Elgar: La Capricieuse, Op. 17

Jascha Heifetz has been described as the ‘greatest twentieth-century exponent of his instrument’ (Gramophone). Critics admired his technical agility and the myriad nuances of his playing, qualities that made him one of the most iconic violinists of his era. This set includes a selection of concertos and sonatas that showcase Heifetz’s versatility and his extraordinary ability to capture the particular character of each piece in his repertoire.

At just 11 years of age, Sarah Chang was, quite simply, an undisputed violinistic phenomenon. She appeared with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic at the age of eight, playing Paganini's First Violin Concerto, and recorded this debut recital disc a year later. The Debut was her first of many future Classical Billboard best-selling albums. Gramophone Magazine proclaimed, “This is an astonishing disc. Sarah Chang’s playing will enthrall and captivate in equal measure.”

The award winning Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta focuses her considerable talents on Late Romantic cello repertoire on her latest release on RCA Red Seal/Sony Music Entertainment. Gabetta’s sensational live recording of the Elgar: Cello Concerto is the centrepiece to a stunning new album from one of classical music’s most thrilling and successful young stars. Ms. Gabetta is joined on the works by Elgar, Dvorák and Respighi by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mario Venzago.

In addition to Elgar’s concerto, Ms. Gabetta’s new release features three of Elgar’s miniatures, the introspective Sospiri and the light-hearted, romantic salon pieces Salut d’amour and La capricieuse, in new arrangements for cello and orchestra. The album also includes Antonín Dvorák’s Waldesruh and Rondo and Ottorino Respighi’s rarely recorded Adagio con variazioni.

Chandos Records signed an exclusive contract with the Brodsky Quartet in time for the celebrations of its fortieth anniversary in 2012.

Formed in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet quickly emerged at the forefront of the international chamber music scene. It has performed more than 2000 concerts and made more than fifty highly acclaimed recordings. This is the Quartet’s first release on Chandos, and includes many of the encores it has performed over the years, notable for their novelty and diverse range of styles and emotions. All the pieces have been arranged by past or current members of the Quartet, and together form an entertaining and original collection.

The Quartet has enjoyed many successful collaborations over the years, and regularly works with artists such as Elvis Costello, Sting, Anne Sofie von Otter, Martin Roscoe, Michael Collins, Tunde Jegede, Dawn Upshaw, and Björk. Its boundless energy and tremendous enthusiasm have led it in many artistic directions, from the classic quartet repertoire of Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky, to the very cutting edge of contemporary music and styles. Its passion to embrace ‘all good music’ has been the driving force behind its success and has kept its approach fresh and its enthusiasm high since its formation.

One recurring characteristic of the performances of the Quartet is its inclusion of guest artists, who take the group away from the standard string quartet repertoire. This will be reflected in two further recordings to be released on Chandos in 2012: A CD of works by Debussy, with the multi-award-winning pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet in the Piano Trio and the harpist Sioned Williams and double-bass player Chris Laurence in the Deux Dances for harp and strings; and a disc of American songs with the bass-baritone Sir Willard White.

The present CD pays homage to the Italian great violinist Renato De Barbieri (Genova, 1920 – Trento, 1991), whose artistic life has regrettably been forgotten in these days. The careful digital remastering from the original LPs reveals the wholeness of his talent as virtuoso and performer. His gift is here enjoyable not only for works as Paganini’s Le Streghe and Ravel’s Tzigane but mainly also for twentieth century’s masterpiece Sonata n.1 per violino e pianoforte of Sergey Prokofiev.

Michaela Paetsch Neftel and Wieslaw Pipczynski perform favourites from the virtuosic violin repertoire including Vitali's Chaconne, Paganini's Campanella, Kreisler's Liebeslied and Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy. All are excellently suited to an accordion accompaniment.