Ernő Dohnányi - Violin Concertos (Michael Ludwig)

Information

Composer: Ernő Dohnányi

• Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 2
• Violin Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 43

Michael Ludwig, violin

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

JoAnn Falletta, conductor

Date: 2008

Label: Naxos

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Review

Fascinating to hear these two works one after the other, the First Concerto (1915) representing the naively romantic world that the Second (1946) revisits so poignantly, and so knowingly. The First Concerto employs the harmonic language of Wagner and Strauss in combination with rich Brahmsian textures, its most memorable moment being the harp-accompanied melody in the Andante second movement. Both concertos are sizeable four-movement structures, but the First is the less disciplined of the two by far with a 14-minute finale that incorporates both a Brahmsian-style chorale theme and a Mendelssohnian use of arpeggios.

Turn to the better-known Second Concerto and you’ll encounter leaner textures, stronger themes and a more rigorous structure. There are moments of great originality too, such as the passage towards the end of the Intermezzo where the soloist plays harmonics against glissando trombones and then the finale’s horn-accompanied cadenza. The sombre (and extremely beautiful) Adagio is a sorrowful song indeed, an elegy that seems to reflect both historical and personal tragedy. Dohnányi would never fully shake off the stigma of moving from Hungary to Austria in the last years of the Second World War, even though he personally opposed so much of what was happening in Nazi-occupied territories.

Competition includes a fine version of the Second with James Ehnes (Chandos, 11/04) but there is no currently listed version of the First. Michael Ludwig plays with abundant feeling and JoAnn Falletta directs wholly sympathetic accounts of the two orchestral scores. A satisfying and educative release, one that I would strongly recommend.

— Rob Cowan

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Ernő Dohnányi (27 July 1877 – 9 February 1960) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor. Dohnányi studied in Budapest at the Royal Academy of Music. As a pianist he traveled widely and established a reputation as one of the best performers of his day. In 1948 he left Hungary as a political exile and became a U.S. citizen in 1955. Dohnányi's music, which was chiefly influenced by Johannes Brahms, was late Romantic and conservative in style, and after 1910 he occupied only a minor place among contemporary Hungarian composers. His works include three symphonies, a ballet, three operas, and chamber works.

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Michael Ludwig studied violin with his father, Irving Ludwig, who was a violinist in the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as with Josef Gingold and Raphael Bronstein. His musical career has taken him across four continents, appearing as solo violinist and chamber musician with world-renowned orchestras, conductors and artists. He also served as concertmasters with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. As a teacher, Ludwig has taught at Montclair State University and Indiana University. He is also active as a conductor, being music director of the Roxborough Orchestra in Philadelphia.

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