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PROKOFIEVViolin concertos nO.1 in D major op.19 & no.2 . in G minor op.63. Sonata in C major for two violins op.56* [ Pavel Berman, Anna find the effect here, especially Tifu* (violin) Orchestra in the Second Concerto, I della Svizzera ltaliana/ initially disorientating. Yet Andrey Boreyko to hear Prokofiev's super- DYNAMIC CD5 676 virtuoso writing emerging Indianapo!is prizewinner wìth such blernishless poìse Pavel Berman brings and unforced eloquence comes freshness and eloquence as a welcome relìef compared to Prokofiev to the claustrophobic intensity of most recorded accounts. When cornpared The Double Violin Sonata is .(1; . -;-."':::with, say, Itzhak also beautìfully played and . ~~~i,-""-.=...• Perlman's EMI record ed, with Prokofiev's - ' recording wìth lyrìcal genius well to the fore, ~ Gennadi JULlAN HAYLOCK Rozhdestvensky or Isaac Stern's Sony classìc with Eugene Orrnandy, the natural perspectives of this new version, where Pavel Berrnan's sweer-toned playing emerges seductively frorn the orchestrai ranks, are such that one couId almost be listening to different pieces. Subtle internai orchestrai detaìl is revealed (particularly in the First Concerto) that usuali)' lies concealed behind the solo image. The passages where Bcrrnan duets engagingl), with solo woodwind instrumenrs or harp feel more 'sinfonia concertante' than concerto proper. The effect, especially rowards the end of the finale, is often magical, as Berman's silvery purity becomes enveloped in a pulsating web of orchestrai sound. Those raised on classi c accounts from David Oistrakh (EMI),Kyung-Wha Chung (Dccca) or Shlorno Mintz (Deutsche Grammophon), in which one can hear and feel the contract ofbow on string or fingers on fingerboard, ma)' AUGUST 2011 THE STRAD 93 Rue St-Pierre 2 - 1003 Lausanne (eH) Te1. +41 21 323 22 20 - Fax. +41 21 32322 24.

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557757 bk Bloch US 20/8/07 8:50 pm Page 5 Royal Scottish National Orchestra the Sydney Opera, has been shown over fifty times on U.S. television, and has been released on DVD. Serebrier regularly champions contemporary music, having commissioned the String Quartet No. 4 by Elliot Carter (for his Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, and subsequently known as the Scottish National Orchestra before being Festival Miami), and conducted world première performances of music by Rorem, Schuman, Ives, Knudsen, Biser, granted the title Royal at its centenary celebrations in 1991, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is one of Europe’s and many others. As a composer, Serebrier has won most important awards in the United States, including two leading ensembles. Distinguished conductors who have contributed to the success of the orchestra include Sir John Guggenheims (as the youngest in that Foundation’s history, at the age of nineteen), Rockefeller Foundation grants, Barbirolli, Karl Rankl, Hans Swarowsky, Walter Susskind, Sir Alexander Gibson, Bryden Thomson, Neeme Järvi, commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Harvard Musical Association, the B.M.I. Award, now Conductor Laureate, and Walter Weller who is now Conductor Emeritus. Alexander Lazarev, who served as Koussevitzky Foundation Award, among others. Born in Uruguay of Russian and Polish parents, Serebrier has Ernest Principal Conductor from 1997 to 2005, was recently appointed Conductor Emeritus. Stéphane Denève was composed more than a hundred works. His First Symphony had its première under Leopold Stokowski (who gave appointed Music Director in 2005 and his first recording with the RSNO of Albert Roussel’s Symphony No.
