Barber, Khachaturian: Violin Concertos

“Simonyan is a true virtuoso; his playing has a natural, unforced authority and, among other accomplishments, his clear, brilliant spiccato bowing is heard to great effect in the finales of both concertos...this is a performance [of the Barber] of notable power, Simonyan's confident presence - aided by strong support from Kristjan Järvi and the LSO - generating considerable intensity as the climactic moments approach...All in all, a most impressive debut.” --Gramophone Magazine, February 2012

“Simonyan's intention was to bring out the qualities that embody the cultural roots of each composer: thus, he commissioned a new cadenza for Khachaturian's concerto by Artur Avanesov, to emphasise the Armenian flavour, and treated the dashing final movement of Barber's concerto in a looser manner than usual, suggestive of rustic American fiddling.” --The Independent, 20th January 2012

Brahms - Serenade No. 2 - Tilson Thomas

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897):
Serenade No.2 for Small Orchestra in A major, op.16
Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, op.56a
Three Hungarian Dances Nos.1, 3 & 10 (orch. J.Brahms)
Five Hungarian Dances Nos.17-21 (orch. A.Dvořák)

London Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas - conductor

Brahms – The 2 Piano Concertos – Kovacevich

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897):

CD 1:
Piano Concerto No.1 in D minor, op.15
Scherzo in E flat minor, op.4
Ballades, op.10

CD 2:
Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat major, op.83
Piano Pieces, op.76

Stephen Kovacevich - piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis - conductor

Schnittke | Viola Concerto · Trio Sonata

Yuri Bashmet · Moscow Soloists · London Symphony Orchestra · Mstislav Rostropovich

The Soviet composer Alfred Schnittke wrote his Viola Concerto in 1985 for Yuri Bashmet, whose magnetic musical personality seems to inform much of the content. The letters of the violist`s surname in fact play a motivic role in the sometimes expressionist scenario, with its bleak and withdrawn murmurings giving way to violent, pastiche-like gestures (Mahler and Vivaldi are the composers most prominently evoked). Bashmet`s string-orchestra arrangement of Schnittke`s 1985 String Trio may be less persuasive, but the reading is also first-rate.

MP3 HQ · 99 MB