Saint-Saëns: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

On this CD:

1. Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 1, in D minor, Op. 75
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Andres Cardenes, Doris Stevenson

2. Sonata for Violin & Piano No. 2, in E flat major, Op. 102
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Andres Cardenes, Doris Stevenson

Customer Reviews:

TRACK LISTING.......2005-12-04

TRACKS:
1. Massenet: 'Meditation' from Thais
2. Faure: I. Allegro molto (Sonata No. 1 in A Major for Violin and Piano, Op. 13)
3. Faure: Andante
4. Faure: Allegro vivo
5. Faure: Allegro quasi presto
6. Saint-Saens: Havanaise, Op. 83
7. Franck: I. Allegretto ben moderato (Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano)
8. Franck: Allegro
9. Franck: Recitativo - Fanatasia: Ben moderato
10. Franck: Allegretto poco mosso

Average customer rating:

Interesting CD
Impressive Poulenc... 4 1/2 stars
Fiery, sharp, delicate and bold, yet sophisticated
Midori is an amazing and talented violinist!!

French Violin Sonatas
Midori , Debussy , Poulenc , and Saint-Saens
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Midori ~ Sibelius - Violin Concerto · Bruch - Scottish Fantasy / Israel PO · Mehta

ASIN: B00006GOA7
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Amazon.com

This beautiful recording displays Midori at her radiant best. Her virtuosity is entirely at the service of the music; her tone is lovely, pure, intense, and expressive, and she adapts it to style, mood, and atmosphere with bow and vibrato. The Poulenc Sonata, written in 1942-43 and dedicated to the memory of Federico Garcia Lorca, is unsettled and unsettling. Irresolute, unpredictable, it veers between stormy turbulence and pleading lyricism. The slow movement is dreamy, tender, improvisatory, with echoes of Debussy; the Finale, called "Presto tragico," is aggressive and almost cheerful, becoming truly tragic only in the last pages. Midori captures its mood swings, from passion to serenity, with unerring poise.

The Debussy Sonata, written in 1917 and his final work, is a unique masterpiece. Free yet coherent in form, infinitely imaginative, it combines languid sensuousness, assertive vitality, and sardonic grotesquerie. One would never guess that he was battling illness and the ravages of war at the time. Clearing its formidable technical hurdles with consummate ease, Midori brings out the work's color, character, and expression, taking great liberties with tempo and rhythm, but carefully avoiding exaggeration.

The Saint-Saëns Sonata, written in 1885, is a bravura piece for both instruments, but its rapturous melodies, original rhythms, and expressive contrast give it weight and substance. Its four movements are linked in pairs; the first alternates menacing drama with soaring lyricism, the second is a songful Aria, the third a charming Scherzo. In the Finale, the players chase each other in a marathon "perpetual motion," broken by an occasional melodic outburst in the violin. Naturally, the performance is dazzling, but even here, Midori succeeds in making the brilliance subservient to the music. The record's only flaw is the balance: the piano consistently overpowers the violin. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Interesting CD.......2007-05-11

Midori can always be counted on for great recordings, and this is no exception. After hearing probably 20 different people play the Debussy sonata, I'd probably say that this is my second-favorite recording (the first is a live one with Oistrakh and Frida Bauer from the 1960s.) The reviewer below mentioned Kyung-Wha Chung and Radu Lupu as their favorite...well, it's not bad but to quote one of my colleagues, "Chung is way too angular for Debussy." Anyhow, back to this disc.... The Saint-Saens sonata is the highlight. When I first heard this, I had a hard time forgetting the Heifetz/Brooks Smith discing that is just fricking amazing. But after listening to it a few times, I think I like Midori's equally well. Heifetz often played slow movements too fast, and fast movements too fast. Midori's tempos, for just about everything, are much more sensible. In the second movement, she plays the sixteenths in separate bows, which makes it far more interesting. The last movement is paced pretty well too.

