Henri Vieuxtemps - Music for Violin and Orchestra (Misha Keylin)

Information

Composer: Henri Vieuxtemps

1. Fantasia appassionata, Op. 35
2. Ballade et Polonaise, Op. 38
3. Fantaisie Caprice, Op. 11
4. Greeting to America, Op. 56

Misha Keylin, violin

Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra

Andrew Mogrelia, conductor

Date: 2010

Label: Naxos

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Review

Following in Paganini’s footsteps, Henri Vieuxtemps was a touring violinist who composed showpieces that dazzled audiences and earned the respect of the likes of Schumann and Berlioz. Misha Keylin has recorded Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concertos for Naxos (my enthusiastic review of the last three of the seven can be found by typing Q6833 in the Search box) and he now turns to four pieces that offer similar virtuoso opportunities.

In the Fantasia appassionata Op. 35 his mastery of the work’s challenges is evident, especially in the rollicking finale where he plays with fleet-fingered finesse. Even more impressive is the poetic affection and golden timbre he projects in the slower sections. Similar observations hold true for the other pieces as well.

In the Ballade et Polonaise Op. 38 Keylin makes the most of Vieuxtemps’ pensive melodies in the Ballade, and in the Polonaise, announced by the orchestral brass section, he plays with rhythmic lift, the tone ranging from velvety bottom to sweet though not sugary top notes. In the Fantasie Caprice we get more of the same, with impressive double-stop passages for the violin along with a helping of Vieuxtemps’ zesty orchestral writing.

The final piece on the program, Greeting to America, may be the one most listeners will enjoy, if only because its quotes from the Star-Spangled Banner and Yankee Doodle make it a potential camp hit, though the violin pyrotechnics offer virtuoso kicks on their own. Still, when the orchestra breaks into the national anthem you’ll think it’s an accidental tape splice from a recording of Madama Butterfly. There are no masterpieces here, but there is plenty of splendid playing by Keylin, good orchestral support by Andrew Mogrelia and the Slovak radio band, and despite the musical equivalent of empty calories, more than enough to satisfy lovers of Romantic violin music.

— Dan Davis

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Henry Vieuxtemps (17 February 1820 – 6 June 1881) was a Belgian violinist and composer. A prodigy, he studied with Charles Auguste de Bériot in Brussels, Simon Sechter in Vienna and Anton Reicha in Paris before touring extensively across Europe and the United States. He held teaching positions in St. Petersburg and Brussels. Renowned for his exceptional technical precision and rich tone, Vieuxtemps became one of the leading virtuosos of the 19th century, and his style was widely emulated. As a composer, he was equally innovative, with his violin concertos making important contributions to the development of the form.

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Misha Keylin (born 1970 in St. Petersburg, Russia) is a Russian-American violinist. After immigrating to the United States at nine, he studied under Dorothy DeLay at Juilliard. Keylin made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 11 and later performed there as a soloist with the New York String Orchestra under Alexander Schneider. He has won numerous competition prizes and performed in over 40 countries. Widely recognized for his recordings of Henri Vieuxtemps' works for Naxos, Keylin also maintains a broad repertoire spanning Baroque to contemporary music, including major violin concertos by leading composers.

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