Search - Ysaye, Shumsky :: 6 Sonatas for Solo Violin Op 27

This has got to be the best Ysaye recording

07/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oscar shumsky just blows my mind away. i mean, i want to be him, but too bad i can't be. I was looking for a recording to listen to cause i was playing Ysaye at the time, and i happened on this recording. After listening to it, i just said, hey i should just quit cause i'm never going to be able to play like that. Shumsky loves to exaggerate but it's always tasteful, unlike what i can do. He seems to have a great grasp of what Ysaye wanted, maybe that's because he learned it directly from the man himself, and besides he's got technique to burn. As musical as you can get with Ysaye, that's always a bonus. Ysaye, my opinion, is mostly technique but there's lots of great humor in it. It's something you just have to listen to understand, i can't explain it. Ysaye teases people through his music. Like i said hard to explain. Enough of all that, I just have to say, Shumsky is the best there is, and if you need something to guide you with your playing or just something to listen to, this is it."

Please Please Me, Oh Yeah

Avid Reader | Franklin, Tn | 10/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can picture the artist in a large bullpen with the surrounding crowd cheering Ole` as he works furiously through these six pinnacles of the Romantic violin. The object of anyone playing the Ysaye sonatas is not to make it appear difficult but it is nearly impossible to pull that off due to the extraordinary demands placed on the artist.The individual sonatas differ as to style since they were written and dedicated to individual violinists of his day based on their playing characteristics. The first sets the tone (pardon the pun). It is alternatively wild, lyrical, furious, poetic and amazing in the sounds it evokes. A perfect start. And what can one say about the famous Obsession (#2) and in particular the final "Les Furies", perhaps the most outstanding movement in the string literature. Shumsky seems to become the designated artist, assuming seering, shocking and wonderfully Ysaye-like qualities in his technical brilliance and that elusive "longing". These pieces are extremely showy but always within the framework of the piece itself. Several have an almost hypnotic quality that seems to mesmerize after a minute or two. The sound here is exquisite, as nearly perfect as possible. I have other records of the set but this one takes the Grand Prize. Bravo!!"

WOW!

Stephen Andrew Green | 11/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just finished a "round" of music, and my teacher and I sat down to discuss what I'm going to be playing next. She recommended that I start playing the Ysaye sonata cycle, and she just happened to have this recording. We listened to the whole thing in her studio, and just... WOW. This performance of his is absolutely INCREDIBLE. After hearing his unaccompanied Bach (which I think is THE best recording of those pieces done by ANYBODY), his recording of the Paganini Caprices, and a few Rode etudes( I think he's the only person to have actually recorded those, and they are actually AMAZING to hear in the hands of the right violinist), Its absolutely AMAZING to me that he isn't one of the most sought-after artists of the century. The only recording I have of these pieces is done by Maxim Vengerov (which lacks the first two sonatas...), and while his interpretation is much more Fiery and passionate, it is only on the same level of technical mastery that Shumski displays here. Shumski's interpretation is VERY different, and it is absolutely lovely. I think these two recordings would compliment each other very well, and I hope the Shumski CD becomes available very soon so I can add it to my collection."