Impressive Poulenc... 4 1/2 stars.......2002-12-20

Francis Poulenc wrote three violin sonatas and threw out the first two. We already know that this sonata was dedicated to the emotional violinist Ginette Neveu and that it was written between 1942-1943, think long and hard about the feelings of a French impressionist composer trying to compose while a war is going on for a soloist who plays with unbelievable beauty. Of course the result is a moody yet beautiful composition worthy of attention.

There are few recordings of this work, of the ones I have heard include Grumiaux, Menuhin, Van Keulen, Suk (grandson of the composer), and Kang. I actually like the Grumiaux recording the best but it is only available in Japan and I liked this recording almost as much.

Midori has a very colorful violin tone, a lush vibrato, and a sense of romance in her playing. I remembered thinking of how her Paganini Caprices recording was so colorful and romantic sounding. While I believe this is the wrong approach to play Paganini, I did think she had incredible warmth and feeling in her playing and wanted to hear her play something more in that direction. So here it is, a rarely played masterpiece that has plenty of room for emotional expression. This piece perfectly fits her style and she delivers with a great sounding recording.

The Debussy sonata is much more popular but I don't know why. Forgive me but I don't really listen to it much because I really don't enjoy his violin sonata as much as his great composition "Images" 1 & 2 and many other chamber works. Therefore I will not comment on this performance of the Debussy.

The Saint Saens is my favorite sonata ever written, I recommend the recording of Gil Shaham as alternative to this one.

I completely recommend this CD without hesitation for a great performance of the Poulenc.

Fiery, sharp, delicate and bold, yet sophisticated.......2002-11-01

In this new disc, Midori shows an edgier side of her without losing her usual balancing act.

She sounds miraculous throughout, especially in Poulenc. In Poulenc, sounding so fiery but also very calm at the same time, Midori effectively brings out dichotomizing qualities of the work in a razor sharp performance. Each very fine detail is delicately yet boldly realized with subtle shading of color with such a broad palette, but she never misses the whole view of the music. The contrast between the introverted side and the extroverted side is so beautifully rendered in great depth that the impression of the music would last for a very long time.

Midori's Debussy sounds very very sharp and aggressive (in an extra refined manner as always). But I have to say that such conviction also sounds very imposing, and it lost spontaneity and fantasy from the piece. It felt like as if I were enjoying a very modern art piece in a minimal space... meaning lack of an organic quality; She sounds beautiful but not so engaging. I would recommend Kyung-Wha Chung/Radu Lupu for Debussy.

Then, a great joy comes back with Saint Saens violin sonata. Sounding fiery again, but also with sweeter tones and mesmerizing technique, Midori sounds just breathtaking, especially at the dashing finale. Most violinists play this piece by beautifying each phrase in a calculative way, but Midori brings "wholeness" into the piece. She also gives the piece more weights, but also brings out some "lightness" with clarity and speed.

I also have to mention that the piano (Robert McDonald) sounds just great. He shares the equal weight, and the communication between the violin and the piano is spot-on accurate yet spontaneous. Also I actually liked the recording balance. The piano comes much more forward and sounds magical.

Midori is an amazing and talented violinist!!.......2002-09-25

I bought this cd on a whim, because I wanted to listen to new classical music. Although, I have heard of Camille St.Saens, but I wasn't familiar with Francis Poulenc. Anybody who loves great violin pieces, should buy this cd. In my opinion, I would compare Midori to Joshua Bell, Sarah Chang, and Hillary Hahn. So, if you're looking for unfamiliar classical music played with not only technical excellence but with passion, I suggest you get this cd now!!

Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto and Sonatas

Average customer rating:

Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto and Sonatas

Manufacturer: Novalis
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Romance of the Violin

ASIN: B000007TQ5
Release Date: 2000-09-15

Tracks:

Con No.3 in b, Op.61: Allegro Non Troppo
Con No.3 in b, Op.61: Andantino Quasi Allegretto
Con No.3 in b, Op.61: Molto Moderato E Maestoso
Son No.2 in E-flat, Op.102: 1. Poco Allegro Piu Tosto Moderato
Son No.2 in E-flat, Op.102: 2. Scherzo-Vivace
Son No.2 in E-flat, Op.102: 3. Andante
Son No.2 in E-flat, Op.102: 4. Allegro Grazioso, Non Presto
Son No.1 in d, Op.75: 1. Allegro Agitato-
Son No.1 in d, Op.75: Adagio
Son No.1 in d, Op.75: 2. Allegretto Moderato
Son No.1 in d, Op.75: Allegro Molto

Franck/Saint-Saens/Ravel: Sonatas for Violin & Piano

Average customer rating:

Fine Performances from Chang and Vogt of These Three "Impressionist" Violin Sonatas
Music reminiscent of things past
French or fussy?
Franck/Saint-Saens/Ravel: Sonatas for Violin & Piano

Franck/Saint-Saens/Ravel: Sonatas for Violin & Piano
Sarah Chang , and Lars Vogt
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fire & Ice
Sweet Sorrow

ASIN: B0001E8C0A
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Tracks:

I: Allegretto Ben Moderato
II: Allegro - Quasi Lento - Tempo I - Poco Piu Lento - Animato Poco A Poco
III: Recitativo-Fantasia: Ben Moderato - Molto Lento - A Tempo Moderato
IV: Allegretto Poco Mosso
I: Allegro Agitato
Adagio
II: Allegretto Moderato
Allegro Molto
I: Allegretto - Andante
II: Blues: Moderato
III: Perpetuum Mobile: Allegro

Amazon.com

Chang, who made her recording debut at age 9, is now a thoroughly mature artist. She demonstrates this on the current CD in numerous ways. She has chosen an equal collaborator to share the spotlight, and she has selected an intelligent coupling of three major French Violin Sonatas which are close in time (1885-1927) but very diverse in their stylistic demands. The St.-Saëns, earliest by a year, is a romantic work, but this composer tempers his romanticism with strictly classical form and Bachian rhythmic strictness. In the Franck, these performers are rather individual in their approach, fervent enough (and very well balanced, the piano in the foreground when it needs to be) but keeping it under restraint instead of going all-out with extravagant gestures. Ravel's "blues" movement doesn't get hammed up here, as it sometimes does, but is integrated into the composer's real approach which is more neoclassical than romantic. The disc provides an excellent listening program, and hearing these performers meet the varying requirements of the pieces so well makes it a real treat to hear, in very clear and realistic sound. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Fine Performances from Chang and Vogt of These Three "Impressionist" Violin Sonatas.......2007-02-09

I will admit that I am not nearly as familiar with these three fine, yet stylistically different, violin sonatas composed by three French "Impressionist" composers (I use the term "Impressionist" loosely since these three lived during most, if not all, the Impressionist art movement in France.) as their other, more familiar, vast works for orchestra. Regardless, I was most impressed by the beautiful, lyrical quality of Sarah Chang's playing, in which she successfully tackles the technical demands imposed in these three pieces. In the young German pianist Lars Vogt she has found a suitable chamber musician partner, whose own dynamic, vibrant playing of the piano doesn't overshadow Chang's playing, but instead, complements it quite well (I'm puzzled as to how some other reviewers have contended here that Vogt's playing seems to overwhelm Chang's, since I found both to offer extremely vibrant, quite vivid performances of each of the sonatas.). Indeed, the sound quality of this recording is quite vivid and natural, replete with sonic intimacy one might expect from a chamber music recital in a small concert hall. The only reason why I am not willing to bestow highest honors on this recording is because I'm not convinced that their splendid playing truly reaches the artistic heights I've heard from others, most notably from violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Vladimir Askenazy in a distinguished Decca recording of the Franck sonata that I had heard years before.

