Reves - Ysaye: Concerto In E Minor; Poeme Concertant

Description

The world-premiere recording of the complete Violin Concerto in E Minor by Belgian virtuoso violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye has arrived! Following the recent discovery of a first movement, further manuscripts which complete the work have come to light - one a full orchestration, others for violin and piano - which were found on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Philippe Graffin's close collaboration with Ysayoe aficionado Xavier Falques led to a page-by-page analysis and painstaking reconstruction of the musical puzzle pieces, resulting in this recording of the full, three-movement concerto which displays Ysayoe's trademark ardour, intensity and originality. For reasons unknown, Ysayoe abandoned his Violin Concerto in E minor in 1885, but some years later embarked on another, Poeme concertant, which was also recently discovered in manuscript form and is imbued with passion and the love Ysayoe felt for his pupil Irma Sethe. Their love was mutual but their relationship could not endure, possibly sealing the fate of Poeme concertant which lay undiscovered for over a century but is now brought back to life with this world-premiere recording. Philippe rounds out the recording with three Ysayoe gems for violin and piano: 2 Mazurkas de Salon, Op.10, works the violinist / composer frequently performed and gained popularity throughout Europe and Russia in his lifetime; and Reve d'enfant ("A child's dream"), which he dedicated to his youngest son Antoine.

"an enjoyable swagger and sweep … Philippe Graffin is fully committed: agile, with a lean tone which in the quieter and sweeter passages takes on a confiding intimacy that I found very persuasive … delightful" - Gramophone

"Graffin despatches these virtuosic compositions with passionate intensity and inspired brilliance, and his capacity to bring out all the pyrotechnical details of the soloist's part is indeed awesome." – Classical Music Daily

"Graffin's close collaboration with Ysaye aficionado Xavier Falques led to a page-by-page analysis and reconstruction of the musical puzzle pieces, resulting in this recording of the full, three-movement concerto." – The Violin Channel

"The discovery of long-languishing manuscripts enabled Philippe Graffin and his collaborators to reconstruct both pieces — a true labour of love by a musician long associated with the Belgian's music." – The Sunday Times

"this album represents some serious detective work on the art of the soloist Philippe Graffin […]. Both works are dark and virtuosic, and Graffin rises to the challenge, his fragile yet defiant instrument soaring above brooding orchestral forces." – BBC Music Magazine ****

"In both concertos, conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, which he leads, offer themselves as partners who play the orchestral environment in a nuanced and shaped way. Marisa Gupta provides the piano part for the Children's Dream and the two Mazurkas, which she also performs with skill and ability." – Pizzicato "Supersonic"