from ‘Der getreue Music-Meister’
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Broadly successful performances of the composer’s accompanied sonatasMusicians: Stephan Schardt (violin) Elisabeth Wand (cello) Sonja Kemnitzer (harpsichord)Composer: TelemannStephan Schardt and his colleagues give accomplished accounts of Telemann’s six Frankfurt sonatas, exposing the varied elements of the composer’s mixed style with flair and ...
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ReviewPoème. Ysaÿe: Poème élégiaque op.12, Extase op.21. Franck: Violin Sonata in A major
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A ravishing disc of Belgian masterpiecesMusicians: Lisa Jacobs (violin) Ksenia Kouzmenko (piano)Composer: Ysaÿe, FranckLisa Jacobs (who plays the piano-accompanied version of the Poème élégiaque, alongside the op.21 Extase), emphasises the music’s impassioned eloquence with a cantabile of beguiling radiance.The stand-out performance here ...
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ReviewBarber: Cello Sonata op.6. Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G minor op.19. Piazzolla: Le grand tango
The Strad Issue: November 2014Description: Inflexibility lets down performances of three highly charged cello works Musicians: Adolfo Gutiérrez (cello) Luis Fernando Pérez (piano)Composer: Barber, Rachmaninoff, PiazzollaCatalogue Number: Verso VRS 2010United by a loosely based notion of Romanticism as an elevation of expressiveness, these three works nevertheless present quite ...
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ReviewSaint-Saëns: Cello Concertos nos.1 & 2, La muse et le poète op.132, Allegro appassionato op.43, The Swan
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A powerfully played collection of the composer’s works for cello and orchestraMusicians: Natalie Clein (cello) Antje Weithaas (violin) Julia Lynch, Judith Kearey (piano) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Andrew ManzeComposer: Saint-SaënsA new recording by Natalie Clein is always an event – her last was ...
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ReviewHindemith: Viola Sonata op.11 no.4, Solo Viola Sonatas op.25 no.1 & op.11 no.5, Trauermusik
The Strad Issue: November 2014Description: A largely well-played collection of some of Hindemith€™s viola worksMusicians: Jitka Hosprová (viola) Jitka ÄŒechová (piano) Prague Chamber OrchestraComposer: Hindemith Catalogue Number: Supraphon SU 4147-2Arriving at the tail-end of numerous recordings marking last year’s 50th anniversary of Paul Hindemith’s death, this CD presents some ...
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ReviewLoussier: Concerto no.1 for violin & percussion, Concerto no.2 for violin & tabla. Paderewski: Violin Sonata in A minor op.133
The Strad Issue: November 2014Description: An unusual combination of composers and styles has its momentsMusicians: Adam Kostecki (violin/conductor) Piotr Iwicki (percussion) Gunther Hauer (piano) Polish Philharmonic Chamber OrchestraComposer: Loussier, PaderewskiCatalogue Number: Naxos 8.573200While the bizarre combination of repertoire on this curiously programmed disc makes for somewhat perplexing ...
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ReviewRietz: Cello Concerto op.16, Fantaisie op.2. Gross: Cello Concerto in B minor
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: No long-forgotten gems, but useful additions to the catalogueMusicians: Klaus-Dieter Brandt (cello) L’Arpa Festante/ Riccardo MinasiComposer: Rietz, GrossThis well-recorded and adeptly conducted CD is a historical ‘filler’, in that it provides the context for the works that were being forged by Mendelssohn ...
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ReviewMendelssohn: String Quintets in A major op.18 & B fl at major op.87, Pieces for string quartet op.81 nos.3 & 4
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A recording that brings out the neo-Classical side of the composer’s characterMusicians: Mandelring Quartet, Gunter Teuffel (viola)Composer: MendelssohnThis is another fine release (the fourth volume) in the Mandelring Quartet’s ongoing survey of Mendelssohn’s chamber music for strings, one that points up the ...
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ReviewMinstrels. Debussy: Minstrels, La plus que lente (arr. Roques), Violin Sonata, Sérénade (compl. Orledge). Pierné: Violin Sonata in D minor op.36. Fauré: Violin Sonata no.1 in A major op.13
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: An enterprising collection of French violin repertoireMusicians: Christophe Giovaninetti (violin) Izumiko Aoyagi (piano)Composer: Debussy, Pierné, FauréThis well-chosen programme of French pieces opens with Debussy’s rarely heard arrangement for violin and piano of ‘Minstrels’, played by former Ysaÿe Quartet and Elysée member Christophe ...
