Haydn Wood; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Frederick Delius - Violin Concertos (Tasmin Little)

Information

Composer: Haydn Wood; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Frederick Delius

1. Coleridge-Taylor - Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80: I. Allegro maestoso
2. Coleridge-Taylor - Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80: II. Andante semplice
3. Coleridge-Taylor - Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 80: III. Allegro molto
4. Delius - Suite for Violin and Orchestra: I. Pastorale. Andante quasi Allegretto
5. Delius - Suite for Violin and Orchestra: II. Intermezzo. Allegro molto vivace
6. Delius - Suite for Violin and Orchestra: III. [Élégie.] Adagio cantabile
7. Delius - Suite for Violin and Orchestra: IV. [Finale.] Allegro animato
8. Wood - Violin Concerto in A minor: I. Allegro moderato
9. Wood - Violin Concerto in A minor: II. Andante sostenuto
10. Wood - Violin Concerto in A minor: III. Finale: Allegro giocoso

Tasmin Little, violin
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrew Davis, conductor

Date: 2015
Label: Chandos
https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%2010879

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Review

Tasmin Little’s magnificent new recording of the irresistibly tuneful and big-hearted Violin Concerto that Samuel Coleridge-Taylor wrote in 1912 for Maud Powell (and which, sadly, he was never to hear) jumps to the head of a select but hotly competitive field. What lustrous tone, fragrant poetry and generosity of spirit Little brings to the soaringly lyrical solo part, and how fortunate she is in having such fervent, watchful support from the BBC Philharmonic at the very top of their game under Andrew Davis. Theirs is a performance of genuine stature and one which certainly made me fall in love all over again with this rewarding creation.
You’ll encounter a comparable charisma and dedication in these artists’ exemplary account of Haydn Wood’s A minor Concerto. Composed in 1928, it had to wait a further five years for its first airing, in a radio broadcast featuring the Catalan virtuoso Antonio Brosa (who went on to give the March 1940 New York world premiere of Britten’s Violin Concerto). It’s a red-blooded, ripely Romantic and impeccably crafted vehicle, rather less distinctive in profile than the Coleridge-Taylor but whose many opportunities for bravura display are eagerly devoured here, and which can boast a central Andante sostenuto of spine-tingling beauty.

Little and Davis also make a gorgeous thing of Delius’s four-movement Suite. Written in Paris between 1888 and 1891 (but not heard until a BBC broadcast in 1984), it gets a performance of scrupulous sensitivity, wistful tenderness and affectionate ardour to set alongside Ralph Holmes’s with Vernon Handley and the RPO for Unicorn-Kanchana from three decades ago (now on Heritage, 9/85, 1/13). Excellent booklet-notes by Anthony Burton; sumptuous sound and a wholly truthful balance, too.

To sum up, a disc with a distinct touch of magic about it, movingly dedicated by Little to the memory of Chandos founder Brian Couzens, who died just a few days before the sessions.

-- Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

More reviews:
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / RECORDING: *****
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/Dec/Wood_VC_CHAN10879.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2016/Jan/Wood_VC_CHAN10879.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/22/wood-coleridge-taylor-delius-violin-concertos-cd-review-little-davis
https://www.thestrad.com/coleridge-taylor-violin-concerto-in-g-minor-delius-suite-h-wood-violin-concerto-in-a-minor/1607.article
https://www.allmusic.com/album/tasmin-little-plays-haydn-wood-samuel-coleridge-taylor-frederick-delius-mw0002888658
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tasmin-Little-British-Violin-Concertos/dp/B015HNXT8E

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Haydn Wood (25 March 1882 – 11 March 1959) was a 20th-century English composer and a concert violinist. Wood attended the Royal College of Music, where he studied violin with Enrique Fernández Arbós and composition with Charles Villiers Stanford. He also studied with César Thomson in Brussels. Wood was a prolific composer of orchestral music, primarily in the "light music" style. His works include 15 suites, 9 rhapsodies, 8 overtures, 3 concertante pieces and nearly 50 other assorted works, including 180 individual songs. During his lifetime, Wood gained considerable success from his works, particularly his songs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haydn_Wood

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Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 1875 – 1 September 1912) was an English composer of Sierra Leone Creole descent who achieved such success that he was once called the "African Mahler" by New York musicians. He was particularly known for his three cantatas based on the epic poem, Song of Hiawatha. Coleridge-Taylor also composed chamber music, anthems, and the African Dances for violin, among other works. The Petite Suite de Concert is still regularly played. Coleridge-Taylor was greatly admired by African Americans, with public schools were named after him in Louisville and Baltimore.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Coleridge-Taylor

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Frederick Delius (29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer who forged a unique version of the Impressionist musical language of the early twentieth century. The lyricism in Delius's early compositions reflected the music he had heard in America and the influences of European composers such as Edvard Grieg and Richard Wagner. As his skills matured, he developed a style uniquely his own, characterised by his individual orchestration and his uses of chromatic harmony. After WWII, Delius' fame began to spread, due in large part to the efforts of Thomas Beecham, who championed Delius' music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Delius

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Tasmin Little (born 13 May 1965 in London) is an English classical violinist. She is best known and widely acclaimed as a concerto soloist, and also performs as a recitalist and chamber musician. Her first professional performance as a soloist was in 1988 with The Hallé. She made her first appearance at the BBC Proms in 1990, and has appeared regularly since. Little has been an exponent of the works of composer Frederick Delius throughout her career. She has released multiple albums, winning the Critics Award at the Classic Brit Awards in 2011 for her recording of Elgar's Violin Concerto.

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

http://www.tasminlittle.org.uk/

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