ANTONIN DVORAK

When Gianandrea Noseda was appointed Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, great things were expected – the reputation of this young conductor preceded him. What was less expected was the diversity of repertoire that he would conduct, with equal success. His releases for Chandos, from Prokofiev to Dallapiccola, routinely pick up accolades from the critics. This disc features two of Dvorak’s neglected concertos, performed with great élan by soloists James Ehnes and Rustem Hayroudinoff. Both works have been overshadowed by Dvorak’s more popular Cello Concerto in B minor, but, as is apparent from this recording, both are delightful pieces, full of Slavic colour and folk rhythms, and characteristic of Dvorak at his best.

James Ehnes made his debut on the Chandos label only last year, and his recordings have gone from strength to strength. Forthcoming appearances include concerts in Edmonton and Montreal in June, Europe in July as well as a number of dates around the USA. Rustem Hayroudinoff has an extensive and highly regarded discography on the Chandos label.


"Dvorák was a string player rather than a pianist, and though his keyboard style in his Piano Concerto is almost invariably effective and well-written, it is sometimes unidiomatic and uncomfortable to play. This is possibly the reason for the work’s neglect. In the twentieth century the work gradually became known through ‘performing versions’ such as that by Wilém Kurz. In recent decades, however, some pianists have tended to go back to Dvorák ’s original score. On this disc Rustem Hayroudinoff plays a mixed text, partly using Dvorák ’s original but, where that is ineffective, employing Kurz’s version. In a few places, where Kurz’s changes seem to push the piano part too far in the direction of a typical romantic concerto, Hayroudinoff has found his own solutions for staying true to Dvorák ’s intentions; but his only real liberty has been to maintain the pulse towards the very end of the slow movement, where Dvorák , in a passage widely held to be ineffective, doubles it.

The violin was an instrument that Dvorák knew very well and for the two decades after its composition, his Violin Concerto was one of his most frequently performed works. Subsequently it was overshadowed by the even greater popularity of his Cello Concerto, and even now is not often heard, despite its wealth of fresh and characteristic invention. Its unusual form – a truncated first movement that flows without a break into the slow movement, the concerto rounded off by a finale that in size balances the other two movements – may well have been suggested by the First Violin Concerto of Bruch. There are, too, a few unmistakable echoes of Brahms’s concerto, but the thematic material is deeply Slavic and wholly characteristic of the composer, nowhere more so than in the sonata rondo Finale, one of his most brilliant and delightful essays in Czech dance rhythms.
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A brilliant and persuasive soloist…
…superbly played by the BBC Phil under Gianandrea Noseda.
…the BBC Philharmonic has picked a winner in its new conductor…
…performances of sheer delight…
…Noseda conjures up a kaleidoscope of colours in these performances.
James Ehnes is an excellent soloist in the magnificent Violin Concerto on this Chandos release. His phrasing has a most natural elasticity and he has a sure sense of the dramatic that seems to filter through to the orchestra, who impart a layer of intensity to the to the pastoral-Czech slow movement.
Dvorák was by no means an expert pianist, as is reflected in page after page of awkward, unidiomatic writing, yet Hayroudinoff somehow clarifies and illuminates even the most densely-textured terrain, making it glisten and radiate emotional warmth. Even Richter’s celebrated EMI recording must cede to this outstanding newcomer. Joseph Ehnes’s golden-toned, impassioned brilliance proves every bit as effective in the Violin Concerto… The BBC Philharmonic and Gianandrea Noseda join in all the fun with infectious skill and alacrity, and there’s an exemplary booklet note from Calum MacDonald.
…Hayroudinoff is excellent: he has an invigorating manner, and a clear enjoyment of the work and a belief in it which are very convincing.
The clarity of his [Hayroudinoff’s] articulation in the trickiest passagework is phenomenal, and his phrasing in the central Andante sostenuto is limpidly beautiful, even warmer than that of Richter. Helped by full, rich sound which yet allows fine detail, Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic match the subtlety and point of the soloist’s playing, establishing this as an outstanding modern version…The Canadian violinist James Ehnes gives a strong, incisive performance with speeds on the fast side in the first two movements and with the furiant finale bitingly fresh.

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