I have always loved the gypsy music of the eastern lands of Europe. Virtuosity, dance rhythms, ever-changing moods; this is true “popular” music. It also fascinated Johannes Brahms (amongst others) and I have just enjoyed listening to his 21 Hungarian Dances, most of them written in collaboration with the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. Few of the dances last more than two and a half minutes, so the ear is charmed with the constant change of rhythm and mood.
The 21 dances were recorded in Philadelphia in 1991 by the American violinist Aaron Rosand, born in America in 1927 of Russian and Polish extraction. His warm, romantic playing on his Guarneri del Gesù violin suits the music down to the ground. In my current major purge of my over-large CD collection, I have spared this Biddulph CD. It's a worthy memento of Rosand's playing and the sound of his violin, as well as preserving 21 lovable pieces of music in superb performances.
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