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The concluding ''Allegro vivace'' has been called "a whirlwind of motion and virtuosity."<ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/may04/Khachaturian_Violin_concerto.htm NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton]</ref> In this movement, "the folks element is specially pronounced in the dance-like vigor of the main melody and in the repetitive, insistent, wild virtuosity of the solo instrument."<ref>Khachaturian, Violin Concerto, EMI CDC 7 47087 2, CD liner notes by Geoffrey Norris</ref> |
The concluding ''Allegro vivace'' has been called "a whirlwind of motion and virtuosity."<ref>[http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/may04/Khachaturian_Violin_concerto.htm NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton]</ref> In this movement, "the folks element is specially pronounced in the dance-like vigor of the main melody and in the repetitive, insistent, wild virtuosity of the solo instrument."<ref>Khachaturian, Violin Concerto, EMI CDC 7 47087 2, CD liner notes by Geoffrey Norris</ref> |
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==Reception |
==Reception == |
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David Mermelstein wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that |
David Mermelstein wrote in ''[[The New York Times]]'' that it is "beloved by aficionados of the instrument."<ref name="Mermelstein"/> |
||
The German conductor [[Kurt Masur]] opined that the concerto "has much folk color... It has a melancholy, Eastern flavor and ornaments. It has the smell of rose perfume." In this sense, he likened it to [[Violin Concerto (Dvořák)|Dvorak's Violin Concerto]].<ref name="Mermelstein"/> |
The German conductor [[Kurt Masur]] opined that the concerto "has much folk color... It has a melancholy, Eastern flavor and ornaments. It has the smell of rose perfume." In this sense, he likened it to [[Violin Concerto (Dvořák)|Dvorak's Violin Concerto]].<ref name="Mermelstein"/> |
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Revision as of 14:24, 21 July 2023
Piano_Quartet_(Strauss) Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)
Wikipedia:Good_articles/Music#Classical_compositions
| Violin Concerto in D minor | |
|---|---|
| violin concerto by Aram Khachaturian | |
| Full title | Violin Concerto and Orchestra in D Minor |
| Key | D minor |
| Opus | 46 |
| Year | 1940 |
| Time | 35–38 minutes |
| Movements | three |
| Premiere | |
| Date | November 16, 1940[citation needed] |
| Location | Moscow |
| Performers | David Oistrakh |
Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D minor is a violin concerto in three movements composed in 1940 for David Oistrakh.
It was premiered on November 16, 1940 by Oistrakh.[1]
Composition
Structure
Violin concerto in D minor (1940)
- First movement: Allegro con fermezza (about 14 minutes)
- Second movement: Andante sostenuto (about 12 minutes)
- Third movement: Allegro vivace (about 9 minutes)
A movement in sonata form, the Allegro con fermezza opens with a melody that has been described as "energetic"[2] a "rollicking dance-like theme,"[3] and this yields to a "more lyrical"[4] secondary melody.
The Andante sostenuto has been described as "a rhapsodic slow movement that sweeps one into a brooding wintry landscape."[5] Geoffrey Norris wrote, "The ease and spontaneity, pungency and flexibility of Khachaturian's melodic inventions are most clearly laid out in the Andante sostenuto of the central movement, cast in a free-flowing, quasi-improvisatory manner redolent of the art of Armenian folk music."[6] The second movement is a free-flowing rondo.[7]
The concluding Allegro vivace has been called "a whirlwind of motion and virtuosity."[8] In this movement, "the folks element is specially pronounced in the dance-like vigor of the main melody and in the repetitive, insistent, wild virtuosity of the solo instrument."[9]
Reception
David Mermelstein wrote in The New York Times that it is "beloved by aficionados of the instrument."[10]
The German conductor Kurt Masur opined that the concerto "has much folk color... It has a melancholy, Eastern flavor and ornaments. It has the smell of rose perfume." In this sense, he likened it to Dvorak's Violin Concerto.[10]
Recordings
https://classic-online.ru/ru/production/1832
| Year | Soloist | Conductor | Label | Catalogue | Duration | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Ames Piano Quartet | Dorian | 90167 | 38:35 |
Billboard
Billboard 7 Aug 1948[1] best-selling record albums by classical artists [2]
...Khachaturian's Violin Concerto (1940) features Armenian folk material supported by stirring rhythms reminiscent of Gershwin.[3]
[4] Harford, Margaret. "Louis Kaufman Introduces New Khachaturian Violin Concerto." Hollywood Citizen-News, December 17, 1945. Review of the December 16, 1945, performance of Louis and Annette Kaufman. "Kaufman is consistently interesting. . . . Bringing the beloved Negro Spirituals into the violin repertoire is a very pleasing idea, we think, after hearing . . . Kaufman's own arrangement of Still's Here's One."
