Maxim Vengerov ~ Dvorák, Elgar

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is a wonderful recording, a perfect match between music and performer: two great but not overly familiar romantic works, played by a superb violinist with a romantic heart and young enough to be guided by his feelings and his imagination. Vengerov is a brilliant virtuoso, but the most immediately striking feature of his playing is his tone: dark, warm, radiant, intense, vibrant, infinitely variable, and unfailingly expressive. His Dvorák is broad and expansive, with time to caress every detail and Nuance. It combines freedom and dignified restraint, passion and serenity, sprightliness and melancholy, drama and lyricism. The orchestra supports and abets him every step of the way with total flexibility and empathy and sounds terrific. The Elgar was recorded a few years earlier and here, the romanticism is perhaps a bit excessive: tempo changes and dynamic contrasts are more drastic, there are long fermatas and pauses and a lot of slowing down and speeding up. However, the sentiment behind all these extremes is so genuine that it never becomes sentimentality, and the tone is beguilingly beautiful. The balance is exemplary, the pianist most excellent. Unaccountably, the booklet not only prints his name in very small letters, but does not say a word about him--a grave injustice to a fine collaborator. --Edith Eisler

Tracks:

Vn Con in a, Op.53: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Maxim Vengerov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur
Vn Con in a, Op.53: Adagio Ma Non Troppo - Maxim Vengerov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur
Vn Con in a, Op.53: Final: Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo - Maxim Vengerov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur
Son in e, Op.82: Allegro - Maxim Vengerov/Revital Chachamov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur
Son in e, Op.82: Andante - Maxim Vengerov/Revital Chachamov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur
Son in e, Op.82: Allegro Non Troppo - Maxim Vengerov/Revital Chachamov/New York Phil/Kurt Masur

Amazon.com

This is a wonderful recording, a perfect match between music and performer: two great but not overly familiar romantic works, played by a superb violinist with a romantic heart and young enough to be guided by his feelings and his imagination. Vengerov is a brilliant virtuoso, but the most immediately striking feature of his playing is his tone: dark, warm, radiant, intense, vibrant, infinitely variable, and unfailingly expressive. His Dvorák is broad and expansive, with time to caress every detail and Nuance. It combines freedom and dignified restraint, passion and serenity, sprightliness and melancholy, drama and lyricism. The orchestra supports and abets him every step of the way with total flexibility and empathy and sounds terrific. The Elgar was recorded a few years earlier and here, the romanticism is perhaps a bit excessive: tempo changes and dynamic contrasts are more drastic, there are long fermatas and pauses and a lot of slowing down and speeding up. However, the sentiment behind all these extremes is so genuine that it never becomes sentimentality, and the tone is beguilingly beautiful. The balance is exemplary, the pianist most excellent. Unaccountably, the booklet not only prints his name in very small letters, but does not say a word about him--a grave injustice to a fine collaborator. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Compares well to the best version.......2005-11-12

Compared to the gold standard in the Dvorak -- the 1961 stereo recording by violinist Josef Suk and Karel Ancerl leading the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra -- this recording stacks up very well. In fact, the timings on each movement of Vengerov's concert recording in New York are within 20 seconds of those from the Suk recording three and one-half decades earlier, indicating the master recording served as the basis for this work, recorded in Avery Fisher Hall in 1997.

Verngerov, a clone of the late David Oistrakh, displays his ample romantic warmth during this romantic music while he keeps vibrato and extracurricular activities in check. His tone is universally warm and smooth, never grating or searing, and his attachment to the music is always direct. Masur and the New York Philharmonic support him well even though Masure keeps a tight reign on the orchestra, never allowing a solo instrument too much freedom within the scope of the accompaniment.

The dramatic Elgar sonata, recorded in studio with pianist Revital Chachamov in 1995, is an added bonus that make an appropriate coupling in my opinion. I'd rather have heard Vengerov take on a smaller scale and less well known concerto as match, perhaps the Martinu Concerto No. 2, that would have made this CD a more complete entity. The chamber music, which is played well and tastefully done, seems more like an add-on than a thougtfully considered partner.

Since most people will buy this for the Dvorak, the CD provides good value in a modern three dimensional recording that betters the Suk-Ancerl recording. Fans of Dvorak or Vengerov won't go wrong adding this performance to their collections.

Warm, musical and full of emotion and color.......2002-04-29

I am a poor music student so I was not able to acquire this CD for a long time. I have heard thousands of recordings and I can say the warmth of this CD is amazing. Its great that technology continues to imporve the quality of sound and contemporary recordings just seem to keep getting better and better.

