Twin Archive

Daniel HOPE: “For Seasons” = Music of VIVALDI, BACH, RAMEAU, RICHTER, TCHAIKOWSKY, BRAHMS – Daniel Hope (v.)/Zürcher Kammerorchester – DGG

by Audiophile Audition | Apr 24, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Very creative and highly entertaining but unusual! Daniel Hope, “For Seasons” [Track List follows] – Daniel Hope, violin/Zürcher Kammerorchester – Deutsche Grammaphon DGG 479 6922, 79:33, (3/03/2017) ****: The first – and certainly not even the most captivating – thing that catches your attention about this wonderfully eclectic and entertaining collection from violinist Daniel Hope is his arrangement (a “reimagining”) of Vivaldi’s iconic The Four Seasons. Is The Four Seasons simultaneously the best known and most potentially boring work for violin and orchestra ever?  I have heard some say so and I think certainly it can be (boring, that is) but not in this dynamic and even aggressive rendition by Hope. Tempos are extreme, rallantandos and accelerandos are inserted where they do not exist in the original and volumes are exaggerated for effect. Daniel Hope’s playing is spectacular throughout and he makes a strong case to show that just a little (or a lot) bit of liberties taken with this violin icon can bring new excitement and daring to the work. Hope’s rendition will frustrate the purist but would arguably thrill audiences and the uninitiated listener. This whole album is a collection of relatively short works which, collectively, depict or […]