Miklós Rózsa - Orchestral Works Vol. 3 (Rumon Gamba)

Information

Composer: Miklós Rózsa

• Violin Concerto, Op. 24
• Concerto for String Orchestra, Op. 17
• Theme, Variations and Finale, Op. 13

Jennifer Pike, violin

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Rumon Gamba, conductor

Date: 2012

Label: Chandos

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Review

Though Miklós Rózsa had a cosmopolitan career, studying in Leipzig and living in Paris and London before becoming one of the most famous Hollywood movie composers, he never left behind the modal inflections and melodic character of the music of his native Hungary. The pre-war Variations are based on what sounds like a genuine folk melody, announced by a solo oboe. The work is a brilliantly scored orchestral showpiece, forceful, energetic variations alternating with episodes of lyrical expansion. The Concerto for string orchestra of 1943 is an altogether darker, more intense piece – even the folk-style finale has sinister episodes and the stark, declamatory themes of the first movement give it the character of a desperate lament. Whatever Rózsa’s intentions may have been, the music appears like a commemoration of an Eastern European culture in the process of destruction.

The Violin Concerto written for Heifetz has a traditional form and a fine balance of lyrical and virtuoso elements. On this spacious new recording I was particularly impressed by the wide landscapes of the slow movement and the dream-like episode in the middle of the finale. Comparing Jennifer Pike’s performance with the original Heifetz recording, hers appears cooler and more contemplative. Though she plays the brilliant passages extremely well, she lacks something of Heifetz’s manic energy and his ability to make of each movement a single passionate utterance. There’s much to be said for this calmer performance, highlighting the beauty of Rózsa’s intricate interplay between violin and orchestra.

— Duncan Druce

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Miklós Rózsa (April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer, best known for his nearly one hundred film scores. Born in Budapest, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and achieved early success with both concert and film music. The latter brought him to Hollywood, and Rózsa remained in the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1946. During his Hollywood career, he received three Oscars for Spellbound (1945), A Double Life (1947), and Ben-Hur (1959), while his concert works were championed by such major artists as Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, and János Starker.

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Rumon Gamba (born 24 November 1972) is a British conductor. He studied music at Durham University, and then went to the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1998, he joined the BBC Philharmonic as its Assistant Conductor, and later became Associate Conductor. He left the orchestra in 2002. Gamba was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra from 2002 to 2010, and chief conductor of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra from 2011 to 2015. In January 2022, Gamba became chief conductor of the Oulu Symphony Orchestra. He has made over 50 CDs of for the Chandos Records label.

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