Melodie after Gluck; Allegreto; Hindu-Lied; Mazurka from
Chopin&Mac226;s Op. 67, No. 4; La Gitana; Impromptu after Schubert;
Liebesfreud; Liebeslied; Tambourin Chinois, Op. 3; Cavatina; Schoen
Rosmarin; Songs My Mother Taught Me; Hungarian Dance from Brahms; Hymn
to the Sun; Malaguena from Albeniz, Op. 165, No. 3 – Salvatore Accardo,
violins Laura Manzini, piano – Foné Stereo-only SACD 003 69:17 ****:
Subtitled The Violins of Cremona, this 1993 extended tribute to the art
of Fritz Kreisler has virtuoso Salvatore Accardo in the Cremona Town
Hall Violin Room, plying his craft on five classic instruments, the
Charles IX Amati; the Hammerle Amati; the Quarestani by Guarneri; the
Cremonese of Stradivari; and the Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu. Each
violin comes complete with details of its provenance in the liner
notes, so I felt like I was listening to a scene from the movie The
Deep, except with Viennese music. For my money, the Charles IX and the
Guarenri del Gesu steal the show with their rich tone and luster, which
Accardo communicates with aplomb.
The selections themselves need little by way of restatement: most are
stylistic reconstructions by Kreisler of ersatz composers whose
contributions are more nominal than real. The Chopin A Minor Mazurka
and the G-flat Impromptu of Schubert sail forth in seamless legato
transcription. The Menuett after Porpora and the Cavatina are
relatively infrequent works. I found the Hammerle Amati a bit nasal in
tone color, but the Stradivari Cremonese on Schoen Rosmarin is no
slouch. Ruggiero Ricci, as I recall, made much of the same display in a
couple of old American Decca LPs, including an intriguing entry called
Violin Plus One, where each selection paired the violin against a new
solo instrument. Keep this one and get MCA to reissue the Riccis. The
Accardo, though, is a striking addition to the historic catalogue in
every respect.
