Search - Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Nikolay Myaskovsky, Valery Gergiev :: Violin Concertos

The Fiddler Mounts a Warhorse and Rides on a Stallion!

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While there are no performers who can permanently claim or be bestowed ownership of a certain musical work, it seems that for the time at least Vadim Repin has made Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto his imprint on performance history. The 34-year-old Siberian violinist is a stunningly fine musician and performer and instantly makes his presence on the stage pulsatile. Having just had the privilege of hearing Repin play this concerto in the inimitable acoustic of Disney Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic guest conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya encouraged me to add this recording with Valery Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra and while the magic of a live performance where Repin commands the stage and the aural atmosphere can never be duplicated on CD, this 'live performance' comes as close to that immediacy as any available.



Repin plays a Stradivarius 'Ruby' 1708 violin and the range of color and tone and digital dexterity response he pulls form that instrument is nothing short of magnificent. At every point on Tchaikovsky's demanding concerto's spectrum Repin is in complete and impassioned control. He is a technical wizard, but more important he is a poet. The Andante movement is disarmingly plangent and luminous. Some may feel that Gergiev's orchestral support is not as committed to emotion as it is to dazzling effects, but the two seem to hold a like view of the work and the collaboration is sound. The performance with the LA Phil found more introspection and sensitive phrasing, but this live performance on CD is full of glories.



Including the Myaskovsky concerto on the same CD is a welcome bonus for those unfamiliar with this ultra-romantic composer's output. Repin and Gergiev give this richly melodic work a spellbinding performance.



Vadim Repin has the talent, the bravura, and the eloquence to enter to the upper echelon of current violinists. The fact that he is also committed to performing contemporary works in addition to the sure-to-please standard repertoire speaks well for his musicianship and dedication to his craft. This is an excellent addition to everyone's library, no matter how many 'favorites' of these works you own. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 05"

Amazing!!!

Julio Castro Karg | Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico | 11/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reading many positive reviews of this recording I decided to give it a try! I have a couple of different versions of the concerto by Tchaikovsky, but this one is really ouststanding!



Repin plays with a passion that leaves you breathless! It is quite amazing! If you like this concerto you have to give this recording a try! You'll love it!



The Myaskovsky violin concerto is an excellent coupling! A beautiful concerto indeed!"

Very polished playing, and the Myaskovsky is a rarity

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/19/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To judge form the raves this CD has gotten at Amazon, you'd think the Myaskovsky concerto was an undiscovered gem. In reaity it's an innocuous, sugary extension of the ultra-conservatism of Glazuov. Its pleasant melodies and light construction could be substituted for the ballet music of Minkus, kabalevsky, and other dutiful Soviet composers of the Stalinist era. Repin and Gergiev give the concerto as much commitment and respect as it deserves and probably a lot more.



As for the Tchaikovsky, I was alarmed at the sonics when the orchestra opened the first movement -- the boomy echo made it sound like a stadium concert. Repin has been caught close up, as usual with violin recordings. Gergiev conducts with sensitivity and dash where called for. The soloist has perfect technique but is a bit short on ideas and personality. YOu come away admiring what you've heard but remembering little about who played it. Even so, such suave, often tender fiddling isn't to be sneezed at. Repin has yet to compete successfully in the public eye with higher voltage contemporaries like Vengerov or artists with more insight like Khachatryan. This CD illsutrates his strengths and weaknesses very well, I think."