Carl Nielsen; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Violin Concertos (Vilde Frang)

Information

Composer: Carl Nielsen; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
• Nielsen - Violin Concerto, Op. 33

Vilde Frang, violin

Danish National Symphony Orchestra

Eivind Gullberg Jensen, conductor

Date: 2012

Label: EMI

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Review

Vilde Frang’s compelling, individual performance of the Tchaikovsky compares most interestingly with Ray Chen’s recent recording. Her volatility, her extravagant rubato contrasts with Chen’s more moderate manner; with him we experience the grand sweep of Tchaikovsky’s melodies, while with her it’s the individual moments that stand out. In the Canzonetta, her very quiet entry portrays a sense of fragility, yet before the end of the first phrase her playing has become uninhibitedly emotional. Sometimes her sense of fantasy gives her a distinct edge over Chen – for instance, in the C major transformation of the first movement’s main theme (tr 1, from 7'35") but she earns a black mark for her reinstatement of some of the little cuts that used to disfigure performances of the finale – unsurprisingly, most violinists have now decided that Tchaikovsky knew exactly what he was doing and that this piece is neither too long nor excessively repetitious.

I found Frang’s Nielsen quite a revelation. Vengerov shows what an impressive virtuoso vehicle it is while staying sensitive to the frequent and often surprising changes of mood. Frang, allowing herself a much wider range of tone, emphasises the music’s kaleidoscopic aspect, bringing out the poetic quality of many episodes. She gives her entry in the Allegro cavalleresco a playful, spirited character that goes beyond Vengerov’s brilliance and brings out the harsh dissonances in this movement’s cadenza with uncompromisingly sustained tone. The orchestra enters into the spirit with lively tuttis (especially in the scherzando finale) and well-characterised wind solos. All in all, it’s a most appealing performance.

-- Duncan Druce

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Carl Nielsen (9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. From 1884 to 1886 Nielsen studied at the Royal Conservatory in Copenhagen, where he taught from 1915 and later became director in 1931, shortly before his death. As a composer, Nielsen is perhaps best known for his six symphonies, written between 1892 and 1925. He also wrote three concerti—for violin (1911), flute (1926), and clarinet (1928); the operas Saul og David (1902) and Maskarade (1906); four string quartets, two quintets, and choral and keyboard works.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Romantic Russian composer. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin. Despite his many popular successes, Tchaikovsky's life was punctuated by personal crises and depression.

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Vilde Frang (born 19 August 1986) is a Norwegian classical violinist. Born in Oslo, she studied at Barratt Due Musikkinstitutt, with Kolja Blacher at Musikhochschule Hamburg, and with Ana Chumachenco at the Kronberg Academy. In 2012 she was awarded the Credit Suisse Young Artists Award which led to her acclaimed debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival. Frang is an exclusive Warner Classics artist and her recordings have received numerous awards, such as the Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or and Gramophone Award. She plays the 1734 "Rode" Guarnerius.

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