BBC Music Magazine Top 1000 CDs Guide - Page 285 / Erik Levi, Malcolm MacDonald · 1996
Tjeknavorian's bravura here is borne out by brilliant strings and brass as well as an alarmingly vivid national percussion section . the Khachaturian Violin Concerto , a shambling monster with a sackful of good tunes .
newspapers
Writing in The Tuscaloosa News, Fred Goossen went as far as to argue that only in his "best works such as the Violin Concerto and, despite its bombast, the Piano Concerto, does Khachaturian rise above the level of commercial practitioner."[11]
The Calgary Herald 18 Jan 1975[5]
"famous Violin Concerto for which he won the 1940 Stalin prize transcribed for the flute by Rampal himself in 1968. Perhaps only a virtuoso as great as Rampal would have dared to tackle the fiery and brilliant Khachaturian cadenzas with an instrument for which they were not written, But even given Rampal's extraordinary skills, it was nothing short of unearthly the way he handled the music."
"There are parts of the concerto which would tax even the most deft violinist, and there was Rampal floating through them with a wind instrument with no more apparent effort than if he were playing a gentle Mozart minuet."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 10 Apr 1949[6]
The Khachaturian Concerto has jumped into immediate popularity both here and abroad. It is a classic work, brimful of exciting demands on the violin, romantic in concept yet drawings on the new harmonies for color and brilliance. In this recording, Mr. Kaufman, aided by a remarkably faithful pressing surmounts the difficulties with which, the score bristles and plays in constantly accurate intonation and with a wealth of tone at his finger tips.
Reading Eagle 4 Apr 1974[7]
Ruggiero Ricci brightens the Khachaturian concerto in a budget rate recording that seems a somewhat better bargain. The sound is respectable and the performance gratifying. The concerto dates from 1940 and it's plenty melodious without being remarkably moving. Some of us like our Khachaturian, anyway, im- posing but uncluttered, anyway.
Herald-Journal 9 May 1948[8]
THE CONCERT Hall Society has reissued its recording of Khachaturian's violin concerto on a new record material which looks like shellac, feels like shellac, but isn't shellac. The advantage, ac- cording to the society, is that it has all of the supposedly superior reproductive virtues of plastic but .is no more expensive than shellac. This reviewer has never been too sold on the virtue of plastic-the best recordings ever made were all on shellac. But he can say the new material sounds just as good as shellac, which probably means that the Khachaturian masters are good ones. The performance is by Louis Kaufman and the Santa Monica Symphony and was reviewed at the time of its issuance on plastic. It is pleasing. The music is Kha- chatrian which surely, in the cur- rent avalanche of Khachaturian, is description enough.
The Montreal Gazette 26 Dec 1959 [9]
Khachaturian Violin Concerto, Mischa Elman and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra Celebrating his 54th year of making classics best-sellers Mr Eiman proves he has lost none of his skill / "the Khachaturian work allows the artist freedom of expression and interpretation"
French virtuoso flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal on the flute[12][13]
The Sydney Morning Herald 27 Jan 1986[10]
The biggest of the works on this disc is adapted from his violin concerto, one of the most significant works of his career. Although Kha- chanturia was of Armenian descent, he had apparently never visited Armenia until 1939. One of the first musical evidences of this encounter with Armenian musical traditions at their source was his violin concerto, written soon after. It is an attractive piece, not least in its Armenian infections, and has a particularly dizzy finale. It was another famous flautist, Jean-Pierre Rampal, who asked the composer, successfully, for permits- sion to adapt the violin concerto with the flute as solo instrument. Galway has made his own transcription, one that deserves to earn considerable mileage from flautists clever enough to play it. The other arrangements on the disc, all of them giving the flute a concerto-like prominence, include the Sabre Dance, the waltz from Masquerade and the widely played (but, in my opinion, rather loath- some) adagio from Spartacus.
