Bell, Josh / Tchaikovsky / Bpo / Thomas Violin Cto / Melodie / Danse Russe From

Disc 11. Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 352. Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 353. Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 354. Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42: no 1, M?ditation5. Swan Lake, Op.

Russia's wintry and dramatic landscape is infamously inspiring; from the great writing of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy to the films of Tarkovsky, it has inspired remarkable creations from legendary talents. One of those talents, the famed composer Tchaikovsky, drew on his homeland to write some of the most enduring classical compositions of all time. This release in the NAXOS MUSICAL JOURNEY series features the passionate sounds of his Violin Concerto, Op. 35 and Serenade For Strings, Op. 48. Accompanied by the striking beauty of St. Petersburg, Tchaikovsky's music has never sounded more emotional.

By Arkadie Kouguell. For piano, violin and cello. Classical. Score. Published by Editions Combre

The most fundamental essence of music, melody, answers our instinctual longing for beauty in sound. Melody swells from a creative outlet that seems vital to our existence. We are drawn to its inspirational force and its capacity to stir an endless variety of emotions. Melody can be simple and serene, or imaginative and playful. It can be triumphal or mournful, primitive or sophisticated, impassioned or carefree. What better way to celebrate melody than with the glorious combination of violin and harp? While the violin swells with warm and vibrating sound, the harp, an instrument with an ancient past, produces tones that are near mystical in their beauty. Together, the instruments blend to create music with an otherworldly quality.This album features music by fifteen composers from varying time periods, nationalities and styles. The melodies written by 18th-century composers Gluck, Mozart and Scarlatti are inherently elegant, with graceful symmetry and beautifully-tailored harmonies. French composers Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Lauber, Ibert, Sagnier and Inghebrecht used melody to conjure images and emotions. Debussy, the master of mood and color, wrote melodies that weave through the music as effortlessly as a brush stroke across a canvas. In The Little Shepherd, Debussy paints a pastoral scene of idyllic simplicity and innocence. Saint-Saëns The Swan portrays the majestic beauty of the swan in the soaring melody, and the watery waves in the undulating accompaniment. All the color and romance of an antiquated French festival is captured in 4 Danses Médiévales by Lauber, and the exotic flavor and bravura of a Spanish flamenco dance is recreated in Ibert s Entr acte. Vivid imagery continues with The Black Swan by Brazilian composer Villa- Lobos, where the swan is visualized through the lens of dark romanticism. The entire violin melody is held captive on the low G string, and the wave-like harp accompaniment shimmers with intensity. The magic of dreams, mist and twilight are brought to life in Padovano s Berceuse and Nielsen s The Fog is Lifting. And, true to its title, Intermezzo by Icelandic composer Sveinsson has all the trimmings of a brief drama inserted between scenes of a play. Splendid craftsmanship of melody is evident in the premiere recordings of pieces by American composers Hatten and Boren. Sonatine in C minor by Hatten has two alternating melodies, one punctuated by quickly changing meters and fast passagework, and a second that flows with lovely poignancy. Movements from the Liturgical Dance Nos.35-37 by Boren is a work commissioned by the Aurora Duo. Formed in 1991, the AURORA DUO consists of violinist Donna Fairbanks and harpist Lysa Rytting. With a repertoire that covers a wide variety of styles, they honor the established masterpieces of the genre while also committing to the performance of new and rarely heard pieces.American violinist Donna Fairbanks has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Londrina in Brazil and Sun Valley s Elkhorn Festival Orchestra. She has performed solo recitals throughout the United States, and in Mexico and Brazil. Ms. Fairbanks received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.American harpist Lysa Rytting received a Premier Prix in harp performance from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium, where she studied with Susanna Mildonian. Other teachers include Marylin Costello, former principal harpist of The Philadelphia Orchestra; Eileen Malone of the Eastman School of Music; and Louise Pratt and Rosalie Pratt at Brigham Young University in Utah.

