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The violin sonatas of George Antheil have been recorded before, but they're not exactly common items on recordings or the concert hall, and this vigorous reading by violinist Tianwa Yang and pianist Nicholas Rimmer is most welcome. Antheil worked on the first three of the sonatas while he was writing the Ballet mécanique, but they do not much resemble that work stylistically. What strikes one is how quickly Antheil, visiting Europe, managed to pick up on current trends and put them together into structures that made good musical sense rather than seeming derivative. Consider the Violin Sonata No. 1, where the influence of Stravinsky in the outer movements is strong; the opening movement is heavily shaped by Les noces, but Antheil adds an Arabic-flavored second movement he wrote after a jaunt to Tunisia; this sets off the Stravinsky-isms nicely. The Violin Sonata No. 2 is a madcap piece containing jazz and ragtime rhythms as well as a quotation from the song In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree; Charles Ives was not much known during this period, but one wonders whether Antheil had somehow gotten wind of him. At the end, after a rush of energy, the pianist abandons the keyboard entirely and takes up drums, accompanying a mysterious tune on the violin. It is marvelous. The third sonata combines Stravinskian rhythms with a new melodicism, while the final, later sonata is in a calmer neoclassic vein. It is recognizably the work of the same composer as the other three, though, with the first movement built on syncopations. Violinist Yang finds the edge in this work, and she matches the music's energy throughout in a thoroughly enjoyable performance.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Nicholas Rimmer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - George Antheil, Composer - Tianwa Yang, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - G. Schirmer Inc., MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Album review
The violin sonatas of George Antheil have been recorded before, but they're not exactly common items on recordings or the concert hall, and this vigorous reading by violinist Tianwa Yang and pianist Nicholas Rimmer is most welcome. Antheil worked on the first three of the sonatas while he was writing the Ballet mécanique, but they do not much resemble that work stylistically. What strikes one is how quickly Antheil, visiting Europe, managed to pick up on current trends and put them together into structures that made good musical sense rather than seeming derivative. Consider the Violin Sonata No. 1, where the influence of Stravinsky in the outer movements is strong; the opening movement is heavily shaped by Les noces, but Antheil adds an Arabic-flavored second movement he wrote after a jaunt to Tunisia; this sets off the Stravinsky-isms nicely. The Violin Sonata No. 2 is a madcap piece containing jazz and ragtime rhythms as well as a quotation from the song In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree; Charles Ives was not much known during this period, but one wonders whether Antheil had somehow gotten wind of him. At the end, after a rush of energy, the pianist abandons the keyboard entirely and takes up drums, accompanying a mysterious tune on the violin. It is marvelous. The third sonata combines Stravinskian rhythms with a new melodicism, while the final, later sonata is in a calmer neoclassic vein. It is recognizably the work of the same composer as the other three, though, with the first movement built on syncopations. Violinist Yang finds the edge in this work, and she matches the music's energy throughout in a thoroughly enjoyable performance.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 01:08:26
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Tianwa Yang Nicholas Rimmer
- Composer: George Antheil
- Label: Naxos
- Genre: Classical Chamber Music
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
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