Robert Schumann; Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concertos (Henryk Szeryng)

Information

1. Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23: 1. In kräftignem, nicht zu schellem Tempo
2. Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23: 2. Langsam
3. Robert Schumann - Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23: 3. Lebhaft, doch nicht schnell
4. Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64: 1. Allegro molto appasionato
5. Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64: 2. Andante
6. Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64: 3. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace
7. Béla Bartók - Romanian folk dances, Sz. 56, BB 68 (arr. Zoltán Székely)
8. Claude Debussy - La plus que lente, L. 121
9. Ottokar Nováček - Perpetuum mobile, Op. 5 No. 4
10. Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance in F sharp minor, WoO 1 No. 17 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
11. José Sabre Marroquín - Mexican Lullaby
12. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - The Flight of the Bumblebee

Henryk Szeryng, violin

London Symphony Orchestra

Antal Doráti, conductor

Charles Reiner, piano

Date: 1964; 1963 / 1994

Label: Mercury

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

Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) was a German composer and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, and left an array of acclaimed music in virtually all the forms then known. Schumann's published compositions were written exclusively for the piano until 1840; he later composed works for piano and orchestra; many Lieder (songs for voice and piano); four symphonies; an opera; and other orchestral, choral, and chamber works. Schumann suffered from a lifelong mental disorder, and died in 1856 without having recovered from his illness.

***

Felix Mendelssohn (3 February 1809 – 4 November 1847) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the early Romantic period. A musical prodigy, he began composing at an early age. His compositions include symphonies, concertos, piano music, chamber music and oratorios. As a conductor, Mendelssohn played a key role in reviving interest in J.S. Bach's music, notably with his performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. The Leipzig Conservatory (now Hochschule "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy") was founded by Mendelssohn in 1843. His sister Fanny Mendelssohn was also a talented composer.

***

Henryk Szeryng (22 September 1918 – 3 March 1988) was a Polish-born Mexican violinist. He studied violin with Carl Flesch in Berlin and Jacques Thibaud in Paris, while studying composition under Nadia Boulanger. During World War II, he supported the Polish government-in-exile, assisted refugees, and performed extensively for Allied troops. He became a professor at the University of Mexico in 1943 and a Mexican citizen in 1946. Szeryng made numerous recordings, including Mozart's violin concertos and Bach's solo sonatas and partitas. In 1970, he became a UNESCO music adviser and Mexican cultural ambassador.

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