Capriccio - Mendelssohn, Schubert, Debussy, Etc / Renaud Capucon, Jerome Ducros, Composer: Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert (Dresden), Franz Schubert, Sir Edward Elgar, Performer: Jerome Ducros, Renaud CapuÃ§on. The notes to Renaud CapuÃ§on and JÃ©rÃ´me Ducros's recital of miniatures focus on the emergence of this pair of French musicians a decade ago and the affinity they display with this repertoire. And affinity there surely seems to be. The arrangers of these pieces, Wilhelmj, Heifetz, Kreisler, Dushkin, and PÃhoda themselves championed works of this kind and surely knew how to put them across. It's gratifying to add CapuÃ§on to the list. On Wings of Song, like Schubert's Ave Maria, may be a Heifetz specialty, but CapuÃ§on and Ducros strongly personalize them, with the violinist even providing his own arrangement of the latter. So, like La capricieuse, they display a range of persuasive dynamics and a willingness to employ a subtle palette of expressive portamentos and nuanced changes in tempo harking back to another era to make their various rhetorical points. Dynamic range seems to be one of the keys to their success: the middle section of Humoreske and the lurches of Prokofiev's "Masks" rise to an intensity to which few listeners may be accustomed, especially in an era of somewhat dutiful performances of such pieces. If a majority of them suggest triste rather than capriccio, and evoke polite rather than rowdy gatherings, the exceptions, like Dinicu's Hora staccato, provide thumping good entertainment of a more visceral kind. In fact, while Heifetz's performance may dazzle listeners with down-bow flying staccato of a brilliance never before (and never since) encountered, CapuÃ§on's communicates hotter gypsy passion, while remaining exciting on a purely instrumental level. Still, the pervasive melancholy (for example, CapuÃ§on has included Kreisler's Liebesleid rather than his Liebesfreud or even Caprice viennois)-exhibiting a narrower range than do similar collections by others, like Francescatti, Milstein, Heifetz, or Oistrakh, to name a few who compiled effective collections-may nudge it, despite the devotion of both performers to the kind of pieces they've chosen (including a few less familiar ones, like Strauss's "Einsamer Quelle" and the two Schumann songs), into a category that overlaps what some call "crossover." And insofar as that nudge increases it's appeal for some audiences, it's sure to decrease it for others. Still, for those who like this kind of thing, this is the kind of thing they'll like. Strongly recommended to them, but nearly as strongly recommended to others as well.

Tracklist:

6 Lieder Op.34: Auf FlÃ¼geln Des Gesanges (Heine)
L'Abeille/Tr.Wilhelm
Ave Maria, 'Ellens Gesang III', D.839
La Capricieuse, Op.17
Humoreske in B-Flat Major, Op.107, No.7
PiÃ¨ce, Op.17, No.3
Slavonic Dance No.1 in G Minor, Op.46
Hora Staccato
King Roger, Op.46: Roxana's Song
Suite Bergamasque: Clair De Lune
Russian Song
Valse Sentimentale in F Minor
J'Ai Perdu Mon Eurydice
"Much Ado About Nothing Suite", Op.11: Gartenszene
Der Rosenklavier: Waltz
Stimmungsbilder, Op.9: An Einsamer Quelle
Liebesleid
Frauenliebe Und Leben Op.42: Er, Der Herrlichste Von Allen
Frauenliebe Und Leben Op.42: Du Ring An Meinem Finger
Ты Станешь Взрослой
Средняя Школа № 7 (А Мы Л
День Рожденья
Ты Беременна
Маленькая Штучка
Самый, Самый
За Любовь
Самая Любимая
Не Отпускай Моей Рук&#x438

UPC: 094637408728
Label: Erato
Release Date: 5.13.08
Format: CD

Renaud Capuçon/Jerome Ducros - Works For Violin & Piano (CD)