The Dvorak was played with emotion and intensity and I liked the orchestration and how the solosit blended with the orchestra. Maybe its just me but the third movement seemed to drag a little for my tastes.

The Elgar sonata was what I like the best. Revital Hachamoff was indeed sensitive. What I liked about the accompanyment was that she really let the violin take the lead. Ms. Hachamoff has an incredible sence of dynamics and it was also obvious to me that she has technique to spare. The two played very well togather and it was refreshing for the piano not to drown out the violin for a change.

Maxim Vengerov is always a great listen, you pretty much can't go wrong with listening to him play as he has few if any peers. His playing is full of emotion and his Stradivarious has a unique wonderful sweet tone. If you liked this CD try his Brahms.

If you don't already know Mr Vengerov is one of the best to ever play the violin. I can already tell this is a CD I will enjoy listening to many more times. I would rate this CD a 9.8 out of 10

Vengerov's Dvorak Violin Concerto, A Definitive Performance.......2001-05-07

Vengerov's recording of Dvorak's Violin Concerto with Kurt Masur conducting the New York Philharmonic is one of the finest recordings of violin concerti that I've heard. Vengerov plays with ample Slavonic passion, producing a silky tone pregnant with warmth. His performance is far more passionate than the equally fine recording of Itzhak Perlman as soloist with Daniel Barenboim conducting the London Philharmonic, which many regard as one of the definitive performances of Dvorak's violin concerto. Moreover, the sound quality is far better than Perlman's recording. And Teldec has done such a great job in recording a live performance that sounds more vibrant, without forsaking the precision of a studio recording.

Kurt Masur has a firm grip on the New York Philharmonic; this has to be among the orchestra's finest recordings made during Masur's tenure as its music director. Both he and the New York Philharmonic give a warm, vibrant reading of Dvorak's score that never overtakes Vengerov's brilliant performance.

The Elgar Violin Sonata is another fine performance, and an unexpected, though equally superb, coupling with the Dvorak Violin Concerto. The chemistry between Vengerov and his accompanist is first rate; it strikes me as being as warm and vibrant a performance as those I've heard with violinist Gidon Kremer and pianist Martha Argerich. Shame on Teldec for not giving a brief biography of the Elgar sonata's pianist.

Without a doubt, this has to rank as one of Teldec's best releases of the past year. And it joins Vengerov's commanding performance of the Brahms violin concerto as one of the finest artistic triumphs in this young violinist's critically acclaimed career.

NY Philharcomic disconcerts again.......2001-03-28

The orchestra of virtuosi continues to play as though it is a loose coalition of complete strangers. Mazur conducts with his usual lack of inspiration. Vengerov's talent is wasted. If we could have cloned Dvorak, the NY Philharmonic might have a decent musical director again. By the way, none of this mess should be on Vengerov's shoulders - witness his wonderful performance of the Elgar Sonata, which gets both stars.

A Phenomenal Recording.......2001-03-06

This is a stunning recording of both the Dvorak & Elgar conertos. I agree with the previous reviewer - the pianist Ms. Hachamoff's performance is compassiontate, sensitive and vitruosic - she should have received more attention in the cd booklet. If someone knows of her solo recordings, let me know.

But to the artist at hand, Mr. Vengerov, whom I believe to be the finest violinst around - his interpretations are purely magical, his tone simply gorgeous - and this is one of the nicest classical recordings I have heard in sometime. Maxim Vengerov is a master - (anyone interested should also check out his recording of Tchiakovsky's Violin Concerto in D.)His technique, is simply outstanding.

Tracks:

Beethoven- Spring Sonata
Beethoven- Kreutzer Sonata
Brahms- Violin Sonata No. 2
Brahms-Violin Concerto, op. 77
Brahms-Violin Sonata No. 3
Bruch-Violin Concerto No.1
Dvorak-Violin Concerto , op.53
Elgar-Violin Sonata in E Minor
Glazunov-Violin COncerto, op. 82
Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F Major
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, op. 64
Mozart-Violin Sonata in B flat major, K378
Nielsen -Violin Concerto, op. 33
Paganini-Violin Concerto No. 1
Prokofiev-Violin Concerto No. 1&2
Saint-Saens-Intro et Rondo capriccioso; Havanaise
Shostakovich-Violin Concerto No. 1&2
Sibelius-Violin Concerto, op.47
Tchaikovsky-Violin Concerto
Waxman-Carmen Fantasy

Album Description

Throughout his years at Teldec Classics, Maxim Vengerov developed the foundation for a stellar lieftime career. This collection includes recordings of nearly all the major violin works with world-class conductors.

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