Since making his recording debut for Avie in 2005 with the sonatas of Brahms, Franck and Schumann (AV 2080), Albanian-born, Munich-resident violinist Rudens Turku has amassed a devoted following and fan base for his effortless virtuosity and innate musicianship. Following albums devoted to solo works, duos, and concertos, Rudens returns with a personal selection of miniatures and encores for violin and piano. Sweet Remembrance – the subtitle of Jascha Heifetz’s arrangement of Mendelssohn’s Song without Words - ranges from the romantic Salut d’amour by Elgar, Schön Rosmarin by Kreisler and Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs, to the energetic Scherzo from Brahms’ F-A-E Sonata and Shostakovich’s exhilarating Preludium. Interspersed with miniature masterpieces by great violinist-composers such as Paganini, Sarasate, Kreisler and Wienawski, the album boldly concludes with Ysaÿe’s commanding Second Sonata, itself written in remembrance of another great violinist, Jacques Thibaud.
Repertoire *** Sound ***** Interpretation *****
Carsten Dürer - Ensemble magazine (Germany) - August/September 2012
"...All the readings are good, but some are exceptional. Turku has a wonderful sense of rhythm that gives his playing a refershing sense of rhythmic freedom... There is a great reading of the Solo Sonata No 2 9Obsession) by ysaye. Turku brings out the many different voice in the piece very distinctly... Turku’s sense of structure, his sensitivity to color and phrase shape, and the way he treats all the veiled and unveiled appearances of the’dies irae’ movtive, make this reading particularly satisfying."
Elaine Fine - American Record Guide - July/August 2012
