Search - Henryk Wieniawski, Niccolo Paganini, Fritz Kreisler :: Virtuoso Vengerov

A charming CD of small violin pieces.

Christopher Urrutia | Riverside, CA United States | 07/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Vengerov has had his up's and down's, this CD is truely a triumph for him. Vengerov's playing is in top form and he really does each piece justice. The best thing about this CD is the pieces Vengerov picked to record. This is the perfect CD of charming violin miniatures. I haven't yet found a better CD of these sorts of pieces. I especially like the Caprice Basque by Sarasate and the variations by Paganini. But all the songs are very captivating. If you're looking for a good CD of "itsy bitsies", as Heifetz called them, this is it. It's a great gift for someone who isn't really into classical music or for someone who is too."

Excellent grouping of small violin pieces

Christopher Urrutia | 07/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The pieces on this cd are all of the most delightful quality. Vengerov plays them all with beautiful execution and interpretation. One of my favorite cd's. I've yet to find another violin cd that groups together such wonderful little pieces in such a good way!"

He didn't read the music very carefully...

Martin Shultz | Houston, TX United States | 09/22/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A lot of this CD is very impressive- Vengerov clearly has his technique under control, and the Paganini is very well-executed, making it sound easy.I feel that he's pretty far off the mark with the Messiaen, though. He must not have spent very much time learning this piece, since both the Theme (of the "Theme et variations) and the final section of the piece are played at exactly twice the printed tempo! This completely changes the character of the piece to something that's very different from the meditative quality that the correct tempo markings imply. There are also a few wrong notes- small details, but it does make a difference, considering the emphasis Messiaen placed on harmony. There's a very good Naxos recording of this piece (with the Amici ensemble, Scott St. John, violin) that's worth hearing."