Brahms Scherzo dalla Sonata F.A.E.
Franck Sonata per violino e pianoforte
Alexey Shor Sonata per violino n. 1 prima italiana
Prokofiev Sonata per violino e pianoforte n. 2
Some superb playing from Maxim Vengerov with the sumptuous sounds of Roustem Saitkoulov where even the usually brilliant sound of Fazioli was filled with the same radiance and warmth that Vengerov emanates since his astonishing international debut at the age of fourteen.
Magisterial performances all played truly by and above all with the heart .Two famous Sonatas by Cesar Franck and Prokofiev were preceded by the Brahms FAE Scherzo of searing intensity.
He even convinced us that the Sonata by Shor was up there with these masterpieces .The entire concert including the Shor Sonata was played without the score by Vengerov .The music had entered his very being as he allowed the music to pour from his soul with such generosity like the greatest of opera singers.Brahms with a dynamic drive but that allowed moments when the melody could pour from Vengerov’s wonderful ‘Kreutzer’ Stradivarius with searing intensity always richly supported by the sumptuous sounds of a truly grand piano.Some wonderful sounds from Saitkoulov but with an I pad that had one or two teething problems at the beginning that he managed to disguise with superb professional aplomb.It was in the Recitativo of the Cesar Franck that they played as one and from then on the wonderful interplay between these two musicians held us spell bound.Out of the aching silence created at the end of the ‘Fantasia’ floated the magic sounds of the gentlemanly question and answer of the Allegretto poco mosso – Menuhin of course called it mutual anticipation.Rugged sounds at the opening of the Shor sonata that sounded more like Prokofiev than Prokofiev as the very long and intense Allegro agitato was played with superb musicianship and interplay between the two players.A ‘Scherzo’ that was a perpetuo mobile of brilliance played with quite considerable mastery leading to a deeply felt final mediation played with great intensity as it dissolved into eternity.The actual Prokofiev Sonata was all lyrical joy and good spirits and the way Vengerov allowed his bow to bounce on the strings in the last movement was one of the marvels that are often called genius.
But it was the intimacy and warmth that he brought to Schon Rosmarin that revealed the true Pavarotti of the violin .
His ‘joie de vivre’ and beguiling sense of style had us cheering as he teased us like Pavarotti or Rubinstein would do when the important work had been nobly done and now the party could begin.The Prokofiev March :’Love for Three Oranges’ was of power and exhilaration and was followed by Kreisler of refined elegance and the style of the ‘master’ himself .Not only Schon Rosmarin but immediately followed by Liebes – Freud with the accent very much on Freud .A final encore for the Roman audience now in delirium was the 18th Rachmaninov Paganini variation .It was played with such searing intensity from a man in love and loving every minute of sharing with us.A tireless bowing arm that just tore into his wonderful instrument with such passionate intensity that truly reached the heart strings of everyone of us lucky to be present in person.A great event for Rome thank goodness broadcast live on Rai Radio 3 :
It reminded me of the fourteen year old boy from Siberia who had us all standing on the seats cheering at the end of his Wigmore Hall debut that has gone down in history after a Waxman Carmen Fantasy of unbelievable agility and colour.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=w_F15yU4AYM&feature=shared
Another young genius from the class of Zakhar Bron Vadim Repin had also just made his European debut in Rome in the Ghione Theatre.In the interval Barone Agnello went back stage to offer the eighteen year old boy a tour of Sicily .
We all celebrated at Arnoldo’s in the centre of Rome but all this young boy wanted to do was to drive the sports car of Carrena his agent from Italconcert .This was before the wall had been knocked down and these young geniuses were allowed to fly free.
Last but not least was Natalia Preschepenko who went on to be lead violinist in the Artemis string quartet.
But the crowned King was and always will be Maxim Vengerov
Vengerov – Trpceski violin superstar at the Barbican.
Vengerov and Papian Enescu Festival Che Festa !
