Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D Minor [Import]

Track Listings

1. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35

2. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35

3. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35

4. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47

5. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47

6. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47

Tracks:

Canon - Pachelbel
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik-Andante - Mozart
Fur Elise - Beethoven
String Quartet #1 - Tchaikovsky
Clair De Lune - Debussy
Idyl for Strings - Adagio - Janacek
Adagio in G Mnor - Albinoni
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Debussy
Air on a G String - Bach
Greensleeves - Vaughn Williams
Largo from Xerxes - Handel
Prelude in C - Bach
The Planets - Venus - Holst
Goldberg Variations - Aria - Bach
Adagio for Strings - Barber

Tracks:

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun - Debussy
Fur Elise - Beethoven
Holberg Suite - Sarabande - Grieg
Valse Triste - Sibelius
Concerto in F Minor - Largo - Bach
Serenade for String - Moderato - Dvorak
Liebestraume - Liszt
Ave Maria - Bach/Bounod
Etude in E Major - Chopin
String Quartet No 2 - Nocturne - Borodin
Arabesque - Debussy
Pavane for Dead Princess - Ravel
The Four Seasons - Largo - Vivaldi
Gymno0pedie 1 - Satie
Moonlight Sonata - Adagio - Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 21 - Andante - Mozart "Elvira Madigan"

Customer Reviews:

the most relaxing classical music in the university.......2007-05-12

All my favorites. I can start the CD player, which is wired to speakers in every room of my house, and just let it play, along with "The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the World" and "The Most Relaxing Classical Guitar in the World." I enjoy an awareness of familiar and beautiful strains of my favorites all day long and never get tired of it.

My brother visited me recently and noticed it right away. That will be another order for this fabulour music.

Relaxing Classical Music.......2007-01-08

I was not really a classical music fan but I am now. I purchased this cd for my 14 year old grand-daughter, not knowing we would both enjoy the music so much. She has always enjoyed classical music along with all of the other teen music, rap, rock, country, etc.
Also, it really helped being able to listen to parts of the music before purchasing.

Stress-freedom.......2006-03-14

Perfect music to end the work day. After listening to this I can face the evening. If the morning is hard, a little at lunch time gets me through the afternoon.

Greatly enjoy!.......2006-02-23

I first developed a taste for this music a number of years ago when my daughter started playing in the orchestra. The reason I made this purchase however, was because I have a great deal of difficulty with anxiety and I was looking for ways to find help. I love these CDs. It helps so much to sit and close my eyes and enjoy the music. The CDs are full of beautiful music.

the most relaxing classical music in the universe.......2005-09-21

it's the best next to the first one...

Average customer rating:

Nice CD
Music from a Farther Room
relaxation
amazing
Talented violinist

Music From A Farther Room
Astor Piazzolla , Maurice Ravel , Richard Rodgers , Paul Schwartz , Jean Sibelius , Traditional , Paul Schwartz , Craig Macintyre , Tariqh Akoni , Tim Curle , Lang Lang , Lee Musiker , Zachary Provost , Lucia Micarelli , Leigh Nash , and Lisbeth Scott
Manufacturer: Reprise / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Within
Josh Groban Live at The Greek (CD/DVD)
Your Love, My Home
Follow Your Heart
Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull

ASIN: B0002GU2NM
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

Samarkand
Oblivion
Meditation From Thais
Portrait
To Love You More
Reflexio
Aurora
Lady Grinning Soul
Ravel String Quartet IN F Major: Assez Vif - Tres Rythme
She Is Like The Swallow
My Funny Valentine
Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody

Amazon.com

Josh Groban fans who caught the singer's 2004 Closer tour would no doubt take note of Lucia Micarelli, who was the violinist and concertmaster for Groban. Like her boss, who also is executive producer of Music From A Farther Room, Micarelli is a young, attractive, and talented player who has the classical training, but who is also enchanted with pop music. Also like her boss, her strain of classical crossover works thanks to tasteful accompaniment, in this case from arranger/composer Paul Schwartz. The smartly chosen program of material comes from such varied catalogs as David Bowie and Rogers and Hart. Micarelli's playing is emotional without being overreaching, assertive when called upon, and nuanced. When she does go over-the-top pop on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," it's brief but fun; when she navigates Piazzolla's "Oblivion" she draws upon the song's passion more than its technical requisites. This is a debut with likeable pizzazz, coming in a genre not often enough known for it. -- Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

For anyone who has attended Josh Groban's phenomenal live show, you will have undoubtedly had the pleasure of seeing and hearing his lead violinist, Lucia Micarelli. Lucia came to Josh's tour after appearing with the Trans- Siberian Orchestra playing arenas across the U.S. in 2003. With the close of the second leg of Josh's tour, Lucia is recording her debut album in New York and London with producer Paul Schwartz. Musical selections will range from the works of composers Ravel and Ennio Morricone to David Bowie.

Customer Reviews:

Nice CD.......2007-07-15

This is one of my favorite CDs in my collection. I saw her play in person, and Live is much, much better then the CD.

Music from a Farther Room.......2007-05-22

I heard Lucia Micarelli during a 2007 Josh Groban concert. Her live solo performance in addition to her backgrounds for Groban were mesmerizing. I purchased this album to see if it was as enjoyable as her live work, and I was not disappointed. Micarelli performs a good mix of classical and pop pieces. My favorite tracks on the album are Smarkland, Meditation, Lady Grinning Soul, Portrait, and Nocturne/Bohemian Rhapsody.

relaxation.......2007-05-13

This CD is very well done. I was familiar with old favorites and delighted with new songs. I would like to hear more of the rock songs preformed by her. I think she's got a lot of talent and could possibly do well with the rock songs on a future album.

amazing.......2007-05-07

Lucia has power in her playing. I think that she shouldn't be allowed to play violin this good. Her raw talent is conveyed in every song. She doesn't just stick to classical, as the accompaniment music isn't just strings. I wished she had played a little more in Bohemian Rhapsody. I saw her in concert with Josh Groban and I knew I had to purchase this CD. Lucia is an inspiration and her love for the violin cannot be contained.

Talented violinist.......2007-03-29

When I saw and heard Lucia Micarelli perform with Josh Groban at a recent concert, I was so impressed with her talent, that I immediately went online to see what music of hers was available. Every item on her CD is wonderful, and I'm looking forward to her next CD.