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EDGAR MOREAU, Cellist
EDGAR MOREAU, cellist “Mr. Moreau immediately began to display his musical flair and his distinctive persona. His incredibly beautiful tone spoke directly to the heart and soul. Mr. Moreau established his credentials as a player of remarkable caliber. His intriguing presence, marvelously messy hair, and expressive face were all reflections of the inner poet.” —OBERON’S GROVE (NY) “This cello prodigy belongs in the family of the greatest artists of all time. The audience gave him an enthusiastic ovation in recognition of a divinely magical evening.” —LA PROVENCE ”He is just 20 years old, but for the past five years, this young musketeer of the bow has been captivating all of his audiences. He is the rising star of the French cello.” —LE FIGARO “Edgar Moreau captivates all those who hear him. Behind his boyish looks lies a performer of rare maturity. He is equally at ease in a chamber ensemble, as a soloist with orchestra or in recital, and his facility and pose are simply astounding.” —DIAPASON (Debut CD: “Play” ) European Concert Hall Organization’s 2016-2017 Rising Star 2015 Arthur Waser Foundation Award, in association with the Lucerne Symphony (Switzerland) 2015 Solo Instrumentalist of the Year, Victoires de la Musique Tchaikovsky Competition, 2011, Second Prize and Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work First Prize, 2014 Young Concert Artists International Auditions Florence Gould Foundation Fellowship The Embassy Series Prize (Washington, DC) • The Friends of Music Concerts Prize (NY) The Harriman-Jewell Series Prize (MO) • The Saint Vincent College Concert Series Prize (PA) Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle Prize (NC) • University of Florida Performing Arts Prize The Candlelight Concert Society Prize (MD) YOUNG CONCERT ARTISTS, INC.
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Musicweb International August 2020 RETROSPECTIVE SUMMER 2020
RETROSPECTIVE SUMMER 2020 By Brian Wilson The decision to axe the ‘Second Thoughts and Short Reviews’ feature left me with a vast array of part- written reviews, left unfinished after a colleague had got their thoughts online first, with not enough hours in the day to recast a full review in each case. This is an attempt to catch up. Even if in almost every case I find myself largely in agreement with the original review, a brief reminder of something you may have missed, with a slightly different slant, may be useful – and, occasionally, I may be raising a dissenting voice. Index [with page numbers] Malcolm ARNOLD Concerto for Organ and Orchestra – see Arthur BUTTERWORTH Johann Sebastian BACH Concertos for Harpsichord and Strings – Volume 1_BIS [2] Johann Sebastian BACH, Georg Philipp TELEMANN, Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH The Father, the Son and the Godfather_BIS [2] Sir Arnold BAX Morning Song ‘Maytime in Sussex’ – see RUBBRA Amy BEACH Piano Quintet (with ELGAR Piano Quintet)_Hyperion [9] Sir Arthur BLISS Piano Concerto in B-flat – see RUBBRA Benjamin BRITTEN Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, etc._Alto_Regis [15, 16] Arthur BUTTERWORTH Symphony No.1 (with Ruth GIPPS Symphony No.2, Malcolm ARNOLD Concerto for Organ and Orchestra)_Musical Concepts [16] Paul CORFIELD GODFREY Beren and Lúthien: Epic Scenes from the Silmarillion - Part Two_Prima Facie [17] Sir Edward ELGAR Symphony No.2_Decca [7] - Sea Pictures; Falstaff_Decca [6] - Falstaff; Cockaigne_Sony [7] - Sea Pictures; Alassio_Sony [7] - Violin Sonata (with Ralph VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Violin Sonata; The Lark Ascending)_Chandos [9] - Piano Quintet – see Amy BEACH Gerald FINZI Concerto for Clarinet and Strings – see VAUGHAN WILLIAMS [10] Ruth GIPPS Symphony No.2 – see Arthur BUTTERWORTH Alan GRAY Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in f minor – see STANFORD Modest MUSSORGSKY Pictures from an Exhibition (orch.
