Moszkowski: Guitare, Op. 45. No. 2

Following the success of Ben Breen’s first CD for Tall Poppies (Brahms Sonatas, TP172), he has teamed up again with veteran pianist Milton Kaye, for their second recording together. Sadly Milton Kaye has now passed away, so this CD is the last in his long legacy of contributions to the recording industry.

The music presented here is a selection of the salon music popular in the early 20th century. This music serves to present the personality and virtuosity of the performers, and each piece was often used as an encore after a strenuous recital. The works fitted well on the early twelve-inch 78 rpm discs, and these were often played on the radio. It is through these pieces that the musicians often gained a huge and devoted following.

As Milton Kaye has so often accompanied legendary violinists, such as Jascha Heifetz and Oscar Shumsky, that this music is in his blood. Australian violinist Ben Breen, a somewhat younger musician, has taken this style of music-making and made it his own. For this recording he has borrowed a gorgeous 1715 Guarneri violin which contributes significantly to the warmth of tone. His energy and virtuosity are partnered by Kaye’s understanding and experience.

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.

Penelope and Alexander follow the success of Volume 1 by presenting a second wonderfully soulful selection of the most attractive and interesting cello and piano works in the current repertoire.

All instruments courtesy of the Fulton Collection

2008 Grammy and Gramophone Award winner James Ehnes pays tribute to the world's most celebrated violin-makers in this unique ONYX project featuring performances on 12 of the greatest instruments ever made. The Fulton Collection is perhaps the most important private collection in the world and contains many examples of the legendary names Stradivari, Guarneri, da Salo and Guadagnini. For example, the priceless La Pucelle has never been heard in a recording, and the Lord Wilton was Yehudi Menuhin’s last instrument.

Ehnes performs 21 selections in a carefully planned recital programme specially chosen to suit each instrument and to work on its own terms. It finishes with a section comparing each instrument in an excerpt of the same piece, a unique opportunity to contrast the sound qualities of these spectacular instruments.

Ehnes says of the instruments: “I didn't want to spare them a full workout. I wanted to select repertoire that would show off their particular tonal characteristics and push them to the limit and me to my limit as well."

The DVD has the complete performances plus spectacular close-ups of the instruments and substantial interview sequences - Strads vs Guarneris, the importance of the bow, Ehnes’ relationship with the Fulton Collection and his preparation for the recording sessions. David Fulton also talks about his passion for collecting these rare instruments and says: “Ehnes is the only one who could have done this and is today’s David Oistrakh.” The highly collectible package includes detailed notes by Ehnes himself.