The Most Soothing Lullabies In The Universe

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The Most Soothing Lullabies In The Universe

Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001NBNE8
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Tracks:

CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1, Larghetto
DEBUSSY: Clair de Lune
MANFREDINI: Concerto grosso in C, I. Largo (Pastorale)
MOZART: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Andante
BEETHOVEN: Moonlight Sonata, Adagio
BACH: Goldberg
SIBELIUS: Swan of Tuonela
LISZT: Liebestraume
SCHUMANN: Dreaming
MASSENET: Meditation from "Thais"
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Greensleeves

Tracks:

HANDEL-WEINER: Sicilienne
A. CORELLI: Concerto grosso in G, Pastorale
VERDI: "When the evening becomes peaceful"
CHOPIN: Three Preludes
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A, II. Adagio
BRAHMS: Piano Sonata No. 3, II. Andante espressivo
TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake (excerpt)
MENDELSSOHN: Three Songs Without Words
MAHLER: Symphony No. 3, IV. Sehr Langsam

Average customer rating:

Francescatti vs. Heifetz
The gentleman of the violin!
masters at work
Two Violin Concerti - Two wonderful recordings
Excellent recording, good price

Beethoven, Sibelius: Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op35; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77
Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter
Brahms: Violin Concerto; Mozart: Sinfonia
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5; Rondo concertante; Rondo; Adagio
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-3; Rondo, K. 373

ASIN: B0000027OR
Release Date: 1992-01-03

Tracks:

Concert For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op.61: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo (Cadenza: Fritz Kreisler) - Bruno Walter
Concert For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op.61: II. Larghetto - Bruno Walter
Concert For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op.61: III. Rondo: Allegro - Bruno Walter
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op.47: I. Allegro Moderato - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op.47: II. Adagio Di Molto - The Philadelphia Orchestra
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op.47: III. Allegro, Ma Non Tanto - The Philadelphia Orchestra

Amazon.com

The Sibelius Violin Concerto was a David Oistrakh specialty. He brought to it a personal warmth and poetry, and he made the most of what critics call Sibelius's "Russian melancholy," which is the term applied to Russian music when it sounds most Finnish. But seriously, the great Finnish composer was a strong admirer of Tchaikovsky, whose Violin Concerto was another Oistrakh specialty. Eugene Ormandy's Sibelius credentials were similarly well established at the time that this great recording was made. At a budget price, with a terrific Beethoven Violin Concerto tossed in, you'd have to be nuts not to want to hear it. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Francescatti vs. Heifetz.......2007-04-21

I've owned this CD and the Heifetz/Reiner Beethoven for years, and it's hard to imagine that both violinists were playing from the same score. Francescatti makes a regular practice of holding a note just a bit, to shape a phrase or add emphasis. Heifetz makes a consistent practice of avoiding this and moving briskly on--which raises the issue of tempo: in the first movement, Heifetz takes a full 2 minutes less than Francescatti (despite Heifetz' somewhat elaborate cadenza), and the remaining movements are similarly timed. As he bustles along, Heifetz tends to vary the force of his notes more subtly than Francescatti, who deploys a wider range of volume levels.

As a result, lovers of the Francescatti approach may find Heifetz clipped, brusque and impersonal, while lovers of the Heifetz approach may find Francescatti slow, heavy and mushy. Or to put it in positive terms, Heifetz excels in maintaining and building rhythmic energy, while Francescatti is best in developing the emotional content of the work and letting it "breathe." It took me a long time to come to appreciate both approaches, and I signal this as a study in contrast. At this low price, you can buy both and decide for yourself. (My favorite? This one.)

The gentleman of the violin!.......2006-06-30

Zino Francescati was a very solvent violinist with a pleasant tune and a warmth temperament. His phrasing was kind and delicate, and this is perhaps his main virtue and his main defect, because many works don't resist such approach.

But in this case, Beethoven' s Violin Concerto works out because the sublime inspiration of this Opus, allows to be expressed under this considerations and particularly this vision is carefully performed in this case.

Elegance and refinement feature this version. So please, don't miss it.

In the case of Sibelius violin's concerto, there are better options in the market such Ginette Neveu, ivry Gitlis and Jasha Heifetz.

masters at work.......2006-01-18

Francescatti's Beethoven concerto is shapely and engaging, and the playing is warm and refined throughout. My ultimate preferences with this piece are Shumsky's 1988 recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Davis, and Menuhin's recording under Furtwangler, but I admire Francescatti's beautiful lines and devoted intelligence. The reason, however, for seizing this remarkable offer (who knows anymore how long any recording will remain available!) has to be Oistrakh's incomparable recording of the Sibelius under Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orch. Of the many versions of this great work, for me, there is none that matches this particular Oistrakh/Ormandy recording. Of more recent versions, Cho-Liang Lin turns in a stupendously musical performance of this piece - convincing and beautiful. I believe five or six D. Oistrakh recorded versions of this concerto remain in print; his Melodiya recording with Rozhdestvensky is a rival, but Ormandy's command of the glacial cast of Sibelius' orchestral writing is just amazing, and, underpinning Oistrakh's inimitable conception, the playing of the Philadelphia Orch is rich and perfectly attuned to Sibelius. The remastered sound is first-rate, you'd think it was a modern recording. Whether you love this concerto, or dont yet know it, you've found here a defining performance to reveal its mysteries. I've treasured this recording for thirty years, and urge you to give it a hearing.

Two Violin Concerti - Two wonderful recordings.......2005-12-25

I don't play the violin at all, but I love these two concerti (They're among my favorites for violin).

The Beethoven is pretty good, actually very good. This is one of the first pieces I heard live at a concert. The length of the whole piece doesn't matter when you're actually listening to it. I've heard more romantic versions, but I actually prefer Francescatti's interpretation. It's very fine, nothing too showy to make the music more than what it is. For a more "modern" recording, I would choose Hilary Hahn's.

I haven't listened to the Sibelius as much as the Beethoven on this CD, but I actually prefer this playing to the artists of today, such as Bell, Chang, etc. Oistrakh's tone is wonderful.

I would definitely recommending this CD to anyoone, to introduce these pieces to a new listener, or to add this to a classical music connoisseur's collection.

Excellent recording, good price.......2005-08-10

This is a really great CD, featuring two of the 20th century's best violinists - Zino Francescatti on the Beethoven and David Oistrakh on the Sibelius. While the majority of my recordings are by modern day artists (Hahn, Chang, Bell, Midori, etc), I have several recordings by older artists, and for the most part I can tell a real difference in their playing styles compare to modern day players. To me, the older artists seem to play with a much more elegant, restrained style than the newer artists (with the exception of, perhaps Heifetz). While both artists play magnificently on this CD, I would say that this more elegant playing serves the Beethoven much better than the Sibelius.

