Jenő Hubay - Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 4; Variations sur un thème hongrois (Hagai Shaham)

Information

Composer: Jenő Hubay

• (01-04) Violin Concerto No. 3 in G minor, Op. 99
• (05-19) Variations sur un thème hongrois, Op. 72
• (20-23) Violin Concerto No. 4 in A minor "All'antica", Op. 101

Hagai Shaham, violin
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins, conductor

Date: 2003
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67367

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Review

An appealing violinistic voice is restored to circulation in these fine performances

As the founder of the Hungarian school of violin-playing, Jeno Hubay (1858-1937) was not just a teacher but a prolific composer. Though for more than 50 years he was a central figure in Hungarian music, his work has generally faded from view. It did not help that he represented the old school reflecting the gypsy tradition in Hungarian music rather than the Magyar folk tradition so colourfully revealed by Bartók and Kodály. Nonetheless, these last two of Hubay’s four violin concertos make a most attractive addition to Hyperion’s emergent series of Romantic violin concertos. 

The opening movement of No 3, Introduction quasi fantasia, is hardly promising, consisting of brilliant passagework designed to show off the soloist’s virtuosity, with little solid argument or even a memorable theme. In context, that is merely a clearing-of-the-throat before the three remaining movements, with Hubay adopting the opposite of the traditional concerto structure based on a sonata-form first movement. He was plainly taking further the approach regularly favoured by Max Bruch, and some of the melodies in the last two substantial movements, an expansive slow movement and a brilliant finale (with a long cadenza) have a Bruch-like flavour. The Hungarian element, Lisztian in flavour, comes in the lively csárdás rhythms of the second movement Scherzo, and the haunting clarinet melody that opens the long Adagio, leading to a brief funeral march section, before the soloist enters in high-flying cantilena, with one ecstatic melody after another. 

Hubay was already at work on his Fourth Concerto when the Third first appeared in 1907. In their four-movement structure they are broadly similar, except that the opening Preludio of the latter work, again avoiding sonata form, is reflective rather than brilliant, with Bruch again an obvious influence. Though Hubay gives Baroque titles to the movements – Preludio, Corrente e Musette and Capriccio, this is far from being a neo-classical piece, except that the central Musette section of the second movement does have a traditional drone. Again, the slow movement is the high point, even more poignant in its beauty than the Adagio of No 3, before an exuberant moto perpetuo finale in the major key brings predictable fireworks, with a substantial cadenza leading to a crisp pay-off. 

The Variations are more conventional, though evidently just as much fun for a violin virtuoso to play. The Hungarian theme is not so far from the Paganini that has inspired so many composers: in this Hubay set each variation offers a little squib of display, with most of them lasting less than a minute, leading to a substantial cadenza and a final slow return to the main theme. The Israeli soloist Hagai Shaham has the advantage of having been taught by one of Hubay’s pupils, Ilona Feher. Not only does he relish the Hungarian inflections in a winningly idiomatic way, he plays with an ethereal purity in the many passages of stratospheric melody. As so often, Martyn Brabbins proves a most sympathetic partner, drawing committed playing from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, helped by beautifully balanced, cleanly focused recording.

-- Edward Greenfield, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/May04/Hubay_concertos3_4.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/may/09/classicalmusicandopera.shopping
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/h/hyp67367a.php

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Jenő Hubay (15 September 1858 – 12 March 1937) was a Hungarian violinist, composer and music teacher. Hubay was trained in violin and music by his father, Karl, and received instruction from Joseph Joachim in Berlin. As a soloist, he gained the praise of Vieuxtemps, Johannes Brahms and many others. He formed two string quartets, one of them was the Budapest Quartet. Hubay composed four violin concertos, a very large number of encore pieces, and also several operas. His pupils included Joseph Szigeti, André Gertler, Eugene Ormandy, Eugene Lehner and many more.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jen%C5%91_Hubay

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Hagai Shaham (born July 8, 1966) is an Israeli violin virtuoso. He began studying the violin at the age of six and was the last student of the late Professor Ilona Feher. As a soloist he has performed with many of the world's major orchestras. He also performs as a recitalist and appears in chamber music performances. Shaham has recorded music of Achron, Bloch, Brahms, Hubay, Grieg, Mozart, and more for labels such as Biddulph, Hyperion, Avie, Naxos, Talent. He is also a violin teacher, and a professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagai_Shaham

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