Hubay: Violin Concertos 3 & 4

"This third volume in Hyperion's Romantic Violin Concerto series may make you wonder why Hubay's Third Concerto has escaped the attention of virtually every fiddle player from Heifetz to Hahn. If, like me, you're a sucker for lashings of blistering virtuosity, strong, well-contrasted melodic content, and a substantial orchestral contribution, I promise that you will not be disappointed. The four movements are played almost without pause; a scherzo of which Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky would not have been ashamed follows the dramatic Introduction quasi fantasia opening; the slow movement must surely be one of the loveliest of its kind, while the finale sparkles with rhythmic energy."
- (BBC Music Magazine Pick of the Month June 03)

The Romantic Piano Concerto series (currently at volume 31) has become one of Hyperion's most popular projects to date, and this disc should help guide The Romantic Violin Concerto series to similar critical acclaim.

Hubay's 3rd concerto mirrors the format of the piano concertos of Liszt (with whom he studied composition) in that it is performed without a break between the movements. The 4th concerto adheres to a more traditional baroque format regarding structure, melody and harmony, hence it's title. The third work on the disc comprises a theme and twelve variations. All three works are virtuosic display pieces comparable to the concertos of Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps, and call for much pyrotechnics from the soloist.

Hubay is widely acknowledged as the founder of the 'Hungarian school' of violin playing. His list of prodigies includes the virtuoso violinist Ilona Fehér who went on to teach Hagai Shaham. The sonorous, round and broad tone that is the main beauty of the Hubay-school is unmistakable in Shaham's performance here, making this a stunning first recording for Hyperion.