The Beethoven isn't really one of my favorite concerti, mostly because it's so long that I rarely listen to the entire thing (all movements). However, I have listened to this entire recording more than enough times to recognize the warm, personal playing that Francescatti delivers.

The Sibelius, one of my all-time favorite concertos (for any instrument), is played exceptionally well by Oistrakh, though I think his playing style is a little too reserved for my tastes. To me, it often sounds like Oistrakh is playing in a more classical style than the Sibelius warrants. Compared with a recording at the other end of the spectrum (for example, Salerno-Sonnenberg), Oistrakh's playing is just a little boring, particularly on the spectacular final movement. Don't get me wrong, he plays beautifully, but I just prefer Sibelius to be a little grittier. However, to Oistrakh's credit, his playing is always perfect and controlled, even in incredibly difficult spots where some other artists can sound border-line out of control. It seems that playing with fire and abandon often comes at the price of clarity, and playing with technical clarity and perfection often comes at the price of excitement. That being said, no recording can really be said to be better than the other... I just happen to prefer the sibelius to be played slightly closer to the "fiery abandon" side of the spectrum (however, my favorite version of this concerto, by Midori, seems to find a perfect balance between the two extremes). Enjoy

More Of The Most Relaxing Classical Music In The Universe

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Better than most
Wonderful Music

More Of The Most Relaxing Classical Music In The Universe
Ludwig van Beethoven , Eugene-Auguste Ysaye , Johann Sebastian Bach , Jean Sibelius , Sergey Prokofiev , Jules Massenet , Anonymous , Fryderyk Chopin , Giacomo Puccini , Robert Schumann , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Kazuo Yamada , Claude Debussy , Felix Mendelssohn , Carl Maria von Weber , Enrique Granados , Gustav Holst , and Various Artists
Manufacturer: Denon Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000AINLR
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Tracks:

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto #2, Adagio
VERDI Preludio
PAGANINI "Introduzione e tema con variazioni"
BRAHMS Sonata for two pianos, Andante
MOZART Adagio in E Major
BEETHOVEN "Pathetique" Sonata, Adagio
YSAYE Sonate #2, "Malinconia"
BACH Prelude #22, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
VERDI "Quando le sere al placido" (When the Evening Becomes Peaceful)
BACH Orchestral Suite #2
SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela
PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet
MASSENET Meditation from "Tha
RACHMANINOFF Prelude

Tracks:

TRADITIONAL Catalonian Folk Song
CHOPIN Piano Concerto #1, Larghetto
PUCCINI "Crisantemi" (Chrysanthemums)
SCHUMANN "Traumerei" (Dreaming)
TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake (excerpt)
K. YAMADA ''Chugoku-Chiho No Komoriuta" Lullaby
DEBUSSY "En Bateau" (By Boat)
BEETHOVEN Symphony #6 "Pastoral", Andante
MENDELSSOHN Songs Without Words
WEBER Introduction, theme and variations
GRANADOS "Goyescas" (Sketches on the works of Goya)
TCHAIKOVSKY Nocturne in F
HOLST The Planets, "Neptune"

Customer Reviews:

Better than most.......2007-02-08

This is a good mixture of elevator music, and some soft relaxing melodies.

Wonderful Music.......2007-01-18

Wonderful music for your listening pleasure. Very relaxing and soothing. Nothing beats classical music.

Average customer rating:

THE Sibelius set...
Outstanding performances
An Introduction to Sibelius
WONDERFUL SOUND!
Hype and reality

Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies 2

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000041BW
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

Symphony No. 3 In C, Opus 52: 1. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 3 In C, Opus 52: 2. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto
Symphony No. 3 In C, Opus 52: 3. Moderato - Allegro. Ma non tanto
Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Opus 104: 1. Allegro molto moderato
Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Opus 104: 2. Allegretto moderato
Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Opus 104: 3. Poco vivace
Symphony No. 6 In D Minor, Opus 104: 4. Allegro molto
Symphony No. 7 In C, Opus 105: Adagio -
Symphony No. 7 In C, Opus 105: Vivacissimo - Adagio -
Symphony No. 7 In C, Opus 105: Allegro molto moderato - Allegro moderato -
Symphony No. 7 In C, Opus 105: Vivace - Presto - Adagio - Largamente molto -
Symphony No. 7 In C, Opus 105: Affettuoso

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D Minor, Opus 47: 1. Allegro moderato
Violin Concerto In D Minor, Opus 47: 2. Adagio di molto
Violin Concerto In D Minor, Opus 47: 3. Allegro, ma non tanto
Finlandia, Opus 26
Tapiola, Opus 112: Tone Poem
The Swan of Tuonela, Opus 22 No. 2: Legend

Amazon.com essential recording

It was clever of Philips to couple Sibelius's least popular symphonies with the extremely popular Violin Concerto and tone poems. Don't let the words "least popular" scare you off, however. If you like Sibelius, you'll love the Third and Sixth Symphonies. The latter, in particular, is one of the most purely beautiful pieces of music in the history of sound; its only flaw is a quiet ending that makes conductors unwilling to play it at live concerts. Sir Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony perform all of this music with idiomatic flair and unflagging enthusiasm. These versions are far superior to Davis's recent remakes on RCA, and a lot cheaper too. So go ahead, indulge. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

THE Sibelius set..........2006-12-05

Sir Colin Davis has been known as a supreme Sibelius conductor for over 30 years now and this(his first complete cycle with the Boston Symphony Orchestra)is a perfect example of why. Davis gets into the heart of these works and shows why I consider Sibelius to be my favorite overall symphonist. These pieces all have an icy, lonely, quality that I've never heard from any other composer. No doubt part of this sound was highly influenced by the desolate landscape of his native Finland and one can almost feel the mountains and fjords when listening.

The symphonies on this set are basically perfect. Not to discredit his awesome first two, but Symphony no. 3 was his first truly innovative work and an unbelievably memorable and enjoyable piece. The 6th and 7th were his last two symphonies and perhaps his greatest. The richly melodic and inventive 6th is my personal favorite Sibelius work. The 7th is another standout for its unusual single movement structure and epic sound despite its sort length.

I'm usually not a huge fan of concertos in general, and the violin has never been my favorite instrument(I vastly prefer cello or piano), but Sibelius' violin concerto is an unbelievable work. There's no fancy showing off just for the sake of virtuosity here, although this piece does require a top-notch player. It's a bleak and chilling concerto and the orchestra shimmers right along side of the voilin. Admittedly this is the only version of this work I've head, but I was very very impressed. The second disc concludes impressively with 'Findlandia', 'Tapiola', and 'The Swan of Tuonela'- The three most popular Sibelius tone poems.