Sunday Herald 7 Apr 1957[11]
Any recording of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto which does not employ an Oistrakh as the soloist labors under a handicap. Father and son, these Russian virtuosi have made the composition almost a family possession, However, London has just issued a version with Ruggiero Ricci and the Long- don Philharmonic Orchestra under Anatole Fistoulari (LL-1537) that offers estimable fiddling, solid or- chestral playing, exceptional re- cording and a fresh point of view.
The Sydney Morning Herald 4 May 1986[12]
The USSR orchestra's first Sydney concert, on Friday night, filled the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall with sound that was vivid and exciting. The brass can be truly brassy or seductively mellow; the wind instruments pick a swirling motif out of the air and play with it; the strings are always vigorous, never descending into sentimentality and occasionally - as in the Khachaturian Violin Concerto - taking on an edge that gives them an exhilaratingly different voice. While the soloist, Valery Klimov, turned in a satisfyingly virtuosic performance, it was the orchestra and the direction of Yevgeni Svet- lanoy that were the real centre of attention. This conductor exudes power through an economic style that suggests a remarkable rapport with his musicians. He is well versed in the grand gesture, but he is just as likely to cue a player with a nod or a nonchalant wave. He is unquestionably a showman, yet no less of a musician because of that. The orchestra's impact is made initially through the blaze of colour that it can bring to a place like Shostakovich's Festival Overture. The Khachaturian concerto, with its catchy folk rhythms and sinuous melodies, continued that instinctive response. Although there were sections of contrasting quiet - a pianissimo behind the violin soloist was so subtle that you had to glance around to make sure the body of the orchestra was actually playing - it took the serene beauty tucked in between the bravura blasts of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony to illustrate this orchestra's depth of character.
The Sydney Morning Herald 12 Oct 1978[13]
The soloist, Valery Klimov, gave an utterly masterful and authoritative account of his dominant share in the concerto, which begins with stamping vigour and explores whimsical dance measures in the finale but reveals its character most convincingly in many lyrical passages of a sweet melancholy, recalling Borodin.
The Evening Independent 12 Nov 1979[14]
In his more serious works the lyricism and the exit- icism persists, and the composer also has made an attempt for a higher musical expression. But threatened by the edicts of the Central Committee about the necessary- ty for music to be "proletarian," Khachaturian never wavered. Faced with a choice between aesthetics and po- lemics, he chose the political expedient every time. The Violin Concerto, written in 1940, reveals those defects. Only in the slow movement Andante sostenuto did the composer and the soloist have a chance to do what they both do best: sing. Indeed, the acrobatics of the first movement seemed to force the soloist into an occasional stridency of tone which may have been merely a reflection of the paltry nature of the music.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 27 Oct 1978[15] "flashy, virtuosic" / Fodor is almost arrogantly confident in his music making. And he is a bit slick, to be sure. But then, Khachaturian is not Mozart, and in this repertory he is very thrilling, leaping the violinistic hurdles with energy and dash.
