| Label: DECCA Catalog: 4780651 Format: CD Janine Jansen - violin; Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Daniel Harding (conductor)Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D op.35. Souvenir d'un lieu cher op.42 Wholenote Discoveries - March 2009
The Dutch violinist Janine Jansen is rapidly rising to the very forefront of the international ranks, and this outstanding CD, her second full concerto recording, clearly demonstrates why. Recorded live in July 2008 at the Festival Via Stellae in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, it is Jansen at her best: intelligent, articulate phrasing; stunning technique; a full, warm tone; and a rich sweetness with that characteristic underlying steely strength. I had high praise for the Vadim Gluzman recording of this concerto last year, and if you ever needed proof of the need for contrasting interpretations, then this is it. There may perhaps be less sheer excitement here at times, but Jansen presents a beautifully thoughtful, introspective and fully committed performance that I actually find more satisfying. Nothing is rushed or glossed over, and the somewhat slower tempos are well-balanced in the overall structure. Clearly Jansen and Daniel Harding are of one mind here, a sentiment borne out by even a cursory glance at the DVD footage of their rehearsals and performance for this recording that is currently viewable on YouTube. The three pieces that comprise Souvenir d'un Lieu Cher make an obvious coupling choice, as the first piece, Meditation, is the concerto's original slow movement which Tchaikovsky rewrote for violin and piano. The version heard here is not the usual Glazunov orchestration but a smaller and extremely effective arrangement for violin and strings by the Romanian-Dutch conductor Alexandru Lascae. Terry Robbins
Gramophone Editor's Choice - January 2009
“A brilliant performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto... Jansen made every phrase fly... she relished the epic scale of the first movement, the lyrical oasis of the second and the vivid drama of the finale.” -The Guardian
The second major Romantic concerto recording for Janine Jansen following her remarkable interpretations of two pillars of Romantic violin repertoire, the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos.
Jansen has already wowed the world with her performances of Tchaikovsky’s tour de force:
“Janine Jansen impressed again in Tchaikovsky's Violin concerto with the technical precision and musical bravura with which she played this beloved repertoire.” - NRC Handelsblad
Souvenir d’un lieu cher provides a delightful link to the Concerto recording. The first movement ‘Meditation’ was initially intended as the Concerto slow movement, before it was later replaced by the ‘Canzonetta’. |