Igor Raykhelson: Viola Concerto; Violin Concerto
In the words of his friend the violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet, the composer-pianist Igor Raykhelson — born in Leningrad in 1961 and now resident in New York — 'possesses a superb mastery of both classical and jazz idioms'. The unashamed Romanticism of Raykhelson's Violin Concerto (2007) and its emphasis on melody place it downstream from Korngold, and though the Viola Concerto (2005) has its darker moments, its vigorous, jazz-tinged finale has the knock-about good humour of Rodion Shchedrin.
Yuri Bashmet, viola
Nikolay Sachenko, violin
Novaya Rossiya Orchestra, orchestra
Claudio Vandelli, conductor
Alexander Sladkovsky, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
-
Violin Concerto in C minor (2007)
- I. Moderato ma non troppo
- II. Elegy: Andante Cantabile
- III. Allegro con moto alla tango
- I. Largo sostenuto
- II. Allegro non troppo
- III. Andante affettuoso
- IV. Allegro
Viola Concerto in A minor (2005)
Fanfare Magazine :
‘… This disc should provide an excellent introduction for anybody seeking to explore the sound world of Igor Raykhelson. It’s a world of unreconstructed and unapologetic Romanticism. Adorno would turn in his grave at the thought of it, but those with a taste for expressive melodic writing may be more sympathetic. And if you’re curious about what violin and viola concertos by Rachmaninoff might have sounded like, they would probably have sounded something like this.’
—Gavin Dixon, Fanfare Magazine November/December 2012
Matthew L. Pumphrey :
‘Lush, neo-romantic string concertos’
—Amazon Review
Mindlin :
‘Great appreciation of the composer’s style’
—Amazon Review
Classic Lost and Found :
‘The soundstage is large and in a reverberant acoustic with Bashmet adequately highlighted … the overall viola tone and instrumental timbre are quite natural, assuring a generally pleasing listening experience.’
—Bob McQuiston, CLOFO