Tchaikovsky, Myaskovsky: Violin Concertos

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The catalogue abounds with great recordings of the Tchaikovsky, from Heifetz to Vengerov, but when a new one is as fresh and exciting as this one, it's folly to pass it by. Repin has the big, full-bodied tone to play the work with the lush energy it requires, and between them, he and Gergiev strike sparks with their open-hearted, emotionally grand reading. Even if you have many versions of the Tchaikovsky, the Myaskovsky is a must-have for lovers of Romantic violin concertos. It's chock-full of hummable tunes, an achingly lovely slow movement with gorgeous violin pirouettes around enchanting wind solos, and a zippy finale where Repin's bowing and pizzicatos are dazzling. And the orchestra really struts its stuff. Adding to the impact of this disc is that these are live recordings in vibrant sound. --Dan Davis

Tchaikovsky, Myaskovsky: Violin Concertos, Music, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Myaskovsky, Valery Gergiev, Vadim Repin, Kirov Orchestra, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral & Symphonic, Violin Concerto

Average customer rating:

Amazing!!!

Beautiful Recordings

The Fiddler Mounts a Warhorse and Rides on a Stallion!

Repin is excellent, Gergiev is not

Fantastic

Violin Concertos
Nikolay Myaskovsky , Valery Gergiev , Vadim Repin , and Kirov Orchestra
Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Chopin: 4 Ballades / Perahia

Tchaikovsky Symphonic Poems / Manfred Symphony

ASIN: B00006L77E
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Canzonetta
III. Finale: Allegro Vivacissimo
I. Allegro
II. Adagio E Molto Cantabile
III. Allegro Molto - Allegro Scherzando

Amazon.com

The catalogue abounds with great recordings of the Tchaikovsky, from Heifetz to Vengerov, but when a new one is as fresh and exciting as this one, it's folly to pass it by. Repin has the big, full-bodied tone to play the work with the lush energy it requires, and between them, he and Gergiev strike sparks with their open-hearted, emotionally grand reading. Even if you have many versions of the Tchaikovsky, the Myaskovsky is a must-have for lovers of Romantic violin concertos. It's chock-full of hummable tunes, an achingly lovely slow movement with gorgeous violin pirouettes around enchanting wind solos, and a zippy finale where Repin's bowing and pizzicatos are dazzling. And the orchestra really struts its stuff. Adding to the impact of this disc is that these are live recordings in vibrant sound. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!!!.......2005-11-27

After reading many positive reviews of this recording I decided to give it a try! I have a couple of different versions of the concerto by Tchaikovsky, but this one is really ouststanding!

Repin plays with a passion that leaves you breathless! It is quite amazing! If you like this concerto you have to give this recording a try! You'll love it!

The Myaskovsky violin concerto is an excellent coupling! A beautiful concerto indeed!

Beautiful Recordings.......2005-07-29

There are many excellent recordings of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and this one is among them. It is ironic that the concerto was so poorly received. The comment by the Viennese music critic Hanslick, that Tchaikovsky's music smelled bad to the ears, has long since been discredited but at the premiere of the concerto in 1881 such comments devastated the composer. Today, the Tchaikovsky is universally accepted as among the most beautiful of concertos for the violin.

This was this first time I heard the Siberian born violinist Vadim Repin and from the instant he plays he astonishes. His control and phrasing is simply amazing. The tone of his 1708 Stradivarius is phenomenal. In Repin's hands the instrument sings. The Kirov Orchestra plays beautifully with excellent phrasing and Valery Gergiev is responsive to the shadings of the music. This disc joined the other records I have of the Tchaikovsky by Heifitz, Yehudi Menuhin and David Oistrakh.

I find I disagree with the reviewer who criticized the choice of including the Myaskovsky Violin Concerto. This certainly is a concerto that deserves to be better known. There are too many Violin Concertos that are languishing because the more popular ones are programmed. I would much rather have a coupling that would include the Bruch 3rd or the Saint-Sans 2nd than yet another Tchaikovsky/Sibelius combination.

A close friend of Prokofiev, Nicolai Myaskovsky remained in Russia following the October Revolution. His violin concerto was composed in 1938 and was first performed by David Oistrakh in 1939 (and recorded by him). Myaskovsky spent time studying other violin concerti before writing his own, deciding that instead of bravura piece his would be a concerto to interest a virtuoso. It is, like much of Myaskovsky's music, brooding in character. The long first movement, at almost 20 minutes, is longer than the remaining parts of the concerto; it beings with a dramatic theme that will reoccur during the movement and is generally melancholy in tone. The soloist has a long cadenza that allows a display of virtuosity. The middle movement is lyrical and the dance-like theme of the finale bring the concerto to a close on a high note. This is a concerto that the listener will find more beautiful with each hearing. Vadim Repin is beautifully eloquent in this concerto, again marvelously supported by Gergiev and the Kirov.

