Violin Concerto Opus 14

Barber (Artist), Levi (Artist), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Artist), Barber Piano Concerto (Artist), Atlanta Symphony (Artist), Yoel Levi (Artist), Jon Kimura Parker (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 27, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000003D25
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,805 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: 1. Allegro

2. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: 2. Andante

3. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: 3. Presto in moto perpetuo

4. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 1. Walt (The Lobby)

5. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 2. Schottische (Third Floor Hallway)

6. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 3. Pas de deux (A Corner of the Ballroom)

7. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 4. Two-step (Tea in the Palm Court)

8. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 5. Hesitation Tango (A Bedroom Affair)

9. Souvenirs, suite for piano, 4 hands, Op. 28: 6. Galop / Coda (The Next Afternoon)

10. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: 1. Allegro appassionato

11. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: 2. Canzone

12. Piano Concerto, Op. 38: 3. Allegro molto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best!!!, August 5, 2001

By 

Joe Flute (Winter Park, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Violin Concerto Opus 14 (Audio CD)

I believe that the Barber's violin concerto is one of the greatest piece ever composed in the 20th century. It is a piece which best describes the true essence of Samuel Barber's music. This performance by Robert McDuffie is the most brilliant rendition of the Violin Concerto I have ever heard!!! And I have heard many! McDuffie and the ASO does a wonderful job of depicting the many moods and emotions that lie within Barber's Violin Concerto. McDuffie's performance provokes an intense feeling of abstract nostalgia that few musician achieve with this piece.

One of the highlights in this performance is the second movement. On top of being the greatest performance on the violin, the oboe soloist in the beginning of this movement produces the most georgous oboe solo I have ever heard in any recording of this piece. If any oboe solo can put a tear in my eye, this would be the one. Bravo to the principal oboist of the ASO and Robert McDuffie!!! An intense and emotional performance!!!

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barber at his best, December 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Violin Concerto Opus 14 (Audio CD)

Samuel Barber's only real representative in the concert repertory is his famous 'Adagio for Strings,' but I really feel that it is one of his weaker works. His magnifacent violin concerto is one of the most beautiful and expressive ever written, from the poignant sophistication of the first movement, to the moody Romanticism of the ravishingly gorgeous slow movement, right to the end of the percussive barn-burner of a finale.

His ballet 'Souveneirs' is a comical satire on the era of silent movies and is a collection of popular dances, such as a waltz, tango, pas de deux, two step, etc. It is an attractively easy-going, somewhat jazzy work that just about anyone would like.

The piano concerto is a very modernistic work, but Barber still doesn't stray to far from his romantic voice. Except in the ethereal middle movement, we are confronted with a restless violence that gives an unprepared listener little breathing room, but it is nonetheless a wholly accessible work.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, February 15, 2006

By 

Jeffrey A. Thompson (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Violin Concerto Opus 14 (Audio CD)

I heard this violin concerto for the first at an University of Iowa symphony concert. Although the orchestra did just okay and the soloist was a violin professor who did very well indeed; I was attracted to the melodies and the orchestration. I always like Barber and this concerto quickly became one of my favorites. The recording is excellent. The soloist and the orchestra are superb. It a haunting and whimsical piece. Very good all around.