Axel Strauss

 

1. Allegro serioso, non troppo

2. Adagio

3. Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento – Presto

 

On this disc, Axel Strauss revels in the virtuosic and expressive opportunities offered by Pierre Rode’s 24 Caprices, which preceded those of Paganini by several years.  

Rodolphe Kreutzer’s final three violin concertos are among his greatest achievements as a composer. While handling a Beethovenian orchestra with a craftsman’s sure touch, it is the purity and depth of tone, energetic fire and complete technical mastery required of the soloist that set these works among the most perfect examples of the French violin concerto. 

Avoiding the showmanship and outward virtuosity often associated with brilliant composer-performers, George Enescu’s Second Violin Sonata marked his true emergence as a composer. Violinist Carl Flesch referred to it as one of the most significant in the history of the genre. The Impromptu concertant is amongst the most raptly expressive of violin ‘test’ pieces, and the Sonata ‘Torso’ paved the way towards the harmonic expansion of Enescu’s later work. The most renowned of his works for violin and piano, the Third Violin Sonata explores the essence of Romanian folk-music in an outpouring of sustained emotional power.

The Cincinnati Enquirer

“Its uplifting, flourishing string parts were a stark contrast to what followed – Robert Schumann’s dark Violin Concerto in D minor, performed by guest violinist Alex Strauss. Schumann composed the concerto in the later part of his life, as he struggled with mental illness (and suicide attempts). Unlike his earlier, more docile works, this concerto is moody and fiery. There is a restlessness to the first movement that Mr. Strauss captured beautifully. The young German violinist’s interpretation was not only an awesome display of technical mastery but a lesson on just how far musical sensitivity can take a piece. Clearly – in this case – a long way.”

– Nicole Hamilton, concert review “Orchestra Exhibits Variety”, Jan 7, 2002

San Francisco Classical Voice

“It was fun to hear Strauss and Fonteneau thrust and parry like Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in the more swashbuckling passages, but each performer gets a moment in the spotlight and even the accompanimental figures require a sophisticated command of the bow. Strauss is a phenomenal player, with an imaginative sense of color, texture and timing, and the students seemed to have no difficulty following his lead.”

– John Lutterman, recital review “Shared Spotlight”, Feb 1, 2004

“The concluding Perpetuum Mobile was appropriately dazzling and especially provided a showcase for Strauss’s abilities. He plays with a full, attractive sound, and makes every note sting. He also has a deep sensitivity for the feeling of the music he’s playing. Even in this horserace of a movement, he modulated its mood, from intense to light to lyrical.”

– Benjamin Frandzel, recital review “Masterly Duo”, Feb 6, 2004

“Strauss’s reading of the piece was remarkably flexible, drawing attention to layers of detail through tempo modification and dynamics… His performance had an air of refreshing spontaneity that made it seem that the violinist was exploring and discovering the piece anew rather than delivering a pre-packaged interpretation of a great masterwork.”

– Alexander Kahn, symphony review “Highs and Lows”, Nov 13, 2005

 Tuscaloosanews.com

“Strauss did likewise in the concerto, and his noble command of the violin brings out still other kinds of operatic power. He performs as a virtuoso and a teacher. As a virtuoso, he played with a rich, warm tone straight from the heart, with flawless intonation and phrasing and with a fluent nobility of line that sustained itself from first to last.”

“The challenge of Beethoven’s solo part lies in its total exposure. Unlike, Tchaikovsky concerto, Beethoven’s gives the soloist no relief – no large orchestral backup in which to hide. But Strauss worked this exposure to the greatest advantage, letting every note speak without the slightest sacrifice of fluency, clarity, warmth or nuance of phrase. He plays like Nathan Millstein.”

“As a teacher, Strauss was perhaps even more remarkable, especially in the concerto’s slow movement – a tissue of exchanges between the violin and the woodwinds, playing variously in solo, or twos or threes. With Hahm at his side and with his self-effacing tact, Strauss kept the conversations in nearly perfect accord. Hearing this was not without its slightly comic side. There were moments when we might have been watching a Formula One race car threading its way in slow motion through traffic on an autobahn.”

– Richard Rand, concert review “TSO, Shinik Hahm Offer Electrifying Beethoven”, Feb 25, 2004