Henri Vieuxtemps - Violin Works (Alexander Markov)

Information

Composer: Henri Vieuxtemps

1. Variations on a Theme from Beethoven's "Romance No. 1 in G Major, Op. 40"
2. Fantasie in E Major, Op. 9b "La Sentimentale"
3. Air varié No. 3
4. Variations on a Theme from Bellini's "Norma", Op. 2
5. Violin Concerto No. 8 in B Minor, Op. 59: I. Allegro maestoso (arr. C. Baumgarten)
6. La fiancée de Messine: Scène de ballet (arr. M. Majkusiak)

Alexander Markov, violin

Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Markus Huber, conductor

Date: 2022

Label: Naxos

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

Review

Now largely forgotten outside violinist circles, Henry Vieuxtemps enjoyed a long and successful career as both fiddler and composer, beginning with his early appearances as a boy prodigy of the instrument. Berlioz, writing in 1841, had kind things to say about the 20-year-old, referring to him as ‘the new star whom the astronomers of the Conservatoire have spotted on the horizon.’ The first four tracks on this recording do justice, through the remarkable technique of Alexander Markov, to the virtuoso, but rather less to the composer, by presenting works written in his teens or, in the case of the Air varié No. 3, perhaps even earlier. While the result may be noteworthy in one so young, he was not a Mozart or a Mendelssohn, and it’s often all too easy to guess from the first few notes of an idea how it will continue.

The one extant movement of his Violin Concerto No. 8, begun in his last year of 1880 and here tactfully orchestrated by Christoph Baumgarten, is more interesting, though here again the virtuosic passages don’t always spring naturally from their surroundings. In later life Vieuxtemps claimed he wanted to produce music that had more true feeling than Paganini’s but, sadly, on this showing he lacked the crucial virtue of inventing memorable tunes, while his orchestration never rises above the workmanlike. How nice it would have been to have just one offering somewhere from a solo wind instrument.

— Roger Nichols

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

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.

***

Alexander Markov is a Russian-American violin virtuoso. Born in Moscow, he studied with his father, Albert Markov, and emigrated to the United States, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1982. A Gold Medal winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition and recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, he has performed with leading orchestras worldwide and collaborated with renowned artists. Markov is especially known for performing all 24 Paganini Caprices in a single recital and for his acclaimed recordings and film appearances. Beyond classical music, he has pioneered crossover works such as The Rock Concerto.

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