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David Oistrakh ¨ E | Chausson | Shostakovich | Chausson | Rachmaninoff E | Pays Tributeto
LYDIA MORDKOVITCH PAYS TRIBUTE TO DAVID OISTRAKH Classics LOCATELLI | YSAY¨ E | CHAUSSON | SHOSTAKOVICH | RACHMANINOFF Pietro Antonio Locatelli Locatelli Antonio Pietro © Lebrecht Music & Arts Photo Library Lydia Mordkovitch Pays Tribute to David Oistrakh Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695–1764) Sonata, Op. 6 No. 7 ‘Au tombeau’* 15:16 in F minor • in f-Moll • en fa mineur Arranged for Violin and Piano by Eugène Ysaÿe 1 I Lento assai e mesto – Adagio in modo di recitativo – Recitativo ma più animato che prima – Risoluto 5:06 2 II Allegro moderato e con passione – 2:07 3 III Adagio 2:29 4 IV Cantabile. Tempo molto moderato – Maggiore – Con brio – Più largo – Lento 5:32 5 Caprice No. 23 ‘Il labirinto armonico’ 3:21 from L’arte del violino: XII concerti… con XXIV capricci ad libitum, Op. 3 for Solo Violin Facilis aditus, difficilis exitus Allegro moderato 3 Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931) Sonata, Op. 27 No. 2 14:26 in A minor • in a-Moll • en la mineur for Solo Violin To Jacques Thibaud 6 I Obsession. Prelude 2:50 7 II Malinconia 3:26 8 III Danse des ombres. Sarabande 5:12 9 IV Les Furies 2:55 Ernest Chausson (1855–1899) 10 Poème, Op. 25† 14:17 Arranged for Violin and Piano Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) Sonata, Op. 134‡ 29:40 for Violin and Piano 11 I Andante 9:27 12 II Allegretto 6:20 13 III Largo – Andante – Largo 13:51 4 Serge Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) 14 Daisies§ 2:42 No. 3, ‘Margaritki’, from Six Songs, Op. 38 Arranged for Violin and Piano by Fritz Kreisler Lento TT 79:46 Lydia Mordkovitch violin Nicholas Walker piano* Marina Gusak-Grin piano† Clifford Benson piano‡ James Kirby piano§ 5 From the personal collection of Lydia Mordkovitch Lydia Mordkovitch, fourth from left, with students and professors, attending a class with David Oistrakh, right, in his room at the Moscow Conservatory Lydia Mordkovitch Pays Tribute to David Oistrakh A note from the performer I was present at a concert at the Composers’ I had the luck and privilege to study with the Union in Moscow, where David Fedorovich great Russian violinist David Oistrakh.
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Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Joseph Szigeti: Their Contributions to the Violin Repertoire of the Twentieth Century Jae Won (Noella) Jung
Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Joseph Szigeti: Their Contributions to the Violin Repertoire of the Twentieth Century Jae Won (Noella) Jung Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC JASCHA HEIFETZ, DAVID OISTRAKH, JOSEPH SZIGETI: THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VIOLIN REPERTOIRE OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY By Jae Won (Noella) Jung A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Jae Won (Noella) Jung All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the treatise of Jae Won (Noella) Jung on March 2, 2007. ____________________________________ Karen Clarke Professor Directing Treatise ____________________________________ Jane Piper Clendinning Outside Committee Member ____________________________________ Alexander Jiménez Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my advisor, Professor Karen Clarke, for her guidance and support during my graduate study at FSU and I am deeply grateful for her advice and suggestions on this treatise. I would also like to thank the rest of my doctoral committee, Professor Jane Piper Clendinning and Professor Alexander Jiménez for their insightful comments. This treatise would not have been possible without the encouragement and support from my family. I thank my parents for their unconditional love and constant belief, my sister for her friendship, and my nephew Jin Sung for his precious smile.
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SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concertos Nos
SHOSTAKOVICH Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 Ilya Kaler, Violin Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) Antoni Wit, Conductor Dmitry Shostakovich (1 906-75) Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 2 Censured by Stalin, feted by Khruschev, celebrated by the world, a child of Tsarist Petersburg schooled by the first Leninists, public rhetorician, private soliloquiser: how will history choose to remember Shostakovich? As a chronicler of events epic and tragic, dimensions grotesque and satirical, perspectives elegiac and sentimental. As an essayer, a vivid essayer, of moods and confessions, of emotional discord and harmony. As a man, a genius, of destiny. Boris Tischenko, one of his students: "Our generation grew up on his music, and with his name on our lips. So our hearts would miss a beat when he took off his spectacles to clean them and we caught a glimpse of him, like a knight without armour, close to us, defenceless. The influence of his personality was so great that one began oneself to change, to become ashamed of one's insignificance, one's ineptitude, one's lack of understanding. That such a man lived has made the world a much finer place. We must all learn from him, and not from his music alone". As a human being of profound spiritual bitterness and disillusionment. Testament, the alleged memoirs (New York 1979): "Looking back I see nothing but ruins, only mountains of corpses ... There were no particularly happy moments in my life, no great joys. It was grey and dull and it makes me sad to think about it. It saddens me to admit it, but it's the truth, the unhappy truth".