Music reminiscent of things past.......2006-01-14

Without squarely being idiomatic within the French tradition, Sarah Chang and Lars Vogt give a frequently illuminating recital of three sonatas here. The Franck Sonata in A is the most frequently recorded of the three sonatas on this program. Lars Vogt provides a very warm, atmospheric opening to the first movement, and breaks into a kind of reverie for lyrical outpourings several places to follow (including in the third movement), even catching Chang up in the fantasy of much of the writing. Only a little too much attention to nuance a couple of times, in weightier passages, impedes the line and thus sounds self-conscious.

Lars Vogt opens the difficult second movement poco marcato, and with excellent forward motion, but then half a minute in and also where this same passagework recapitulates four minutes later, listen to his shaping of sequential lines, into which he lets Chang tacitly wander in, yet without the least amount of strain toward being heard. The repeated note spiccato, approached without the least bit of hesitation and with piquant touch, Chang keeps seamless with the quiet closing theme interlude that has preceded it. Some playing at arguably at too soft a dynamic sounds a bit self-conscious a ways into the third movement, but Chang gives this music the big gesture early on, and Vogt's playing of the reprise of the opening of the sonata sounds truly impressionistic six minutes in.

No movement of any of the three sonatas on this disc is more effective than the finale to the Franck. For once, even after hearing Bell, Perlman (especially affected with Argerich), and Heifetz, the lyrical subject that opens this movement sounds entirely open and not the least bit affected. Vogt extends the time on quarter note octaves on reprise of the big passages from the movement before, to avoid playing with less than firm, fully rounded tone. No other version in stereo or digital of this entire sonata gives the listener a more natural perspective on this music, apart from the Philips with Artur Grumiaux and Gyorgy Sebok (paired with the two Faure sonatas, with J P Crossley at the keyboard). Shaham/Oppitz, paired with the Saint-Saens is a viable alternative, as is to some extent Perlman/Ashkenazy, and even perhaps the too closely recorded Chung/Lupu. Bell/Thibaudet, also on Decca, is dry, antiseptic and inadequately tuned from Joshua Bell at a few critical junctures in it. For historical, continue to rely on the Thibaud/Cortot on EMI.

On first listening, the music in the Saint-Saens D Minor Sonata, seems to succumb a bit to note-spinning. The two artists here, however, under closer scrutiny, sustain interest to the extent that nothing in this sonata, after repeated listening, seems to have been written in anything approaching gratuitous excess. Saint-Saens' deftly pointed manipulation of form is always ever clear, and at the same time, the insouciant charm of this music is never far away. Where Gil Shaham and Gerhard Oppitz (DGG) go for the surface brilliance of the last two movements. Vogt and Chang only fall for bombast right before the end of the finale, but moreover find a tone of introspection for the scherzo and Mendelssohnian play for the finale that elude Shaham and Oppitz. Some lovely arpeggi and mildly spectral sounding trills, to reintroduce the first theme of the adagio is especially compelling from Sarah Chang. This is a version of the Saint-Saens that, if it does not rise to definitive, is as close to getting there as possible without doing so. Five stars here.

Feeling for the Ravel is a little less intimate, confident, assured than for the Saint-Saens especially, but the command of line and colour, especially in passages where it counts, is always just as assured. The most important first movement is entirely very fine, very relaxed in passages with the most sparse writing, solo violin for several pages over moving around in simple perfect fifths from the keyboard. Vogt deftly makes chimes out of parallel major sevenths, whereas Chang in more dramatic rhetoric, cascades over repeated note tremoli, following a piano part that gradually recedes from a harmonically full and dissonantly colored climax. Once having diminished back to bare bones toward the end of this passage, the music leaves Chang's closing tremoli as played near the frog, with such a chill on them to sound practically animistic. For contrast, Chang immediately follows this, with a full-toned and from Vogt long cantabile line, into which she has unobtrusively just found or woven her way "Blues" starts off just about right, loose-limbed enough, if arguably the pizzicati toward the end from Chang are plucked just a little more aggressively than may need to be the case. The perpetuum mobile finale, the first fast movement in the piece, gets its due brilliance and in sharp relief, flashes of colour that early on directly remind of the finale of the G Major Piano Concerto. A passage of less intense repeated note tremoli from Chang is noteworthy and reminds the listener of similar that has occurred in the first movement.

