Beethoven & Schnittke: Violin Concertos Vadim Gluzman, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester & James Gaffigan

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61:
• 1 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: I. Allegro ma non troppo 23:21
• 2 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: II. Larghetto 08:18
• 3 Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: III. Rondo. Allegro 10:00
• Alfred Schnittke (1934 - 1998): Violin Concerto No. 3:
• 4 Schnittke: Violin Concerto No. 3: I. Moderato 08:32
• 5 Schnittke: Violin Concerto No. 3: II. Agitato 05:46
• 6 Schnittke: Violin Concerto No. 3: III. Andante 10:32
• Total Runtime 01:06:29

Info for Beethoven & Schnittke: Violin Concertos

After acclaimed recordings of the great Romantic violin concertos by Brahms, Bruch and Tchaikovsky, Vadim Gluzman takes on the work that in the beginning of the 19th century mapped out a new course for the genre: Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61. With this work, Beethoven rejected the idea of a virtuoso display piece with a largely irrelevant orchestral accompaniment. Instead he presented a symphonic reinterpretation of the concerto principle, with soloist and orchestra becoming equal partners in a texture that is interwoven on many levels. Largely forgotten for several decades after the first performance in 1806, it is now considered one of the greatest violin concertos. However innovative Beethoven was in his opus 61, he nevertheless remained true to the tradition of allowing the soloist several cadenzas. Over the years, a number of composers and great violin virtuosos have proposed their own cadenzas for the concerto, with Alfred Schnittke being one of the more unexpected names.

For this recording, Gluzman has chosen to perform Schnittke's cadenzas, as a link to the second work on the disc: the composer's Concerto No. 3 for violin and chamber orchestra. To Schnittke, the relationship between soloist and orchestra is quite different from that demonstrated in Beethoven's score: 'It seems to me that this relationship is never harmonically equitable and balanced… The soloist and orchestra are in fact adversaries.' However they may be labelled, James Gaffigan and the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester nevertheless provide unstinting support to Gluzman in both scores.

Vadim Gluzman, violin
Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
James Gaffigan, conductor

Vadim Gluzman
Vadim Gluzman’s extraordinary artistry brings back to life the glorious violinistic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. His wide repertoire embraces contemporary music and his performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively for the BIS label.

The Israeli violinist appears regularly with major orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and NHK Symphony; and with leading conductors including Neeme Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Tugan Sokhiev, Andrew Litton, Marek Janowski, Semyon Bychkov, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Itzhak Perlman, Paavo Järvi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Hannu Lintu and Peter Oundjian. His festival appearances include Verbier, Ravinia, Lockenhaus, Pablo Casals, Colmar, Jerusalem, and the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Northbrook, Illinois, which was founded by Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe, his wife and long-standing recital partner.

Following highly acclaimed recent performances with Berlin Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra, the 2015-16 season will see Mr. Gluzman making first appearances with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival under Christoph von Dohnányi and with the National Symphony in Washington under Andrew Litton. He also performs with the Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Detroit, Oregon and Luzern Symphonies, as well as the Philharmonic Orchestras of Dresden, Stuttgart, St. Petersburg and Monte Carlo. Gluzman will also appear in recitals in London, Jerusalem, Lyon and Kronberg. He will lead performances with the Moscow Virtuosi, Sinfonietta Cracovia, and Vancouver Symphony, and will continue his collaboration with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio, as Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist.

Vadim Gluzman has given live and recorded premieres of works by composers such as Giya Kancheli, Peteris Vasks, Lera Auerbach and Sofia Gubaidulina. In 2016, he will give the World Premiere performances of a major work by Lera Auerbach for violin, orchestra and chorus with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and culminating with BBC Symphony at the London Proms.

Mr. Gluzman’s latest CD features Sergey Prokofiev’s Sonatas No. 1 and 2 as well as three transcriptions from Romeo and Juliet. Accolades for his extensive discography under the exclusive contract with BIS Records include the Diapason d’Or of the Year, Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice, Classica Magazine’s esteemed Choc de Classica award, and Disc of the Month by The Strad, BBC Music Magazine, ClassicFM, and others.

Born in the former Soviet Union in 1973, Vadim Gluzman began violin studies at age 7. Before moving to Israel in 1990, where he was a student of Yair Kless, he studied with Roman Sne in Latvia and Zakhar Bron in Russia. In the US his teachers were Arkady Fomin and, at the Juilliard School, the late Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki. Early in his career, Mr. Gluzman enjoyed the encouragement and support of Isaac Stern, and in 1994 he received the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award.

Vadim Gluzman plays the extraordinary 1690 ‘ex-Leopold Auer’ Stradivari, on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Booklet for Beethoven & Schnittke: Violin Concertos