The Day (New London) 6 Mar 1978[16]
...brought us a masterful performance of the Khachaturian Violin Concerto in D Minor. The work was written for the great Russian virtuoso David Oistrakh, and was given a Moscow premiere by him in November 1940. In it, Khachaturian skillful- ly exploits the violin's tech- nical and expressive capa- abilities, drawing thematic material from the folk music of his native Russia, augmenting it with exotic Oriental tapestries hinting of bistros and belly dancers. The first movement (Al- allegro con fermezza - "with firmness") was distinguished by brilliant and dazzling technical forays on the part of Piskunov; and by flawless cadenzas, first by the violinist and the vir- tuoso solo clarinet, Richard Waller (in the familiar co- loratura-and-flute vein), and finally by the soloist alone. In the second movement (Andante sostenuto), the vi- colonists and the entire string ensemble sent forth lush- ness of sound ranging from the ethereally light to the darkly sensual. I loved this movement, it was clear that the orchestra and so- lost loved playing it and, for the musician, no more joyous rapport than this exists. At the end, the haunting question of that fading leading tone re- mained: sensitive, unre- solved, faintly disquieting . . and beautiful. The finale (Allegro vivace), brought forth paeans of gratitude for all performers: soloist, conductor, and orchestra. Brilliant, scintil- lasting, precise technique, aided and abetted by a thwackingly good and equally exact accompanyment. The question ending the Andante was given a tri- ple-exclamation-point after- mative answer by the last note of the piece. Piskunov seems, as do so many young (and not-so-young) artists, to exult in being blessed with a blazing tech- unique: he had (along with the orchestra) sheer un- trammeled fun playing this joyful movement.
Ocala Star-Banner 1 Nov 1959 [17]
KHACHATURIAN: Violin Concertoto, SAINT-SAENS: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Mischa Elman, violin; Vladimir Golschmann conducting the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. One Stereo, (Vanguard VSD-2037) After a lengthy stint with Lon- don Records, Elman now has signed a contract to record for Vanguard, and this was a smart move on the part of Vanguard. Indications are that we can look forward to many fine violin disks from this source. Golschmann whips the orchestra into a fury, and Elman fiddles like a madman in the Khachaturian Concerto. Age may be taking the Elman fire, but the beautiful, fat tone and technique are worth the price. Elman brings a lucid sweet- ness to the Saint-Saens work that is nice to hear. Fiddle fanciers will love this disk. Vanguard's stereo work is top-notch.
Daytona Beach Morning Journal 2 Apr 1978[18] not a "very compelling work" "It is, in fact, a blend of polytonality and pancake syrup."
He plays with assurance and firmness and a fluid lyricism which is particularly appropriate to the Khachaturian concerto's first movement.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 27 Jan 1962[19]
Although the Khachaturian Concerto was written only 20 years ago, its musical ideas stem from an older generation and there is nothing in it that reflects contemporary musical thought. It is a breezy work abounding in pseudo folk music that borders on the popular and many of its catchy little tunes are whistle able. For all its whimsy it is an attractive piece, superbly written for a virtuoso violinist (it is dedicated to David Oistrakh). It uses syncopation almost to the point of jazz and is fiery and romantic by turns.
New York Philharmonic premiere, more than 60 years after it was first played, in Moscow. Silvia Marcovici is the soloist, and Kurt Masur conducts[10]
The Violin Concerto was written in 1940, for the great Ukrainian violinist David Oistrakh, whom Khachaturian had met five years before. Unlike many works that ultimately found their way into the hearts of music lovers, the concerto was an instant hit; praised from its first, private performances, it became one of the most popular new works played in the Soviet Union.[10]
The work was palpably vibrant. Filled with the Orientalism that composers like Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin had made characteristic of Russian music 60 years before, the concerto fitted into a longstanding tradition of attractive, accessible fare. That its solo part seemed fiendishly difficult to play only increased its appeal.[10]
The violinist Leonid Kogan, then 16, attended the concerto's premiere, as did luminaries like Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Kabalevsky and Miaskovsky. For us young violinists it was a revelation, Kogan wrote later. I remember that the concerto seemed to us to be extremely difficult, almost impossible to perform. In 1958 he recorded an outstanding version of the concerto for RCA with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, directed by Pierre Monteux.[10]
Ms. Marcovici is not intimidated by the piece. "Nothing is difficult when you like it," she said. Many familiar with the concerto would disagree. Its thorny first-movement cadenza or, more accurately, cadenzas have challenged plenty of virtuoso fiddlers.[10]