Philips deserves much credit here for pairing the least popular Sibelius symphonies with a second disc that includes some of his most popular works. Not only does this work perfectly to fill up each disc, but it should hopefully also introduce some hesitant fans to three awesome and neglected symphonies.

Outstanding performances.......2006-11-21

In the 1970s Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony Orchestra recorded a complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies, as well as the violin concerto and a few of the tone poems. A number of the live performances before the recording sessions were broadcast on PBS. The Davis cycle was generally regarded as one of the best available at that time, although the recorded sound was considered below Philips' usual high standard.

As it happens, the performances collected in Vol. 2 are among the stronger in the series. The two weakest performances--the Second and the Fourth--are in Vol. 1. If you're just getting to know Symphonies 3, 6, and 7, these are thoughtful, well-shaped, well-played performances with a strong feeling for the Sibelius sound world. Tempo relationships are reasonable. Davis doesn't rush the (apparently) faster music after the slow opening of the Sixth Symphony, a key point for those of us who love this symphony. A big plus is the violin concerto with Salvatore Accardo. There may be fierier or more virtuosic performances, but Davis makes the orchestra an equal partner. If you like the violin concerto treated as an additional Sibelius symphony, and I do, you'll like this interpretation.

Considering Vols. 1 and 2 of the Davis cycle together, I'd rate them superior to the Maazel/Vienna, but below the Berglund cycle, simply because none of Berglund's performances is as misconceived as the Davis Fourth. If you're looking for the specific works in Vol. 2, I wouldn't hesitate to get the Davis.

An Introduction to Sibelius.......2005-11-22

The music of Jean Sibelius (1865 --1957) has enjoyed a varied reputation over the years, but it today is held in deservedly high regard. His seven symphonies, in their varied forms, are classics of the Twentieth Century.

I have lived for several years with Sir Colin Davis' recordings of Sibelius with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Davis is an acknowledged master of this music. The recordings date from 1975 -- 1979 and are currently available on two "duo" CD sets from Phillips. Davis later recorded the cycle again and a third version is in process. But the Boston Symphony compilation is highly accessible and modestly priced. If you are looking for an introduction to the essential works of Sibelius, this set is for you.

I supplemented my recent listening to this music by reading the accounts of each of Sibelius' symphonies in Michael Steinberg's excellent reference book : "The Symphony a Listener's Guide" (1995). I also have read the account of the violin concerto in Steinberg's parallel guide to the standard concerto repertory. Listeners wanting a more detailed discussion of the symphonies and concerto than that found in most liner notes, including the notes for this set, will greatly benefit from reading Steinberg.

This CD opens with Sibelius' symphony no. 3 in C major composed in 1904. This is a three-movement work in which the composer finds fully his own voice. The work is spare and neoclassical in style, written with both energy and restraint. The first movement opens with a brisk, characteristic theme for cello and bass. The second movement is intermezzo-like, with rhythmic ambiguity and a lovely singing theme as it progresses. The finale is in two parts with ever-changing tempos and moods leading to a final climax at the end.

The symphony no. 6 in D, opus 104 dates from 1923 and has always been my favorite of the Sibelius symphonies. As Steinberg points out, much of this symphony is written in the Dorian mode (on the piano this consists of playing all the white keys beginning on D) giving the music an etherial and remote character. The scoring of this work is also unusual with Sibelius using a harp and a bass clarinet, both of which add a great deal of color to the orchestration. Although this symphony is in the standard four-movements it is far from traditional, as the music is weightless, enigmatic, and mysterious. It is restrained in tone and ends very softly after a remarkably beautiful theme in the strings. The sixth is a highly idiosyncratic work.

Sibelius' completed his final symphony, no. 7 in C in 1924. This is a work of only about 21 minutes in what is nominally a single movement. But in its short space, the symphony moves through a variety of tempos and moods, all tightly unified and flowing from one section to the next. Some hear the work in five sections while others hear it in three. Many critics have noted that "The Seventh Symphony consummates the nineteenth-century search for symphonic unity". (Steinberg, page 607, quoting Robert Layton.) The work opens with a long slow section based upon a drum-tap and an ascending scale and concludes with a loud, triumphant chord in the brass on C major. This is tightly-written yet romantic and passionate music that will repay many listenings. Even though Sibelius lived more than 30 years after completing this work, he composed no more symphonies.

This CD also includes Sibelius' violin concerto in D minor opus 47 which the composer wrote in 1903 and revised in 1905. This work has at least found its place in the standard concert repertory. (It was recently programmed a few weeks apart in my area by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. and by the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra in suburban Virginia.) The work is performed here by Salvatore Accardo with Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The violin concerto differs from Sibelius' symphonic writing in that it is unabashedly and passionately romantic in character and a crushingly difficult, virtuoso piece for the soloist. The first movement includes a long, famous and showy cadenza followed by a long meditative slow movement and a lively, icy finale. This is one of the finest twentieth-century violin concertos and worthy to stand with its great nineteenth century predecessors.

The CD closes with three of Sibelius' shorter works for orchestra including his most familiar work, "Finlandia" , composed in 1899, which for some years was the only work of the composer to get a hearing. It also includes the long tone-poem "Tapiola", one of the composer's last important works and written after the seventh symphony. But the highlight of these last three works is "The Swan of Tuneola" opus 22, which includes an inimitable solo for the English Horn performed here by Laurence Thorstenborg.

This CD and its companion are ideal ways to get to know the music of Sibelius.

Robin Friedman

WONDERFUL SOUND!.......2005-09-15

The orchestra here sounds so vast and powerful--but also it carries a mellowness, a smoothness. Fantastic listening!
It's a bit like the gutsy sound of Beethoven melded with the easy sound of Faure's choral stuff. Can't say enough about this!

Hype and reality.......2005-07-03

I recently bought the Sibelius Volumes 1 and 2 in 2-in-1 sets. I wont comment on the artistic content as they are covered in others reviews of this page. The sound quality of Vol 2 is decidedly degraded - almost unlistenable - compared to the much much higher quality of Volume 1 (with magnificient artistry). The transfers are AAD on the Phillips label which, like DGG, of the 1970's are not meant for better quality music systems (even of that period) and unless remastered disappoint the listener. It is possible that reissues for this particular packaging could be faulty or may be that the repackaging is so cleverly done that all the goodies are on Volume 1 and the second-best on the second. Davis is redoing the Sibelius Synphonies with LSO and that may account for the rush to get this set out of the way!

