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Aaron Rosand Plays Sarasate
"Aaron Rosand is one of our greatest violinists, whether you know him or not. Listening to him dig into these showpieces, you hear phenomenal facility, tremendous tonal quality and variety."--Amazon
Performers: Rosand, Aaron / Flissler, Eileen
Composer: Sarasate, Pablo de
Conductor: Reinhardt, Rolf
Ensemble: Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra <>
- Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 25
- Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20
- Spanish Dances: No.1, Op.21: 'Malaguena'
- Spanish Dances: No.2, Op.21: 'Habannera'
- Spanish Dances: No.3, Op.22: 'Romanza Andaluza'
- Spanish Dances: No.4, Op.22: 'Jota Navarra'
- Spanish Dances: No.5, Op.23: 'Playera'
- Spanish Dances: No.6, Op.23: 'Zapateado'
- Spanish Dances: No.7, Op.26
- Spanish Dances: No.8, Op.26
- Navarra for 2 Violins and Piano, Op. 33
- Caprice basque, Op. 24
1 Compact Disc: 73:45, ADD, VOX ACD 8160, 1993 Classical Net Review
Some words about this recording from Aaron Rosand:
George Bernard Shaw, when he served as a music critic under the name of Corno Di Bassetto, made the statement that there were great composers of music for the violin, but few great composers of violin music. On a number of occasions Shaw paid tribute to Sarasate as performer and composer, and on one particular occasion he wrote that Sarasate "left criticism gasping miles behind him."Pablo Martin Melton Sarasate y Navascuez, known as Pablo de Sarasate, was born on March 10, 1844, at Pamplona in Navarre, Spain. He began his studies at an early age under the tutelage of his father, who was a military bandmaster, and at the age of eight, made his debut at La Coruna. Attracting much attention as a child prodigy, he was assisted by the Spanish consul at Bayonne and brought to the attention of Queen Isabella, whose generosity provided him with a fine Stradivarius violin and the funds for his studies in Paris. In 1856, he entered the Paris Conservatory, where he studied with Alard. Five years later, he began touring throughout Europe and England, with enormous success, and eventually extended his appearances to Africa, the Orient, and the two Americas. His first tour here was in 1870, and the last in 1889. For more than forty years, Sarasate enjoyed the success of being one of the foremost artists of the world.
It is extremely interesting to listen to the handful of recordings made by this great virtuoso just a few years before his death in 1908. They are actually the first important commercial discs to have been made by a world-famous violinist, and are documentary evidence of his remarkable technical skill, even after his sixtieth year.
Sarasate helped considerably to popularize the "Spanish idiom" with his own compositions, particularly the marvelous set of Spanish dances. In a purely violinistic sense, there is no better writing, for he knew and exploited the best of the instrument, both tonally and technically.
The works of the violinist-composer are certainly an important part of our repertoire. In addition to Sarasate, Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski and Ysaye, to name a few, have made a vast contribution to the violin literature. They have created many innovations, which in turn have influenced other great works to be written.
And yet, we find less and less of these great show pieces programmed in the recital of today. Instead, we have an overbalanced diet of major works and first performances, and time has usually run out before the fireworks begin. On too many occasions, the fireworks are left out entirely, and the sheer excitement that virtuosity alone can engender is missing. In its own way, a difficult technical passage, played brilliantly and with finesse, is as moving as a beautifully turned phrase.
In former years, the greater portion of a program was devoted to shorter works. And in this area, the giants of the past exhibited great individuality and played with a maximum of exaggeration in a framework of magnificent taste. This was the personal stamp - that which gave their performances unmistakeable identity, and endeared them to the public. That the very things that established the personalities and the popularity of the violinist should be so neglected in this day and age is difficult to comprehend.
These thoughts came to mind quite recently, when after deciding to record the Sarasate pieces, I attempted to replace some torn and tattered copies of the music which I have had since early student days. To my amazement I found that some of it is out of print. To me this was rather incredible, considering the fact that for so many years, this was part of a violinist's upbringing, and could even be called standard repertoire. To play these things meant that one had arrived, technically speaking. It was taken for granted that to be able to express oneself musically, one must first be thoroughtly equipped technically. When I think back to those student days, and the many recitals I attended, rarely did one go by without something by Sarasate being included in the program. This was what we waited for, and invariably, it brought down the house.
And Sarasate's music will continue to do so - as long as there are people to listen to the glories of the music of Spain, the beauty of guitars, of castanets, of dark-eyed mantilla-ed senoritas, of the fiesta brava, and of perfumed nights. It is my sincere hope that this recording will serve to stimulate renewed interest in "great violin music. " --Aaron Rosand
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