The Violin Sonata in A was written in 1886, when César Franck was 63, as a wedding present for the 28-year-old violinist Eugène Ysaye .Twenty-eight years earlier, in 1858, Franck had promised a violin sonata for Cosima von Bulow .This never appeared; it has been speculated that whatever work Franck had done on that piece was put aside, and eventually ended up in the sonata he wrote for Ysaÿe in 1886.Franck was not present when Ysaÿe married, but on the morning of the wedding, on 26 September 1886 in Arlon,their mutual friend Charles Bordes presented the work as Franck’s gift to Ysaÿe and his bride Louise Bourdeau de Courtrai. After a hurried rehearsal, Ysaÿe and Bordes’ sister-in-law, the pianist Marie-Léontine Bordes -pène played the Sonata to the other wedding guests.The Sonata was given its first public concert performance on 16 December of that year,at the Musée Moderne de Peinture in Brussels where Ysaÿe and Bordes-Pène were again the performers.The Sonata was the final item in a long program which started at 3pm. When the time arrived for the Sonata, dusk had fallen and the gallery was bathed in gloom, but the museum authorities permitted no artificial light whatsoever. Initially, it seemed the Sonata would have to be abandoned, but Ysaÿe and Bordes-Pène decided to continue regardless. They had to play the last three movements from memory in virtual darkness. When the violinist Armand Parent remarked that Ysaÿe had played the first movement faster than the composer intended, Franck replied that Ysaÿe had made the right decision, saying “from now on there will be no other way to play it”. Vincent d’Indy,who was present, recorded these details of the event.Ysaÿe kept the Violin Sonata in his repertoire for the next 40 years of his life, with a variety of pianists.His championing of the Sonata contributed to the public recognition of Franck as a major composer.This recognition was quite belated; Franck died within four years of the Sonata’s public première, and did not have his first unqualified public success until the last year of his life on 19 April 1890, at the Salle Pleyel, where his String Quartet in D was premiered.it is in four movements: Allegretto ben moderato,Allegro,Ben moderato: Recitativo-Fantasia,Allegretto poco mosso.
The F-A-E Sonata, a four-movement work for violin and piano, is a collaborative work Robert Schumann , the young Johannes Brahms , and Schumann’s pupil Albert Dietrich . It was composed in Dusseldorf in October 1853.The sonata was Schumann’s idea as a gift and tribute to violinist Joseph Joachim , whom the three composers had recently befriended. Joachim had adopted the Romantic German phrase “Frei aber einsam” (“free but lonely”) as his personal motto . The composition’s movements are all based on the notes F-A-E, the motto’s initials, as a musical cryptogram.Schumann assigned each movement to one of the composers. Dietrich wrote the substantial first movement in sonata form . Schumann followed with a short Intermezzo as the second movement. The Scherzo was by Brahms, who had already proven himself a master of this form in his E flat minor Scherzo for piano and the scherzi in his first two piano sonatas. Schumann provided the finale.Schumann penned the following dedication on the original score: “F.A.E.: In Erwartung der Ankunft des verehrten und geliebten Freundes JOSEPH JOACHIM schrieben diese Sonate R.S., J.B., A.D.” (“F.A.E.: In expectation of the arrival of their revered and beloved friend, Joseph Joachim, this sonata was written by R.S., J.B., A.D.”).[1]The composers presented the score to Joachim on 28 October at a soirée in the Schumann household, which Bettina von Arnim and her daughter Gisela also attended.The composers challenged Joachim to determine who composed each movement. Joachim played the work that evening, with Clara Schumann at the piano. Joachim identified each movement’s author with ease.The complete work was not published during the composers’ lifetimes. Schumann incorporated his two movements into his Violin Sonata n. 3 . Joachim retained the original manuscript, from which he allowed only Brahms’s Scherzo to be published in 1906, nearly ten years after Brahms’s death.Whether Dietrich made any further use of his sonata-allegro is not known. The complete sonata was first published in 1935.All three composers also wrote violin concerti for Joachim. Schumann’s was completed on 3 October 1853, just before the F-A-E Sonata was begun. Joachim never performed it, unlike the concertos of Brahms and Dietrich.
Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a (sometimes written as Op. 94bis), was based on the composer’s own Flute Sonata in D op. 94 ,written in 1942 but arranged for violin in 1943 when Prokofiev was living in Perm in the Ural Mountains , a remote shelter for Soviet artists during the Second World War . Prokofiev transformed the work into a violin sonata at the prompting of his close friend, the violinist David Oistrakh . It was premiered on 17 June 1944 by David Oistrakh and Lev Oborin .