Average customer rating:

beautiful ,beautiful
Great Recording

Violin Favourites & Virtuoso Showpieces

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0007WQHVW
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Tracks:

Variations on an original theme, Op.15
Romance, Op.78, No.2
Mazurka, Op.81, No.1
Hungarian Dance No.1 in G minor-Transcr. Joseph Joachim
Cantabile, Op.17
Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op.16
Nigun (Improvisation)
Perpetuum mobile
The Prophet Bird
Spanish Dance No.1
Waves at play (Wellenspiel)
Carmen Fantasy, Op.25 - Arr. Waxman

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Praeludium and Allegro
Schosmarin
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Caprice viennois op.2
La Preuse (in the style of Louis Couperin)
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid
La Gitana
Berceuse Romantique (Caprice)
Polichinelle (Snade)
Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven
Tempo di menuetto (in the style of Pugnani)
Toy Soldiers' March
Allegretto (in the style of Boccherini)
Marche miniature viennoise
Aucassin and Nicolette (canzonetta medievale)
Menuet (in the style of Porpora)
Sicilienne and Rigaudon (in the style of Francois Francoeur)
Syncopation

Customer Reviews:

beautiful ,beautiful.......2007-05-27

I am not a music critic nor do I "know" much about music but if you love lovely violin music you will love this.

Great Recording.......2007-01-04

The Kreisler pieces are played exceptionally well. The one disc alone is worth the price of the double disc collection. Great playing.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful
Thanks you Decca
Exquisite music for the soul
Indeed a joy forever!
Exquisite collection & performances, unbelievable value!!!

Violin Adagios

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000058BGY
Release Date: 2001-03-20

Tracks:

Thais: Meditation - Nigel Kennedy
Vn Con No.1 in g, Op.26: Adagio - Kyung Wha Chung
Con No.4 in f, RV 297 'Winter': Largo - Alan Loveday
Con in d, BWV 1043: Largo, Ma Non Tanto - Henryk Szeryng/Maurice Hasson
Adagio in E, K.261 - Henryk Szeryng
Vocalise, Op.34 No.14 - Akiko Suwanai/Philip Moll
Vn Con in D, Op.77: Adagio - Joshua Bell
Vn Con: Andante - Joshua Bell
Melodie - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Vn Son No.5 in F, Op.24 'Spring': Adagio Molto Espressivo - Itzhak Perlman/Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vn Con in D, Op.35: Canzonetta: Andante - Leila Josefowicz
Songs My Mother Taught Me, Op.55 No.4 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
None But The Lonely Heart - Josef Sakonov
The Gadfly: Romance - Alexander Kerr

Tracks:

Romance No.2 in F, Op.50 - Arthur Grumiaux
Vn Con in E, BWV 1042: Adagio - Midori
Salut D'amour - Kyung Wha Chung/Philip Moll
Ave Maria, D.839 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Con in a, RV 522: Larghetto - Midori/Pinchas Zukerman
Son in D, Op.1 No.13: Larghetto - Iona Brown
Vn Con No.3 in G, K.216: Adagio - Arthur Grumiaux
Liebesleid - Joshua Bell/Paul Coker
Vn Con in e, Op.64: Andante - Kyung Wha Chung
Souvenir D'un Lieu Cher, Op.42: Melodie - Akiko Suwanai/Philip Moll
Vn Con in d, Op.47: Adagio Di Molto - Kyung Wha Chung
Vn Con in D, Op.35: Romance: Andante - Chantal Juillet
Standchen, D.957 No.4 - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Estrellita - Arthur Grumiaux/Istvan Hajdu
Orchestral Ste No.3 in D, BWV 1068: Air ('Air On A G String') - ASMF/Neville Marriner

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful.......2005-11-07

An excellent compilation of folk tunes and violin concerto adagios, played masterfully by some of the world's most revered musicians. Features modern pieces (Korngold, Barber), which are a personal favorite of mine.

Thanks you Decca.......2005-01-23

My daughter is a violin student of 7 years and she has played 3 or 4 of these pieces for recitals. I bought the CD's so she could become familiar with the pieces as she was learning to play them. Now I find myself listening to the CD's almost every night when I go for my end of the day drive to relax. My favorites are the Mozart Concerto in G, the Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor and Beethoven's Romance in F on disc 2, but all the songs are exquisitely beautiful. I highly recommend it.

Exquisite music for the soul.......2004-06-14

These CDs have the most incredible selections of music on them. Listening to the violins has enabled me to complete papers for my doctoral level classes without the usual neck aches. This is soothing, exquistie music for the soul! Lovely!!

Indeed a joy forever!.......2003-05-22

Before buying this 2 CD set,I've read Reviews by Chicagodreamer,
who rated it as "Highly, highly recommended." His laudatory recommentation, I must say, is found "well justified."

Exquisite collection & performances, unbelievable value!!!.......2002-01-15

"Over 2 l/2 hours of the world's most beautiful music." These words on the cover are very close to true. What an incredible value this collection is!! So many of these compilations of this sort are cheaply produced, and those "greatest hits" collections are one trite piece after another -- after a while one runs screaming to the stereo to shut it off. However, this collection is top-notch, and the performers they chose are masterful musicians at the top of their game. Every selection is lovely, each one unfolding after the other in a sublime slide show of exquisite compositions performed by legends. This is TWO CDs of sparkling performances composed and performed by masters. There is not a bad selection or a piece of inferior quality in the entire lot.

The violin is an extraordinary instrument that, when played correctly, can pluck the heartstrings and stir the soul. It is played perfectly by each puppetmaster on each one of these wonderful pieces, and the experience of listening to this collection is an exquisite journey for the heart and spirit. Looking for a fantastic collection of exquisite pieces written and performed by genius? It's here. Highly, highly recommended!!

Jean Sibelius: Violinkonzert/Serenaden/Humoreske
Average customer rating:

Dismal!

A divider, not a uniter

Striving for effect (or maybe just showboating?)

