Search - Takezawa, De Silva :: Kyoko Takezawa: French Violin Sonatas

Don't shoot me, I'm not the piano player

Rohan Tissa de Silva | Milwaukee | 05/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although we do share the same name. There's also an accomplished Grand Prix driver named Rohan de Silva, but we're three different people. Rohan de Silva, the pianist, seems to only accompany the world's best soloists, so if you know nothing else about a CD, if Rohan de Silva is listed at the piano accompanist, you're probably buying some quality music. This rule easily applies here, Takezawa seems to be better known in Japan than in the U.S. but that won't be for long. She is an extremely talented young violinist, and her interpretive abilities are really obvious in her performance of these French violin sonatas. This recording of Ravel's violin sonata is in fact my second favorite Ravel recording (Solti's Bolero on Principals is my number one Ravel favorite) but Takezawa's masterful presentation of Saint-Saens' Sonata number 1 is actually the masterpiece of this CD. I highly recommend this CD to 1)Classical fans who love the French composers 2)Classical fans who love violins and violin solos and 3) Anyone who needs to provide an elegant sound backdrop (you can either listen to this CD carefully and marvel at the skill and artistry of the performers, or, as with any CD of violin solos, you can use it as a relaxing background, better than the sometimes annoying sounds of muzak or smooth jazz, or the more active and sometimes jarring sounds of a symphony)."