Violin concerto

"Two of the major works from the first phase of Stravinsky's neoclassical period dominate this collection. The Apollo ballet, first performed in 1928, is the earlier; the Violin Concerto ... appeared three years later. They contrast well ... Apollon Musagète ... seem musical worlds away from the insistent propulsion of the wind-dominated orchestral writing in the concerto. It's easy enough for Andrew Davis to make the distinction between the two sound worlds very clear, and though James Ehnes's shaping of the solo writing in the concerto is perhaps more expressively expansive than the conductor's approach ... their musical differences hardly jar. The rest of this collection is made up of smaller-scale works from the same period ... Davis ensures that they are all performed with the same attention to detail and stylishness that he gives to the concerto and the ballet".

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"With partially new partners, Thomas Albertus Irnberger dedicates himself to these works of Russian soul not only with convincing technical realization, but also with the Russian spirit of the music ... Irnberger's extraordinary musical qualities have been repeatedly reported here. In the concerto by Stravinsky, which is both violinistic and brittle at the same time, he also hits the character with lightness and precision ... The ensemble acts with ... excellent musical expressiveness, so that in Stravinsky the part accompanying the solo violin over long stretches is nevertheless not suffocating, and in Rimsky Korsakov it illustrates the already rather fairytale-like mood with colorful playing".

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"Klassik Heute Empfehlung: Dass Irnberger und seine Partner die Balance zwischen zwingender Logik von Phrasierung und Form und geradezu aufregender artikulatorischer Freiheit so präzise halten würden, frappiert dann doch. Über fast 80 Minuten kann man das Ohr nicht von diesem unendlich reichen Geigenspiel abwenden ... Technisch spielt Thomas Albertus Irnberger ohnehin auf einem Niveau, das nicht mehr steigerbar scheint ... Das ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester erweist sich als ebenbürtig ... Empfehlung!".

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"The gains [of using historical insturments] are obvious in the first few minutes of the concerto, not only in the clarity and gutsy depth that are combined with the technical brilliance of Faust's playing, but also in the kaleidoscope of colours that the orchestra creates around her ... It's a real ear-opener, bringing the concerto into a sharper focus than I've ever encountered before".

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"A fitting gesture to the composer and his long-standing relationship with Craft ... But Craft has recorded most of these works before, and while his Rite here is masterfully executed by the Philharmonia of London, it could be argued that Craft's earlier performances had more energy and cogency ... However, the inclusion of Jennifer Frautschi's recording of the Violin Concerto makes this disc mandatory for Stravinsky fans".

"Frank Peter Zimmermann er absolut en skøn musiker. Han ... har de sidste 40 år af sit liv formidlet rene og smukke violintoner på en Stradivarius foran alle de store orkestre. Og jeg kan vist heller ikke sætte en plet på hans seneste album med musik for violinsolist og orkester af neoklassisk, centraleuropæisk tilsnit ... Problemet er måske, at alt det dramatiske fra den tid kan jeg ikke høre i denne musik ... Med Zimmermanns btillante tone og Bamberger Symphonikers mainstreamlyd bliver det desværre lidt kedeligt".

"Zimmermann brilliantly glides through these musical guises, effortlessly surmounting and relishing their technical challenges. His playing combines gutsy force with lyrical tenderness ... There is full investment. too, from the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under their chief conductor Jakub Hrůša".

"There's perfect dialogue throughout this most concertante of works, every cue and change of colour picked up with perfect focus. It helps that the sound brings the woodwind as much up front as the violinist; there are wonderful contributions from the BBC Philharmonic, bassoons especially. But when Ehnes needs to take centre stage, in the second Aria he does so magisterially".

"Vurdering: BBC music orchestral choice" - "Baiba Skride's way with Stravinsky's Violin Concerto confirms it as masterpiece of grace, charm, and scintillating joie de vivre ... Skride engages happily with the music's beguiling range of light and shade and quietly insistent invention [Martin]. In both works, Thierry Fischer and the orchestra offer stylish accompaniments".

"Kopatchinskaja brings [virtuosity] to the [Stravinsky] in spades, but she also shatters the image of the work as a neo-classical homage to Bach ... Her whole approach to Stravinsky ... brings his world close to Prokofiev's ... where Kopatchinskaja seems to be feeling her way into the music ... A wonderful disc".

"Det råder ingen tvekan om Kopatchinskajas tekniska skicklighet i kombination med en förmåga att spela efter eget huvud ... Som Kopatchinskaja säger [är det] genom att ta risker man finner nya vägar. Och det gäller förstås inte minst hennes tolkning av Stravinskys slitstarka violinkonsert ... [I] Prokofjevs lyriska, men ändå mörkt ruvande violinkonsert nr 2 ... ger Kopatchinskaja onekligen verket en mer personligt brännande prägel med kraftiga accentueringar, klarhet och spontanitet".

"Building on her distinctive and distinguished period instrument recording of 'The Soldier's Tale', Isabelle Faust gives the concerto the same treatment with superb results. Joined by Les Siècles and the irrepressible François-Xavier Roth, the instrumental colour is simultaneously more varied and more subtle ... Faust surrounds this groundbreaking account of the concerto with a selection of modest chamber miniatures ... mostly shavings from the master's workbench".

"Den Solopart geht Isabelle Faust mit grosser Gewissenhaftigkeit und Ernsthaftigkeit an ... Doch vermisst man vor allem im Finale ein wenig von der Ironie, mit der Strawinsky typisch geigerische Klischees auf die Spitze treibt und gleichzeitig freundlich ironisiert ... Als Beiprogramm gibt es einige kammermusikalische Strawinsky-Juwelen, an denen Isabelle Faust in leitender Position mitwirkt".

"It's certainly a rhythmic performance - one of the tightest I've heard ... The Rite is curiously disappointing. Despite accurate, well-balanced playing, and a detailed recording with depth and a wide dynamic range, its visceral ecxitement remains muted".