Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Kremer/Chailly-London Symphony Orchestra] 

This is a lovely disc on the Philips Silver Line label, i didn't even know this disc existed until fairly recently, and another purchase from Ebay, it's a disc which concentrates on the French / Belgian repertoire, veering away from usual Ravel / Saint-Saens / Sarasate etc, and concentrating on more rarer works [except for the Chausson], this fills a nice gap in my disc collection, though short on content [56 minutes], it's good on quality, and of course Kremer is great.

Gidon Kremer is Latvian, born in 1947, he's now 65, he recorded this disc in 1980-1981, the front cover booklet is fantastic, a swirl of colour [photography by Koji Kitagawa], like some sort of multi-coloured galaxy, i have a thing about colours, i was always amazed by the strong colours of lights on the Christmas tree, as well the lettering above is wonderfully placed, a great visual product.

Well i have to admit yet again, that it's the Chausson work that really moved me the most, it was only a few days ago that i talked about this piece with Kyung-Wha Chung [1st August 2012], and that's the way my music goes, sometimes it takes ages to get round to listening to the same work again, other times i'm listening to the same work the next day almost!, so the challenge is to hear the same work, yet hear different things in there, i think that the Kremer recording is clearer in the orchestra, you can nicely hear the woodwind, and the deep twang of the double basses!, or maybe it's the dull thud of the timpani! [1:37-1:53], certainly when Kremer comes in [1:57+] he's a lot more up from, you feel you're in the middle of it all as you listen to these performers, and yet there's losses too i guess, i always find the Chausson work to be full of mystery, like something swirling out of the mists, and a vague and ghostly presence also benefits, i like Kremer's complex passagework where he whips up the music into a frenzy by the orchestra [7:26-8:16], Kremer plays the high treble work passage with affection [10:22-11:05], creating a shy innocence, and afterward the more passionate and spirited section by Kremer whips up the orchestra into another heady froth [13:12-13:28], i must admit that this music has a tendency to make me close my eyes, and just revel in the music, there's a sort of a coda at the end, Kremer plays some delicious trills [13:46-14:05], and the flute mimics the violin at the end, a nice touch, and Kremer sends those trills higher and higher [14:52-15:37], until they come down at the end, lovely birdsong like.

Here's Gidon Kremer playing Chausson's Poeme on YouTube.

Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Chung/Dutoit-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra] 

This is a lovely little disc, and Kyung-Wha Chung is a genius, maybe short timewise [45 minutes], but packed full of quality, i was stunned by this disc when i first heard it back in 2006, and that's where i really fell in love with the Chausson work, last year roughly this time, i was extolling this same disc, and the same Chausson work wowed me then [12th June 2011].

Kyung-Wha Chung is South Korean, she's now 64, it's good to hear she's performing again after being out of action for five years with a finger injury, she recorded this disc in 1977, the front cover photo [by Axel Forster] is excellent, a jet black background, which highlights Chung all the more, nice lighting on the face, i love those brown tones.

Again like last time, i found Chausson's Poeme so heavenly, it starts off quiet, the strings appearing out of the mists, the orchestral introduction is full of creative mystic touches [0:00-1:52], the opening solo violin by Chung is like a cadenza [1:53-2:53], mimicking the opening by the orchestra, the opening minutes seem to be long exchanges between the soloist and orchestra, and the 'second' cadenza by Chung [3:43-4:57], which shows a greater sense of virtuosity about it, expanding on the first cadenza, developing into quite a frenzy at the end, and when the orchestra comes in, there's some passionate forte culminations [5:12-5:29], and then after the violin and orchestra stop taking turns, but rather play together, i love the way Chausson slow builds up and up the violin solo into a passionate froth [7:44-8:13], later the violin plays high in the treble register, nice and quiet, but sweet and passionate too [10:42-11:22], Chung handles this superbly, in the background you can hear a muted harp playing [11:58+], it's a lovely little touch, and what a great orchestral instrument the harp can be when employed creatively, towards the end there's a strong rousing forte / finale [13:42-14:01], bringing the main tune out loud and clear, the closing pages are very creative, and instead of something loud and boisterous to finish on, it's exactly the opposite, high treble trills from Chung [14:20-14:32], done with real compassion, and later more [15:14+], i love the way Chung plays so high [15:43-16:13], like a small bird twittering in the treetops, it's a gorgeous piece, and 'Poeme' [instead of poem, ok i know Chausson is French] is a very apt name to call it, there's a lovely exotic women's fragrance from Lancome which is equally gorgeous, i think of the Chausson piece as an exotic perfume wafting on the breeze.

