Leó Weiner - Violin Sonatas (Hagai Shaham; Arnon Erez)

Information

Composer: Leó Weiner

• Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 9
• Violin Sonata No. 2 in F sharp minor, Op. 11
• Peregi verbunk, Op. 40 'Pereg recruiting dance'
• Lakodalmas, Op. 21b 'Wedding dance'
• Three Hungarian folk dances (arr. Tibor Ney)
• Twenty easy little pieces (arr. Tibor Fülep)

Hagai Shaham, violin

Arnon Erez, piano

Date: 2009

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Leó Weiner (1885-1960) was once mentioned in the same breath as Bartók, Kodály and Dohnányi, his slightly older contemporaries, and he was the recipient of the prestigious Coolidge Prize in 1922. But history is a great leveller and now he is largely remembered as an extraordinarily inspirational teacher, a fixture for nearly half a century at the Liszt Academy in Budapest where he taught, among others, Géza Anda, Antal Dorati, János Starker and Georg Solti.

If you’re expecting music with a folk quality as sharply etched as that of Bartók and Kodály you’ll be disappointed but taken on his own terms Weiner is a composer of much personality and spirit. There’s a self-confidence to both his sonatas that is very appealing and he certainly demands much of both players.

If you were listening with an innocent ear, it would probably be a while before you picked up on the Hungarian spirit of the First Sonata (1911). It is very much in a Romantic tradition, though the gently modal Hungarian tinges of the second movement (a hard-pressed scherzo) and the finale (a tour de force for both players, with a gloriously upbeat ending) give the composer’s nationality away. A war separated this and the Second Sonata but the spirit of Romanticism still hovers. There are, though, also more blatant folk tinges, including some effective imitation of the cimbalom in the solo piano opening of the finale and a subsequent zigeuner-like freedom to the violin writing. It’s a heady mix, eloquently realised by Shaham and Erez, with Shaham’s generous sound particularly suited to these big works. In the Hungarian folk dances a slightly less lush sound might have lent them more bite, while even Shaham can’t make the 20 Easy Pieces sound more than basic teaching material. But as a snapshot of Weiner’s diverse talents, it’s an absorbing listen.

— Harriet Smith

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Leó Weiner (16 April 1885 – 13 September 1960) was one of the leading Hungarian composers and music educators of the first half of the twentieth century. He was born in Budapest and later studied at the Budapest Academy of Music, where he taught from 1908 to 1949. Among his many notable students were conductors Antal Doráti and Georg Solti, violinist Tibor Varga, cellist János Starker and pianist György Sebők. As a composer Weiner published about 30 works, including a string trio, three string quartets, two violin sonatas, five divertimenti for orchestra, a symphonic poem, and numerous chamber and piano pieces.

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Hagai Shaham (born July 8, 1966) is an Israeli violin virtuoso. He began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher. In September 1990, Shaham and his duo partner Arnon Erez won the first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. As a soloist he has performed with many of the world's major orchestras, as well as in recitals and chamber music performances. Shaham regularly tours throughout Europe, and North and South America, performing at international recital series and festivals. He has recorded for the Biddulph, Hyperion, Avie and Naxos labels.

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Arnon Erez is an acclaimed Israeli pianist. A graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music, Tel Aviv University, he pursued further chamber music studies in the United States with the Guarneri Quartet. His international career began in 1990, after winning—together with his duo partner Hagai Shaham—the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. As a concert pianist, Erez has performed in numerous major concert halls and festivals around the world. He has recorded for several labels such as Hyperion, Biddulph and Nimbus. Erez currently teaches at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music.

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