Joseph Joachim - Violin Concerto No. 3; Overtures (Takako Nishizaki; Meir Minsky)

Information

Composer: Joseph Joachim

1. Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major: I. Allegro non troppo
2. Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major: II. Andante
3. Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major: III. Allegro giocoso ed energico, ma non troppo vivace
4. Hamlet Overture, Op. 4
5. Elegiac Overture "In Memoriam Heinrich von Kleist", Op. 13

Takako Nishizaki, violin (1-3)
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Meir Minsky, conductor

Date: 1983
Label: Marco Polo
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.223373

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 6

Despite a long musical career, almost all of Joseph Joachim’s compositions are early works, steeped in the conservative style of Schubert and Schumann. For years I thought that he composed a single violin concerto, the so-called “Concerto in the Hungarian Style”, but a timely reminder from a couple of fans of the composer set me straight: he wrote three violin concertos, the “Hungarian” being the second. It’s all the stranger, then, that several recent recordings have appeared featuring his non-concerto symphonic music. These works, as the two overtures here clearly demonstrate, lack both melodic distinction and formal ingenuity. In short, they’re boring, a fact that has nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the performances, which are thoroughly professional.

It would seem, however, that both the “Hungarian” and the Third Violin Concerto are another story entirely. Writing for his own instrument seems to have given Joachim an inspirational boost. While hardly notable for originality of idiom, this last of the three violin concertos sounds lovely. The first movement is the weakest: an uninterrupted stream of melody from the soloist pitted against the orchestra, it both lacks contrast for its length and presents intonational hurdles that Takako Nishizaki does not always surmount (it’s not entirely her fault: she’s placed way too close to the microphones). However, after a slightly rough opening she settles down nicely and sounds progressively more comfortable as the work proceeds. The second movement, an impressive elegy to one of the composer’s friends and a genuinely moving experience, finds both solo and orchestra in fine fettle, while the finale sounds exactly as requested: “giocoso ed energico, ma non troppo vivace” (jolly and energetic, but not too fast). A lovely work then, well performed, and who cares if the finale’s main theme comes straight from the first movement of Schumann’s Piano Concerto?

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

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Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century. A number of Joachim's composer colleagues, including Schumann, Brahms, Bruch, and Dvořák, composed concerti with Joachim in mind, many of which entered the standard repertory. His own compositions, 14 with opus numbers, are less well known. Joachim's notable students included Leopold Auer (teacher of Mischa Elman, Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein) and Jenő Hubay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Joachim

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Takako Nishizaki (born 14 April 1944) is a Japanese violinist. She was the first student to complete the Suzuki Method course, at age nine. Nishizaki came to the United States from Japan in 1962. She first studied with Broadus Erle at Yale University, and later with Joseph Fuchs at Juilliard. Some of Nishizaki's recordings with Slovak Philharmonic under Kenneth Jean by Naxos Records of famous violin concertos are highly ranked by The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music. Nishizaki is married to the Naxos label owner Klaus Heymann, and teaches violin in Hong Kong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takako_Nishizaki

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/takako-nishizaki-mn0000031623/biography

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