Bach - Double Oboe & Violin Concerto [Vogel & Hahn/Kahane-Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra]

This is the third time this work / disc has appeared in my Blog [2nd February 2010 & 11th October 2010], it is such a great little work [only 13 minutes long], the tunes and rhythms are stunning, and this recording is very lively and has a certain intimacy about it, it just proves that Bach is a genius across the whole spectrum of Classical music.

Hilary Hahn is an American Violinist, steadily making her way recording all the major Concertos, and throwing in a few surprises of unknowns along the way, she's now 32, still really young, she recorded this work in 2003, and like i've said before, the front cover [and back inlay] pic is a stunner [photo by Kasskara], a head and shoulders shot of Hahn, looking straight serious at the camera, lovely dark blue background, and the letting is very nicely done, a really great visual product.

This Concerto starts off great, and finishes even better, it was the third movement which really blew the cobwebs away, a tremendous rhythmic tour de force, lasting just 3:10, but packed with quality, the opening tutti has surges of sound for effect [0:00-0:25], and Vogel and Hahn come in, playing sparks off each other [0:26-1:11], Hahn impresses with some virtuoso playing [1:11-1:28], and what a beautiful sounding instrument the oboe is, a perfect Baroque sound, towards the end the whole lot comes together in a nice culmination [2:48-2:57], Bach really knows how to get us musically excited.

Here's Nigel Kennedy and Aisling Casey playing the third movement on YouTube.

Brahms - Piano Concerto 1 [Tanyel/ Neumann-The Philharmonia]

This is the first time that this disc has appeared in my Blog, though i have played the disc before, it's in the key of D Minor, quite possibly my favourite key, it's dark and menacing and rugged, but can be touching and fragile at times too, Tanyel is a strong Pianist, and gives a powerful reading, i love this work and never tire of it

Bruch - Violin Concerto 1 [Chung/Tennstedt-London Philharmonic Orchestra]

This was a wonderful experience, walking on the way to Church, it was wet, but the air was fresh, and this performance blew me away, so intense, Bruch's Concerto is simple, and yet it has a profound lyrical depth, add to this the artistry of Kyung-Wha Chung, and you have a real winner.

Kyung-Wha Chung is South Korean, she's now 63 years old, and it's good to know that she's back playing again, after a 5 year hiatus after a finger injury, she recorded this work in 1990, the booklet front cover is excellent [by Cindy Palmano], showing Chung with her violin in hand, and with a dark background which highlights her being, it's a nice disc visually.

All of the movements were a revelation, usually it's the middle slow Adagio that i just can't resist, but on this hearing i just loved those outer movements, there's real power in the Finale, but it was in the opening Vorspiel first movement that i was mesmerised, unlike say Brahms and Beethoven, Bruch made all the movements of his Concerto roughly equal length, the opening starts innocent enough, but soon turns into an Allegro of power [1:14+], and Chung's opening phrases are well done [1:28-2:25], creating real intensity, but Bruch has a way of bringing out beauty out of power, and there's tender and touching moments right after [2:37+], culminating in passages of real emotion and spirituality [3:23-4:02], further along the orchestra have a tutti of forte power [5:28+], which gains in power and strength towards the end [6:00-6:40], this was the best bit of the whole Concerto for me, i guess there's a sort of coda at the end, where the whole thing is slowed down ready for the gorgeous slow movement [7:51+], violins bowing high in the treble, a nice culmination of everything, a masterpiece of a Concerto, and no wonder Bruch is sort of stuck with being a one hit wonder sort of Composer [but don't forget his Scottish Fantasy].

Here's Kyung-Wha Chung playing the first movement on YouTube with Andre Previn.

Beethoven - Piano Concerto 5 [Grimaud/ Jurowski-Staatskapelle Dresden]

This is another disc that is relatively new to my collection / library, and it's a stunner, i really admire Helene Grimaud, she's got a sure direction in life, and a love of a wonderful variety of the old and the new, her latest discs attest to her wandering spirit, she seems into everything, and this disc along with her Brahms Klavierstucke Op116-119 on Erato, and her Rachmaninov Teldec discs, are the peaks of her recordings, i really enjoyed the sheer spirit and fun of this work, it's one of the best Beethoven Fifths i own.

Helene Grimaud is French, she's now 42, and really at the peak of her powers, she recorded this work in 2006, the front cover is truly sublime and astonishing [photo by Mat Hennek], a portrait of Grimaud dressed in black, with black hair on a white background, a wonderful symmetry about it, elbows out and hands interlocked in the middle, the lettering and colours add to the whole feel, this is one of the very best 'visual' discs that i own.

This was a sublime experience, revolutionary in the first movement, touching, even spiritual in the second, and then leap for sheer joy in the third, i have a two disc version, which comes with a DVD, and it's so good to see Grimaud in action, especially her raptures in the sublime slow movement, and i was going to write about those tender feelings i had, but the third movement blew me away, 

Here's Helene Grimaud playing the third movement on YouTube, with Paavo Jarvi conducting.