Khachaturian's reputation as a composer of serious music has declined at least since his death in 1978. The Violin Concerto may never attain the universal respect heaped on the concertos of Shostakovich and Prokofiev.[10]
The violinist Gil Shaham is certainly ideally suited to convey the energetic optimism of Khachaturian’s difficult, folkloric Violin Concerto, which he performed with the New York Philharmonic, led by the Russian conductor Andrey Boreyko, on Wednesday night at Avery Fisher Hall. He soared through the acrobatic solo part, almost threatening to leave the orchestra behind on a few occasions. Mr. Boreyko led a full-blooded, bristling reading of the rhythmically driven score, highlighting the details of the folk-infused melodies and exotic harmonies derived from Armenian modes and scales.[14]
The Violin Concerto, first performed by the already famous David Oistrakh in 1940, got Khachaturian his first Stalin Prize, then the highest artistic award in the Soviet Union, and it soon joined the Piano Concerto in the international repertory. Is it shameful to be swept away by the perpetual feast and improvisational freedom of his Violin Concerto?[15]
https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/classical-playlist-beethoven-shostakovich-tigran-mansurian-and-more/
James Ehnes, violinist; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; Ehnes Quartet
The Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian composed his Violin Concerto for David Oistrakh. James Ehnes conveys its lighthearted mood, folk elements and virtuosic passages with sweet tone and technical aplomb, deftly accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the conductor Mark Wigglesworth.
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/03/archives/exemplar-of-socialist-realism-appreciation-drew-on-folk-sources.html
For a time he was one of the mostplayed Soviet composers in the West. Serge Koussevitzky, the conductor of The Boston Symphony, was interested in the then younger group of Soviet composers, and Khachaturian figured prominently on his programs. Other conductors here and abroad found much to admire; many pianists took the Khachaturian concerto into their repertory; violinists were constantly playing the violin concerto.
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/18/archives/radio.html
7‐8:30—Masterwork Hour: Mischa Elman, violinist. Mozart's “Apollo et Hyacinthus” Overture; Khachaturian's Violin Concerto; Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5—(WNYC).
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/03/archives/khachaturian-a-leading-soviet-composer-dies-at-74-works-included.html In addition to “Gayne,” his list of better‐known works includes the Piano Concerto (1936), Violin. Concerto (1940), “Masquerade” Suite (1944) and the ballet “Spartacus” (1953).
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/12/khachaturian-violin-concerto his Violin Concerto, dating from 1940. It's an immensely attractive work, full of his trademark Armenian folk flourishes, and the swaying, hypnotic Andante is notably beautiful. But the unforced optimism of the outer movements now seems unthinking when we realise it was composed at a time when Stalin was giving Prokofiev and Shostakovich hell. The performance is terrific, though. Khachaturian: Violin Concerto; Concerto-Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/15/khachaturian-shostakovich-james-ehnes-melbourne-wigglesworth-review The Khachaturian concerto, full of oriental-Armenian folk motifs from the composers Tbilisi homeland, was written in 1940 for the great Odessa-born violinist David Oistrakh.
https://www.thestrad.com/improve-your-playing/arabella-steinbacher-on-khachaturians-violin-concerto/7241.article https://www.thestrad.com/playing-hub/khachaturians-violin-concerto-is-physically-demanding-nemanja-radulovi/16239.article
newspapers: short
"fiendishly difficult",[16] "tempestuous",[17] "demanding",[18] "dazzling",[19]
"a self-consciously Armenian work, terribly busy without being in the least vigorous" / Daytona Beach Morning Journal 7 Jan 1964[20]
"vital, rhythmically unique music drawing on Armenian, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Turkmenistan and Iran-Azerbaijan national melodies." / The Age 3 Feb 1989[21]
"one of his most brilliant works and has the shrewd blending of mystic East and characteristic West that mark most of his compositions" / Spokane Daily Chronicle 16 Jan 1962 [22]
Khachatryan played two movements of the 1940 Khachaturian Violin Concerto he will perform with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London on Sunday. The composer, who divided his time between Moscow and Soviet Yerevan, “reinterpreted so much Armenian folk music in the concerto”, he says. “He wrote the second movement for a tragic movie about the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. But the tragedy comes straight from the Armenian soul.” said violinist and conductor Sergey Smbatyan.
