Customer Reviews

Rozsa : Violin Concerto, Op. 24; Cello Concerto, Op. 32; Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, Op. 29a

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Miklos Rozsa is probably more recognizable as the composer of about 100 film scores than of classical music. In fact I have transferred the sound track of the "Thief of Bagdad" to a sound cassette just to enjoy his background music and will do the same for "The Jungle Book" as soon as I can find a video of that earlier Sabu film.

However on this new Telarc release we have three of his symphonic works, <Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello and Orchestra> (CD-80518), each of which shows not only the classical side of this composer but also his Hungarian roots. Each of these works was written by commission: the first for Jascha Heifetz, the second for Janos Starker, the third for Heifitz and Gregor Piatagorsky. That alone should prepare us to expect virtuoso demands for the soloists. I feel that violinist Robert McDuffie and cellist Lynn Harrell leave little to be desired; while Yoel Levi, a conductor I have not exactly admired in the past, keeps the excitement going with his artists and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Drawing upon the same musical traditions as did Liszt and Brahms for their Hungarian pieces, Rozsa nevertheless brings them into the 20th century without neglecting those audiences who still expect emotion and melody rather than intellectual manipulation of tone rows or minimalism. To each his own, but I feel most of you will find moments of great beauty and many more of musical fireworks in this generous 72 minutes of music unfamiliar to most listeners.

This is a tremendously beautiful violin concerto. It has endless lyrical melody, intense rhythm, bold orchestration, structural integration, and drama. This is the 3rd recording of the work, and I think this is the finest. Robert Mcduffie is a world top class violinist. His sweet and sensual tone matches the bitter-sweetness of the work very well. You may discover multi-facet of Rozsa's masterpiece through Mcduffie's brilliant interpretation of the work. The playing of ASO under Levi's direction is first rate. Harrell's reading of Rozsa's dark, inner Cello Concerto is more strong and concerntrated than those of Smith on Koch, Rejto on Silva. Especially the driving urgency of the outer movements of the work is expressed by soloist and orchestra very well. Theme and Variations is the second movement of masterful Sinfonia Concertante(good performance from Gruppmann and Boch with NZSO conducted by Sedares, coupled with great Viola Concerto, on Koch). Recorded sound is very clean and clear. Strongly recommended.

I found this CD after a long search, and I was absolutely ecstatic to finally find it. This was one of the earliest classical recordings I ever purchased (my collection has since grown considerably), and it's probably the one I love the best--although I confess that I don't just love it for its beauty, but because the first two pieces of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra--the Allegro and Lento cantabile--were used in Billy Wilder's 1971 film, "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes," one of my favorite movies(I would love to find an entire score of the film). Actually, reading Sherlock Holmes stories made me curious about classical music!

That said, I was very impressed by Mr. McDuffie's performance, and I'm considering buying other recordings where he is the principle artist. As for Rosza, his music takes my breath away and is just simply a lot of fun.

Miklós Rózsa (1907-1995) is most famous for his film scores; among his achievements were his Academy Award-winning scores for Spellbound and Ben-Hur. This Telarc release offers three of his "serious" compositions, and three splendid compositions they are, highly recommendable to those who enjoy the hearing interplay of soloist and orchestra.

The disk opens with his Violin Concerto, which is engaging from the opening notes and holds listeners' attention throughout. Not too heavy, not too light. This is music with meat on its bones, and violinist Robert McDuffie really digs into his part.

The same can be said for the two other compositions, his Cello Concerto, played with vigor by Lynn Harrell, and the Theme and Variations for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, which brings McDuffie and Harrell together for an expressive performance. The recorded sound (except for the deep bass rumble that you will hear if you have a truly full-range system and play this disk at a healthy volume level) is excellent, making this a disk well worth seeking out by music lovers and audiophiles alike.

Like a good many others no doubt, I grew up listening to Heifetz' legendary performance of the violin concerto and was so satisfied that I couldn't imagine anyone else doing it better or even as well - and the two or three I heard try, reinforced that point of view. - Then late one night I heard an extraordinary performance of it on the radio, and guess what? - this was it!

And even more perplexing, the violinist on this disc, Robert McDuffie, was unknown to me. How about that? (as Mel Allen had a wont to say) - an unknown came out of nowhere, as it were, and delivered a performance that made me want to stand up and cheer! He wasn't Heifetz, of course, but he sure as hell had the measure of this piece and in his own way, provides a musical experience of equal value.

