John Adams; John Corigliano - Violin Concerto; Red Violin 'Chaconne' (Chloë Hanslip)

Information

Composer: John Adams; John Corigliano; George Enescu; Franz Waxman

1. Corigliano - Chaconne from The Red Violin
2. Enescu - Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 (arr. Franz Waxman)
3. Waxman - Tristan and Isolde Fantasia
4. Adams - Violin Concerto: I. quarter note = 78
5. Adams - Violin Concerto: II. Chaconne: Body Through Which the Dream Flows
6. Adams - Violin Concerto: III. Toccare

Chloë Hanslip, violin

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Date: 2006

Label: Naxos

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Review

This is an enticing program, particularly for the two Franz Waxman items, which will have fans of the composer delighted. The great film composer’s arrangement of Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 manages to squeeze bits of every tune in the original work’s concluding quick section into just two-and-a-half minutes of violin and orchestra fireworks. Even more interesting is the Tristan and Isolde Fantasia for violin, piano, and orchestra–wonderfully lush and decadent, and proving once again that Isolde’s Liebestod sounds much better without Isolde.

John Corigliano’s Chaconne from The Red Violin is a splendid piece, and it makes an excellent foil to the Adams, which also features a chaconne as its central movement. The performances are quite good, but the competition is fierce: from Joshua Bell in the Corigliano, and from both Gidon Kremer (Nonesuch) and Robert McDuffie (Telarc) in the Adams. Chloë Hanslip isn’t quite in their league. She’s an estimable player, but her slender tone gets swamped now and then in the Waxman pieces, and she doesn’t project the mysteriously lyrical opening movement of the Adams with as strong a profile as the competition (particularly at this relatively slow tempo).

Certainly I have no complaints about Slatkin’s conducting, or regarding the well-balanced engineering. In the final analysis, although you can perhaps do a bit better in the Corigliano and Adams items, the value of this disc lies in bringing all of these varied and enjoyable works together at such an attractive price. Intelligent planning and solid musicianship certainly combine to overcome any minor technical or interpretive reservations.

— David Hurwitz

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John Adams (born 15 February 1947) is an American composer and conductor. Educated at Harvard, he initially embraced modernism before developing a distinctive style that blends minimalism with expressive, eclectic influences. Based in San Francisco, Adams gained recognition through orchestral works such as Harmonium, Harmonielehre and Short Ride in a Fast Machine. He is also a major operatic composer, with works including Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic, often addressing historical and political themes. His music has earned many honors, including Grammy and Pulitzer Prizes.

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John Corigliano (born 16 February 1938) is an American composer. The son of the New York Philharmonic's longtime concertmaster, he studied at Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music and later worked in broadcasting and music production. His music, which includes over 100 compositions, is generally tonal, accessible and highly expressive. Among his acclaimed works are Symphony No. 1, The Ghosts of Versailles, Circus Maximus and the film score The Red Violin, which won an Academy Award. He received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize in Music and has taught at the Juilliard School since 1991.

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Chloë Hanslip (born 28 September 1987) is a British classical violinist. She studied with Natasha Boyarskaya at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Zakhar Bron in Germany, and also received guidance from Shlomo Mintz, Ida Haendel, Salvatore Accardo, Ruggiero Ricci and Maxim Vengerov. At 13 she was the youngest recording artist ever to be signed to Warner Classics UK. She made her BBC Proms debut at 14, her US concerto debut at 15, and has performed at major venues in the UK, Europe, as well as Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Arts Space in Tokyo and the Seoul Arts Centre. Hanslip plays a 1737 Guarneri del Gesù violin.

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