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Prokofiev, Miaskovsky, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2 / Cello Concerto mp3, flac, wma DOWNLOAD LINKS (Clickable) Genre: Classical Album: Violin Concerto No.2 / Cello Concerto Country: UK Released: 1973 Style: Modern MP3 version RAR size: 1245 mb FLAC version RAR size: 1512 mb WMA version RAR size: 1890 mb Rating: 4.1 Votes: 711 Other Formats: APE DMF MIDI AUD AC3 VOC VOX Tracklist Hide Credits Violin Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op. 63 Composed By – Prokofiev*Conductor – Alceo GallieraViolin – David Oistrakh* A1 1st Movt: Allegro Moderato A2 2nd Movt: Andante Assai A3 3rd Movt: Allegro, Ben Moderato Cello Concerto, Op. 66 Cello – Mstislav RostropovichComposed By – Miaskovsky*Conductor – Sir Malcolm Sargent 1st Movt: Lento Ma Non Troppo - Andante - Tempo B1.1 I 2nd Movt: Allegro Vivace - Più Marcato - Meno Mosso - Tempo I - Più Largamente - Andante B1.2 Semplice E Tranquillo - Tempo I - Più Tranquillo - Cadenza - Lento Come Prima Companies, etc. Recorded At – Abbey Road Studios Manufactured By – The Gramophone Co. Ltd. Credits Liner Notes – Arthur Jacobs (tracks: B1.1 to B1.2), Burnett James (tracks: A1 to A3) Orchestra – Philharmonia Orchestra, The* Photography By – Christian Steiner , Ken Veeder Notes Tracks A1 to A3 recorded May 14-19th, 1958, ⓟ1959. This is reissued from Columbia SAX 2304 Tracks B1.1 to B1.2 recorded March 5th 1956, ⓟ1957. This is reissued from His Master's Voice ALP 1427, and is the first stereo vinyl issue Venue and dates of recordings are not on the release Barcode and Other Identifiers Matrix / Runout (matrix in brackets on label and stamped in runout side A): YAX.223 Matrix / Runout (matrix in brackets on label and stamped in runout side B): 2YEA.23 Other versions Category Artist Title (Format) Label Category Country Year His SXLP Prokofiev*, Miaskovsky*, SXLP Master's 30155, Prokofiev*, David Oistrakh*, 30155, Voice, His SXLP.