The insightful liner notes make much of Proustian associations for especially the Franck and Saint-Saens, the Saint-Saens sonata in this context being as such to belong to, for playing it at least, Vinteuil, who plays violin in Remembrance of Things Past. The almost consistently poetic sense behind and intimate feeling that imbues so much playing on this disc, and with more detail than I can make note of here, reminisces of a better time past as well.

French or fussy?.......2005-08-01

Chang has never struck me as a particularly individual player, though she is often described as bold. Like the previous reviewer, I thought her Ravel and St-Saens were good, particularly the St-Saens. The Franck suffers from an excess of restraint that sometimes is effective, but elsewhere serves no good purpose and makes the music seem flabby. Canon though it be, the fourth movement of the Franck is not tightly constructed, and benefits from a gutsier approach, emphasizing the emotional rather than structural logic of the piece. All that said, Chang's tone is uncommonly sweet, and her St-Saens is perfectly judged.

Franck/Saint-Saens/Ravel: Sonatas for Violin & Piano.......2005-03-15

Sarah Chang's lyricism and command of the violin combined with french romantism worked beautifully in this cd.However with her Franck, i often feel that the piano on several ocassions overpowered the violin (especially the 4th movement) and Chang's rendition was rather weak sounding.In contrary, or amazingly, in the d-minor by saint saens, both of them worked wonderfully, were well balanced. Chang and her Del Gesu was the perfect combination for the saint saens.In the Ravel, i particularly enjoyed how Chang phrased his music. Despite the crazy compositon, everything was in place and neat.

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Fantastic Fournier

Les Introuvables de Pierre Fournier

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Beethoven: Complete Works for Cello & Piano
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Lazar Berman Edition (Box Set)

ASIN: B0000241DO
Release Date: 2002-08-05

Tracks:

Cello Concerto No. 2 In D Major, H. 7b Op. 101
Cello Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129
Phantasiestke (3 Fantasy Pieces) For Clarinet (Or Cello Or Violin) & Piano, Op
Variations On A Rococo Theme, For Cello & Orchestra (Or Cello & Piano) In A Majo
Sonata For Cello & Piano No. 1 In F Major, Op. 5/1
Sonata For Cello & Piano No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 5/2
Sonata For Cello & Piano No. 3 In A Major, Op. 69
Sonata For Cello & Piano No. 4 In C Major, Op. 102/1
Sonata For Cello & Piano No. 5 In D Major, Op. 102/2
Sonata For Arpeggione & Piano In A Minor, D.821
Pieces For Children Big And Small For Piano, 4 Hands Op. 85
Feldeinsamkeit ("Ich Ruhe Still Im Hohen Gren Gras"), Song For Voice & Piano,
Romance For Cello & Piano, Op. 69
Shylock, Incidental Music And Suite For Tenor & Orch., Op. 57
Mavra, Opera Buffa In One Act
Nocturne For Violin (Or Flute) & Piano
Melody In F, Various Arrangements, Op. 3/1
Introduction & Polonaise Brilliante For Cello & Piano In C Major, Op. 3
Song Without Words For Cello & Piano In D Major, Op. 109
Le Coq D'or (The Golden Cockerel; Zolotoy Petushok), Concert Suite For Orchestra
The Tale Of Tsar Saltan, Op. 57
Carnival Of The Animals, Zoological Fantasy For 2 Pianos & Ensemble
Berceuse, For Violin & Piano (Or Orchestra) In D Major, Op. 16
Tonadillas Al Estilo Antiguo, Songs (10) For Voice & Piano, H. 136
Goyescas (Serenata Goyesca; Dusk), For Piano, H. 63
La Gitana For Violin & Piano (After An 18th Century Arabo-Spanish Gypsy Song)
Papillon, For Cello & Piano, Op. 77
L' Enfant Prodigue, Sce Lyrique For Voices & Orchestra, L. 57
Pie En Forme De Habanera, For Solo Instrument & Keyboard (Arr.)
Kaddisch, Song For Voice & Piano (Modie Hraue No. 1)
O Mensch, Bewein' Dein' Sde Gross, Chorale Prelude For Organ (Orgel-Bhlein N
Herzlich Tut Mich Verlangen, Chorale Prelude For Organ, Bwv 727 (Bc K109)
Ich Ruf Zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ (I), Chorale Prelude For Organ (Orgel-Bhlein
Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland (I), Chorale Prelude For Organ (Orgel-Bhlein No. 1
Sonata For Cello & Continuo In C Major, G. 6 (Six Sonatas No. 2)

