Charles Auguste de Bériot - Solo Violin Music Vol. 1 (Bella Hristova)

Information

Composer: Charles Auguste de Bériot

• 12 Scènes ou Caprices pour le violon, Op. 109
• Nine Studies
• Prélude ou Improvisation, Op. post.

Bella Hristova, violin

Date: 2009

Label: Naxos

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

Review

Charles de Bériot (1802-70), like every instrumental soloist of his time, wrote prolifically for his instrument, and his concertos and airs variés were extremely popular in his lifetime. The studies and caprices recorded here may relate to his career as a teacher (he numbered Henri Vieuxtemps among his pupils, and wrote an important violin method) yet we can hear that they are considerably more than technical exercises. The twelve Scènes ou Caprices, especially, each one with a picturesque title, are clearly concert pieces – showy and virtuoso in style, with a few tricks that recall Paganini, yet never pushing the technical boundaries uncomfortably far. In expression, too, Bériot is content to stick to an easy, melodious manner; the fugal opening to the last of the Nine Studies – “In imitation of the old masters” – doesn’t lead to any intense, Bachian polyphony. However, several pieces show real individuality; the Marche russe (the 10th Caprice) is an inspired invention, the ambitious Fourth Study has wide-ranging modulations that are surprising and effective, and everywhere Bériot writes imaginatively for his instrument, giving the most common formulas an original twist.

Bella Hristova, a young Bulgarian violinist now based in the USA, clearly enjoys playing these pieces. The brilliant passages come easily to her, and her playing throughout is neat and polished, with an elegance that perfectly suits the music. I did feel that some of the slower items needed a more soulful, sentimental approach, but, with this reservation, she’s an admirable advocate for Bériot.

— Duncan Druce

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

Charles-Auguste de Bériot (20 February 1802 – 8 April 1870) was a Belgian violin virtuoso, composer and teacher who helped establish the Franco-Belgian school of violin playing. Renowned for combining technical brilliance with elegance and expressive sensitivity, he influenced generations of violinists. A prodigy, he performed internationally and later served as head of the violin department at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Bériot was married to the celebrated opera singer Maria Malibran. His compositions, particularly violin concertos and pedagogical works, remain significant in violin education.

***

Bella Hristova (born 28 December 1985) is a Bulgarian-American violinist. An alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and Indiana University, her career was launched by Young Concert Artists and distinguished by an Avery Fisher Career Grant and major international competition wins. Among her teachers are Ruggiero Ricci and Jaime Laredo. Hristova performs extensively as a orchestral soloist and recitalist, frequently appearing with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Her discography spans solo works by Bériot to complete sonata cycles, alongside her Lineage project, which commissions new solo violin works.

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