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University Symphony Orchestra Concert
The CSU School of Music, Theatre and Dance Presents UPCOMING EVENTS UNIVERSITY SYmphONY ORCHEstRA CONCERT VIRTUOSO SERIES CONCERT: Gary Moody, Bassoon 2/15 • Organ Recital Hall • 7:30 pm Concerto Competition Finals Wes Kenney, Conductor THEATRE: BOY Tim Burns, Piano by Diana Son Directed by Walt Jones Kimberli Render, Soprano 2/5, 6, 12, 13 • Studio Theatre • 7:30 pm 2/7, 14 • Studio Theatre • 2:00pm Damien Geter, Baritone WIND SYMPHONY CONCERT Symphonies of Winds and Percussion with guest Chris Van Hof, Trombone Avner Dorman (b. 1975) Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! UCA Landon Adams and Ben Justis, percussion 2/19 • Griffin Concert Hall • 7:30 pm IT COULD be ANYTHING New MUSIC ENseMBLE Christopher Rouse (b. 1949) Flute Concerto 2/21 • Organ Recital Hall • 7:30 pm Rachelle Crowell, flute JAZZ ENSEMBLES CONCERT with guest Marshall Gilkes, Trombone Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) Concerto forViolin and Orchestra 2/24 • Griffin Concert Hall • 7:30 pm Mvt. 1 Paola Zamario Acosta, violin event calendar • e-newsletter registration Meet Me at the UCA Season “Green” Sponsor www.uca.colostate.edu INTERMISSION General Information: (970) 491-5529 Tickets: (970) 491-ARTS (2787) George Gershwin (1898-1937) Catfish Row Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess www.CSUArtsTickets.com I. Catfish Row UNIVERSITY INN II. Porgy Sings III. Fugue IV. Hurricane V. Good Mornin’ Sistuh Dr. Burns Ms. Render Mr. Geter Wednesday, February 10, 2016 • 7:30 pm This is your your is This Griffin Concert Hall, University Center for the Arts PROGRAM NOTES Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! Avner Dorman Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! is a result of years of collaboration with PercaDu.
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Print-At-Home Programme
Sunday 30 May 2021 LSO St Luke's COPLAND, SHOSTAKOVICH & TCHAIKOVSKY Aaron Copland Our Town – Suite Dmitri Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No 2 Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano London Symphony Orchestra Welcome A warm welcome to these LSO concerts. After 14 months away, it was wonderful last week to make our long-awaited return to our Barbican home, and to be able to reunite with audiences in person, sharing once again in the joy of live music. Sincere thanks to all of our supporters: your generosity has enabled us to continue sharing music with audiences across the globe through these challenging times, and now continues to assist our return to live performance and our recovery from the pandemic. With these concerts we welcome back LSO Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas, who has been sorely missed over the past year. Across four concerts at the Barbican and LSO St Luke’s, he conducts music by Grieg and Copland, piano concertos by Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich, and symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. It is a pleasure to be joined also by soloist Yuja Wang, who has performed with the Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas regularly over the years, most recently in 2017 when she joined the Orchestra on tour in Europe. Following these London performances of Rachmaninoff’s and Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concertos, we look forward to Yuja Wang – and Michael Tilson Thomas – joining us for further concerts at Snape Maltings next week. I hope you enjoy these performances. Our thanks to all of you, our audience members, for your support.
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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847, Germany) Prepared by David Barker
The Piano Trio Repertoire Discography & Review Index: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847, Germany) Prepared by David Barker Project Index Notes 1. Arrangements of the C minor trio originally scored for violin, viola and piano are not included. 2. There are numerous reissues of recordings by ensembles including Cortot, Oistrakh, Heifetz and other famous performers on both mainstream and short-lived budget labels. I have not attempted to include them all. Trio 1 in d, op. 49 ATOS Trio (+ Trio 2) Abbot Trio CPO 7775052 [review] (+ Haydn 43, Ravel) Afka 544 Bamberg Piano Trio (+ Trio 2) Abegg Trio Thorofon CTH2345 (+ Fanny Mendelssohn) Tacet 091 Barbican Piano Trio (+ Bush: Concert studies, Ireland: Phantasie) Trio Alba ASV CDDCA646 (+ Trio 2) MDG 90317936 [review] Trio di Barcelona (+ Trio 2) Trio Albeneri Harmonia Mundi 901335 (+ Brahms 2, Martinu 2) Forgotten Records FR995 Beaux Arts Trio (+ Dvorak 4) Altenburg Trio Wien Ades 20337 (+ Trio 2) Philips 4162972 Challenge Classics SACC72097 [review] Doron DRC4021 Warner Classics 2564614922 [review] Klaviertrio Amsterdam (in “Philips Recordings 1967-74”) (+ Trio 2) Philips 4751712 Brilliant Classics 94039 (in “Mendelssohn: The Masterworks”) Beethoven Trio Wien Brilliant Classics 93164 or 92393 or 93672 (+ Trio 2) Camerata 32CM141 Arden Trio (+ Trio 2) Benvenue Fortepiano Trio Canal Grande 9217 (+ Trio 2) Avie AV2187 Argenta Trio (+ Trio 2) Borodin Trio Bridge 9338 (+ Trio 2) Chandos CHAN8404 Atlantis Trio Chandos CHAN10535 [review] (+ Sextet) Musica Omnia MO0205 Canadian Piano Trio (+ Trio 2) IBS 1011 MusicWeb International Last updated: July 2020 Piano Trios: Mendelssohn Profil PH08027 Trio Carlo Van Neste (+ Trio 2) Florestan Trio Pavane ADW7572 (+ Trio 2) Hyperion CDA67485 [review] Ceresio Trio (+ Trio 2, Viola trio) Trio Fontenay Doron 3060 (+ Trio 2) Teldec 44947 Chung Trio (in “Mendelssohn Edition Vol.