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Fournier.......2004-02-16

On this 4CD EMI Import, the great cellist Pierre Fournier performs a variety of orchestral and chamber recordings, recorded primarily in mono from the 1940s and early 50s. There are three orchestral works -- Haydn's 2nd Concerto (Kubelik/Philharmonia, 1951), Schumann's Concerto (Sargent/Philharmonia, 1956 in stereo), and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations (Bigot/Lamoureux, 1941). Disc two, and half of disc three, contain Beethoven Cello Sonatas with the great Artur Schnabel, while the fourth disc features a variety of pieces, from Bach and Boccherini to Debussy and Ravel, with pianist Gerald Moore. I'm withholding a fifth star because the collection contains mostly historical recordings, though it certainly captures one of history's greatest cellists in his prime. With that being said, "Les Introuvables de Pierre Fournier" is a must buy for cello entusiasts.

Saint-Saens: Sonatas for cello No2; Concertos for cello in Dm

Average customer rating:

Little known and interesting
A Great Recording of Little Know Saint Saens

Saint-Saens: Sonatas for cello No2; Concertos for cello in Dm
Camille Saint-Saëns , Christoph Eschenbach , Steven Isserlis , Joshua Bell , Pascal Devoyon , and NRD-Sinfonieorchester
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1; Sonata No. 1; Romances
Martinu: Cello Sonatas
Cello World
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Steven Isserlis plays Works for Cello and Orchestra

ASIN: B00004U64W
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

Vc Con No.2, Op.119: Allegro Moderato E Maestoso; Andante Sostenuto - Steven Isserlis
Vc Con No.2, Op.119: Allegro Non Troppo; Cadenza; Tempo I; Molto Allegro - Steven Isserlis
La Muse Et Le Poete, Op.132 - Steven Isserlis/Joshua Bell
Romance, Op.67 - Steven Isserlis
Vc Son No.2, Op.123: Maestoso, Largamente - Steven Isserlis/Pascal Devoyon
Vc Son No.2, Op.123: Scherzo Con Vars - Steven Isserlis/Pascal Devoyon
Vc Son No.2, Op.123: Romanza: Poco Adagio - Steven Isserlis/Pascal Devoyon
Vc Son No.2, Op.123: Allegro Non Troppo, Grazioso - Steven Isserlis/Pascal Devoyon

Amazon.com

Steven Isserlis is a splendid cellist with a consummate technique and a focused, intense tone capable of infinite variety. He's an enterprising, imaginative musician with a penchant for centering programs on a single composer or national idiom. He has recorded French sonatas for Virgin Classics, and for RCA, the works of Mendelssohn, John Taverner, Haydn, and Czech and Russian composers.

On his latest CD, Isserlis performs four relatively unfamiliar compositions of Saint-Saëns. Unfortunately, obscure works by a good composer are usually neglected for a reason. Indeed, the Second Concerto, Op. 119, and Second Sonata, Op. 123, presented here are inferior to their earlier counterparts in structural cohesion and melodic inspiration, though the Sonata contains an arresting, unusual Scherzo in the form of variations and a devout, dramatic slow movement. There are also two shorter pieces: Romance Op. 67, an appealingly melodious, slow, dreamy, subdued piece, and "La Muse et le Poète," Op. 132, for solo violin and cello with orchestra. An extended tone-poem, almost impressionist in its colorful orchestration, "La Muse" is mostly a rhapsodic dialogue between the two soloists, who unite only in a few climactic moments. Both parts are extremely difficult and continually ascend into the highest register.

