SZYMANOWSKI &
KARLOWICZ Violin Concertos
TASMIN LITTLE, Violin
BBC Symphony / EDWARD GARDNER
Chandos 5185 / *****
Some
sixteen years separate the two violin concertos of Polish nationalist composer
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), but when heard one after another, they sound
like contiguous movements of a mega-concerto that plays for some 45 minutes.
The First Violin Concerto (1916) is so ethereally beautiful that its
neglect in concert halls is perplexing. The outsized demands for the soloist,
both technical and expressive, are likely the reason. Its rhapsodic nature and
dynamic shifts from impressionistic dreaminess to boisterous drama makes it an
exciting listen. The Second Violin Concerto (1932-33) that follows is
more compact, utilising gritty folk music elements in its two movements linked
by a cadenza.
The
Violin Concerto in A major (1902) by the short-lived Mieczyslaw
Karlowicz (1876-1909, killed in an avalanche while mountaineering) comes from a
different era. Its spirit is closer to the effusive Romanticism of Wieniawski,
Bruch and Glazunov with the requisite fireworks to match.
All three concertos
receive gorgeous performances by British violinist Tasmin Little that go to the
music's heart, the perfumed decadence of Szymanowski and the showmanship of
Karlowicz. Every detail of is captured on demonstration sound by Edward
Gardner's excellent BBC Symphony Orchestra. A must listen for violin lovers.
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