Various Composers - 'Liebeslied' Violin Encores [Okumura/ Eguchi]
Here's another lovely Violin Encores disc, this one's certainly sweet, using the more sugary end of the spectrum, nothing wrong with that, it's good that a recital like this has a 'theme' as such, the whole programme works better, nice and soothing and mellow, this appeared in my Blog 13 months ago [27th February 2011].
Ai Okumura is of course Japanese, and her discs are really only available in the Far East, she hasn't broken into the European market, this disc comes from the Avex label, and i bought it on a spree on a Japanese website, she recorded it in 2005, the photography is by Shuji Tonoki, a great front cover shot, showing Okumura with her violin, there's a nice symmetry about it.
Of all the pieces i played, i especially liked tracks 3, 5 & 8, certainly the Rachmaninov tracks touched me, here's a synopsis of each of these tracks,
3 Rachmaninov - Paganini Variation, a transcription by Fritz Kreisler, the beautiful variation to melt any heart, it starts off gentle and serene, but slowly develops a lyrical intensity, and then comes back down to earth into an innocence as at first.
5 Chopin - Nocturne, the Chopin Nocturne is No20, transcribed by Nathan Milstein, in C Sharp Minor, and you can feel the sourness / sadness of the key, and yet in its sadness there's an aching beauty and enchantment.
8 Rachmaninov - Symphony 2, a transcription by John York of the third movement, featuring just the main tune of course, pretty much a straight transcription, but what a tune!, one of the loveliest things that Rachmaninov composed, the second half of the piece especially takes wing, as the piano comes out of accompaniment mode and into main singing mode [2:05+], a lovely zenith is reached [2:30], very intense.
3 Rachmaninov - Paganini Variation, a transcription by Fritz Kreisler, the beautiful variation to melt any heart, it starts off gentle and serene, but slowly develops a lyrical intensity, and then comes back down to earth into an innocence as at first.
5 Chopin - Nocturne, the Chopin Nocturne is No20, transcribed by Nathan Milstein, in C Sharp Minor, and you can feel the sourness / sadness of the key, and yet in its sadness there's an aching beauty and enchantment.
8 Rachmaninov - Symphony 2, a transcription by John York of the third movement, featuring just the main tune of course, pretty much a straight transcription, but what a tune!, one of the loveliest things that Rachmaninov composed, the second half of the piece especially takes wing, as the piano comes out of accompaniment mode and into main singing mode [2:05+], a lovely zenith is reached [2:30], very intense.
