Customer Reviews

Aaron Rosand Plays Joachim, Hubay, Enesco, Ernst, Godard, Lehar, Ysaye, & Wieniawski

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First at all , the warmthness , the musicality and the virtuosism emanated from the soul of this reinassance man establishes a sutil difference with the majority of the violinists in the actual times .
Rosand is superb . And take in mind his repertoire includes several unknown pieces of the musical literature.
He does not seem to have any problem with that , and the works recorded here proves this statement . Joachim and Hubay violin concerts are not precisely the battlehorses in the most of stages around the world .
He made the world premiere recording of the Sibelius Humoresques for violin in the early sixties and the Rimsky Korsakov or Arensky violin concerts .
I had the great honor of appreciate his craft twice in Caracas in 1978 with the Sibelius violin concerto and in 1980 February with the PAganini violin concerto No. 1 .
He is a charming human being , and gave us two unforgettable encores playing Bach partita No. 2 and a Paganini Capriccio No. 17 .
Try to get as soon as possible this fundamental issue who will let you know much more about this legendary violinist and best person .

Aaron Rosand has always been known as a specialist in the field of playing "long-forgotten"-type works for violin. His so-called "romantic" style, coupled with a large and radiant tone, have always made him a giant in my book, even though his recordings are nearly all done with minor orchestras and on the Vox label. I don't know why Deutsche Grammophon, RCA, or Philips never signed him...they were crazy not to.

On this 2-CD set, are four concertos and five showpieces. Of these, only one - the Wieniawski Polonaise #1, is even remotely known outside of the violinistic community. To say a minimum, his interpretation of the Joachim Concerto is amazing. This is one difficult piece, and Rosand plays it with all the lyric romanticism that the music encompasses. The first movement draws the listener in immediately, the slow movement is gorgeous, and the third movement sizzles. Ernst's F-sharp minor concerto was popular in the early years of the 20th century, and most of Leopold Auer's students played it. Its cousin concerto (the Wieniawski #1, also in F-sharp minor, but not included on this disc) is musically superior. Although Rosand plays it quite well, it isn't a very interesting piece - but who else has taken the time to record it? Not many. The Hubay concerto is also great - most people don't know just how large Hubay's contribution to the violin world was. He was a fine composer as well as violinist, and unfortunately his "Hejre Kati" (which Rosand plays fine here) is the only thing that really survives (he wrote a 'Carmen Fantasy' that was unfortunately lost to the bigger ones by Sarasate and Waxman.) The Lehar "Fantasy" is great - most will recognize the main theme of it as being the same melody used in the penultimate slow section of Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen". Highly recommended, especially for those who like the off-the-beaten-track, less-often heard fiddlers like Rosand.

The virtuoso playing in this CD is breathtaking. Somehow, while flying through amazingly difficult passages, seemingly effortlessly, Mr. Rosand is able to bring out such warmth and beauty in the music that it makes you wonder if you ever really heard it before.

My favorite is Joachim's Hungarian Concerto. It develops tightly around strong themes without persiflage. This is an excellent album to discover such welcome masters as Hubay and Ysaye. Satisfying for the violin afficionado. Most composers are of the first water, but among the welter of delights there is an exception or two. Rosand maintains the level of excellence that we expect from him.

After purchasing Rosand's Brahms H. Dances and his Sarasate CD, I am convinced Aaron is one of the Greatest American Violinist's alive. This CD demostrates it. What an awesome version of "The Hungarian" possibly the fineist ever recorded; and the other pieces are absolutely superb. This CD enticed me to buy Hubay's complete VC's and investigate the others. There is a reviewer listed here, indicating Rosand plays off-key at the beginning of the Joachim piece; I don't know what the hell he is talking about everything is just right. The recording is a bit-older, 70's, but the playing is masterful as well as the accompaniment. I ran across an interesting detail; Rosand's 1741 Guarnerius del Gesu violin cavity was cut from the same tree as Henri Vieuxtemps. Unbelievable!!! No wonder Aaron's sound is impeccable. If you are interested in 19th Century Violin and are looking for lesser known but exceptional works, don't let this one pass by, it's a GEM!!!

Mr. Rosand has certainly marketed himself and maybe intentionally typecasted himself for specializing in these lost and forgotten compositions of the "Romantic era" which no one else seems to have really taken an interest in playing until his arrival on the concert scene.

There are some good recordings on this two CD set like the Wieniawski Polonaise in D major. He shows technical facility in the Ernst Concerto in F# minor, generally a good sense of rhythm, and a unique tonal palette; yet a person might ask oneself why has he not broken to the top echelon of great soloists like Perlman, Milstein, and Heifetz? The key answer to that is his often faulty and inaccurate intonation on all of his recordings and in his live performances. Take the opening two notes of the violin part from the Joachim Concerto (A, and E) as an example; they are played off pitch. There's no arguing there, two very exposed notes like that have to be played in tune. In the first movement of the Joachim Concerto there is a repeated sequence of D-naturals in a melodic figure. Each D-natural is different in pitch. Rosand's intonation often goes astray in higher registers (mostly sharp) sometimes as far as a quarter tone off mainly due to an excessive use of vibrato reminiscent of an ailing soprano past her prime. Rosand is someone who enjoys using portamento obviously even to the degree though they can become quite tasteless. The slides he uses in the Joachim are not subtle at all. The portamento at times doesn't arrive at the note on time and sounds more like he wasn't quite sure where the note was.

All and all this is a good recording, certainly not one of great distinction or profundity but on the other hand fun to listen to since the pieces are quite good and not really recorded by anyone else.