Alina Ibragimova. Arabella Steinbacher.
Tianwa Yang. Vilde Frang. Ning Feng. Janine Jansen. Sueye Park.
Nazrin Rashidova. Renaud Capuçon. Simone Lamsma. Julia Fischer.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Lisa Batiashvili. James Ehnes. Akiko
Suwanai. Katrin Scholz . . . . The list of eminent violinists of the
younger generation goes on and on, heavily oriented nowadays to young
women.
For very many works with violin, Alina
Ibragimova and Lisa Batiashvili are usually among my top
three, four or five for choice of recording. I have been faithful to
both for going on a couple of decades now, and they have rarely
disappointed (apart from Ibragimova in Bach's works for violin and
orchestra, where she has always been let down in recordings by the
choice of accompanying band). A gift from a friend of Ibragimova and
Cédric Tiberghien playing the three violin and piano sonatas of
Brahms gives me an opportunity for a quick re-appraisal of
Ibragimova, and her favourite duo partner.
She reminds me of Arthur Grumiaux who,
for his recordings of 50 or 60 years ago, is always an excellent
choice for any of the German classics, or the Franco-Belgian
repertoire. Like Grumiaux, Ibragimova is a sensitive musician who
sees the artist as a medium for the music, rather than the music as a
vehicle to showcase the player. Her violin, a Bellosio of circa 1775,
suits her playing like a glove. Her partnership with Tiberghien is as
sympathetic as was the partnership of Grumiaux and Clara Haskil. The
tempi adopted by Ibragimova and Tiberghien in the Brahms sonatas are
entirely uncontroversial. We sit back and enjoy the music, and the
playing. Like Grumiaux, Ibragimova appears to play almost everything
but, like Grumiaux, I note her especially for her playing of Bach,
Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and the Franco-Belgian repertoire. I have
scores of recordings of the three Brahms violin and piano sonatas,
but this new one from Ibragimova and Tiberghien goes straight into
the top four or five.
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