Rossen Milanox Archive

“Apasionado” – Works of SARASOTA, BIZET, RAVEL, WAXMAN = Ning Feng, violin/ Orq. Sinfonia – Channel Classics

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 7, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

“Apasionado” – SARASATE: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20; LALO: Symphonie Espagnole in D Major, Op. 21; SARASATE: Romanza Andaluza, Op. 22; RAVEL: Tzigane; BIZET/WAXMAN: Carmen Fantasy – Ning Feng, violin / Orquestra Sinfónica del Principado del Asturias / Rossen Milanov – Channel Classics CCS 37916, 72:07 (4/1/16) ****: Apasionado or purely virtuoso, these works deliver violinistic fireworks by the carload. So far in his recording career, Chinese violinist Ning Feng has tackled only a couple of the warhorses of the violin repertoire, namely the Bruch and Tchaikovsky concertos. With the current recording, he adds a once-popular concerto to his catalog. As the name of Édouard Lalo’s work implies, it combines elements of concerto, symphony, and symphonic suite in a unique manner. With  its Spanish flavor, colorful orchestration, and varied emotional palette, it should still be a crowd pleaser but is heard rarely in the concert hall these days—and rarely recorded. In fact, except for remastered recordings by violinists past such as Isaac Stern, this seems to be the only SACD version currently available. It’s a very recommendable version, too, one that captures the wide-ranging landscape of the piece, from the fiery opening through the operatic drama of the Andante to the ebullience […]