Henryk Wieniawski was one of the finest
of the 19th century violin virtuosi. His abilities
were evident from the beginning, and even his childhood was
occupied with special training at the Paris Conservatoire, which
he entered at the age of just eight. In 1850, when he was still
only fifteen, he received the Conservatoire's highest accolade
for composition. Within ten years of this date he had become
established as violinist to the court of the Tsar of Russia,
remaining in this post for several years before embarking upon
a series of extended tours with Anton Rubinstein. He settled
in Brussels as Professor of Violin, while
continuing to perform widely. He died of a heart attack in Moscow at the age of 55.
Being of Polish descent Wieniawski was attracted
to the national dance form, the polonaise, and he composed several
such pieces. The two examples recorded here are the work of
an experienced composer. The music combines the virtuosity of
the solo part with a particularly well balanced and effective
role for the piano. This is evident from the very beginning,
when Joanna Gruenberg gets the recital off to a stirring start
by unequivocally establishing the polonaise rhythm. Ricci’s
first entry is no less compelling, and these opening bars set
the standard for the whole enterprise.
Ruggiero Ricci’s fame as a virtuoso performer
has become legendary When this recording was made in 2000 he
could still be heard at the top of his form, brilliance and
sensitivity combined with the aid of a fabulous technique, and
all at the age of 82.
In the sense that Wieniawski’s artistic
priorities were so similar to Ricci’s, it is no surprise that
the performances have such frisson.
However, it is more than a matter of dazzling showmanship. The
beautiful Légende, for instance, has an eloquent extension
of a distinguished melodic line, while the Souvenir de Moscow
is simply magnificent. If there is a criticism it can be
laid more in the direction of the recorded sound, which is rather
close and aggressive. In some of the music this intensifies
the effect of the virtuosity, but it does not serve either the
dynamic range or the quality of violin tone anything like so
well.
Ricci himself believed that this version
of the Glazunov Violin Concerto was one of the finest recordings
he made; he described it as ‘a personal favorite’. The recording
was originally made for Vox and it has been skilfully remastered
for Regis by Paul Arden-Taylor. The violin is placed forward
in the perspective of the recording. This is no reflection on
the remastering, of course, but it does mean that a few of Glazunov’s
most subtle orchestral features are given less than their due
worth, as comparison with Oscar Shumsky’s Chandos recording
with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra confirms. On the
other hand, such is the eloquence of line conjured by Ricci
that there are abundant compensations. The final stages of this
concerto offer any virtuoso the chance to display his wizardry;
and wizardry is undoubtedly the word to use of Ricci.
The CD booklet is nicely produced and full
of useful information, both about Ricci and the music.
Terry Barfoot
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Ruggiero
Ricci (violin) 