https://archive.ph/RL3eV
https://www.ft.com/content/c46b1308-ed90-11e4-987e-00144feab7de
Philip Kennicott: Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D Minor pushed the orchestra, and soloist Judith Ingolfsson, to a consistently high pitch of nervous energy. It was exhausting, though at times impressive. Ingolfsson was more than adequate to the demands of this oppressively square-jawed music, her pitch solid, her fingers fleet and accurate. But Khachaturian's music has no soul. Never mind the Soviet composer's politics, his music reeks of the totalitarian aesthetic: buff and impenetrable with no joy in its swagger. It's not too hard to make his music exciting, and this Ingolfsson did from time to time; but making it matter, making it mean something human, is almost impossible. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/10/13/from-the-iceland-symphony-a-bit-of-a-chill/67fd37ca-0325-4c50-b7a7-9d7cdeb2288c/ https://archive.ph/U2CGY
Tim Page (music critic): A much better reason is the soloist Emmanuel Pahud, who played the Violin Concerto by Aram Khachaturian in a transcription for flute by the late Jean-Pierre Rampal. The piece itself isn't much -- tub-thumping Soviet nationalism and pensive Armenian melodies, slightly stirred -- but Pahud plays it magnificently. He has a lovely full tone that he can hollow out with haunting effect, and he phrases with darting brilliance. The first-movement cadenza, in particular, was astonishingly virtuosic, yet never devolved into mere fancy work. The concerto is much too long and passages of it are as vulgar as anything you'll ever hear in a concert hall that wasn't written by Gian Carlo Menotti. (Khachaturian is at his best in his miniatures -- in the little pieces that make up "Gayne" and "Masquerade," which maintain a genuine charm.) But Pahud is something special. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/05/16/while-perlman-stumbles-soloist-soars/4ecf909c-595d-4f8c-99e0-58243fc99a9c/ https://archive.ph/IdXui
Joseph McLellan: He is not really competitive with Heifetz in the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (on OVC 8035, with Khachaturian's rather deplorable Violin Concerto) https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/08/16/classical-recordings/b2f08f79-4698-4422-a316-a2a92f6c618a/ https://archive.ph/uu64y
Yet it was the gifted Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan who sparked the bristling energy in Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D Minor. The 20-year-old virtuoso had an idiomatic feel for the work's ebb and flow, launching off a brilliant range of flourishes and accents in a reading that magnified the music's foreboding contrasts. Khachatryan gave a beautiful encore of the first movement from Bach's Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2006/03/29/performing-arts/f0da0278-cd1d-4c33-8f15-a05438c971c1/ https://archive.ph/TeggQ
Joseph McLellan: The third "Happy Birthday" came when Rampal walked into the restaurant after the NSO concert, where he played his own arrangement of Khachaturian's Violin Concerto (which loses something in the original).... https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/01/08/regaling-rampal-at-60/64a5a043-e5c7-423e-9a9a-185dbd3ddc02/ https://archive.ph/Lka3h
One of Rampal's contributions has been to introduce into the flute repertory some larger-scale works, like the Khachaturian transcription. "I think that it's a good addition to the flute literature, because unfortunately we were out of a big concerto in this style of music. I would say that it is our equivalent of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto. It may be too kind to compare this work with the Tchaikovsky, but surely Khachaturian would not mind." https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/01/07/best-flute-forward/a3786c26-b33b-4657-b805-63dc308d9199/ https://archive.ph/fR5rK
Joseph McLellan: Fans of the late Antal Dorati may rejoice in the sparkling CD reissues of some great recordings he made in Mercury's "Living Presence" series in the 1960s. Two performances that I have specially treasured since reviewing them in their original appearance on LP are the Brahms Violin Concerto with Henryk Szeryng as soloist, now paired with the less interesting Khachaturian Violin Concerto (434-318-2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1992/09/27/classical-recordings/cb614686-4411-470f-a39f-fc7fa7ceb126/ https://archive.ph/KV9zD