Here's Oliver Charlier playing Chausson's Poeme on YouTube.

Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Perlman/Mehta-New York Philharmonic] 

One of my most favourite violin concertante discs, this has got some great stuff on it, the opening Sarasate work is the best version i've ever heard, especially the closing pages, sheer unbuttoned virtuosity, the only complaint is the under an hour [56 minutes] programme, it would have been great to have something else as well, this disc is in my all time top ten [i have over 1600 discs], superb in every way, see also [31st January 2011].

Itzhak Perlman is Israeli, though he now lives in America, he is 66 years old, and 'possibly' the greatest living Violinist [though it really depends who you ask!], he made this recording in 1986, the front cover pic [by Steve Sherman] is nice enough, but i'm glad that DG eventually got rid of their big ugly yellow banners at the top.

Loads to really enjoy here, however it was the least 'virtuosic' piece on this programme, and the more inward looking Chausson item that i found the most beguiling, and the longest piece too, it has quite a long orchestral introduction [0:00-1:43], and i guess rather like a slow movement of a Violin Concerto, i like the way it starts, reminds me of the beginning of Tchaikovsky's Sixth, a low drone on bass strings, a lovely effect, the first time i ever heard this piece was by Kyung-Wha Chung, it's as if the music slowly materializes out of the mist, the violin gives a minute long solo introduction itself [1:43-2:44], and the orchestra / violin continue in this tag style, the violin playing ever increasingly lyrical solos, until the thing explodes, and you realize that the first 5 minutes are in fact a sort of prelude, then it blossoms out into a wonderful fantasy, like the tides, it ebbs and flows, i like the high register work by Perlman, he really makes the violin sing sweetly, late in the piece there's brass to give a sense of emphasis in loud tutti's, it's the anchorlessness of the piece that gets me, it's just not nailed down anywhere to a tune, it drifts wonderfully all over the place, i like the closing ideas [15:34-16:17], those high warbling on the violin, over flute melismas, wow, just a perfect and satisfying ending.

Here's Zubin Mehta conducting Chausson's Poeme on YouTube, this time with Vadim Repin as the soloist.

Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Perlman/Martinon-Orchestre De Paris]

This disc is an early EMI issue from Perlman, bringing together four works of Violin Concertante music, i believe it must have been originally on LP vinyl, with only 46 minutes of music, it nicely fits onto an LP, for the CD re-release they could have issued some more music, but quality certainly makes up for any loss in quantity, this is quite a rare disc, and i'm glad i was able to procure a copy, well sought after, Perlman later recorded these four works again for CD, this time for DG in 1986 with Zubin Mehta [31st January 2011], adding a fifth work, that disc is one of my all time favourites, truly wonderful, so well done.

Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli Violinist, now 66 years old, he recorded this disc in 1974, the front cover shows a painting by Alphonse Mucha, a study of a woman, within foliage, very nicely done, usually i don't like artwork, much preferring photographs, but this is a nice cover.

Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Chung/Dutoit-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra] 

Here's a really prized and rare disc, by the wonderful Kung-Wha Chung, a disc of four concertante works for the violin, some showy [Ravel / Tzigane], others more lyrical and moody [Chausson / Poeme], but a good selection, the only drawback being the short measure [45 minutes], another couple of works could easily have been added, but lack of quantity certainly doesn't mean lack of quality here.

Kyung-Wha Chung is South Korean, now 63 years old, she made this recording in 1977, i like so much the front cover shot [by Axel Forster], a black background makes the Chung stand out all the more vivd, very nice lighting from the right, and the lettering is great too, whit / yellow on black stands out too.

All of these pieces were such a joy to listen to, non more so than Chausson's Poeme, the longest piece on this disc, a gentle introduction, as if the music is swirling out of the mists of silence, when the soloist comes in, it's a whole minute solo [1:53-2:53], where Chung plays the main tune innocently at first, but towards the end with more passion, it's a superb tune, in essence at first this is a tag game, going back and forth between orchestra only, to violinist only, the second solo violin part [3:43-5:] is so much more virtuosic, and so much more passionate too, and ends with the orchestra coming in with a true duet, the violin has a great tendency to play around high in the treble, it's truly rhapsodic, about half way through the violin has some delicious double notes [7:44-8:13] played with real flair and brilliance, there's a gentle section where Chung plays with a sweet gentleness, very high a sugary [10:42+], and when the orchestra comes in with what sounds like a harp [11:58+] or maybe string pizzicato, it's a lovely effect, 

Here's Olivier Charlier playing Poeme by Chausson on YouTube.