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London's Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra Living Music Sunday 28 February 2016 7pm Barbican Hall ROMEO AND JULIET Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 2 INTERVAL Berlioz Romeo and Juliet – Suite London’s Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda conductor Janine Jansen violin Part of shakespeare400.org Concert finishes approx 9pm 2 Welcome 28 February 2016 Welcome Living Music Kathryn McDowell In Brief Welcome to this evening’s LSO concert conducted LSO 2016/17 SEASON NOW ON SALE by Gianandrea Noseda. Last week we were delighted to announce that he will take up the position of Booking is now open for the LSO’s 2016/17 season. Principal Guest Conductor from August 2016 (for Full listings for all concerts taking place between further information see page 3). September 2016 and July 2017 can be found on the LSO website, along with details on how to This concert is part of our Shakespeare 400 series purchase tickets. of concerts and events celebrating the great playwright’s influence on music in the year marking lso.co.uk/201617season the quatercentenary of his death. For this final instalment of the series, Gianandrea Noseda will conduct a suite featuring orchestral movements SHAKESPEARE 400 from Berlioz’s magnum opus, Romeo and Juliet. The LSO’s Shakespeare celebrations form part of In the first half the Orchestra will be joined by Shakespeare 400, a consortium of leading cultural violinist Janine Jansen, who has long been a friend of and educational organisations, coordinated the LSO, for a performance of Shostakovich’s Violin by King’s College London, marking the 400th Concerto No 2. In 2016/17 Janine Jansen will be the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
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825646079032.Pdf
ARAM KHACHATURIAN 1903–1978 Violin Concerto in D minor 1 I Allegro con fermezza 13.58 2 II Andante sostenuto 12.15 3 III Allegro vivace 9.01 PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY 1840–1893 4 Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Op.42 : No.1 10.01 Méditation (orch. Glazunov) 45.29 ITZHAK PERLMAN violin Israel Philharmonic Orchestra/Zubin Mehta 2 Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta and producer Suvi Raj Grubb Photo: © Gregory Rozanski 3 KHACHATURIAN: VIOLIN CONCERTO For a long time the sole preserve of Russian violinists, such as Mischa Elman, and, above all, Soviet musicians such as Leonid Kogan, Julian Sitkovetsky and Igor Oistrakh, Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto had only been recorded by a tiny number of Western artists (notably Ruggiero Ricci and Henryk Szeryng) before Perlman laid down this version. Dedicated to David Oistrakh, whose performances of it, both live and in the studio, remain legendary, the work was written during the summer of 1940, while the composer was staying in his home to the west of Moscow, a haven of peace amid the pine forests. “There, I worked with ease… the themes burst from me in such profusion that I struggled to organise them”, he was to write. The effortlessness, spontaneity, acerbity and flexibility of Khachaturian’s melodic inventiveness are particularly evident in the Andante sostenuto, written in a free, almost improvised style, which evokes the art of the ashoughs , Armenian folk musicians. Very much the heart of the concerto as a whole, this central episode is framed by a opening movement with a first theme full of energy and a second which is more languorous, and a finale whose palpable folk inspiration calls on a display of ebullient and obsessively repetitive virtuosity.
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