Pablo de Sarasate - Music for Violin & Piano Vol. 2 (Tianwa Yang; Markus Hadulla)

Information

Composer: Pablo de Sarasate

1. Hommage à Rossini, Op. 2
2. Souvenir de Domont, Op. 8
3. Fantaisie de concert sur "Martha" de Friedrich von Flotow, Op. 19
4. Gavota sur "Mignon" de Ambroise Thomas, Op. 16
5. Mèlodie roumaine, Op. 47
6. Mosaíque sur "Zampa" de Ferdinand Hérold, Op. 15
7. Moscoviènne, Op. 12
8. Fantaisie de concert sur "La forza del destino" de Giuseppe Verdi, Op. 1

Tianwa Yang, violin

Markus Hadulla, piano

Date: 2007

Label: Naxos

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

This is the second volume of Sarasate pieces that Tianwa Yang and Markus Hadulla have recorded for Naxos (Nov/Dec 2006), and it includes operatic fantasies that I never new existed, beginning with a fantasy on a theme from Flotow's Martha that includes variations on Sir John Stevenson's melody for 'The last Rose of Summer'. The Rossini homage is filled with themes that have slipped out of immediate recognition from Otello and Moise, but the piece ends with a rousing chorus of the very familiar 'Largo al Factotum' from the Barber of Seville. Everything here is a special and highly virtuosic treat, especially the violinist.

Carl Flesch decribed Pablo de Sarasate's music like a fresh, rosy-cheeked peasant girl. Well, here she is. She is 20 now, and demonstrated that she was an accomplished virtuoso at 14 by recording all the Paganini caprices (they can all be seen and heard on YouTube). She plays more like a refined ballet dancer than a peasant girl, but there is a clarity and purity to her playing that gives the impression that she has never had a care or worry in the world: it is beautiful and effortless, while still emotionally uplifting and musically interesting. There is a kind of natural order to her playing as well as a natural intelligence. Listening to her play has a kind of cleansing effect on my mind; it makes the world seem dazzlingly beautiful, yet, at the same time at peace and in balance.

I suppose Yang's playing can only be described as perfect, and "perfect" is a word I normally hate to use, because I normally think of perfection to be a myth. George Bernard Shaw, it has been said, advised the young Jascha Heifetz that his perfection might cause the gods to seek retribution, and that he should intentionally play one single bad note daily to protect himself. Maybe Yang should be prudent and do the same.

— Elaine Fine

-----------------------------------------------------------

Pablo de Sarasate (10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908) was a Spanish violin virtuoso and composer whose exceptional technique and pure, sweet tone earned him international acclaim. Beginning violin at five, he debuted publicly at eight and later trained at the Paris Conservatory. From 1859 onward, extensive concert tours established his global reputation. His artistry inspired leading composers such as Saint-Saëns, Bruch, Lalo and Dvořák to write works for him. Sarasate also composed virtuoso pieces for violin, the most celebrated being Zigeunerweisen (1878), a gypsy-style fantasy that remains a staple of the repertoire.

***

Tianwa Yang (杨天娲, born 8 April 1987) is a Chinese classical violinist. She studied with Lin Yaoji at the Central Conservatory of Music. Yang debuted in Europe in 2001, performing with the Czech Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra in Prague. Her North American debut was in the 2007-2008 season when she performed at the Virginia Arts Festival with the Virginia Symphony. Yang recorded her first CD in 2000, at the age of 13, with a recording of Paganini's 24 Caprices, on the Hugo Classical label. In 2004, she began recording for Naxos, starting with a series of the complete works of Pablo de Sarasate.

***

Markus Hadulla (born 1970 in Cologne) is a German pianist and educator. Trained in Karlsruhe, Paris and Yale, he gained early recognition by winning the pianist prize at the 1994 Hugo Wolf Competition. Hadulla has collaborated with numerous distinguished singers and performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall and the Berlin Philharmonie. He previously taught in Berlin and Karlsruhe and is now Professor of Lied and Vocal Accompaniment at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. His recordings on major labels have earned several prestigious awards.

-----------------------------------------------------------