Khachaturian's spectacular concerto ??? https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1993/07/18/the-paradoxical-perfectionism-of-sergiu-celibidache/6fdbcb50-f49e-487b-acfe-85bc5d711369/ https://archive.ph/HcIoQ
Joseph McLellan: Even the formidable Khachaturian Concerto, which was composed for violin and is literally breathtaking for a flutist, remains on his active list. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1989/08/06/rampal-and-the-feast-of-life/f9311b7c-6840-4a17-ba13-6722ef01b765/ https://archive.ph/mMG2X
Joseph McLellan: it may be time for him to stop playing the technically ferocious Khachaturian Concerto (which was only marginally worth playing at best) https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1982/06/20/whats-in-a-name/da6e24f1-0574-4be3-8594-e8bece61e26b/ https://archive.ph/FyBfr
journals
- KHACHATURIAN Violin Concerto. SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartets Nos. 7 and 8 • James Ehnes (vn); Mark Wigglesworth, cond; Melbourne SO; Ehnes Qrt • ONYX 4121(69
- 36)
aram khachaturian’s 1940 violin concerto is one of his best-known works, and one of his finest. this composer was at his best when he could draw upon his armenian ethnic heritage, which he did lavishly in this concerto. without that connection, inspiration could fail him, as in the empty bombast of his Spartacus ballet. an ambitious, large-scale work, lasting 35 or more minutes, the concerto is in contrast filled with gorgeous melody, vivid color, and opportunities for superior violinists to display their skills.
in this concerto, James ehnes faces competition not only from the several recordings by david oistrakh, the work’s dedicatee, but also from such acclaimed contemporary violinists as Julia fischer (pentatone) and sergey khachatryan (no relation, it appears, on naïve). neither he nor the others mentioned match oistrakh’s tonal opulence, but all of their performances are excellent, and it is difficult to choose among them. each one of these violinists is a top-flight technician and more than equal to the demands of the piece. ehnes takes a comparatively relaxed and straightforward approach. he plays beautifully, with refined, perfectly centered tone and a reserved eloquence. his vibrato is varied, well controlled, and never excessive. tempos are well integrated. fischer and khachatryan, in their different ways, offer greater intensity and more variety of tone, tempo, and dynamics, but ehnes’s playing stands out for refinement and sheer beauty, and connoisseurs of the violin cannot fail to be captivated by artistry of this order. the australian orchestra, under the steady leadership of Mark wigglesworth, plays proficiently for ehnes, if without the degree of detail and color provided by fischer’s russian national orchestra or khachatryan’s sinfonia varsovia. aside from a slight opacity in the orchestral texture, ehnes’s performance is recorded in very good sound, with excellent balance between soloist and orchestra.
rather than taking the obvious route of coupling the khachaturian work with another concerto, ehnes has chosen to showcase the string quartet he formed in 2010 in performances of two quartets by this composer’s great colleague and contemporary, shostakovich. the other members of the quartet are violinist amy schwartz Moretti, violist richard o’neill, and cellist robert deMaine (the principal cellist of the los angeles philharmonic). this release appears to be the ensemble’s first recording.
Daniel Morrison
Fanfare: The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors. Jan/Feb2015, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p219-539. 321p. Music Review, ISSN: 0148-9364, pp. 363-364
rest
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) Arabella Steinbacher Rachel Barton Pine Sergey Khachatryan Gerhard Taschner Leonid Kogan / Pierre Monteux discography Jean Ter-Merguerian Violin Concerto (Weinberg)
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/khachaturian-kabalevsky-violin-concertos Robert Layton (musicologist) https://archive.ph/8tQ2U
Like Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, which has already begun re-appearing here and there — including a performance from this orchestra two years ago — it’s a work of strong rhythms and colorful melody inspired by the composer’s Armenian heritage.