A splendid rendition

She did it

Jean Sibelius: Violinkonzert/Serenaden/Humoreske

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GRK
Release Date: 1996-02-13

Tracks:

Conerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op. 47: 1. Allegro moderato
Conerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op. 47: 2. Adagio di molto
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Conerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Minor, Op. 47: Humoresque No. 1 In D Minor, Op. 87 No. 1 - Commodo

Amazon.com essential recording

The very first notes of this extraordinary performance show how thoughtfully Anne-Sophie Mutter has approached the work. Sibelius's marking for the solo violin is dolce ed espressivo, which for most violinists would mean "with vibrato." But Mutter plays senza vibrato and achieves a hauntingly expressive effect over the muted pianissimo oscillations of the orchestral violins. Happily, she sustains this high level of engagement with the score through the entire account, playing the taxing solo part with riveting intensity, making every note count, producing a gloriously rich and varied tone, and giving the listener a memorable musical experience in the process. The effect of all this on André Previn and the Staatskapelle Dresden, to paraphrase Mark Twain, appears to have been prompt and electric. They give a spectacular reading of the score, one notable for both its sonorous depth and its sense of atmosphere. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

Dismal!.......2007-06-21

I am sorry to disagree with those who seem to like this performance as much as they do. I think that they should listen to what Isaac Stern does with this music -- to me the way it should be played. Here the soloist playing is, well, fussy and contrived. Mutter often emphsizes the wrong things and phrases and plays some of the notes in odd ways that I doubt the composer intended. Her rhubato, for example, does not inform, but instead distracts. Mutter and the orchestra play the work so slowly that they strain and sometimes very nearly lose altogether the integrity of the music's melodic line. How can one play Sibelius like this? (I do not think I can blame the tempos chosen on the conductor. Mutter seems determined to play almost everything too slowly.) Mutter's playing betrays no understanding of this music at all. Add the fact that neither the conductor nor the orchestra seems to have any idea of what Sibelius might be about, producing as a result laughably dull, directionless accompaniment, and we are left with a dismal performance by all.

A divider, not a uniter.......2005-11-02

Violin mavens aren't middle-of-the-road, any more than opera buffs. Mutter typically divides opinion strongly about whether her highly technical, extremely detailed and personal playing is a sign of exceptional musicianship or the opposite: a self-absorbed fussiness that ignores the composer so that everything can focus on herself.

I fall into the latter group. To my ears this is an impossibly fussed-over Sibelius concerto, with hardly a natural phrase to be heard. I won't go into detail--what's the point? The consensus here seems to be that this is a gorgeous woman playing a gorgeous violin in a gorgeous virtuosic romp. Okay.

Striving for effect (or maybe just showboating?).......2005-08-28

There seem to be two Anne-Sophie Mutters. The first was the violinist from her debut till about 1994, who made some of the best recordings I've heard in modern times, even if some of them were perhaps a *little* over-hyped. The second is this far more technical, far more, well, egotistical soloist, who seems to say in every recording, "Woohoo, look what *I* can do." Or, to put it another way, she plays the violin but not the concerto. Watching her in a recent documentary comment on her first recording of the Beethoven concerto, she said it had nothing to do with how she would handle the piece today. Undoubtedly so, and what a pity. I have nothing against interpretations that get off the beaten path and take us to unfamiliar regions, but her journey today sounds superficial, with overly-mannered playing (slooowing down at the eeend of eeevery phraaaaaase) and a futzing with vibrato and color every ten bars, rather than saving her special effects for key dramatic moments. That latter would demonstrate to me that she knows the *concerto* as well as the *violin.* As it is, now that she has conquered the fiddle--and there is no doubt that she has; she almost seems bored with it at times--she should dedicate her life to studying the *scores.* Hubby Andy (although he wasn't her hubby back then) wades through the work with a decaffeinated Staatskapelle Dresden, following his partner rather than sparring with her. The second movement works best, where things really do get a bit over the top at the big climax, but even here it comes dangerously close to hysterics and melodrama. This concerto to me is about fire meeting ice. In their hands, it's about blubber meeting more blubber.

For some really intense accounts, try Heifetz/Beecham, Mullova/Ozawa (and I'm generally not an Ozawa fan, but the two of them struck magic here), and above all, the gold standard, Oistrakh/Rozhdestvensky, where the fire and ice are almost too much to bear, and the technique is just as assured, if not as showboaty. Listening to these recordings, you get the impression the artists studied the work first and then decided how they would approach it from the point of view of violin technique. I greatly admire Mutter's prowess on her instrument, but technique is not an end to itself, and I have not gotten the feeling she has really penetrated a work to the core since her 1992 recording of the Berg concerto. Perhaps this is the danger of being the world's number one violin star at the moment. If so, she needs to get over herself.

A splendid rendition.......2005-01-28

The post-Karajan Mutter continues to impress me with her growing musical maturity, and her in-depth exploration of the Sibelius is yet another testament to her artistry. As with all of her recordings, her fabulous tone is evident throughout, as is a technique that is more than equal to the challenges of the composer. I would dispute the one reviewer who argues that she slows down in the more technically challenging passages; certainly one cannot make that claim in the 3rd movement, which is certainly as brisk in its tempi as any recording available on the market today, and in any case, Mutter has always had a tendency to try and draw everything she can out of each note. A particularly notorious example of this would be her youthful recording of the Beethoven concerto with Karajan, where slow tempi cause the whole piece to become absolutely bogged down to a level beyond redemption. One certainly cannot find anything of that sort in this recording of the Sibelius, which remains a coherent performance throughout.

So why only 4 stars? Well, first and foremost, Previn & the Dresden Staatskapelle really seems to be phoning in their performance at times, and with a concerto like this, such a defect can cause quite a bit of damage. This could be due to mike placement as much as anything, but whether it is the sound engineer or the performers themselves, the result is an ensemble that sounds at times disengaged and at others overwhelmed by the soloist.

Also, as another reviewer has observed, a 47-minute CD at full price (where a third of the music consists of nice but relatively inconsequential compositions), simply put, is a ripoff. Why not fill it out a little? Put all six Humoreskes on the recording, or a tone poem if you like, or perhaps a lesser known piece like the Suite Mignonne. There are plenty of options, but none is explored here. Consumers expect a full CD for full price, so DG should deliver accordingly.

However, the consumer should be have nothing to complain about when it comes to Mutter's performance. She certainly appears to be fulfilling all of her potential as an artist.

She did it.......2001-10-03

When I first bought the CD I was skeptical, I haven't found many non-Finnish musicians who could make Finnish music sound like it should. You have to be able to imagine vasts forests and thousands of blue, clean lakes on a sunny day in the backgraound. But Mutter did it. She plays with feeling and yet she is very sharp. The only diappoinment was the conductor, I think he did a very sloppy job, the orcestra was dragging along too much, it sounded like they needed a good kick in the pants. But Mutter's performance made it all up. One of the best performances of Sibelius I've ever heard.

