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This set contains a selection of the recordings by the great French violinist focusing on his prowess as a chamber musician.
Ferras was born in 1933 of musical parentage – his father had been a violinist and a pupil of Marcel Chailley, a devotee and friend of Saint-Saëns. Though Christian’s talent was not in dispute, his father was extremely pushy and the undue pressure he exerted on his young son probably led to the mental instability that led to Ferras’s suicide in 1982. At the age of 8, Ferras enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire and in 1943 won first prize.
He recorded for the major record companies, and his colleague and friend, the violinist Zino Francescatti, commented that these recordings with Pierre Barbizet made in 1968 over five days were ‘musical perfection’. Ferras was ranked alongside Oistrakh, Stern, Menuhin and Francescatti in the top five violinists of his age, and it was Ferras whom Menuhin chose as ‘the ideal partner’ for the recording of the Bach Double Concerto for EMI in 1959.
Included are the three Brahms sonatas, the two by Schumann and those by Franck and the intriguing, short-lived Belgian Lekeu. Disc 4 contains encores that Ferras was especially fond of.
This set is a superb portrait of a great artist, who was gifted beyond anyone’s wildest dreams but lost the fight with his inner demons of depression and alcohol dependency. Essential listening for all lovers of the violin
‘Ferras is a player who habitually turns the simplest of melodic lines to poetical song … Lovers of the César Franck who happen not to know the Lekeu could well find a real extension of their pleasure in this very good record.’ Gramophone
‘Finely balanced yet ardent performance of the (Brahms) First Sonata.’ Gramophone
Extensive booklet tribute to and survey of Ferras’s life and career
Franck, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A major,? Allegretto Ben Moderato
Franck, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A major,IIAllegro
Franck, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A major, III Recitativo-Fantasia.Ben moderato
Franck, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A major, IV Allegretto Poco Mosso
Lekeu, Sonate For Violin And Piano In A Major, ?Tres Modere-Vif Et Passionne
Lekeu, Sonate For Violin And Piano In A major,IITres Lent
Lekeu, Sonate For Violin And Piano In A major,IIITres Anime
Violin Sonata No.1 In G Op.78 I Ivace Ma Mon Troppo
II Adagio
III Allegro Molto Moderato
Violin Sonata No.2 In A Op.100 I Allegro Amabile
II Andnte tranquillo-Vivace-Andante-Vivace Di piu-Andante-Vivace
III Allegrotto Grazioso
Violin Sonata NOo.3 In D Minor Op.10 Allegro
II Adagio
III UN Poco Pressco E Con Sentimento
IV Presto Agitato
Scherzo For Violin And Piano In C Minor WoO Posth.2
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 In A Minor, Op.105 - I. Mit Leidenschaftlichen Ausdruck
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 In A Minor, Op.105 - II. Allegretto
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.1 In A Minor, Op.105 - III. Lebhaft
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 In D Minor, Op.121 - I. Ziemlich Langsam - Lebhaft
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 In D Minor, Op.121 - II. Sehr Lebhaft
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 In D Minor, Op.121 - III. Leise, Einfach
Schumann: Violin Sonata No.2 In D Minor, Op.121 - IV. Bewegt
Schumann: 3 Romances For Violin And Piano, Op.94 - Nicht Schnell (Moderato)
Schumann: 3 Romances For Violin And Piano, Op.94 - Einfach, Innig (Semplice, Affettuoso)
Schumann: 3 Romances For Violin And Piano, Op.94 - Nicht Schnell (Moderato)
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid
Schumann: Träumerei (From 'Kinderszenen'), Op.15
Ave Maria
Rondino On A Theme Of Beethoven
Mendelssohn: Lied Ohne Worte Op.62 No.1
Dinicu: Hora staccato
Humoreseque, Op.101 No.7
Kreisler: Caprice veinnois
Massenet: Meditation (From 'Thais')
Chaminade: Sérénade espagnole
Berceuse, Op.16
Rimsky-Korsakov: Hindu Song (Song Of India) (From 'Sadko')
Sarasate: Romanza andaluza, Op.22 No.1
Falla: Spanish Dance (From 'La vida breve')
The Swan (From 'Carnival Of The Animals')
Stravinsky: Chanson russe (From 'Mavra')
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Franck, Sonata For Violin And Piano In A major,? Allegretto Ben Moderato