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Aaron Rosand
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"...Sparkling new recording from Rosand. . . Aaron Rosand dares to follow the
composer's metronome markings - and his gamble pays off..."
--Strad Magazine
" ... Rosand's singing tone and flawless intonation serve
him well... a wonderfully warm reading, yet not out of character, with every phrase perfectly weighted.
--Steve Holtje, CDNOW Senior Editor - Classical
"Glorious in the Khachaturian; fine playing in the
Sibelius. Seek out this disc and let's hope for more. . . FOUR STARS (Five for the Khachaturian)"
--Rob Barnett, Editor, Classical
Music on the Web
" Strongly recommended....Rosand's a demagogue, rotund in oratory and resonant in vocal quality.
"
-- Robert Maxham, Fanfare
Performer: Rosand, Aaron with the Malaysian Philharmonic
>Composer: Sibelius / Khatchaturian, Aram
Vox Music Group announces the release of the Sibelius and Khachaturian concerti featuring virtuoso violinist Aaron Rosand and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kees Bakels. This recording is a brilliant coupling of two quite different but very profound works, one a uniquely moving masterpiece, the other an exhilarating rhythmic showpiece. The artistry of the soloist and the orchestra have been captured with state of the art technology. More information is available in the press release.
At an age at which Heifetz was contemplating retirement and Elman should have been, Aaron Rosand issued a commanding, authoritative recording of the Beethoven and Brahms Concertos (Vox VXP 7902, 22:4). Now, two years later, he has paired a craggy Sibelius with a kinetic Khachaturian, evincing full command of the works' power and exoticism, respectively. Only Milstein and perhaps Shumsky could boast such violinistic longevity (consider, for example, Elman's senescent and deliberate, if genial, reading of Khachaturian's Concerto from his 69th year, which hardly approaches Rosand's in technical assurance).
Aaron Rosand's sound has varied little through his recorded career: it's robust and rugged, with a mild acidity that, highlighting almost every note, sets his tone apart from the blander, smoother, and smaller timbres of younger players (and almost every player now is younger). That sound owes a share of its individuality, of course, to the magnificent violin, which, as Rosand says, has been his voice for 43 years; but it's the result of a complex interaction between that violin and a master who undoubtedly could, as Heifetz did, project his individuality through any instrument (having heard Rosand try violins at William Moennig and Son's shop in Philadelphia, I can confirm the stability of his sound, at least in that setting, across platforms). But far from merely luxuriating in his recognizable tone, Rosand laces whatever he performs with strong fiber, an essential toughness that reveals itself as tellingly in lesser-known works like Joachim's Hungarian (Vox CDX 5102) and Arensky's (Vox 7211, 23:4) Concertos, which were for a long time almost his private domain, as in masterworks like Tchaikovsky's Concerto (again Vox 7211) or Bach's Solo Sonatas and Partitas (Vox VXP2 7901, 22:2).
Rosand's waves of inspiration lash against granite in the Sibelius Concerto's first movement; he sings warmly in its second (the trace of acid in his tone ensuring that the music won't cloy) and slashes masterfully through the finale's craggy darkness–all the while demonstrating the durability of his tonal and stylistic personality through his 71st year. If Khachaturian's Concerto doesn't provide him as many such opportunities for discovery, he and conductor Kees Bakels engage in a cogent dialogue in the first movement's middle section, and he brings a jazzy cheek to the cadenza's closing passages. The second movement's sprawl may be due more to its materials than its performers; but, in any case, Rosand and Bakels come to life again in the alternately sprightly and brassy finale.
The decline in influence of Heifetz's benchmark recordings has freed violinists to
invest Sibelius's Concerto with fresh insight; and Rosand's new performance joins
(other recent ones) in transfusing new personality into the work. And whether or not
Mozart's Emperor would judge that Khachaturian's Concerto has too many notes, Rosand
plays each of them with twangy zest. That sizzle sets him apart from violinists...
who, despite–-or because of–-their unvarnished merit, appeal more to
colleagues than to general audiences. By comparison, Rosand's a demagogue,
rotund in oratory and resonant in vocal quality.
Vox's engineers have provided depth and clarity appropriate to Sibelius' Concerto (but with a close focus on the soloist) and have captured reasonably well Khachaturian's dollops of sound, generously dished out by Bakels and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
All lovers of the violin, and general listeners as well, may count themselves fortunate that Rosand's artistry isn't available only in reissue, and that his playing maintains, or exceeds, a level familiar from his recordings a generation ago. Strongly recommended.
--Robert Maxham, Fanfare
" ... one of the very best violinists currently active,
probably even the best in Romantic repertoire. Here, he ventures into somewhat
later styles yet sounds completely at ease. Throughout, but especially in the
opening and that cadenza, Rosand's singing tone and flawless intonation serve
him well, and his ardent phrasing serves to emphasize the Romantic roots of
Sibelius' somewhat chillier style. In fact, this is a wonderfully warm reading,
yet not out of character, with every phrase perfectly weighted. " Click
here for complete review.
Steve Holtje, CDNOW Senior Editor, Classical
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