It is in four movements:
- Moderato
- Presto – Poco piu mosso del – Tempo I
- Andante
- Allegro con brio – Poco meno mosso – Tempo I – Poco meno mosso – Allegro con brio
ALEXEY SHOR was born in Kiev in 1970, immigrated to Israel in 1991, and now lives primarily in the USA. There he completed his higher education, earned a PhD in mathematics and worked as a mathematician for years. He began composing in 2012, but his compositions immediately attracted attention and were performed in the most prestigious concert halls such as Wiener Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg), Kremlin Palace (Moscow), The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Gasteig (Munich), Wigmore Hall (London), Teatro Argentina (Rome) and many others. Mr. Shor’s scores are published by Breitkopf & Hartel and P.Jurgenson. CDs with his compositions have been issued by Warner Classics, DECCA, SONY Classics, Delos, Berlin Classics and Melodiya. The Overture to his ballet Crystal Palace was performed at the 40th Gramophone Classical Music Awards ceremony in London. In 2018 he has been awarded an honorary professorship at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. Shortly after, he became Composer-In-Residence for the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra Academie and Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Since 2017, he has also been Composer-in-Residence at the Malta International Music Festival and Piano Competition
Many internationally acclaimed artists have performed Mr Shor’s music, including (in alphabetical order) Behzod Abduraimov, Salvatore Accardo, Ray Chen, Steven Isserlis, Evgeny Kissin, Denis Kozukhin, Shlomo Mintz, Mikhail Pletnev, Gil Shaham, Yeol Eum Son, Yekwon Sunwoo, Maxim Vengerov, Nikolaj Znaider and many others.
Mr Shor also holds a Ph.D. in mathematics.
Universally hailed as one of the world’s finest musicians, and often referred to as the greatest living string player in the world today, Grammy Award winner Maxim Vengerov also enjoys international acclaim as a conductor and has held teaching positions in the world’s leading conservatoires throughout his career.
Born in 1974, he began his career as a solo violinist at the age of 5, won the Wieniawski and Carl Flesch international competitions at ages 10 and 15 respectively, studied with Galina Tourchaninova and Zakhar Bron, made his first recording at the age of 10, and went on to record extensively for high-profile labels including Melodia, Teldec and EMI, earning among others, Grammy and Gramophone artist of the year awards.
The Violinist
From my first public debut at the age of 5, I dreamt of playing for people all over the world. I believe that music is a universal way to connect people regardless of their political or geographical belonging. Till date, I’ve played over 3,000 concerts and am glad to have spread the joy of music making with audiences around the globe.
Depending on repertoire, I play on different instruments and bows, but most of the time I bring to concerts my faithful companion that has been with me since 1998 – the legendary 1727 “Kreutzer” Stradivari.
I’m proud to be deeply rooted in the tradition of Franco-Belgian and Russian violin schools. My favorite violinists are Fritz Kreisler, Eugène Ysaÿe, George Enescu, David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz to name a few.
The Educator
There are many exceptional talents in the world. However, only a few of them are lucky to find teachers that would help them realize their full potential, and open doors into the wonderful world of music. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found the greatest teachers in violin playing, conducting and other musical disciplines.
Since the age of 26, I feel obliged to give back and to pass on the torch to my younger colleagues, all the precious knowledge I have received from my musical gurus.
Being a teacher comes with a great responsibility as anything you say will affect your students not only in music, but also in their lives.
The Conductor
A violin has four strings, while an orchestra has hundreds. Being a conductor has deepened and expanded my horizons in music. Having a solo career as a violinist can be lonely at times. That’s why it is such a fulfilling way to share the music making process with colleagues from orchestras.
To be a conductor is to be a “musical chef,” the man behind the scenes, who must acknowledge the fact that the only instrument of the conductor is the orchestra, and each member has its distinct voice with which you must instantly build an almost telepathic connection. That challenge is an extremely humbling experience that I enjoy.
Both of my conducting teachers, Vag Papian and Yuri Simonov, are rooted in the German-Russian conducting schools. It was a true pleasure learning from these great Maestros and it is my goal to pass on their teachings to the next generation.
The Recording Artist
I have always been fascinated by recordings as a child. For my sixth birthday, my father gave me a tape recorder which greatly motivated me to practice because when I recorded myself, it was as if I was indirectly playing for others. I would play over and over again, listening back until I became satisfied with the results.
