Musicografo 1.
VILDE FRANG (VIOLIN), JOSÉ GALLARDO (piano)
‘HOMAGE’. Catalogue number WARNER CLASSICS 9029580532
Contents Franz RIES (1846-1932) La Capricciosa (1925) [2:53] Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Myrthen, Op.25 No1: Widmung (1840) arr. Leopold Auer [2:37] Henryk WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) Mazurka in G Major, Op. 19, No. 1, 'Obertass' (1860) [2:16] Caprice in E-flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5, 'Alla Saltarella' (1854) trans. Fritz Kreisler [2:05] Christoph Willibald von GLUCK (1714-1787) Orfeo ed Euridice: Mélodie (1762) trans. Fritz Kreisler [2:57] Franz SCHUBERT (1797-01828) Rosamunde von Cypern, Op.26 D797: Ballet Music; No.9 in G trans. Fritz Kreisler [3:30] POLDOWSKI (1879-1932) Tango (1923) [3:05] Claude DEBUSSY (1862-1918) La plus que lente (1910), transc. Léon Roques [4:37] Alexander SCRIABIN (1872-1915) Etude in D-flat Major, Op. 8, No. 10 (1894) transc. Joseph Szigeti [2:10] Fritz KREISLER (1875-1962) Rondino On a Theme by Beethoven [2:41] Gypsy Caprice [5:04] Antonín DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Slavonic Dance in E Minor, Op. 46, No. 2 (1878) trans. Fritz Kreisler [4:18] Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953) Romeo and Juliet: Masques, Op.75 (1937) trans. Jascha Heifetz [2:05] Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Song without words, Op.62 No.1 ‘May Breezes’ (1842-44) trans. Fritz Kreisler [2:39] Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860-1919) Suite española No.1: Sevilla, Op.47 (1886) arr. Jascha Heifetz [4:32] Manuel PONCE (1882-1948)
Estrellita (1913) trans. Jascha Heifetz [3:17] Antonio BAZZINI (1818-1897) Six morceaux caractéristiques: Calabrese, Op. 34, No. 6 (1859) [3:58]
The BBC Magazine once said of the violinist, Vilde Frang,* ‘Frang has the knack of breathing life into every note, whether by variations in phrasing, attack, tone or dynamic’. This comment is particularly pertinent to Frang’s ‘Homage’ which she intended as a tribute to the players of the Golden Age of the Violin. Born in Norway, Frang trained mostly in Germany and hence did not grow up immersed in the Central and Eastern-European tradition of Heifetz, Kreisler, Auer and Szigeti. However, that does not stop her from setting her own distinctive seal on these ‘encore’ pieces. The playing is complete with originality and personality; there is never even the slightest imitation of the masters’ rendering of them. The same freshness of approach underlies the playing of the pianist, José Gallardo, and the two musicians complement each other very successfully.
Some of the old favourites are there: Gluck’s ‘Mélodie’ which Frang endows with a tragic and tender yearning in contrast to Grumiaux’s famously clean and restrained approach; Mendelssohn’s ‘Song without words’, arranged by Kreisler as ‘May Breezes’; and Kreisler’s ubiquitous ‘Rondino on a theme by Beethoven’. But there are less well-known pieces too, such as Kreisler's ‘Gypsy Caprice’ with which Frang astutely pairs the ‘Rondino’, and a Szigeti transcription of Scriabin where the portamento is exquisitely done. Although Menuhin, as a boy-prodigy, recorded ‘La capricciosa’ by Franz Ries (nephew to Beethoven’s student, Ferdinand Ries) this is a work which has been largely neglected. Frang puts it firmly back on the map underscoring all of its charm and grace with a beautiful lightness of touch. It is not the usual Bazzini either: the customary ‘La Ronde des Lutins’ having thankfully been replaced by the equally dazzling and virtuosic ‘Six morceaux caractéristiques: Calabrese’. Another unknown is the ‘Tango’ of Poldowski. Poldowski was a pseudonym for Wieniawski’s youngest Polish-British daughter, Irène (1879-1932), and this sinewy Tango has Frang attacking and digging into the strings as befits the surprisingly brazen and masculine quality of the piece. Wieniawski himself is represented by his ‘Obertas’ Mazurka no. 1, coupled with the Caprice in E-flat ‘Alla Saltarella’, transcribed by Kreisler. The latter, as implied by its title which suggests the 15th century Italian dance form, has a repeated and rapid leaping feature which Frang executes with the light and charming touch she is so capable of. The smooth string crossing required in the arpeggiated triads is executed impeccably, in line with the remarkable level of musicianship Frang displays throughout the whole of the recording.
*At 33 years of age, it is safe to say that Frang is one of the leading and most original artists on today’s world stage. Her appeal is further heightened by her refusal to pay court to the media. We hear a lot from performers about the need for humility so as to make the music shine. Frang, in my view, is one of the very few who actually lives by this precept. For that, she is to be much admired.
*Vilde Frang
In 2012 Frang was unanimously awarded the Credit Suisse Young Artists Award which led to her debut with the Wiener Philharmoniker under Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival.
In 2016 she made her highly acclaimed debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle. She will return during the 17-18 season for her debut at the Philharmonie, as well as for concerts at the Baden Baden Easter Festival with Ivan Fischer.
The 2018-19 season will include two extensive European tours with the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester Berlin with Robin Ticciati and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg with Gustavo Gimeno, plus engagements with San Francisco Symphony, Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Bamberger Symphoniker, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and Seoul Philharmonic.
Vilde Frang is an exclusive Warner Classics artist and her recordings have received numerous awards. She is the recipient of the Edison Klassiek Award, Classic BRIT Award, “Diapason d’Or” by Diapason Magazine, Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and Echo Klassik Award. She also received a Gramophone Award in the Concerto category for her recording of Korngold’s Violin Concerto and Britten’s Violin Concerto.
Frang plays a 1854 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
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