The most fundamental essence of music, melody, answers our instinctual longing for beauty in sound. Melody swells from a creative outlet that seems vital to our existence. We are drawn to its inspirational force and its capacity to stir an endless variety of emotions. Melody can be simple and serene, or imaginative and playful. It can be triumphal or mournful, primitive or sophisticated, impassioned or carefree. What better way to celebrate melody than with the glorious combination of violin and harp? While the violin swells with warm and vibrating sound, the harp, an instrument with an ancient past, produces tones that are near mystical in their beauty. Together, the instruments blend to create music with an otherworldly quality.This album features music by fifteen composers from varying time periods, nationalities and styles. The melodies written by 18th-century composers Gluck, Mozart and Scarlatti are inherently elegant, with graceful symmetry and beautifully-tailored harmonies. French composers Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Lauber, Ibert, Sagnier and Inghebrecht used melody to conjure images and emotions. Debussy, the master of mood and color, wrote melodies that weave through the music as effortlessly as a brush stroke across a canvas. In The Little Shepherd, Debussy paints a pastoral scene of idyllic simplicity and innocence. Saint-Saëns The Swan portrays the majestic beauty of the swan in the soaring melody, and the watery waves in the undulating accompaniment. All the color and romance of an antiquated French festival is captured in 4 Danses Médiévales by Lauber, and the exotic flavor and bravura of a Spanish flamenco dance is recreated in Ibert s Entr acte. Vivid imagery continues with The Black Swan by Brazilian composer Villa- Lobos, where the swan is visualized through the lens of dark romanticism. The entire violin melody is held captive on the low G string, and the wave-like harp accompaniment shimmers with intensity. The magic of dreams, mist and twilight are brought to life in Padovano s Berceuse and Nielsen s The Fog is Lifting. And, true to its title, Intermezzo by Icelandic composer Sveinsson has all the trimmings of a brief drama inserted between scenes of a play. Splendid craftsmanship of melody is evident in the premiere recordings of pieces by American composers Hatten and Boren. Sonatine in C minor by Hatten has two alternating melodies, one punctuated by quickly changing meters and fast passagework, and a second that flows with lovely poignancy. Movements from the Liturgical Dance Nos.35-37 by Boren is a work commissioned by the Aurora Duo. Formed in 1991, the AURORA DUO consists of violinist Donna Fairbanks and harpist Lysa Rytting. With a repertoire that covers a wide variety of styles, they honor the established masterpieces of the genre while also committing to the performance of new and rarely heard pieces.American violinist Donna Fairbanks has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Londrina in Brazil and Sun Valley s Elkhorn Festival Orchestra. She has performed solo recitals throughout the United States, and in Mexico and Brazil. Ms. Fairbanks received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.American harpist Lysa Rytting received a Premier Prix in harp performance from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium, where she studied with Susanna Mildonian. Other teachers include Marylin Costello, former principal harpist of The Philadelphia Orchestra; Eileen Malone of the Eastman School of Music; and Louise Pratt and Rosalie Pratt at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Prokofiev Concerto no. 1 in D major, op. 19 The Parisian public became acquainted with the music of Russian composer Serge Prokofiev in 1921, when his compatriot, Serge Koussevitzky, conducted the Scythian Suite. The work was received with some reservation, but the composer's reputation would later grow, thanks to works like the Chout ballet and the Concerto No. 1 for violin and orchestra. Prokofiev had begun his concerto in 1913 but completed it only in 1917. For various reasons, the first production did not take place until 1923 at the Paris Opera, under the direction of Koussevitzky, with violinist Marcel Darrieux as soloist. However, it was Joseph Szigeti who was to popularize the work, performing it in in Prague in 1924 and in Boston the following year. With the exception of the central movement, a dizzying scherzo where the virtuosity of the soloist is harshly put to the test, the concerto is noteworthy for its lyrical strains. The orchestration of the work is also appealing because of its clarity and transparency. Tchaikovsky Sérénade mélancolique, op. 26 Before writing his unique concerto for violin, Tchaïkovsky found himself being asked for a new work by Leopold Auer, the famous virtuoso and teacher. He accepted this invitation by composing the Sérénade mélancolique for violin and orchestra in 1875. Although this work is dedicated to Auer, it was Adolf Brodsky who premiered it in Moscow on January 28, 1876, Auer considering the work "unplayable." The Serenade mélancolique offers two themes of astonishing strength, detailed with great artistry and sincere emotion. Mélodie in E-flat major, op. 42 no. 3 During the winter of 1877-1878, Tchai-kovsky travelled to Italy and Switzerland. During these travels, he met Joseph Kotek, with whom he played a lot of music. This inspired him to undertake the composition of his celebrated concerto, completing the outline in 11 days and the orchestration in 15 days. However, he did not like the slow movement and substituted it with a canzonetta. The original movement, Meditation, became the first movement of the suite Souvenir d'un lieu cher, of which the Mélodie is the third movement. Orginally written for violin and piano, this piece was arranged for orchestra in 1878 by Glazunov. Its lyricism calls to mind the most tormented parts of the Eugene Oneguine opera. Kabalevsky Concerto no. 1 in C major, op. 48 Born in St. Petersburgh, Kabalevsky was 21 when he began to study piano and composition at the Moscow Conservatory. This late start did not prevent him from producing an abundance of works: four symphonies, five operas and numerous instrumental works, one part of which is educational in nature; he has also written concertos for the violin and the cello, as well as three concertos for piano. Conceived in the classic tradition of three movement, the Concerto for violin and orchestra, intended for the great Soviet virtuoso David Oistrakh, who assured its creation and recorded it in 1951 with the National Orchestra of the U.S.S.R. under the direction of its composer, was composed in 1948. In this work, the violin exchanges lively dialogues with the orchestra, dissolves in the sweeping phrases of the strings, or leads the movement with inexhaustable vigour.