My apologies for kind of falling down on the job. As most of you know, it is Oktoberfest season and I've been especially busy bringing the sounds of Munchen to the good people of New England.
This Dover release of Stravinsky compositions is a compilation of Vox issues from the 50's. The featured works are the Violin Concerto, the Duo Concertante and Jeu de Cartes. The very fine, and somewhat forgotten though still living, Ivry Gitlis performs in the concerto and the duo. Harold Byrns conducts the Concerts Colonne Orchestra and Charlotte Zelka accompanies Gitlis in the duo. Filling out the program is a highly enjoyable performance of Jeu de Cartes under Heinrich Hollreiser with the Bamberg SO.
I like Gitlis' playing very much. His musicianship is spot on and he possesses a sweet, loving tone which helps to smooth out, in a positive way, Stravinsky's spiky melodies. Both Byrns and Zelka provide strong partnership. Hollreiser's Jeu de Cartes was a pleasant surprise for me. I've always thought of him as rather a kapellmeister type but he fully immerses himself into the humor and spirit of this rather "French" music.
Enjoy!
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