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“Works for Violin & Orchestra” = Music by TCHAIKOVSKY – Moonkyung Lee, v./London Sym. Orch./ Miran Vaupoticthe – Navona

“Works for Violin & Orchestra” = Music by TCHAIKOVSKY – Moonkyung Lee, v./London Sym. Orch./ Miran Vaupoticthe – Navona

by | Feb 13, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

“Works for Violin & Orchestra” = Music by TCHAIKOVSKY – Moonkyung Lee, v./London Sym. Orch./ Miran Vaupoticthe – Navona CD NV 6079, 57:40 (2/10/17) * 1/2: Excellent violin performances but with a mediocre recording. Navona Records has given us a very fine performance marred by a substandard recording. Soloist Moonkyung Lee gives her all in an enthralling violin performance with the London Symphony under the baton of Miran Vaupotic. Ms. Lee performs extensively across Europe, the United States, and Korea. She has performed under the baton of Maxim Shostakovich, with Mischa Maisky on Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, and with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the birth of Austrian composer Ignaz Pleyel. She has studied at New England Conservatory, Yale University, and New York University. She is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Seoul. I very much like her interpretation of this familiar Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, but the recording, in a word, (or three), is not very good. High frequencies seem constricted, blunting the sonorities of the violin and the rest of the orchestra. Frankly, I’ve heard recordings from the fifties that far exceed the quality of this disc. It’s a disappointment because the […]

HAYDN: Cello Concertos – Pavel Gozmiakov, cello/Orch. Gulbenkian – Onyx

HAYDN: Cello Concertos – Pavel Gozmiakov, cello/Orch. Gulbenkian – Onyx

by | Dec 20, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

HAYDN: Cello Concertos – Pavel Gozmiakov, cello/Orch. Gulbenkian – Onyx 4151,  59:55 (6/17/16) *****: The legendary King of Portugal 1725 Stradivarius makes police-escorted journey from museum to concert hall where it dazzles in two Haydn concertos. In some endeavors, say bird-watching, novelty is the desideratum. Last year a Siberian Bunting (sp. vlasowae) with a faulty compass created quite a stir as a rare guest from another continent. In other experiences, say having some dental work done, surprises and experimentation are not what we are looking for. Listening to two cello concertos by Joseph Haydn falls somewhere in the middle. These works top the list for both the genre and the composer’s oeuvre and are thus exceedingly familiar. A new wrinkle would not come amiss. On the other hand,  we don’t wish for major tinkering or indulgent extravagances that would mar the perfect design of these works. The Haydn recital begins with a cello adaptation of the adagio from the violin Concerto in C. The sound of Pavel Gomziakov’s cello is astonishingly beautiful on the simple melodies of what is rare in Haydn, a true adagio. Behind the cellist and quite recessed at that, the Gulbenkian orchestra mostly stands quietly in […]

Vladimir Soltan – “Clarinet Concertos” by NIELSEN, DEBUSSY & FRANCAIX – MD&G

Vladimir Soltan – “Clarinet Concertos” by NIELSEN, DEBUSSY & FRANCAIX – MD&G

by | Sep 4, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Some very fine playing worth having and comparing. Vladimir Soltan – “Clarinet Concertos” = CARL NIELSEN: Clarinet Concerto, Op.57; CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Premiere Rhapsodie; JEAN FRANÇAIX: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra – Vladimir Soltan, clarinet/Hamburger Symphoniker/Jose Luis Gomez – MD&G multichannel SACD MDG901-1964-6, 57:41 (2+2+2) (8/05/16) [Distr. by E1] ***1/2: This collection of clarinet masterworks is very interesting in that it gives us a bit of a different look at the much performed Nielsen Concerto and perhaps an introduction to the not nearly as well known Françaix Concerto. All of these performances, including that of another clarinet staple; the Debussy Rhapsodie, are very well-done and worth your attention. Vladimir Soltan is a very fine young player who studied with Karl Leister, among others. He has nice, warm tone and a very supple technique. There are moments in the Nielsen where intonation and warmth seem not as well-defined in the uppermost register as in the rest of the work and Soltan’s lower register but this is a minor issue. He is a very good player, indeed, whose career so far has been exclusively in the solo realm. His performance of the Nielsen is a little unusual in that the pace and tempi […]

“Fresh Dimensions” = CRAIG MADDEN MORRIS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; PAUL JOHN STANBERY: Robert McCloskey: The Life for Me – Frank T. Restesan, violin/Hamilton Fairfield Sym. Orch./Paul John Stanberry – Navona

“Fresh Dimensions” = CRAIG MADDEN MORRIS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; PAUL JOHN STANBERY: Robert McCloskey: The Life for Me – Frank T. Restesan, violin/Hamilton Fairfield Sym. Orch./Paul John Stanberry – Navona

by | Jul 3, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews, Index to All Reviews

