Henri Vieuxtemps - Violin Concertos Nos. 5, 6 & 7 (Misha Keylin)

Information

Composer: Henri Vieuxtemps

1. Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor "Gretry", Op. 37: I. Allegro non troppo - Moderato
2. Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor "Gretry", Op. 37: II. Adagio
3. Violin Concerto No. 5 in A minor "Gretry", Op. 37: III. Allegro con fuoco
4. Violin Concerto No. 6 in G major, Op. 47: I. Allegro moderato
5. Violin Concerto No. 6 in G major, Op. 47: II. Pastorale. Andante con moto
6. Violin Concerto No. 6 in G major, Op. 47: III. Intermezzo siciliano
7. Violin Concerto No. 6 in G major, Op. 47: IV. Rondo finale. Allegretto
8. Violin Concerto No. 7 in A minor, Op. 49: I. Moderato
9. Violin Concerto No. 7 in A minor, Op. 49: II. Melancolie
10. Violin Concerto No. 7 in A minor, Op. 49: III. Allegro vivo

Misha Keylin, violin
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Mogrelia, conductor (1-7)
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra
Takuo Yuasa, conductor (8-10)

Date: 2003
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.557016

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 10

The Vieuxtemps violin concertos offer a feast for violinists (and listeners) who are attuned to their special charms and have an affinity for Romantic concertos. Misha Keylin scores on both counts. He's a Russian-born, Juilliard-trained American whose traversal of these works for Naxos is capped by this installment of the final three. The Fifth is the most popular of them all, with splendid recordings by Heifetz and Grumiaux, and Keylin's is right up there with them, and better engineered too. He's somewhere between Heifetz's supercharged virtuosity and Grumiaux's slightly understated elegance, combining both of those essential qualities. The Fifth is an oddly constructed work in three movements, the first being three times longer than the other two. While Keylin excels in that dramatic first movement, the sheer poetry of his Adagio and the brilliant tonal qualities he demonstrates in the fiery brief last movement make his performance especially memorable.

The Sixth and Seventh concertos date from Vieuxtemps' last year, 1881, but there are few valedictory qualities to be found in them. The Sixth is a delightful confection pervaded by a light-hearted spirit and teeming with fetching melodies. The longest movement is the first, an Allegro moderato from which drama is largely excluded, the soloist given the requisite virtuoso fiddling duties but within a lyrical context. Keylin's relaxed phrasing and his rich but sugar-free tone make the most of the beauties of the Pastorale, and he's alive to the rhythmic subtleties that make the Siciliano movement so enticing. The Seventh Concerto is made of sterner virtuoso stuff, as in the coda to the first movement, where Keylin never makes anything approaching a strained or ugly sound, and he sails through the final Allegro vivo without appearing to break a sweat. Throughout the disc, Keylin's technical facility is allied to real feeling for the music, without which these works can strain interest.

It's not just a one-man show, either. Both conductors and orchestras provide first-rate support (Yuasa and the Arnhem Philharmonic in the Seventh and Mogrelia and the Slovak Radio band in the other two), and the engineering captures the performances with admirable realism. At the Naxos price, this is a steal. [9/6/2003]

-- Dan Davis, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/n/nxs57016a.php
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.557016&languageid=EN
http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Concertos-5-6-7/dp/B00008ZZ2V

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Henri Vieuxtemps (17 February 1820 – 6 June 1881) was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century. The bulk of Vieuxtemps's compositions were for his own instrument, including seven concertos and a variety of short salon pieces. He is also known for playing upon what is now known as the Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesu, built in 1741, a violin of superior workmanship. The instrument was later played by noted violin masters like Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Vieuxtemps

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Misha Keylin (born 1970 in St. Petersburg, Russia) is a Russian-American violinist. He immigrated to the United States at nine and had his New York Carnegie Hall début at age 11. He currently resides in New York and performs on a violin made by Antonio Gagliano in 1831. Keylin has garnered numerous awards (including “Critic’s Choice” by The New York Times, Gramophone and The Strad) for his complete CD series for Naxos of the seven Henry Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concertos. These recordings have sold over 150,000 copies worldwide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misha_Keylin

http://www.keylin.com/

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