Notes and Editorial Reviews
From start to finish, I was absolutely mesmerized by this CD. There isn’t a really weak link among the 14 pieces, and Barton Pine’s prowess as a violinist has, I think, never been more boldly or excitingly displayed.
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CAPRICHO LATINO
•
Rachel Barton Pine (vn);
1
Héctor Elizondo (narr)
•
ÇEDILLE 125 (79:41)
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class="COMPOSER12">ALBÉNIZ
Asturias (Leyenda).
CORDERO
Rapsodia Panameña.
TRADITIONAL
Balada Española.
ESPÉJO
Prélude Ibérique.
QUIROGA
Emigrantes Celtas. Terra!! Á Nosa!!
YSAŸE
Sonata No. 6.
GONZÁLEZ
Epitalamio Tanguero.
J. WHITE
Etude No. 6.
TARREGA
Recuerdos de la Alhambra.
RODRIGO
Capriccio.
SEREBRIER
Aires de Tango.
PIAZZOLLA
Tango Etude No. 3 con Libertango.
1
RIDOUT
Ferdinand the Bull
I was at a bit of a disadvantage in reviewing this CD as the promo copy I received had track listings by the composers’ last names but no identifiers of the works or composers’ first names and dates. Of course, I knew who Albéniz, Ysaÿe, Rodrigo, Serebrier, and Piazzolla were, but the only two pieces I recognized by ear were the Albéniz
Asturias
and Rodrigo’s
Capriccio
(though I’d forgotten the title of the latter). A few days later I received a full track listing but no liner notes, yet I noticed that the Serebrier piece was dedicated to Rachel Barton Pine, and the González to both Rachel and her husband, Greg.
Despite the confusion, I enjoyed the CD immensely. Judging from her other CDs I’ve listened to after this (Handel sonatas,
Instrument of the Devil,
and
Violin Concertos by Black Composers
), Barton Pine’s style tends more toward the lyric than the dramatic, but her playing here is very dramatic indeed, with sharp attacks, cleanly articulated pizzicato, and impeccable turns. One thing that surprised me was the rich, dark quality of her tone, almost viola-like in places. I would describe it (not negatively) as a “junior Oistrakh.” Every note in her range has a full, rich sound at every dynamic level and, aside from those moments when she is purposely vehement, her bowing is never rough.
Despite the extreme challenges of doing an entire CD unaccompanied, Barton Pine never lets up in creating a rhythmic underpinning for herself. I assume that Roque Cordero’s
Rapsodia Panameña
is based on different folk music and rhythms than the Panamanian music that reached our shores in the early 20th century, as those were essentially in habanera rhythm and this piece is not. Of course, since Cordero was a late 20th-century composer, the language has elements of bitonality throughout, and there are very quick changes from short but intense lyrical passages to rhythmic outbursts and back, but the piece holds together very well indeed. Jesus Florido’s arrangement of a traditional Spanish ballad consists of almost continual contrapuntal 16ths in which the violinist must emphasize the melody without sacrificing cleanliness of attack. César Espéjo’s
Prélude Ibérique,
written for Szeryng, has a very similar style though the tonal base is less spiky, and there is a long passage in 16ths that is exciting but more in the nature of a continuous melody than rhythmic accompaniment.
Manuel Quiroga, also known as Quiroga Losada, is the only composer represented by more than one work: a passionate lament in C Minor (
Emigrantes Celtas
), punctuated by short, staccato stabs; and a fiery, rhythmic piece in
Terra!! Á Nosa!!
which, at times, resembles a Celtic tune in melody and construction. The Ysaÿe sonata—dedicated to Quiroga Losada—has a strong Andalusian flavor. Typically of Ysaÿe, the music is more passionate and evocative of mood than an academic theme-and-devlopment. Later passages of this sonata, using a rhythmic underpinning to the melody, show his knowledge of the unaccompanied partitas of Bach. Compared with this dense piece, the etude by José White sounds almost jolly and simplistic, even repetitive, but nonetheless pleasing. The Serebrier
Aires de Tango
is really something, feeding into Barton Pine’s reputation for having one of the best staccato techniques on earth, but if anything her transcription of Piazzolla’s Tango Etude is even wilder, and in fact practically steals the show. Those who remember the Disney version of
Ferdinand, the Bull with the Delicate Ego
will not necessarily like all of Alan Rideout’s more modern version, but it’s a very amusing piece. Héctor Elizondo has a somewhat hoarse speaking voice, but is an interesting and whimsical narrator.
Bottom line: From start to finish, I was absolutely mesmerized by this CD. There isn’t a really weak link among the 14 pieces, and Barton Pine’s prowess as a violinist has, I think, never been more boldly or excitingly displayed.
FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
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Works on This Recording
3.
Emigrantes Celtas by Manuel Quiroga
Performer:
Rachel Barton Pine (Violin)
Period: Modern
Length: 3 Minutes 14 Secs.
8.
Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tarrega
Performer:
Rachel Barton Pine (Violin)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1880-1905; Spain
Length: 3 Minutes 52 Secs.
9.
Capriccio for Violin solo by Joaquin Rodrigo
Performer:
Rachel Barton Pine (Violin)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; Spain
Length: 6 Minutes 22 Secs.
12.
Ferdinand the Bull by Alan Ridout
Performer:
Rachel Barton Pine (Violin),
Héctor Elizondo (Spoken Vocals)
Period: 20th Century
Written: England
Length: 10 Minutes 46 Secs.
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