This is definitely a CD to have even it you already have recordings of either (or both) concertos already.

The Fiddler Mounts a Warhorse and Rides on a Stallion!.......2005-04-30

While there are no performers who can permanently claim or be bestowed ownership of a certain musical work, it seems that for the time at least Vadim Repin has made Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto his imprint on performance history. The 34-year-old Siberian violinist is a stunningly fine musician and performer and instantly makes his presence on the stage pulsatile. Having just had the privilege of hearing Repin play this concerto in the inimitable acoustic of Disney Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic guest conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya encouraged me to add this recording with Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra and while the magic of a live performance where Repin commands the stage and the aural atmosphere can never be duplicated on CD, this 'live performance' comes as close to that immediacy as any available.

Repin plays a Stradivarius 'Ruby' 1708 violin and the range of color and tone and digital dexterity response he pulls form that instrument is nothing short of magnificent. At every point on Tchaikovsky's demanding concerto's spectrum Repin is in complete and impassioned control. He is a technical wizard, but more important he is a poet. The Andante movement is disarmingly plangent and luminous. Some may feel that Gergiev's orchestral support is not as committed to emotion as it is to dazzling effects, but the two seem to hold a like view of the work and the collaboration is sound. The performance with the LA Phil found more introspection and sensitive phrasing, but this live performance on CD is full of glories.

Including the Myaskovsky concerto on the same CD is a welcome bonus for those unfamiliar with this ultra-romantic composer's output. Repin and Gergiev give this richly melodic work a spellbinding performance.

Vadim Repin has the talent, the bravura, and the eloquence to enter to the upper echelon of current violinists. The fact that he is also committed to performing contemporary works in addition to the sure-to-please standard repertoire speaks well for his musicianship and dedication to his craft. This is an excellent addition to everyone's library, no matter how many 'favorites' of these works you own. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 05

Repin is excellent, Gergiev is not.......2004-04-28

Repin's performance of these 2 concertos is excellent. He captures the mood and technical difficulties superbly, however, Gergiev tempos are much too fast in the Tchaikovsky, which lessens the beauty of this work and forces Repin to play too fast. I just could not savor the music and the phrasing. Much of the nuances get lost, and it does not add to the drama as you might expect a fast tempo to do. Philips recording has a problem with balance. Repin's violin is much too loud compared to the orchestra which lessens the impact of the crescendos. The Myaskovsky concerto is good, but I would agree with one review that recommended Oistrakh performance (available on Classica D'Oro #9006 or #2010 or Pearl #9295) or get Grubert's performance on Naxos (ASIN: B0000DJEM3). For the Tchaikovsky, I highly recommend the Milstein/Abbado recording on Decca 460619, which captures the phrasing, poetry, beauty and drama of the Tchaikovsky.

Fantastic.......2004-04-04

I cannot say whether technically this recording and artistry is better than the so called standard by Vengerov but I can say that it leaves one breathless.The Vengerov version is also beautiful but this seems to sparkle.

Average customer rating:

Underpriced
Superb survey of one of the all-time greatest violinists

Violin Concertos [Box Set]

Manufacturer: Brilliant Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Brilliant Classics | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0009VI51G
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Customer Reviews:

Underpriced.......2006-12-19

It is incredible to me that I was able to purchase ten discs of probably the single greatest violinist of the century tackling immortal masterpieces for less than the cost of a utility bill.

You are thinking, "where's the catch?" Well, there is none. The transfers are excellent, the performances, of course, are superb. The only corner-cutting to be found was in the packaging, but even that was more than sufficient.

All these riches made me greedy, though. I wish there was Bartok 2 as well as 1, same with Szymanowski. I wish there was Khatchaturian. But how spoiled I am to be complaining! There is so much here to be enjoyed, from the crags of Szymanowski and the peaks of Beethoven to the cool, dark valleys of Chausson. If you only ever buy one violin box set, buy this one.

Superb survey of one of the all-time greatest violinists.......2005-08-28

We haven't been exactly short on releases by the great David Oistrakh, whether in the LP days or on CD. The trouble was that his recorded legacy - one of the most extensive in history by any violinist - has been made accessible through a multitude of labels, often in a haphazard fashion, and even more often for a very short time. The arrival of this new 10 CD-box has to be saluted for its effort to group a splendid selection of live recordings by Oistrakh made in the USSR between 1939 and 1968 with the Moscow Philharmonic, the Leningrad Philharmonic and the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra, with some of the foremost conductors of the day (Alexander Gauk, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kurt Sanderling).

Undoubtedly, collectors will already have the majority of the recordings presented here (although a lot is no longer available), but this box covers all the great concertos and as a survey of the art of "King David" it is presently unbeatable.

The sound quality is variable, of course, but totally acceptable regarding the age of some of the documents.