Customer Reviews

Brahms: Hungarian Dances (arr. Joachim); Joachim: Andantino; Romance

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my all time favorite recordings - flawless technical command and compelling musicianship in a truly Hungarian style. The pacing and distinctive characters conveyed by the performers in these 21 dances are nothing short of genius. Marat Bisengaliev is one of the most expressive and original violinists I've heard, and he should be a household name to all who value great violin playing in service of the music.

I enjoyed this recording. The songs are played a little faster then the orchestra versions you typically hear. But that is the way they are written (if you read sheet music). I liked hearing the violin and piano together. I felt it created a more intimate sound and brought out the melody which is sometimes subdued by the many instruments of an orchesta. All the dances are here, plus some extra works. I great bargain for the price.

The musicianship on this recording is superb--I have yet to be disapointed with the quality of the "budget" recordings put out by Naxos. The other reviewer is correct--these pieces are very well suited for violin/piano and the playing here is full of passion and technical virtuosity. Well recommended!!!

Most people who are familiar with these pieces know them in the orchestral arrangements, none of which Brahms wrote. Most of the orchestrations performed today were done by Dvorák, and Brahms wrote these pieces for piano.

But he didn't compose them. In fact, the sheet music reads, "Hungarian Dances arranged by Johannes Brahms." Brahms enjoyed hiking, and many of his travels took him through Hungary, where he stopped at taverns where Gypsy musicians performed. He apparently enjoyed what he heard and arranged the music for piano. At the time, the gypsy musicians complained, but by that time Brahms was a wealthy man as was his publisher, Simrock, so there was no contest.

That's why you should purchase these recordings of arrangements by Joseph Joachim, Brahms's best friend (off-and-on). They get closer to the spirit of the original music. Joachim was the greatest violinist of his day, and these difficult arrangements for violin are a distinct improvement over the piano versions by Brahms.

This is also the finest recording available of the Joachim arrangements. If you doubt my opinion, go listen to the recording of the first Hungarian Dance on Sarah Chang's album Sweet Sorrow. There is no doubt that Sarah Chang is a fine violinist, but compared with Marat Bisengaliev, it sounds as though she's sight-reading the piece.

When I worked in a record shop, I sold 125 copies of this CD simply by playing it in the store. (Of course, being handsome and having a magnetic personality also helped my sales.)

If you are looking for the best versions of Joachim's transcribed Brahms Hungarian Dances look no further. Bisengaliev gives a lively performance, possible the best collective 21 dance set available. Yeah, you might find Menuhin's a little better, but the recording sound stinks (hissing-background noise) and he only plays a hand full of dances. Marat's versions are folksy and what every Austrian/Hungarian would consider as genuine. Naxos is the supreme finder of great unkown talent, such as Bisengaliev, keep it up!!!

This combination of instruments is great for the Hungarian Dances.The timbre of the instruments and the balance between them is very alluring.But, I believe the performers avoided simplicity too much.They never seemed to settle on a rhythm.Tempo-changes are part and parcel of classical music, yes.But for a listner to believe the performer is in control, the performer would need sustainance of a pattern (even an accelerating one) before moving onto the next one.I think this performance lacked flow.