Brahms & Berg: Violin Concertos
Renaud Capuson, a leading French violinist, joins the British conductor Daniel Harding and the Wiener Philharmoniker for two major concertos of the violin repertoire.
And: Do you recall the late violinist Isaac Stern? Mr. Capucon now plays Mr. Stern’s Italian violin masterpiece, a Guarneri Del Gesu. And the results are incredible!
The expansive Brahms concerto, first performed in 1878 by Joseph Joachim, is a peak of the composer’s glowingly warm Romanticism. The Berg violin concerto was written in 1935 the last year of Berg’s life, and dedicated to the memory of Manon Gropius, who had died at age 19.
The Berg concerto poignantly blends the atonality of the Second Viennese School with subtle lyricism and, in its second movement, returns to a haunting Bach chorale.
Berg:
- Violin Concerto ‘To the Memory of an Angel’ (1935)
Brahms:
- Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
Performed by Renaud Capucon (violin), accompanied by the Wiener Philharmoniker, conducted by Daniel Harding
The track listing follows:
Brahms:
1. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major/D-dur/en ré majeur Op.77: I. Allegro non troppo
2. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major/D-dur/en ré majeur Op.77: II. Adagio
3. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major/D-dur/en ré majeur Op.77: III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace
4. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “To the memory of an angel”/”A la mémoire d’un ange”: Andante – Allegretto
Berg:
5. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, “To the memory of an angel”/”A la mémoire d’un ange”: Allegro – Adagio
Here are some quoted from the British press:
- The Guardian, 20th September 2012:
“a gorgeously expansive account of the Brahms, allowing the long-limbed melodies in the first two movements all the space they need…Just occasionally it all becomes a bit too indulgent…The Berg, too, is wonderfully fluent, but quite detached.”
- The Telegraph, 21st September 2012:
“Capuçon has an impressive grasp of the concerto’s expressive contours, using his technical arsenal with finesse and tracing the music’s breadth of line and its arching shapes while maintaining its inner momentum. The rhythmic punch and energy of the finale are echoed by the orchestra’s powerful attack and buoyancy…This is altogether a remarkable disc.”
Here is Mr. Capucon in a wonderful performance of Beethoven sonatas:
And next, here are some highlights of this Berg/Brahms recording. Just listen to the lyrical sound of Mr. Capucon’s violin!
And here’s a special encore: Gluck’s Melodie, as played by Renaud Capuçon. (He plays an old Italian masterpiece: the Guarneri del Gesù violin, formerly owned by Issac Stern )
Tags: Renaud Capuson, Daniel Harding, Wiener Philharmoniker