Khachaturian, Sibelius: Violin Concertos

Average customer rating:

Khachatryan and Sibelius
the best
Sibelius & Khatchaturian, by Khachatryan: Superb Music
STAR FROM THE EAST
A Stunning Début

Khachaturian, Sibelius: Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Valois
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0000CNTJH
Release Date: 2004-03-16

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
Adagio Di Molto
Finale (Allegro Ma Non Tanto)
Allegro Moderato
Andante Sostenuto
Allegro A Battuta

Customer Reviews:

Khachatryan and Sibelius.......2007-02-10

I was curious to hear this recording because one of my students recommended it highly. Sure enough, I was quite impressed, especially by the Sibelius. But I had objections, too. In terms of tone, general technique and intonation, Sergey lacks very little. His playing is often very beautiful. He has the gift of expression 'between the notes', the notes falling naturally and gracefully on the fingerboard. The playing is never boring. There is great clarity in the general execution. Nothing inhibits him. Phrases make sense. They breathe.

What's wrong? He occasionally looses presence as the soloist. There are two occasions in the first movement, at the beginning of an entrance, where there just isn't enough sound to carry the musical argument. At first I thought it might be a problem with the recording balance. But after the second movement, I was convinced otherwise. Sergey generally takes a symphonic approach to this work, at times participating on an equal footing with the orchestra. This can be admirable, especially in Mozart or Beethoven. But not in Sibelius. For instance, at the very opening of the second movement, the violin is much too soft. It is an intimate opening, for sure, but the violin has to dominate nonetheless. Another instance, at the ascending octave scales against the descending ones in the winds, the soloist is barely heard (especially at the bottom). Because of this curious lack of presence, the 2nd movement hardly resonates. The violin part seems almost an obbligato voice to the full orchestra. The third movement fares much better. Sibelius often pits the natural tessitura of the violin against low sounds in the orchestra, so the violin stands out more. But even the scales right before the final flourish are much too subdued.

All in all, I would say that this was a bold attempt to interpret the Sibelius in a personal way, by an extremely gifted, young violinist. And to that extent, Bravo! Whether it is entirely successful or not depends on the listener. To this one, not quite so.

the best.......2005-06-04

By no means whimsically or freshly swayed by the beauty of the music itself, and after having listened to various interpretations including those of patent greats, it is clear to me that this work of Khachatryan's is the most measured, exact, and mellifluous of all. There is simply so much symmetry, meter in his notes. Yet, there is also fire, and so much more ever suggested. The only critique I can think of is that I WISH I could hear it live. This rendition belongs in the place where music meets itself -- realizing it sometimes forgets where it comes from: the genius of 2, and not one!

As for Khachatryan on Kchaturian, the oddysey continued.

Sibelius & Khatchaturian, by Khachatryan: Superb Music.......2004-10-05

We all know that fields of gravity cross and criss-cross our local solar system as planets spin in their orbits around our sun. We also may know of the immense amount of space debris that flurries this way and that, here and there and seemingly everywhere. When you put the two realities together, you may feel you are walking down a historic but neglected city street where the character of the neighborhood has fallen prey to transience and forgetfulness and poverty. We peer dimly into an unglorious human future for our civilization that promises only to be punctuated with inevitable crisis as one brute hand of circumstance or the other hammers in fits against the nearest wall of the human heart. If you find yourself noticing the dimming lights of humanism in our current era, then by all means you should get this CD and listen to it repeatedly before you make any major decisions.

Like a rising star against the velvet horizon edging an otherwise vaulted and gloomy night sky, the fiddler here is a new talent named Sergey Khachatryan. After listening to this disc, I am very pleased to report that he is indeed the genuine article. His energy and innocence demonstrate how much he still loves music. Unlike some artists of his generation, ... he is barely out of his late teens, ... the sheer physicality of his playing somehow demonstrates how profoundly one with his instrument a great artist may become. Sergey has apparent complete mastery of all that his fiddle may offer .... as if he were that magic Rumpelstiltskin of fairy tale who could spin gold from straw. This Sergey can also spin music shining with silver, platinum, and that rarest of metals ....joi de vivre. His fiddle is a Guarnerius on loan from some German fans, and he uses it to incredible and glorious effect. You are no doubt vulnerable to this spell to the extent that you may have been feeling like a princess locked in a high tower, away from the air and the sun and the green beauty of the fields. You may start to think that the violin is surely the King of Instruments.

Though Sergey is undoubtedly a representative of the true Russian school of violin playing, he represents an uncommon amalgam of talent with heritage. His string tone has a true emotional center, glowing with the sort of hot penetrating fire we have previously come to know and love in many Russian string players. Sergey's hot sound does not suffer any detriment from being compared with, say, David Oistrakh himself. But Sergey also has something else, something more. He has a kind of celestial luminosity and a Russian elegance (think, Leonid Kogan?) that transform and complete his string tone. The result is that his upper registers penetrate directly to the heart, without requiring any added noise or over-acting. At fast or slow tempos, his musical sound breathes or hovers or dances. Phrased alchemy purges all the base metals and leaves only the purest and most gleaming tonal treasure behind. This sort of fiddle playing is more ballet than athletics or tumbling.

It is no surprise to read that Kachatryan won the Helsinki Sibelius prize, several years back when he was only fifteen years old. Here on this CD he surely recreates, or perhaps even surpasses, that pinnacle. Sergey puts his considerable gifts completely at the disposal of the composer. He conjures both the composer as ordinary human being and as a kind of Finnish mystic. This CD is the first one in a very long time that I thought could rub shoulders with the legendary Jascha Heifitz recording, and hold a decent musical conversation with that great master as an equal. If anything, Khachatryan surpasses Heifitz in depth and breadth of deep humanity. Sergey has an uncanny yet musical heart as big as the famed Finnish forests.

To fill out the remainder of the disc, we are treated to Armenian composer Aram Khatchaturian's only violin concerto. On most fiddles, with most players, this concerto turns into an over-heated folk-festival of garish colors and heavy-handed dramatic pointing for both the solo violin and the rest of the orchestra. It is too easy for this concerto to go nowhere.

Applying himself, Sergey returns this concerto safely and brilliantly to the musical center. He finds narrative where other fiddlers find only repetition. He never, ever has to be loud to be convincing. The orientalized musical noodling in the slow movement that wears on your nerves with so many other fiddlers, becomes ever so mysteriously whispered. You find yourself hearing the authentic yet exotic voice of that famous story-teller, Sheherazade herself. There is perfume and romance, but communicatively embodied. I don't think I have ever before wanted to repeat the slow movement. But Sergey made me hear the Armenian soul of this concerto.