When I was 10, I received an invitation from the Russian label Melodia to record my first LP. After two days of recording I felt I was a different violinist. With the help of the recording producer, I was learning how to make studio recordings sound not only perfect, but also to make it sound as if I was playing a live concert.
Having witnessed the evolution of recordings from LPs to CDs and now in digital format, we are lucky to have a wide selection of materials to study from and enjoy. I am truly fortunate to be a part of this generation!
My personal gratitude to my guiding forces through my life and career.
Galina Turchaninova was a student of Boris Sergeev from St. Petersburg (Leningrad, Russia). Those five and a half years of studying with her were my first steps in my native town, Novosibirsk, Russia.
I could not have dreamt of a better teacher. It was never easy, nevertheless, she will always be my musical mother. Her attitude towards violin was to learn to play just as a child learns to walk and to speak.
Her teaching was tough but fair. In fact, she has actually never treated me like a child. To be fully prepared for lessons with her, I had to practice up to 7-8 hours a day with the help of my mother. Was this the right way to treat a child? It’s a big question because she used to remind me that “talent comes with a price”. As a result and before I even realised it, at the age of 7, I was already playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto and at the age of 8, Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole along with other pieces.
Later on, after my studies with her, each time I visited Moscow with concerts, seeing her again gave me warm feelings and it was like going back to my tough but memorable childhood.
Her passing in May 2020 shortly after her 90th birthday made me realise that I was so lucky to have studied with her. I am honoured and certainly entitled to call myself a follower of the great Russian traditions of violin playing.
May God bless her soul!
Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich was undeniably one of the greatest musician of the 20th century.
It’s rare for one person to have so many unique qualities. Being a genius in music, at the same time he was very humble. Rostropovich has studied composition with Prokofiev and instrumentation with Shostakovich. In his early years he has written quite a few orchestral, instrumental and chamber works. Once I asked him as to why he has never published any of them? He replied: “Having had teachers like I had, I did not dare to publish any of my own compositions, so I burned them all!”
Maestro was an incredibly generous person. His infectious energy would transform any event and would turn it to magic.
He was someone you could call a Guru – musical Saint who knew no boundaries. His musical wisdom has been a source of inspiration to all people who cared to listen to his voice. Whether he was playing, conducting or teaching, he would use the power of Music to defend the true values in life. He stood up for the universal truth, and fought for it tirelessly as a warrior of light with a bow in his hand. He was a very deep and lighthearted personality at the same time. His sense of humour could break any ice wall. His vivid imagination brought him to another dimension of human state of mind. Nothing was impossible for Slava! He has lived up to the meaning of his name – Slava! – which stands for Glory from russian translation. The Glorious Mstislav Rostropovich has set new “Absolute” standards in performing arts (and also drinking quantities of vodka) and has influenced many generations of musicians.
At our first meeting he said to me – “When you interpret a musical work, most important is what you think about while you play it”. Musician is an important link from composer to the audience. If you wish to use music to express your own emotions, better become a composer yourself. But once you decide to play Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Ravel or Shostakovich, you have to be a different person in each of these works. The color of your sound should be so different, so, the listener could hardly recognize your own style. That quality distinguishes a true artist from just a good instrumentalist”.
Through Rostropovich’s recordings and performances he connected us with the spirit of the great composers of his epoch: Schostakovich, Prokofiev, Britten, Dutilleux to mention a few who dedicated their works to him. The passion for music, a true unconditional love for life and his genuine trust in people was so strong, he has inspired millions around the world to make a change, so, with Music the world would become a better place.
I have been so fortunate to learn from Maestro and to collaborate with him for 17 years.
In my heart Slava is immortal.
Roustem SAITKOULOV was born in Kazan (Russia) and belongs to the great school of Russian piano. He started to play at age 4 and entered the school affiliated to the Kazan Higher National Conservatory at the age of 6. He continued his studies at the Tchaïkowsky Conservatory in Moscow, then at the Higher School of Music in Munich. He was awarded numerous international piano prizes: Busoni Competition in Bolzano (Italy), UNISA Competition (South African University) in Pretoria, Géza Anda Competition in Zurich (Switzerland), Marguerite Long Competition in Paris (France). He was also the award-winner at Roma Piano Competition and Monte-Carlo Piano Masters in 2003.
http://www.bs-artist.com/pages/les-artistes/roustem-saitkoulov.html
ChristopherAxworthy-MusicCommentary 