Isserlis has chosen his partners wisely. Joshua Bell's brilliant virtuosity and radiant, soaring tone give the music a rapturous, ecstatic expressiveness. In the Sonata, pianist Pascal Devoyon, a specialist in French music who also partners with Isserlis on the French recording, is a marvelous collaborator. Isserlis plays with a combination of austere nobility and romantic ardor that bring out the music's strengths and conceal its weaknesses. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Little known and interesting.......2007-05-09

I've kicked around classical music for almost 50 years. I did not know these pieces. For me they are new and interesting. The performances are first rate and the recording up to the best modern standards.

Alas, the pieces do not have the intrinsic magnetism of the 1st Cello Concerto. But if you're into something unusual or trying to complete a Saint-Saens collection, you probably won't do better for these little-known and lesser recorded gems of the French master.

A Great Recording of Little Know Saint Saens.......2001-01-31

The works on this disc are not heard very often but is music that is certainly worthy of frequent hearing. This recording of the Second Cello Concerto follows upon an earlier recording of Saint Saens First with the same forces. The second concerto is more lyrical and less dramatic than the first and is cast in two movements. La Muse ET la poete is an interesting work with a dialogue between a violin (played by Joshua Bell) and a cello with orchestra. The romance is an interesting work with cello and horn as solo instruments. Perhaps the most dramatic work is the Cello Sonata, a brilliant work that is quite a showpiece for the cello. Steven Isserlis is wonderful in this recording and Christoph Eschenbach and the North German Radio Symphony ably support him. If you enjoy the music of Saint Saens it is worth exploring these lesser know works.

Decca Recordings, 1950-1960 (Limited Edition)

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The passion for the instrument!
It's About Time !!
Rewarding Ricci

Decca Recordings, 1950-1960 (Limited Edition)

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Virtuoso Violin
Oistrakh, Menuhin & Rostropovich Play Bach, Brahms & Mozart (EMI Classic Archive 18)
David Oistrakh: Brahms/Sibelius/Tchaikovsky

ASIN: B0000B0A0O
Release Date: 2003-11-25

Customer Reviews:

The passion for the instrument!.......2006-11-05

After having watched Ricci six times during two long decades in Caracas, I even can evocate and still remember with meridian clarity, the powerful sound, the enraptured vibratos and vibrant staccatos to produce an expressive sound, without excess of the Romantic vision of violinists such as Menuhin, for instance. Thanks to Ricci I always preferred the Guarnerius del Gesu 1734 rather than the well know Stradivarius sound.

This album contains a very special selection that talks by itself about his overwhelming technique and voluptuous lyricism.

His approach about two of his most beloved composers, Paganini and Sarasate are simply illuminating. But the sound talks better than any other compliment. Go for this five albums set and enjoy over and over about one of the most distinguished violinists of the past Century.

It's About Time !!.......2005-03-28

I've been waiting for these Ricci productions to be transferred to CD for years and years. Why did it take so long?

Ricci, to me, is an astounding violinist who loves his instrument. Don't expect Ruggiero to play like anyone else; he is
unique among fiddle players. Ricci is, well, Ricci.

I once owned everything he recorded in the 50's and 60's; much
of it can be found here. And, make no mistake, these recordings
were mastered on state-of-the-art equipment and do not sound dated at all.

You will not find cookie-cutter performances from Ruggiero Ricci.
Here you will find a new way. The Prokofiev tracks have been
fondled by sweet hands too long; listen to Ricci. He plays
Prokofiev in a devilishly different style. And 'O !! his Tzigane by Ravel is played so hauntingly that you will get the creeps !!
Leave the lights on if you must, but it's best listened to in the dark. Your skin will crawl.