https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/symphony-silicon-valley-revivifies-khachaturians-piano-concerto
Los Angeles Philharmonic https://web.archive.org/web/20230708090351/https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4545/violin-concerto-in-d-minor
https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.570988
Nicolas Koeckert
https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%208918 Lydia Mordkovitch
https://web.archive.org/web/20151230023705/https://www.archiphon.de/arde/catalog/products/taschner/taschner-arc-126-Taschner-Konzerte.php After the war was over, the score to Khachaturian’s violin concerto was made available to Taschner by the Russian occupying forces. It was Taschner who made the work known in Germany. The Archiphon release is the third recording in an epoch-making series: Oistrakh 1944 (who premiered the concerto in 1940), Kaufman 1946 (the first American release) and Taschner 1947 (with the RSO Berlin under Artur Rother) - both the youngest and fieriest of the three recordings. Also appearing on CD for the first time is Sarasate’s "Zigeunerweisen", which Taschner recorded in 1944 with Michael Raucheisen. This recording made its way to Russia as war booty, but was returned in 1991.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/961a/a991d8a656d368094d0a08ab783b504241c0.pdf Artists of the first rank, David Oistrakh for the Violin Concerto, and Svyatoslav Knushevitsky for the Cello Concerto, introduced these works as well. The composerʼs collegiality with regard to his chosen soloists is exemplified by Oistrakhʼs comments:
... I came to know him quite well while the Violin Concerto was being written. I remember that summer day in 1940 when he first played the Violin Concerto, which he had just finished. He was so totally immersed in it that he went immediately to the piano. The stirring rhythms, characteristic turns of national folklore, and sweeping melodic themes captivated me at once. He played with tremendous enthusiasm. One could still feel in his playing that artistic fire with which he had created the music. Sincere and original, replete with melodic beauty and folk colors, it seemed to sparkle. All these traits which the public still enjoys in the Concerto made an unforgettable impression at the time. It was clear that a vivid composition had been born, destined to live long on the concert stage. And my violin was to launch it on its career.9
https://books.google.am/books?id=-seWjlH17dsC&pg=PA256&dq=Violin+Concerto+Khachaturian Classical Music: The Rough Guide
https://books.google.am/books?id=25NADwAAQBAJ&pg=PA774&dq=Violin+Concerto+Khachaturian 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die
https://books.google.am/books?id=eiolDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114&dq=Violin+Concerto+Khachaturian Music of the Soviet Era: 1917-1991
Kaufman https://books.google.am/books?id=IEmWymaZrfcC&pg=PA189&dq=Violin+Concerto+Khachaturian
References
- ^ http://www.khachaturian.am/eng/konzert.htm [dead link]
- ^ Khachaturian, Violin Concerto, EMI CDC 7 47087 2, CD liner notes by Geoffrey Norris
- ^ NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton
- ^ NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton
- ^ NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton
- ^ Khachaturian, Violin Concerto, EMI CDC 7 47087 2, CD liner notes by Geoffrey Norris
- ^ "Error | Kennedy Center".
- ^ NAXOS Liner notes by Kevin Sutton
- ^ Khachaturian, Violin Concerto, EMI CDC 7 47087 2, CD liner notes by Geoffrey Norris
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mermelstein, David (September 23, 2001). "MUSIC; A Big Hit In Need Of Revival". The New York Times.
- ^ Goossen, Fred (March 22, 1987). "Soviet composer's death goes unnoticed ... almost". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 10C. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ van Vugt, Harry (January 20, 1978). "Rampal socks a round-tripper". The Windsor Star. p. 18. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ Rivers, Travis (February 27, 1987). "Flute master performs with orchestra Tuesday". Spokane Chronicle. p. 5. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ Schweitzer, Vivien (November 13, 2008). "Energy From a Composer Can Fuel a Player's Flight". The New York Times.
- ^ Pritsker, Maya (October 5, 2003). "MUSIC; What Could Khachaturian Do Besides An Encore?". The New York Times.
- ^ Robinson, Judy (October 13, 1988). "Teenager tackles Khachaturian". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 12. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ Murphy, Drew (March 26, 1978). "Eugene Fodor: Fiddler On The Hoof". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 2E. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ "The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra & 5 Great Guest Artists". Edmonton Journal. September 15, 1985. p. B9. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Yakima Symphony features Central string talent". Ellensburg Daily Record. March 31, 1986. p. 2. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023.