Title : Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Violin Concertos no 1 / Rostropovich, Vengerov
Author : Prokofiev, Sergey
Release Date : 19941108
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $16.98
Amazon.com Price : $14.34
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Editorial Reviews : With his brilliant tone, flawlessly centered intonation, jaw-dropping technique, and exquisitely beautiful phrasing, Maxim Vengerov is ideal in this repertory. His sparkling account of the Prokofiev conveys the music's mercurial shifts of color and mood with great élan, and turns wonderfully evocative in the ethereal pages. The interpretation of the Shostakovich is equally fine--strongly characterized and imaginative, haunting in its beauty. The young soloist is ably partnered by Mstislav Rostropovich, who draws some remarkably fine and suggestive playing out of an alert London Symphony Orchestra, and makes a convincing whole out of each score. Teldec's engineers take advantage of the Abbey Road venue to deliver a recording that, while predictably balanced in favor of the soloist, is detailed and nicely atmospheric. This disc won Gramophone magazine's Record of the Year award in 1995, and it comes impressively close to capturing the kind of electricity Vengerov generates onstage. --Ted Libbey
Buyer Reviews : I bought this disc mainly for the Shostakovich First Violin Concerto, which is one of my favorites. Its unusual structure begins with a mournful slow movement, followed by a shorter virtuosic section that will wake up anyone dozing, then a passionate slow movement, and a final movement that shows off a violinist's technique as superbly as anything ever written. It is a very emotional piece, and this version combines a white-hot soloist, a glowing orchestra and one of the world's great conductors.
I should add, for reference, that I love Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg's feverish, slightly out-of-control version of the piece (conducted by Maxim Shostakovich), and recently heard the prodigious Hilary Hahn perform it live, magnificently. But this version is outstanding in every way. The London Symphony Orchestra sounds terrific and Rostropovich demonstrates, yet again, that playing the cello is just one of his many talents.
The Prokofiev is a different animal - not quite as moving to my ears as the Shostakovich, but still a marvelous piece, and the performance is equally impressive. One reviewer used the word 'sparkling' - exactly the right word.
A terrific example of 20th-century violin masterpieces delivered with great sophistication and panache.