- And let me add that I DID hear Heifetz LIVE play the Rozsa "Theme and Variations", many years ago with Piatigorsky, but as I remember to no greater effect than McDuffie and Harrell give it here. - And although I am less familiar with the cello concerto, I doubt you'll hear this wonderful piece done any better than on this disc.

Finally, I must confess that I am definitely no great fan of either Yoel Levi and his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, other than astonishment at their ability in the past to manipulate the Grammy Awards judges into showering them with mostly undeserved prizes.

However, having said all that, here they come up trumps - HONESTLY! The orchestra play magnificently, and as is usually the case, Telarc records them in an equally magnificent manner. This disc may have just preceded their current, glorious SACDs, but Telarc, led by their leader Robert Woods, had even then learned how to record an entire orchestra, with solo instruments, and with bass notes unsacrificed, with astonishing fidelity. They certainly do themselves proud.

GET THIS DISC - IT'S A MUST BUY!

of Miklos Rozsa through his film music. But after hearing several of his concert works it verified what I always believed and that was Rozsa was one of the greatest composers who ever graced the world of music. While I adore his film music like Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis, El Cid, and The Power, his concert music shows a different side of this great artist.
His Violin Concerto has always been one of my favorites by Rozsa and the playing here is sumptuous and the sound is crystal clear and I wish they had his Variations on a Hungarian Peasant Song here as well. The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is a new favorite of mine upon hearing it for the first time and I find it to be a very powerful piece and it has whetted my appetite for more of the
composer's classical works. This is a splendid recording well worth having.

This is a splendid disc. I have to admit that I have been unable to keep up with the resurgence of Miklos Rózsa interest the last couple of years and the huge number of releases devoted to his concert music that have suddenly appeared. All works on the disc at hand will thus have several competitors and I haven't heard very many of them. Still, it is perhaps reasonable to suspect that Heifetz may be Robert McDuffie's biggest challenge in the colorful violin concerto. Although Heifetz is fiercer and snappier, McDuffie's somewhat slower performance, with a sweeter sound and more focus on the lyrical qualities of the music, come across as an excellent alternative that will also beautifully complement the Heifetz if you already possess it (I have no idea how anyone can hear McDuffie's performance as "strident").

Compared to the essentially romantic violin concerto the cello concerto is spikier - but hardly less attractive. Full of instrumental pyrotechnics it provides plenty of challenges to Lynn Harrell, which she meets and overcomes with aplomb. This is in fact a superb performance, big and bold and passionate, fiery and stylish but with plenty of lyricism. The soloists are slightly less convincing in the Theme and Variations, however, in which they don't quite seem to have completely melded their individual views of the work.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is thoroughly excellent, polished and spirited, and they provide some marvelous individual contributions. Yoel Levi's take on the music is certainly sympathetic and even though a little more muscle and power in the faster music would perhaps not gone amiss, this is a really superb account overall. There are no possible complaints to be had about the vivid recording either. Strongly recommended.

I love Rozsa's violin concerto. There was a period in my life when the first movement was my best friend, if a recording can be such a thing.

As Rozsa fans know, Billy Wilder asked Rozsa to utilize the violin concerto as the foundation of the film score of "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" (1970). Last month, a mere 37 years later, a re-recording of this film score (over 70 minutes, incl. bonus tracks) was released on CD by Tadlow Music, performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. It seems to be available by mail order only.

I'm taking the liberty of mentioning the film-score recording in this concerto thread because it may be good news to those who love the original concerto. Certainly it gives the listener a way to experience the violin concerto in a whole different way; familiar themes veer off in different directions, or are mixed with never-before-heard melodies, or put to unexpected uses (the opening of the last movement coincides with the appearance of the Loch Ness monster!).

It is wonderful that Rozsa is starting to get recognition, but the version of the Violin Concerto by Anastasia Khitruk is much better

This is wonderful music, merely adequately performed. The violin tone is strident and forced. The technique is mostly there, but it is not effortless and singing. The recording is far too bright, and the instrumentalists are spatially located right in front of the listener's nose...far too forward. It reminds me of the old Columbia recordings with microphones down the soloist's throat. The tempo of the Violin Concerto is not as indicated and on the slow side. The CD release of the original Dallas and Heifetz on RCA is much more satisfying, cheap, and now difficult to find.