Composer: Wolfgang Rihm, Dmitri Shostakovich
Performer: Jaap van Zweden
Orchestra: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conductor: Edo de Waart, Zoltán Peskó
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Naxos
Catalogue: 8573271
Release: 2013
Size: 256 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 99
01. I. Nocturne: Adagio
02. II. Scherzo: Allegro non troppo
03. III. Passacaglia: Andante
04. IV. Burlesca: Allegro con brio
05. Rihm: Gesungene Zeit
Composed in 1947-48 but unperformed until 1955, Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto is one of the great concertos of the twentieth century. The wide emotional range of its four-movement structure encompasses an opening of brooding, elegiac melancholy, a manic scherzo, a harrowing and deeply felt passacaglia, and a brilliant, concluding burlesque. Wolfgang Rihm has been described as ‘one of the most approachable, engaging and profound composers writing music today’ (The Guardian). The solo violin in Gesungene Zeit (Time Chant) plays one long fine-spun melody, the work creating a maximum of expression with a minimum of means.
This remarkable concerto recording was made on the cusp of Jaap van Zweden’s career change from an acclaimed soloist to becoming one of today’s most sought after conductors.