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ReviewCarter: Four Lauds, Figment I, Figment II, Tre duetti
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Elegance and precision win over expressiveness in modern classics for solo and duo stringsMusicians: Caroline Chin (violin) Brian Snow (cello)Composer: CarterFirst things first: at just 38 minutes, this is an extremely short disc. But by the end of its thoughtful, jewel-like accounts ...
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ReviewHomecoming — A Scottish Fantasy. Bruch: Scottish Fantasy. Burns: Songs (arr. Campbell). Skinner: The Hurricane. Cunningham: The Gentle Light That Wakes Me, Aberlady. Traditional: Folk arrangements
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A violinist’s exploration of different aspects of Scotland’s music heritageMusicians: Nicola Benedetti (violin) Julie Fowlis (vocalist) Phil Cunningham (keyboards) etc, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Rory MacdonaldComposer: Bruch, Burns, Skinner, Cunningham Without a violin concerto as its usual coupling, it would be unfortunate if ...
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ReviewBrahms: Piano Trio no.3 in C minor op.101. Vasks: Episodie Canto perpetuo
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Two contrasting trios from a young Swiss ensembleMusicians: Rafale TrioComposer: Brahms, VasksThe Zurich-based Rafale Trio offers sumptuous ensemble sound led from Flurin Cuonz’s cello, ideal for the bearded Brahms of the Third Piano Trio. The expressive kinship with the ‘Double’ Concerto has ...
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ReviewBeethoven: Piano Trios op.70 no.1 in D major ‘Ghost’ & no.2 in E flat major, Variations op.121a
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Lively accounts of Beethoven’s multifaceted music for piano trioMusicians: Vienna Piano TrioComposer: BeethovenThe impact and vivacity that the Vienna Piano Trio brings to the opening bars of the D major Trio set the scene for a performance characterised by the urgency of ...
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ReviewPrecious Refuge. Bach: Solo Violin Sonatas in A minor BWV1003 & C major BWV1005, Violin Concertos in A minor BWV1041 & G minor BWV1056
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Freewheeling accounts that would benefit from greater self-controlMusicians: Iskandar Widjaja (violin/director) Berlin CamerataComposer: BachHailed as ‘a true force of nature’ for his debut disc (reviewed in The Strad, December 2011), Iskandar Widjaja extends his beguiling sense of fantasy to two of Bach’s ...
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ReviewAchron: Music for Violin and Piano
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Mellifluous advocacy for the music of a neglected Russian—US composerMusicians: Michael Ludwig (violin) Alison d’Amato (piano)Composer: AchronAchron: Hebrew Melody op.33, Hebrew Dance op.35 no.1, Hebrew Lullaby op.35 no.2, Prelude op.13, Les sylphides op.18, Zwei Stimmungen op.32, Zwei Stimmungen op.36, Dance Improvisation on ...
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ReviewRavel: String Quartet in F major. Tchaikovsky: String Quartet no.1 in D major. Rachmaninoff: Romance
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Fresh, invigorating takes on stalwarts of the quartet repertoireMusicians: Puertas QuartetComposer: Ravel, Tchaikovsky, RachmaninoffThe Puertas Quartet – formed by two married couples in London in 2009 – plays Ravel with a sense of enchantment. The musicians are good at caressing ...
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ReviewJanácek: Pohádka, Presto. Kodály: Solo Cello Sonata op.8. Grieg: Cello Sonata in A minor op.36
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A stunning disc dominated by a showstopping performance of KodályMusicians: Danjulo Ishizaka (cello) Shai Wosner (piano)Composer: Janácek, Kodály, GriegDanjulo Ishizaka and Shai Wosner are mesmerisingly brilliant in this superbly recorded and imaginatively programmed recital. In Janácek’s Pohádka, the fantasy element ...
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ReviewBrahms: Violin Concerto in D major op.771. Paganini: Violin Concerto no.2 in B minor op.72. Bach: Gavotte en rondeau, from Partita no.3 in E major BWV10063
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: January 2014Description: Rare recordings from a forgotten violin voice of the earlier 20th centuryMusicians: Henry Merckel (violin) Association des Concerts Symphoniques de Toulouse / Jean Fournet; Orchestre Radio Symphonique de Paris / Manuel RosenthalComposer: Brahms, Paganini, BachBorn in 1897, Henry Merckel belongs ...
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ReviewMängleik Jo
The Strad Issue: January 2014Description: A playful selection of music celebrating two styles of fiddle traditionMusicians: Einar Jansen, Johanna-Adele Jüssi (violin/octave fiddle)Composer: Folk, TraditionalThe opening, declarative fiddle phrase of ‘Mängleik’ (which translates as ‘game’), sets the tone for this album: simple, vigorous and playful. The fiddle is ...
