I had not come across the playing of the violinist Augustin Hadelich before, so I bought his new CD mainly out of curiosity, and also because I like almost all the pieces on the disc. Hadelich does not disappoint; he has an impeccable technique, an excellent musical sense, and his violin makes a very nice sound. I have always liked Janacek's sonata for violin and piano, and I love the way Hadelich plays it here. The fourth of Dvorak's Four Romantic Pieces can often seem to go on for too long, but not here, since it is played with sensitivity and a real feeling for the rise and fall of the music and the melody. I grew up in the 1950s with Ginette Neveu's recording of Josef Suk's highly attractive Four Pieces opus 17 (on an LP with the Sibelius violin concerto). Hadelich's performance here is excellent -- three stars -- and I much admire his varied vibrato, something of a lesson in vibrato usage. As throughout the violin and piano pieces on the CD, Charles Owen is an excellent pianist and partner, and the recording is fine and well balanced. Hadelich rounds off the CD with two evergreen pieces by Dvorak that I do like: Songs my Mother Taught me Op 55 No.4 and the Humoresque Op 101 No.7 (Kreisler). Both excellently played by both artists.
Sunday 12 July 2020
Augustin Hadelich. Violinist in Czech Music
For some reason, the music of Antonin
Dvorak has always ruffled my feathers, and has rarely been to my
taste, except for a few short pieces. This has been a life-long
experience and includes the concertos, the symphonies, and the string
quartets. Whatever the reason, Dvorak and I have never got along
together. At some point I'll summon enough enthusiasm to sit down and
listen to Hadelich and 31 minutes of the Dvorak violin concerto, a
work that has never inspired me.
As is the current fashion, Hadelich is
marketed by Warner as a pop star, with no less than six photos
of him in the slender booklet. The rationale is hard to understand;
do the marketing people really think that on seeing his photo on the
CD hordes of teenage girls are going to run out and invest in Dvorak,
Suk and Janacek? Probably not even Hadelich's mother would claim he
is particularly photogenic. Six photos of Hadelich, but nary an image
of Dvorak, Suk or Janacek. As the Americans say: go figure
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2 comments:
Harry, once again, I enjoy your commentaries. It is also satisfying to notice how often your listening habits intersect with mine, if perhaps from an oblique angle. I only just discovered Hadelich myself, in a tense account of Dutilleux's Tree of Dreams with Morlot in Seattle. It's a piece that is growing on me as I go back and familiarize myself with the more adventurous diatonic music of the twentieth century. It may be that the photo essay you mention is designed to soften the image of a rather serious looking young artist! But speaking of younger artists with striking looks, Vilde Frang's Mozart did indeed win me over with its confident delicacy. A just reminder that the beauty of this music is to be found not only dancing on the shimmering surface, but churning in the forces below, in the details, structures, or internal motivations. I've found that to be a good way into challenging music (like Schoenberg or Dutilleux), or music that doesn't grab the ear right away. I too resisted Dvorák, but eventually it was his little known piano music that won me over (followed by the early string quartets). My better example is Liszt, however. I initially dismissed much of his music as showy virtuosity shrouded in esoterica; now I find it far more nuanced, especially in its devotional fervor, even though it still touched by something sinister (an intriguing tension). Either way, I hope you keep sharing your thoughts with us as they are most welcome. Cheers from the other side of the pond
As always, many thanks for this interesting contribution. We will have to disagree over Herr Schönberg and his motley crew, however! I have just taken delivery of Hadelich playing the 24 Paganini capricci, and really look forward to listening to it today, as well as a new CD of Beatrice Rana playing Ravel and Stravinsky.
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