MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Plain text for smartphones & printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 


Support us financially by purchasing this from

Karl FIORINI (b. 1979)
Concerto for violin and chamber orchestra (2006-7) [24:52]
Violin Concerto No. 2 (2011-12) [25:04]
Emanuel Salvador (violin: concerto 1)
Marta Magdalena Lelek (violin: concerto 2)
Sudecka Philharmonic Orchestra/Bartosz Zurakowski
rec. May–June, 2012, Sudeten (Sudecka) Philharmonic Concert Hall, Walbrzych, Poland.
METIER MSV 28533 [49:56]

Maltese-born composer Karl Fiorni has written two deeply impressive concertos for violin and orchestral forces. The first is a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra, completed in 2007. It is constructed in five contrastive movements – the first short, the second somewhat longer, the final three equally sized. There is much detail to intrigue, not least in the frequently arresting harmonies, the assured dissonances and sheer lyricism embedded in the writing. Indeed there is much timbral complexity and a degree of turbulence, not least from the percussion, allotted a significant role relative to other sections. In the Chorale, Canone and Passacaglia fourth movement, where Fiorini’s powers of sonic imagination are perhaps at their height in this concerto, Emanuel Salvador’s intense tonal reserves are mightily impressive, the music’s allusive qualities gathering in incident. Vivid colour illuminates the finale - note the writing for clarinet especially. There are folkloric elements at work in the wind writing and skittering birdsong is to be heard.

The Violin Concerto No.2 (2011-12) is in the hands of violinist Marta Magdalena Lelek. This is a more openly expressive work but is still subject to the same intelligent structural and an expanded palette by virtue of being written for conventionally sized symphony orchestra. As well as being more unambiguously lyric in places it is also more abrasive and determined in metrical tread. Indeed, the mood is often sombre with the solo violin frequently a lone voice in the wilderness, or when set against a few orchestral voices. Her tone is less expansive than Salvador’s in the companion work but she lacks for nothing in clarity or intonation. Orchestral climaxes are cannily prepared, and powerfully delivered in this splendidly expert performance, equally well recorded.

These complex and distinctive works, full of active dissonance, elements of birdsong, and powerful emotional states, are highly auspicious. The earlier work was written before Fiorini hit 30. He is clearly a composer to watch – adherent of no fads, strongly focused on compositional essence, and unafraid of emotional extremes in his music-making. This is a splendid disc in every respect.

Jonathan Woolf

Previous review: Lucy Jeffery