Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Violin Concertos (Tianwa Yang)

Information

Composer: Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

1. Concerto Italiano for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 31: I. Allegro moderato e maestoso
2. Concerto Italiano for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 31: II. Arioso
3. Concerto Italiano for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 31: III. Vivo e impetuoso
4. Violin Concerto No. 2 'I Profeti', Op. 66: I. Grave e meditativo - Allegro appassionato 'Isaiah'
5. Violin Concerto No. 2 'I Profeti', Op. 66: II. Espressivo e dolente 'Jeremiah'
6. Violin Concerto No. 2 'I Profeti', Op. 66: III. Fiero ed impetuoso, ma sostenuto e ben marcato il ritmo 'Elijah'

Tianwa Yang, violin
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg
Pieter-Jelle de Boer, conductor

Date: 2015
Label: Naxos
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573135

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Review

Tully Potter’s booklet-notes accurately set the scene as far as the composition of non-operatic music in 19th-century Italy was concerned. It was with Martucci that things began to change, and 20th-century composers such as Pizzetti, Respighi, Casella and Malipiero, figures whose music has once again earned a place in public awareness thanks largely to the efforts of Chandos and Naxos, were not merely extremely accomplished but extraordinarily fine and frequently original composers.

The younger Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Ghedini have also been creeping back into the record catalogues. Castelnuovo-Tedesco has probably been held back, unjustly, by his association with the film industry. He was a prolific writer of film scores and, though his guitar music has always retained a foothold, it is only now that his orchestral and other music has once again begun to be performed and recorded. The Concerto italiano is not the breezy, pseudo-Vivaldian piece that its title might suggest; indeed, it is rather a melancholic work, even the lively finale (the best movement, I think) returning to meditative introspection before its final minute or so.

The Second Violin Concerto, I profeti, was written for Heifetz after he had performed the Concerto italiano. Its three movements are each dedicated to an Old Testament prophet; it is imbued with the composer’s awareness of his Jewish heritage and based on folk melodies. However, it is no harbinger of gloom: it is in fact a rather more lively and colourful work than the earlier concerto, especially the shining finale. Its glittering, singing lines certainly bring a resonant response both from soloist Tianwa Yang and the SWR Symphony Orchestra. A work that needs to be brought back into the repertoire.

-- Ivan Moody, Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 8
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Jul/CastelnuovoT_VCs_8573135.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Aug/CastelnuovoT_VCs_8573135.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/12/castelnuovo-tedesco-violin-concerto-tianwa-yang-cd-review
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs73135a.php
https://www.allmusic.com/album/castelnuovo-tedesco-violin-concerto-no-2-the-prophets-concerto-italiano-mw0002808313
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.573135&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Castelnuovo-Tedesco-Violin-Concerto-Prophets-Italiano/dp/B00QSMV30A

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Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 in Florence – 16 March 1968 in Beverly Hills, California) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In 1939 he immigrated to the United States and became a composer for some 200 Hollywood movies for the next fifteen years. As a teacher, Castelnuovo-Tedesco had a significant influence on other major film composers, such as Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. He also wrote concertos for Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Castelnuovo-Tedesco

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Tianwa Yang (born 8 April, 1987) is a Chinese classical violinist. Yang began learning to play the violin at age four and at ten, began studying with Professor Lin Yaoji at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She debuted in Europe in 2001 and her North American debut was in the 2007-2008 season. Yang recorded her first CD in 2000, at the age of 13, with a recording of Paganini's 24 caprices, on the Hugo Classical label. In 2004, she began recording for Naxos, beginning a series of the complete works of Pablo de Sarasate, which will eventually cover 8 CDs. Yang performs on a Guarneri del Gesu (1730).

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

http://www.tianwayang.com/en/

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