Well I have been so taken with the fiddler that I have hardly mentioned the conductor and the orchestra. They deserve high praise, too. The Sinfonia Varsovia is a wonderful band that can sound perfect for Mozart, but too small for Beethoven. Let loose upon the late Romantic breadth of each of these concertos, they finally sound perfectly fine for both. Emmanuel Krivine keeps tempos moving, but he never sounds superficial or rushed. He never seems to be embarrassed by the music's large gesture or the massed heft of the orchestra. He is content to be background for the soloist without lapsing in attention. The woodwinds are particularly distinguished. Thus, the wonder of this young fiddler is recognized and encouraged and fully supported by all involved. You feel as if everyone in Sinfonia Varsovia was paying just as much attention to their music, as was Sergey to his own. You feel that Krivine values both concertos as music of symphonic scope and power. In short, this CD can be very highly recommended on all counts. It is, indeed, a five star labor of great love.

STAR FROM THE EAST.......2004-07-24

It would be interesting to try a minor experiment with this record. Play some extract from it - almost any part would do - to some experienced musicians and ask them simply to picture the soloist. If the image of a small and slightly-built teenager comes to anyone's mind I shall be very surprised indeed. In his contribution to the liner note Sergey Khachatryan notes that his next project is to be Shostakovich. It was in Shostakovich that I heard him two weeks ago with the BBC Philharmonic, and mightily impressed I was. What Khachatryan's playing has is quality - quality in the tone, quality in the phrasing, quality in the rhythm, and I need hardly say total and perfect quality in the intonation.

This record was made in July 2003. It was time to get a cd version of the Sibelius anyhow to supplement my LP account of the first recording of the work, done in 1935 but sounding surprisingly well still, by Heifetz and Beecham, and this particular soloist struck me as a good bet. So it has turned out. For me, the Sibelius concerto sometimes works and sometimes not. In his thoughtful book on the composer Robert Layton hints that its style is not completely consistent, and I have heard many performances that leave me feeling the same way. From the symphonies it would be hard to imagine Sibelius as a concerto writer, not a difficulty one would experience in listening to Mozart Beethoven or Brahms as symphonists. Nothing in the finales of the Sibelius symphonies is remotely suggestive of concerto style for one thing. When it comes to the bit, Sibelius turns out a finale in something at least resembling the normal idiom of such, a slow movement with more 19th century lyricism than is customary from him, and a first movement that is a strange mixture of that kind of lyricism and a remote cold idiom that reminds me that the fourth symphony was not far in the future. This is presumably what left Mr Layton less than convinced, but the right artists can overcome the difficulty as I have always felt Heifetz and Beecham do triumphantly. And now here is Khachatryan, with the Sinfonia Varsovia under Emmanuel Krivine, pulling off the trick again. Speeds in the outer movements are a little slower, but speed is not the issue. The issue is -- is this work really coherent? If it can be, it must be.

Khachaturian, for me, is not really a heavyweight composer. He is not quite so relentlessly traditional in idiom as Myaskovsky, but nothing here and not much elsewhere in his work can surely have given much difficulty to Zhdanov. Naturally the Armenian elements in his music have a special significance for the soloist, and even from my own standpoint the slow movement, a very long one, rises to real eloquence particularly near the end. The soloist shows the same mastery as in the Sibelius, although I fancy his task was a little easier, and the work is a thoroughly welcome addition to my collection.

In general I was impressed by the Sinfonia Varsovia, particularly by some vivid woodwind work in the first movement of the Sibelius. The recording is good in general too, if just a touch rowdy in some of the bigger tuttis, but we have got used to such a high standard these days that we can now afford to be very particular indeed. I feel privileged to have heard an emerging superstar so early in his career. If he is as mature and accomplished as this now, what is he going to develop into? I read his plans with interest in the liner note. These are fairly conservative, as I suppose we might expect at this stage, and I might even be persuaded to listen to the Tchaikovsky concerto if I get the chance to hear it from Khachatryan.

A Stunning Début.......2004-06-05

I had the pleasure of hearing the American recital début of violinist Sergey Khachatryan a year or so ago. I was extremely impressed by his playing - not only his virtuosity and élan but the remarkable maturity for someone so young; he was born in 1985. I've been on the lookout for any recordings he might make. This disc containing both the Sibelius and Khachaturian concerti lives up to my expectations. Indeed, I would put his Sibelius performance up against any I've ever heard. I can't pretend to have heard all the extant recordings of the Sibelius but I am familiar with those of Leonid Kavakos (in both versions - with the original finale as well as the one Sibelius replaced it with), Mutter, Mullova, Perlman, and of the irreplaceable Oistrakh. The best performance I ever heard live was an incandescent one by Pinchas Zukerman. Khachatryan may be over the top at times in this piece, especially in the finale, but the concerto can benefit from this kind of all-out approach. The Sinfonia Varsovia, which I take to have a rather smallish string section, has a lean sound that actually benefits the piece. Conductor Emmanuel Krivine occasionally lets the music almost bog down in the second movement and I truly believe he is led away from that by the relaxed but always forward-moving playing of his soloist, young Mr Khachatryan. The sound of the orchestra at the beginning of that second movement is ravishing and it is matched by the stunning sotto voce entrance of the soloist.

The Khachaturian benefits from a red-blooded performance; this is not subtle music. The orchestra's lean profile could have benefitted from a fuller string sound, but it's not a big matter. I feel fairly sure that Khachatryan's Armenian background informs his feel for the folk-inflected melodies used by his Armenian near-namesake, Aram Khachaturian; this is particularly true in the melismatic Orientalisms of the second movement. In the faster passages there is a raw energy and edge in Khachatryan's playing that makes the music almost unbearably visceral, and I suspect that this is precisely the approach Khachaturian had in mind. Whether or no, it is an exciting reading. Young Khachatryan has slancio to spare and he is matched in this by Krivine and his Polish orchestra. Again, the benchmark recording for this concerto is David Oistrakh's 1944 effort, but Khachatryan's is in very nearly the same class and has the advantage of being in modern sound. I must add, though, that there is a spiffy new recording on Naxos played by Mihaela Martin that also includes Khachaturian's less-known 'Concerto Rhapsody' for violin and orchestra. Still, this one is a bit more exhilarating.

Highly recommended.

Scott Morrison

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1. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35
2. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35
3. Violin Concerto In D Major Op. 35
4. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47
5. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47
6. Violin Concerto In D Minor Op. 47