All Reviews articles – Page 97
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ArticleMendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op.64, String Octet in E flat major op.20
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: Searching musicianship yields some satisfying answersMusicians: Lisa Ferschtman (violin), Het Gelders Orkest/Kees BakelsComposer: MendelssohnCatalogue Number: CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC72748Does the world need another recording of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto? Liza Ferschtman bravely asks the question herself in the CD booklet, before telling us of ...
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ArticleMusic for Two Violas - Jacob: Sonatina, Druzhinin: Sinfonia a Due, Rubbra: Meditations on a Byzantine Hymn ‘O quando in cruce’ op.117a, Prokofiev: (arr. Vadim Borisovsky) Two movements from Romeo and
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: All roads lead back to Tertis in music for duetting violasMusicians: Peter Mallinson (viola), Matthias Wiesner (viola), Evgenia Startseva (piano), Oliver Lowe (triangle)Composer: Jacob, Druzhinin, Rubbra, Prokofiev, Bridge, Pytor Bulhakov, KhatchaturianCatalogue Number: MERIDIAN CDE 84641It seems appropriate that two members of the ...
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ArticleMozart: Sonatas for keyboard and violin: no.12 in G major K27, no.16 in B flat major K31, no.17 in C major K296, no.23 in D major K306, no.32 in B flat major K454, no.36 in F major K547 ‘For Beginners
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: Characteristically invigorating performances from two fine Mozartian’sMusicians: Alina Ibragimova (violin), Cédric Tiberghien (piano)Composer: MozartCatalogue Number: HYPERION CDA 68143 (2 CDs)This seasoned duo’s two-disc-for-one Mozart package takes in six works spanning more than 20 years from the two juvenile essays (K27, K31) of ...
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ArticleSchubert: String Quartet in G major D887, Haydn: String Quartet in G minor op.20 no.3
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: Theatrical playing that’s almost too intense but always interestingMusicians: Tetzlaff QuartetComposer: Schubert, HaydnCatalogue Number: ONDINE ODE 1293-2Extreme dynamics feature from the opening of Schubert’s G major Quartet – there is an alarming crescendo not far from the start. The sound has an ...
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ArticleRavel: Violin Sonata no.1 in A minor ‘Sonate posthume’, Prokofiev: Violin Sonata no.2 in D major, Strauss: Violin Sonata in E flat major
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: A multi-sensory approach brings a vivid recital to colourful lifeMusicians: Tobias Feldmann (violin), Boris Kusnezow (piano)Composer: Ravel, Prokofiev, StraussCatalogue Number: ALPHA CLASSICS 253The colour palette at the heart of Tobias Feldmann’s Polychrome disc is an exacting, not to say synaesthetic, one, as ...
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ArticleSchumann: Violin Sonata no.1 in A minor op.105; Drei Fantasiestücke op.73, Brahms: Scherzo in C minor from the F-A-E Sonata, Bach: Violin Sonata no.4 in C minor BWV1017
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: Live and studio performances from a legendary dynamic duoMusicians: Itzhak Perlman (violin), Martha Argerich (piano)Composer: Schumann, Brahms, BachCatalogue Number: WARNER CLASSICS 0190295937898The Schumann recording here is of a live performance in New York in 1998; the rest was recorded in a Paris ...
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ArticleShore: Ruin and Memory (Concerto for Piano and Orchestra); Mythic Gardens (Concerto for Cello and Orchestra)
The Strad Issue: June 2017Description: Two concert-hall concertos from a film-music heavyweightMusicians: Sophie Shao (cello) Lang Lang (piano) China Philharmonic Orchestra/Long Yu, 21st Century Chamber Orchestra1/Ludwig WickiComposer: Howard ShoreCatalogue Number: SONY CLASSICAL 88985348732If you liked the soundtrack for the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings, you ...
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ArticleFor Seasons - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; plus works by Bach, Nils Frahm, Chilly Gonzales, Rameau, Max Richter, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Weill
The Strad Issue: June 2016Description: Colourful Vivaldi thrills amid an eclectic mix of miniaturesMusicians: Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Hope (violin/director)Composer: Vivaldi, Bach, Nils Frahm, Chilly Gonzales, Rameau, Max Richter, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, WeillCatalogue Number: DG 479 6922Following his Four Seasons ‘recomposed by Max Richter’, Daniel Hope turns to ...
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Article4 Cities - Fazil Say: Cello Sonata ‘Four Cities’, Debussy: Cello Sonata in D minor, Janácek: Pohádka; Presto for cello and piano, Shostakovich: Cello Sonata in D minor op.40
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: June 2017Description: A musical grand tour that inspires a first-class cello-piano partnershipMusicians: Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Fazıl Say (piano)Composer: Fazil Say, Debussy, Janácek, ShostakovichCatalogue Number: WARNER CLASSICS 9025867249Sivas, Hopa, Ankara and Bodrum: these are the four Turkish cities evoked so vividly by Fazıl ...
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ArticlePaganini: 24 Caprices; Introduction & Variations in G major on ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’ from Paisiello’s La molinara; Duo merveille (duet for one); Caprice d’adieu, Pine: Introduction, Theme & Varia
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: July 2017Description: Terrific solo Paganini holds its own in a competitive catalogueMusicians: Rachel Barton Pine (violin)Composer: Paganini, PineCatalogue Number: AVIE AV2374 (2 CDs)Sound is crucial in Paganini, especially if you call your album ‘Bel Canto Paganini’. My first reaction on listening to ...
