Customer Reviews

Vieuxtemps: Violin Concertos Nos. 5, 6 & 7

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

 

 

One of the main things that I have enjoyed from the Naxos label is all of the concertos that have been recorded that has been next to impossible to find elsewhere. Case in point, Henri Vieuxtemps. These final three Violin Concertos round out a truly wonderful excursion into this oft neglected composer. Having the opportunity to hear all seven concertos recorded within only a few years of each other as well as having the same soloist makes a huge difference. Hearing the continuity of all seven concertos from the same interpreter (Misha Keylin) gives a wonderful overview of Vieuxtemps composition. If you love Romantic era Violin Concertos, you won't be disappointed with *any* of Henri Vieuxtemps works.

Down through the years, I've heard these violin concertos (#5, 6, and 7) by Henri Vieuxtemps on recordings used as "filler" in recordings of the "biggies" (i.e., the Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, etc., concertos). In this recording of the last three violin concertos by Henri Vieuxtemps', they stand on their own as the featured works, They DO really stand alone as some very marvelous extreme romantic compositions. The concertos are filled with lush harmonies and soaring melodies. (I love the concerto #5 in A minor--its gorgeous!)

Misha Keylin, the violinist is "new" to me; however, he plays with very beautiful tones through out this recording and he certainly is "up to" the extreme demands of these works delivering the virtuosity of the works wonderfully. What impressed me very much is that no matter how demanding a part was he still managed to produce beautiful tones. To me, Misha Keylin is a most impressive violinist; I look forward to hearing him often.

The sound on this recording is great; it remains lovely through out its entirety never turning harsh. Naxos has done a great job of recording these lush works.

For some reason, I started this series at its end; however, I do intend to purchase the first two discs in this series. I was very impressed with this recording!

Mischa Keylin is, I believe, the first violinist to record all of the Vieuxtemps concerti - and for that reason alone, he deserves substantial recognition. Vieuxtemps is unknown outside of the violin world, which is a shame, as he was one of the greatest composers of his time; even Berlioz said at one point that if Vieuxtemps had not been a violinist, he would have been more renowned as a composer. That said, Mischa Keylin does splendidly with Vieuxtemps last two concerti - playing them in a very romantic style with large tone, perfect technique, and usually fine phrasing. His interpretations are not overly individual, but they are very competent. Where he nearly falls down is with the Concerto #5.
He gives it a very cautious reading and does some odd things with the tempi (most of it, including the cadenza, is simply played too slowly.)
Most of us who are violinists learn the more popular 4th and/or 5th Concertos, so hearing the #6 and 7 is quite welcoming,
as they are seldom if ever performed. I recommend this disc, but only for the Concerto #6 and 7. Alexander Markov and Sarah Chang (and yes, I won't forget you, Mr. Heifetz) are the best exponents of the #5.

As with the volume containing Vieuxtemps's second and third violin concertos from Naxos, I am less than convinced by the musical rewards here. The three works here, especially the fifth concerto, are stronger than the earlier works (primarily because they are slightly more concentrated and focused), but it is still the case that enjoying them appears to require a special kind of affinity for this particular brand of virtuouso romantic concertos. The fifth concerto is rather oddly constructed, with a huge first movement followed, almost as afterthoughts, by two short ones. The sixth and seventh concertos both date from 1881; the sixth is pure light music, almost defiantly refusing to plumb any depths whatsoever but containing some attractive melodic material; the seventh is somewhat more elusive and reflective, even though there is plenty to enjoy here as well - it also places some exorbitant technical demands on the soloist.

Now, as on the previous volume, this is where this issue really scores. Misha Keylin is by all means a world-class violinist. There is plenty of virtuoso sparkle and brilliance in his playing; his tone is strong and full-blooded and the phrasing elegant and assured. He is up against some pretty fierce competition in the fifth concerto, I realize (though I have not really been compelled to check it out), but I can hardly imagine a more overall convincing approach. There is fire aplenty in the more dramatic movements, such as the first movement of the fifth, but plenty of lyricism and poetry as well in the slower movements.

Despite a consistently beautiful tone, nowhere does Keylin succumb to Vieuxtemps's invitations to over-sugar the music; rather he remains alert to the dramatic elements, quirks and the textural variety of the music. And as opposed to what was the case with the volume containing the second and third concertos, he is given rich and full support from the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Mogrelia (nos. 5 and 6) and the Arnhem Philharmonic under Takuo Yuasa (no.7) - there are some rough patches and some grainy string textures in both orchestras, but overall there is little to complain about. The sound is excellent as well. Now, if only Naxos or someone else would give Keylin some more rewarding repertoire to play ...

Misha Keylin is a superb player. There are a few ensemble problems, and the conductor, especially in Concerto No. 5, could have treated the phrasing and balance in the tutti a bit more carefully. If you compare this recording with the 1980's recording of Kyung-Wa Chung, the LSO under Lawrence Foster (released on Decca), this piece comes accross as a much more successful one in the LSO recording--also, tempi are faster in general.