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Giuseppe TARTINI (1692-1770)
Violin Concerto in E major D.50 [15:07]
Violin Concerto in D major D.96 [12:57]
Violin Concerto in G major D.80 [15:13]
Violin Concerto in B minor D.125 [13:15]
Violin Concerto in D major D.28 [16:34]
Ariadne Daskalakis
(violin)
Cologne Chamber Orchestra/Helmut Müller-Brühl
rec. DeutschlandRadio, Sendesaal des Funkhauses, Cologne,
October 2005 NAXOS 8.570222 [73:05]
A
disc sporting two previously unrecorded Tartini concertos
is worth listening to. There are five concertos here in all
so the discographic novelty factor is running at forty percent
and fortunately the performances are fresh and enjoyable – so
we can be assured of a fine introduction to them.
I
last heard the German-based Ariadne Daskalakis in a Tudor
disc devoted to the sonatas of Joachim Raff. She played
very well but, mistakenly or not, I craved rather more expression
than she chose to give. Here in Tartini she strikes a judicious
balance between the dictates of structure – include the extensive
cadential passages – and the expressive demands of the concertos,
not least in slow movements.
The
E major is one of the two previously unrecorded works. The
first movement syncopation is pleasurable and the finale’s
buoyant liveliness is typical – and typically engaging. But
it’s the slow movement that captures the ear. With a Grave this
eloquent it’s remarkable that no one has sought to record
it before. It’s cast as an aria and the beauty of its lyricism
is both pervasive and lasting. It would be interesting to
know how much of the solo line has been decorated and whether
this was entirely the responsibility of the soloist.
The
A major is a richly vibrant and compact work – in three movements
as are all the concerti. The advanced cadential writing discloses
Daskalakis’s assured technique. In the case of the E major
we confront some very spare orchestral accompaniment over
which the violin has rights of roaming – the acrobatic lines
are accomplished and the slow movement is a verdantly expressive
one. Once more the orchestration is distribution with precision
and tactful restraint. The finale is rather conventional.
The
B minor D.125 has even more of a skeletal orchestral basis.
It’s very more a platform for the virtuosic flights of the
soloist – handy for the travelling virtuoso encountering
hard-pressed bands en route. The D major D.28, the other
first ever recording, has altogether more fizz. There are
horns here, though whether they’re quite authentic is another
matter, and one not resolved in the violinist’s own booklet
notes. The horns certainly add to the hunt motifs – and the
violin responds with little fanfare mottos of its own. The
slow movement is strikingly affectionate and elegantly decorated.
There are plenty of good
things here – premiere recordings and fine, stylistically
aware playing from the modern instrument orchestra, tactfully
directed by Müller-Brühl. And Ariadne Daskalakis plays with
grace and lyrical purity sufficient to warrant considerable
enthusiasm.
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