Joseph Jongen; Sylvio Lazzari - Violin Concerto; Rapsodie (Philippe Graffin)

Information

Composer: Joseph Jongen; Sylvio Lazzari

1. Jongen - Fantasia in E major, Op. 12
2. Lazzari - Rapsodie in E minor
3. Jongen - Adagio symphonique in B major, Op. 20
4. Jongen - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 17: 1. Allegro poco maestoso
5. Jongen - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 17: 2. Adagio, molto espressivo
6. Jongen - Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 17: 3. Animé

Philippe Graffin, violin

Royal Flemish Philharmonic

Martyn Brabbins, conductor

Date: 2015

Label: Hyperion

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA68005

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Review

To those of us who know the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen (1873-1953) chiefly though his organ music (the Sonata eroica and the magnificent Symphonie concertante), these three violin works written in his twenties will come as surprises. Strongly tonal and lyrical, Jongen’s chief influences seem to be Richard Strauss and César Franck (even if I kept thinking ‘Chausson: Poème’ for much of the time; certainly if you like that you’ll like the Jongen pieces).

Philippe Graffin begins with the earliest work here, the Fantasia in E major from 1898. It has a gorgeous honeyed melody as its main subject. A better title might have given it wider currency. The more amorphous Adagio symphonique from three years later comes from the same stable, with the soloist flying high over a rich orchestral texture. It is this characteristic that is most evident in the three movements of the Violin Concerto. Written in 1900 for his friend the violinist Emile Chaumont (1878-1942), it was dedicated, when finally published in 1914, to Eugène Ysaÿe, an admirer of Jongen’s music but who seems not to have been taken with it. Perhaps its meandering, rhapsodic manner, like a long act of love making without a satisfactory conclusion, made it an insufficiently effective vehicle. The premiere was given in Paris the same year by Charles Herman (another Belgian violinist) and after that pretty much forgotten.

The substantial (16'52") makeweight is the Rapsodie in E minor by Sylvio Lazzari (1857-1944), written in 1922 but in very much the same language as Jongen. My one reservation is Graffin’s place in the sound balance. His tender, slender tone in softer passages is one of the disc’s main attractions but is not sufficiently brilliant to match with equal vigour the full might of the orchestra.

--- Jeremy Nicholas, Gramophone

More reviews

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Feb/Jongen_VC_CDA68005.htm

http://www.thestrad.com/cpt-reviews/jongen-violin-concerto-in-b-minor-op-17-adagio-symphonique-in-b-major-op-20-fantasia-in-e-major-op-12-lazzari-rapsodie-in-e-minor/

http://audaud.com/2015/03/jongen-violin-concerto-in-b-adagio-symphonique-fantasia-lazzari-rapsodie-in-e-philippe-graffin-violin-royal-flemish-philharmonic-martyn-brabbins-vol-18-of-series-hyperion/

http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-romantic-violin-concerto-vol-18-jongen-lazzari-mw0002791817

http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Violin-Concerto-Philippe-Graffin/dp/B00OMEJAJ2

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Joseph Jongen (14 December 1873 – 12 July 1953) was a Belgian organist, composer, and music educator. From his teens to his seventies Jongen composed a great deal, including symphonies, concertos, chamber music and songs. In 1897, he won the Belgian Prix de Rome, which allowed him to travel to Italy, Germany and France. His list of opus numbers eventually reached 241, but he destroyed a good many pieces. His monumental Symphonie Concertante of 1926 is considered by many to be among the greatest works ever written for organ and orchestra, being championed and recorded by numerous eminent organists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jongen

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Sylvio Lazzari (Bolzano, December 30, 1857 - Suresnes, June 10, 1944) was a French composer of Austrian origin. At the Paris Conservatory, he studied under Ernest Guiraud and César Franck. He held several official positions in Paris, including president of the Wagner Society (from 1894) and choirmaster at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Lazzari's use of cyclic structures was indebted to Franck; he was also heavily influenced by Wagner (especially in his operas) and the impressionists. Very few of his compositions have been performed since his death, but some of his chamber music is occasionally revived.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvio_Lazzari

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Philippe Graffin (born 1964 in Romilly-sur-Seine, France) is a French violinist. Graffin was a student of the late Joseph Gingold and Philippe Hirschhorn and has established a particular reputation for his interpretations of his native repertoire as well for his interest in rare and contemporary works. He has made numerous landmark recordings for labels such as Hyperion, Avie, ASV and Onyx. Graffin plays a Domenico Busano violin, made in Venice, 1730. He is currently professor at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and guest professor at the Brussels Conservatoire Royal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Graffin

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