A couple of new names and some very refreshing melodies. “Fresh Dimensions” = CRAIG MADDEN MORRIS: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; PAUL JOHN STANBERY: Robert McCloskey: The Life for Me – Frank T. Restesan, violin/Hamilton Fairfield Sym. Orch./Paul John Stanberry – Navona NV6026 [Distr. by Naxos], 55:48 (2/12/2016) ***1/2: I confess I had not really heard of composers Morris or Stanberry before but thanks to this disc I am glad to become somewhat acquainted with their work. Morris’ Concerto for Violin and Orchestra presented here was originally written for violinist Christine Kwak. It is lovely work that has a decidedly “Americana” feel to it and each movement echoes some aspect of folk material or countryside living. I was especially taken with the buoyant and rather Barber-esque second movement, “Breezes.” Soloist Frank Restesan does a very fine job with this work, that I think all violinists should get to know. Paul John Stanbery was also new to me. Stanbery is currently music director of the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony, the featured orchestra on these recordings and conducted by Stanbery. His mentors and teachers included conducting studies with Emil Raab, Ivan Trusler, Robert Porco and John Leman. He studied composition with Wallace DePue and H. […]

“Trouvailles” Cello and Piano Sonatas by BOËLLMANN, DOHNÁNYI and BRIDGE – Hannah Holman, cello /Réne Lecuona, p. – Blue Griffin

“Trouvailles” Cello and Piano Sonatas by BOËLLMANN, DOHNÁNYI and BRIDGE – Hannah Holman, cello /Réne Lecuona, p. – Blue Griffin

by | Mar 28, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A talented piano/cello duo performs sonatas by Boëllmann , Dohnányi and Bridge. “Trouvailles” Cello and Piano Sonatas by BOËLLMANN, DOHNÁNYI and BRIDGE – Hannah Holman, cello /Réne Lecuona, p. –  Blue Griffin BGR 359, 76:24 (Distr. by Albany) *****: The catalogue of works for cello and piano is not extensive, and yet these two musicians, Réne Lecuona and Hannah Holman, searched it and found these three treasures (French “trouvailles”). All three composers were virtuoso performers on their chosen instruments before they began serious composing – Léon  Boëllmann on organ and piano, Ernó Dohnáhnyi on piano, and Frank Bridge on viola – and so  the quality of playing required in each of these works is very high. Léon Boëllmann (1862 – 1897) is the earliest of the three and the shortest-lived. Born in Alsace, he entered music school at age nine and happened to come under the tutelage of two great organ teachers, Lefèvre and Gigout. He won prizes in organ and piano performance as well as music theory, and was a favorite of his teachers. Indeed, he married Lefèvre’s daughter, and was adopted by Gigout. He moved easily in the best Parisian musical circles, and at 25 became “organiste titulaire’ […]

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 – Vadym Kholodenko p./ Fort Worth Sym./ Miguel Harth-Bedoya – Harmonia mundi

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 – Vadym Kholodenko p./ Fort Worth Sym./ Miguel Harth-Bedoya – Harmonia mundi

by | Mar 10, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

PROKOFIEV: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 – Vadym Kholodenko p./ Fort Worth Sym./ Miguel Harth-Bedoya – Harmonia mundi multichannel SACD HMU-807631, 57:03 (2/5/16) **** (performance) **1/2 (recording): A dynamic performance of two Prokofiev concertos with disappointing recorded sound. Winner of the gold medal in the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Vadym Kholodenko has impressed audiences around the world and particularly in Texas where he serves as Artist in Partnership with the Fort Worth Symphony.  This SACD presents Kholodenko with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in a pair of piano concertos by Sergey Prokofiev that clearly showcase Kholodenko’s skills.  This SACD is the first in a projected Prokofiev cycle. The disc contains the Second Piano Concerto (1913) and Prokofiev’s Fifth Piano Concerto written almost 20 years later. The Second is well known, the Fifth less so. The performances are precise and dynamic. I’ve only heard a few performances of the Fort Worth Symphony, but they perform ably here. These are both challenging compositions, but they did not defeat the orchestra or the soloist. The recording is not a bad one, but not a standout either. Admittedly, how something is recorded is a matter of taste, but […]

BARTÓK: Rhapsody No. 1; Rhapsody No. 2; Violin Concerto No. 2 – Barnabás Kelemen, v. /Hungarian Nat. Philharmonic Orch./Zoltán Kocsis – Hungaraton

BARTÓK: Rhapsody No. 1; Rhapsody No. 2; Violin Concerto No. 2 – Barnabás Kelemen, v. /Hungarian Nat. Philharmonic Orch./Zoltán Kocsis – Hungaraton

by | Dec 29, 2015 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

BÉLA BARTÓK: Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra; Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Orch.; Violin Concerto No. 2 for Violin and Orch. – Barnabás Kelemen, violin/Hungarian Nat. Philharmonic Orch./Zoltán Kocsis – Hungaraton HSACD 32509 multichannel SACD [Distr. by Naxos] (9/11/15) 77:39 ****: Fresh new readings of important Bartok classics. Bartok was not just one of the most important twentieth century composers but his is a signature sound. His music always sounds like no other and in many ways he defined Hungarian classical music like no other. Gypsy blood runs through much of his music and helps to create that sound and is most easily heard in his violin music. Here we have three of his most important violin works performed superbly by a Hungarian soloist and one of the country’s most impressive orchestras. The two Rhapsodies, in particular, are wonderful works that do not get programmed as often as the two Concertos for violin and orchestra. They are both lush and melodic works that owe something to the Marosszék Dances by Bartók’s friend, composer Zoltán Kodály. What is interesting about both of these pieces is that they are both among his longest and largest scale works to be […]