Bartok: Violin Concertos
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BELA BARTOK
Bartok: Violin Concertos
Isabelle Faust (violin) / Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Harding
[ Harmonia Mundi / CD ]
Release Date: Monday 29 July 2013
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Isabelle Faust's first recording for harmonia mundi, Bartok Sonatas, won her a Gramophone Young Artist of the Year.
Here she returns to Bartok, perfoming the two concertos, accompanied by Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio SO.
Such is the fame of Bartók's Second Violin Concerto (1937-38), that it has virtually eclipsed the First, written 30 years before. Yet, this earlier work, rediscovered long after the composer's death, has a fascinating story all of its own. True to form, Isabelle Faust has gone back to the multiple musical sources of this First Concerto, a work that came 'straight from the heart', as Bartók's romance with a young violinist lay at the core of its creative process.
"I owe my enthusiasm for the music of Béla Bartók to the wonderful Hungarian violinist Dénes Zsigmondy, who was privileged to know the composer personally. At the age of eleven, I was lucky enough to study the Sonata for solo violin with him and thus to discover Bartók's world in a very emotional and instinctive way. In the years since then, Dénes Zsigmondy, his conception of music, and especially his interpretation of Bartók have formed an important component of my artistic career. It seemed only logical to choose the Bartók sonatas for my debut CD. I am now delighted to present the two violin concertos in this recording. It is intended as a musical expression of my admiration for the composer Béla Bartók and my gratitude for the continued inspiration and faithful friendship of Dénes Zsigmondy. My warm thanks go to László Somfai and László Vikárius of the Bartók Archives in Budapest and to Felix Meyer of the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel for their generous support of this project. Finally, I would like to express my profound appreciation of and indebtedness to Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra for their absolutely fantastic contribution to the recording sessions." Isabelle Faust
GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE AWARD NOMINATION 2014
Gramophone Magazine Editor's Choice Awards Issue 2013
"Faust...relishes i[the First's] warmth and volatility while respecting its musical integrity. The second concerto exemplifies Bartók's mature synthesis of traditional and modern styles. I do not share leading violinists' faith in its greatness, but Faust puts her unshowy brilliance at its service." Financial Times, 27th July 2013 ***
"Faust finds an ideal tonal pungency to voice the folk-like intonations, whether fiery or wistfully fragile, which she allies to a natural sweetness and flexibility of timbre and phrasing. The orchestra is a potent force, too, in underpinning the rhythms and radiating colour. A compelling disc." The Telegraph, 1st August 2013 *****
"Daniel Harding, I have to say that this strikes me as some of his best work on disc: precise, attentive to matters of color and texture, considerate of his soloist but also nicely detailed. He's very much an equal partner in these proceedings, and just as fine a one. Harmonia Mundi provides ideally balanced sonics that flatter Faust's sweet tone without sticking a microphone inside the instrument. This is a wonderful recording in every respect" (10/10 ClassicsToday.com)
"Faust resists the kind of full-blown romantic ardour that might seem appropriate to music inspired by a protracted love affair. Instead she weaves her sinewy melodic line in a more introverted manner...The effect is totally magical...[in the Second Concerto] Fausts draws you into the ebb and flow of the musical narrative" (Five Stars) BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 Concerto Finalist
"Faust negotiates the composer's idealised fantasising with a poetic sensitivity that captures the almost cinematic cut-and-thrust of the music's churning emotions… She finds the perfect match in Daniel Harding's lucid accompaniments and sound of exceptional textural transparency." The Strad, September 2013
"it's to the credit of Faust and Harding that this compelling, elusive music never feels shapeless, and the livelier second movement is cheeky, gutsy and pungent. Beautifully recorded, and Faust's self-penned sleeve notes make fascinating reading." The Arts Desk, 31st August 2013
"everything registers in this richly conceived performance" International Record Review, September 2013
"solo playing of sensitivity and playfulness and an orchestral sound that fits it like a hand to a glove...This disc is a winner. The sensitivity of the playing and the empathy of the orchestral accompaniment put it in a very special class which is worthy of comparison with any other set in the catalogue." MusicWeb International, 18th September 2013
Tracks:
Violin Concerto No. 1, BB48a, Sz 36
Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz 112