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ArticleFranck: Violin Sonata in A major, Fauré: Romance in B flat major op.28, Szymanowski: Violin Sonata in D minor op.9; Romance in D major op.23; Notturno e Tarantella op.28
THE STRAD RECOMMENDSThe Strad Issue: June 2017Description: A powerful, strongly performed recital from an outstanding duoMusicians: Tasmin Little (violin), Piers Lane (piano)Composer: Franck, Fauré, SzymanowskiCatalogue Number: CHANDOS CHAN 10940To sound its finest, Franck’s chromatically charged, sensually alluring Sonata requires playing of devoted intensity, and that is precisely ...
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ArticleReflecting the Seasons: Vivaldi by Tim Kliphuis Trio & Orchestra
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Sparkling Vivaldi seen though a stylish gypsy jazz lensMusicians: Tim Kliphuis (violin), Nigel Clark (guitar), Roy Percy (double bass), Stellenbosch University CamerataComposer: Vivaldi, Tim KliphuisCatalogue Number: SONY CLASSICAL 88985352002There is no shortage of alternative approaches to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, from Astor Piazzolla ...
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ArticleProkofiev: Cello Sonata in C major, Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G minor, Tchaikovsky: Romance; Meditation
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Rich and reflective interpretations of Russian cello repertoireMusicians: Nina Kotova (cello), Fabio Bidini (piano)Composer: Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, TchaikovskyCatalogue Number: WARNER CLASSICS 0190295924607Nina Kotova brings a full, rich cantabile to the broad and masculine melody that opens Prokofiev’s C major Sonata. Her C-string †¨tone ...
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ArticleTchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings; Sibelius: String Quartet in D minor op.56 ‘Voces intimae’
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Delicious moments in the ‘boosted’ string quartet soundMusicians: Orchestra of the Auvergne/Roberto Forés Veses APARTE AP139Composer: Tchaikovsky, SibeliusCatalogue Number: APARTE AP139In an age when Sibelius’s op.56 String Quartet is so often played without anything like the intimacy its title speaks of, you ...
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ArticleTchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major op.35; Lalo: Symphonie espagnole op.21
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Two virtuoso concertos given immaculate live performancesMusicians: Augustin Hadelich (violin) London Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko, Omer Meir WellberComposer: Tchaikovsky, LaloCatalogue Number: LPO 0094This CD is curiously compiled from two live concerts given nearly a year apart in London’s Royal Festival Hall. The link, ...
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ArticleSaint-Saëns: Cello Concerto no.1 in A minor op.33; Cello Sonatas: no.2 in F major op.123, no.3 in D major op. posth. (first recording)
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Poetic and well-balanced playing that’s full of colourMusicians: Emmanuelle Bertrand (cello) Pascal Amoyel (piano) Lucerne Symphony Orchestra/James GaffiganComposer: Saint-SaënsCatalogue Number: HARMONIA MUNDI HMM 902210This cellist-orchestra-conductor-label collaboration has brought us Shostakovich, Dutilleux, Rihm and Dvorák, and it’s fascinating how the established dynamic throws ...
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ArticleSkog: Violin Concerto no.1; Nilsson: Violin Concerto no.1
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Making the best case for ultimately undemonstrative musicMusicians: Cecilia Zilliacus (violin) Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra/Anna-Maria Helsing, VästerŠs Sinfonietta/Fredrik BurstedtComposer: Skog, NilssonCatalogue Number: 1 DB PRODUCTIONS dBCD179Two accessible contemporary violin concertos by Swedish composers, given persuasive performances by their compatriot Cecilia Zilliacus, make for ...
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ArticleKreisler: Complete original works for violin and piano
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: A treasure trove containing Kreisler’s complete accompanied oeuvreMusicians: Kees Hulsmann (violin) Marian Bolt (piano)Composer: Fritz KreislerCatalogue Number: CHALLENGE CLASSICS CC 72749 (2CDs)Although Itzhak Perlman recorded many of these pieces (alongside the arrangements) on a series of albums for EMI/Warner over a period ...
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ArticleHungarian Treasures – Bartók: Piano Quartet in C minor op.20, Dohnányi: Piano Quartet in F sharp minor, Kodály: Intermezzo for String Trio
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Composers’ youthful periodsMusicians: Notos QuartetComposer: Bartók, Dohnányi, KodályCatalogue Number: SONY 88985411882‘Hidden gems’ might have been a more fitting description than ‘treasures’ in the album title, since these three Hungarian works for piano quartet are seldom heard – but then again the Dohnányi ...
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ArticleElgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations op.33; Nocturne; Andante cantabile; Pezzo capriccioso op.62
The Strad Issue: May 2017Description: Two cello concerto classics leave one wanting moreMusicians: Johannes Moser (cello) Suisse Romande Orchestra/Andrew ManzeComposer: Elgar, TchaikovskyCatalogue Number: PENTATONE PTC 5186 570From the massive, sweeping chords that open Elgar’s Concerto it is clear this is going to be a big, broad-brushed interpretation. ...
