Paganini & Schubert : Works for Violin & Piano

Vilde Frang - Michail Lifitz

Released on 15/11/2019 by Warner Classics
Main artists: Vilde Frang
Genre: Classical

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It's often said that opposites attract. On that basis, Vilde Frang has gambled on bringing together Schubert and Paganini onto one record. Far from trying to measure these composers against each other in terms of virtuosity, the Swedish violinist turns a spotlight onto their shared love of song. Sandwiched between two Caprices – the first by Paganini (Capriccio, Op. 38 after the aria Nel cor più non mi sento from La Molinara by Paisiello); and the latter by Ernst (the Grand Caprice, Op. 26, in a breathtaking transcription for solo violin based on Erlkönig) – Vilde Frang's recital deploys an incredible armada of assets in service of the music. She moves from one mode of playing to the other as if it was nothing. This confounding facility makes us forget the imposing technical demands made by the scores recorded here: Paganini's of course, but also Schubert's work. And she doesn't overburden the moving fragility of, for example, the opening of the Fantasie in C major, D.934.
We should take a moment to salute pianist Michail Lifits – whom we have already seen play Prokofiev alongside Alexandra Conunova for Aparté. In the second movement Allegretto, piano and violin converse cheerily, with a grace that brings out every bit of these two much-decorated musicians' even, firm temperament. The mismatched writing recalls the Scherzo from Beethoven's Frühlingssonate, Op. 24, with added Schubertian melancholy, and further underlines the complicity between our musicians.
Marvellously contrasted, these works provide a choice terrain for this incredible violinist, Vilde Frang. She follows her heart and her... caprices, to create the most varied atmospheres. Her interpretation of this Erlkönig howls like an icy blast in the dead of winter and takes your breath away. Laughter turns to horror. But a deliciously perfected horror! © Elsa Siffert/Qobuz

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Paganini & Schubert : Works for Violin & Piano

Vilde Frang

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Capriccio on "Nel cor più non mi sento" in G Major, Op. 38, MS 44 (Niccolò Paganini)

Capriccio on "Nel cor più non mi sento" in G Major, Op. 38, MS 44