Rewarding Ricci.......2004-02-04

This five disc box set featuring the Decca Recordings (1950-60) of violinist Ruggiero Ricci is easily the best of the latest batch of releases in the limited edition "Original Masters" series. Nearly 3/4 of this collection is material that is being made available for the first time internationally. All of the first three CDs (CD1: Paganini's 24 Caprices; CD2: Paganini's 1st & 2nd VCs with Collins and Ravel's Tzigane with Ansermet; and CD3: Strauss and Weber Sonatas) and most of the fifth disc (Hindemith & Prokofiev Sonatas) fall into this category. Furthermore, all of the material on CD4 (Saraste & Saint-Saens with Gamba and Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" with Ansermet) was previously available on a disc in Decca's "Classic Sound" series but it has been out of print for years. In fact, the only selection currently in print from this set is Khachaturian's Violin Concerto (Fistoulari, 1956), which is available on a Double Decca title that I had fortunately yet to purchase. The only downside to this collection is the predominance of mono recordings (only the Tzigane, CD 4 and the Hindemith & Prokofiev Sonatas are in stereo), but they still sound delightful, and only the Paganini Caprices suffer the slightest hiss. In all, another great set in the "Original Masters" series.

Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Franck: Sonatas for Violin & Piano

Average customer rating:

Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Franck: Sonatas for Violin & Piano

Manufacturer: Arte Nova Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000FII2HK
Release Date: 2006-06-13

Tracks:

Allegro Agitato
Adagio
Allegretto Moderato
Allegro Molto
Allegro Vivo
Intermede: Fantasque Et Leger
Finale: Tres Anime
Allegro Ben Moderato
Allegro
Recitativo, Fantasia. Ben Moderato
Allegretto Poco Mosso

Album Description

German-Japanese violinist Mirijam Contzen, student of the great Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga, is one of the top-flight younger generation musicians. She was given her first violin at the age of two, her first lessons from the age of three, and at five she gave her first public performance. Contzen is one of the members of Arte Nova's young newcomer artist roster. Her recital album entitled Favorite Violin Pieces earned her the Echo Klassik award from the German music industry as Newcomer Artist of 2001. During the 2003/2004 season, Mirijam Contzen made her debuts at the Salzburg Festival and the Wigmore Hall, London. Romanian pianist Valéry Rogatchev was born in 1970 and began to learn the piano at age four. At the age of eleven he played the Grieg concerto with the Romanian Radio Orchestra. In 199, under Alfred Brendel, he won the first prize at the Mozart Competition. He has toured widely, playing with the Chicago Symphony and other major orchestras.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant collection of violin sonatas

French Violin Sonatas

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Franck - Sonata for violin and piano · Debussy - Sonatas · Ravel - Introduction and Allegro / Chung · Lupu · Ellis · Melos Ensemble
Robert Schumann: Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Mozart: The Violin Sonatas
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 1-5

ASIN: B0000013O0
Release Date: 1992-12-01

Tracks:

Allegro Vivo
Intermede: Fantasque Et Leger
Finale: Tres Anime
Allegro Agitato - Adagio
Allegretto Moderato - Allegro Molto
Allegretto
Blues: Moderato
Perpetuum Mobile
Allegro Con Fuoco
Intermezzo
Presto Tragico

Amazon.com

This enterprising and very well played budget CD offers the perfect way to collect all of the major French violin sonatas by the great French composers who only wrote one of them. The exception here is Saint-Saëns, who wrote more, but the real musical interest centers around the sonatas by Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc. Kang is a first-rate violinist who has made several successful recordings for Naxos, and Devoyon partners him perfectly, as well he should, being in his native element. None of these sonatas is particularly long, and each of them contains music uniquely characteristic of its composer. Purely on musical grounds this disc is hard to beat, and the price only adds to the attraction. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant collection of violin sonatas.......2007-03-08

Very well played. The Ravel is especially good.
And at 8.99, it is a steal!! Keep up the good work, Naxos.