Henryk Wieniawski - Violin Concertos (Gil Shaham)

Information

Composer: Henryk Wieniawski; Pablo de Sarasate

• Wieniawski - Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 14
• Wieniawski - Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22
• Wieniawski - Legende, Op. 17
• Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

Gil Shaham, violin

London Symphony Orchestra

Lawrence Foster, conductor

Date: 1991

Label: Deutsche Grammophon

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

Review

Good violin music and good music are not always the same thing, and Wieniawski's violin works are a case in point. Though extremely effectively written for the soloists, in most other departments--orchestration, melodic interest, formal ingenuity--they remain distinctly second-rate, which may be why they seem to have fallen out of favor recently. Given great fiddling, however, they can be made to sound like great music, and Gil Shaham is unquestionably a great fiddler. He glides through the quick music with the ease of an Olympic bobsled champion, and injects real soul into Wieniawski's meditative moments. Sarasate's works offer many of the same strengths and weaknesses as Wieniawski's, and Shaham dispatches the music's numerous technical challenges with similar boldness and zest. There's always room in the catalog for playing that is this accomplished.

— David Hurwitz

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

Henryk Wieniawski (10 July 1835 – 31 March 1880) was a Polish violinist and composer. A prodigy, he entered the Paris Conservatory at 8 and graduated with the top violin prize by 11. He gained international recognition through extensive concert tours, served as violin soloist to the Russian tsar, and taught at the St. Petersburg and Brussels conservatories. Celebrated for his warm tone, expressive style, and exceptional technique, Wieniawski composed Romantic works that showcased his virtuosity, including two violin concertos, Légende, Scherzo-Tarantelle, Le Carnaval russe and numerous études, mazurkas and polonaises.

***

Gil Shaham (born 19 February 1971) is an American violinist. Born in Illinois and raised in Israel, he began studying the violin at age seven and later trained at Juilliard while also attending Columbia University. Shaham has performed with many leading orchestras and is celebrated for his interpretations of works by Bach as well as 20th-century violin concertos. An award-winning recording artist, he has earned multiple Grammy Awards and is founder of the Canary Classics label. His honors include the Avery Fisher Prize and Musical America's "Instrumentalist of the Year". He performs on rare Stradivarius violins.

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