Invitations to Listening

Elgar’s Violin Concerto has a certain mystique about it independent of the knee-jerk obeisance it has received in the British press. It probably is the longest and most difficult of all Romantic violin concertos, requiring not just great technical facility but great concentration from the soloist and a real partnership of equals with the orchestra. And like all of Elgar’s large orchestral works, it is extremely episodic in construction and liable to fall apart if not handled with a compelling sense of the long line. In reviewing the score while listening to this excellent performance, I was struck by just how fussy Elgar’s indications often are: the constant accelerandos and ritards, and the minute (and impractical) dynamic indications that ask more questions than they sometimes answer. No version, least of all the composer’s own, even attempts to realize them all: it would be impossible without italicizing and sectionalizing the work to death.

Tigran Hamasyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia, in 1987. Ely the age of 7 he was listening to jazz melodies and improvising on piano all day long. He began to study the art of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Miles Davis and others, comprehending everything so fast and so deeply that he soon reached a high technique and unique jazz thinking. The First International Jazz Festival of Yerevan (held in 1998) opened a new stage in his creative life; the jazz community looked at him as a real discovery and he received invitations to play concerts and sessions. At the 2000 Festival, he became acquainted with jazz stars Chick Corea, Avishai Cohen, Jeff Ballard and An Roland; the following year he took part several festivals in France, where he played with Philip and Christophe Le Van and was introduced to Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin. Joe Zawinul, Danillo Perez and John Patitucci.

World Passion was recorded in Los Angeles with Ben Wendel (sax), Francois Moutin (bass), Ari Hoenig (drums) and Rouben Hairapetyan (duduk & zurna, traditional Armenian instruments).

Gabor Boldoczki - Bach
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra / Kristof Barati / Soma Dinyes
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 304 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Sony Classical # 88697724182 | Country/Year: Europe 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque, Trumpet

The Hungarian trumpeter, Gábor Boldoczki (…) received the coveted Prix Davidoff of the Reemtsma-Foundation for his "technical perfection and fully-developed artistic virtuosity", followed by the highly esteemed Prix Young Artist of the Year in 2002. After previously being awarded the Echo Klassik as Best Newcomer in October 2003, Gábor Boldoczki was again honoured by the German Phono Academy in 2008 as Instrumentalist of the Year.