"Richard Strauss: Violin Concerto; Violin Sonata"
Sarah Chang, violin; Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. and piano;
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
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Here's a disc for lovers of beautiful violin music. We get
two Romantic works from Richard Strauss--his early Violin
Concerto (Op. 8) and the Violin Sonata (Op. 18) from five
years later--performed by the young Sarah Chang with
Wolfgang Sawallisch at the podium (and piano) and the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Generation gap aside,
these two artists are the perfect collaborators for one
another, and they reveal both the calm lyricism and exciting
drama at work here. These aren't groundbreaking pieces of
music, but they are gorgeous and Chang has seldom sounded
better.
"Barber, Meyer: Violin Concertos"
Hilary Hahn, violin; Hugh Wolff, cond.; St. Paul Chamber
Orchestra
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On this CD, we get to hear two great American composers from
the past and present played splendidly by Hilary Hahn.
Barber's Violin Concerto is Romantic and contemplative, but
it doesn't really take off till the frenetic third movement.
Edgar Meyer's Violin Concerto, on the other hand, is
inventive, songlike, and immediately challenging with its
driving folk rhythms. It's no wonder that Hahn, for whom the
piece was written, is up to the task.
"Bolero: Orchestral Fireworks"
Eiji Oue, cond.; Minnesota Orchestra
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The latest audiophile-quality recording from Eiji Oue
features 12 orchestral showpieces--everything from
Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to Otto
Klemperer's less-heard "Merry Waltz." Amidst shorter pieces,
we get two longer pieces--Liszt's "Les Preludes" and Rave