Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – The Romantic Violin Concerto, Vol. 11 – Reger (2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – The Romantic Violin Concerto, Vol. 11 – Reger (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:14:36 minutes | 760 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Hyperion Records

Reger is one of those composers more talked about than listened to—caricatured as a prolific writer of organ music with a penchant for dense musical textures. But he certainly wasn’t averse to a good tune: the two Romances abound in lush lyricism, while the magnificent A major Violin Concerto shows him continuing in the tradition of the violin concertos of Beethoven and Brahms. An unashamedly symphonic work, it’s nearly an hour long—around the same length as the nearly-contemporary Elgar Violin Concerto. No less a figure than Adolf Busch championed it—first performing it when he was just sixteen.
The young German violinist Tanja Becker-Bender, who has already made such an impact in Schulhoff and Paganini, is joined by Lothar Zagrosek and the Berlin Konzerthausorchester for this 11th volume in the Romantic Violin Concerto series—a series that is triumphantly demonstrating how much great music there is out there just waiting to be rediscovered.

‘Full of craft and a lyricism often of inspired quality … Tanja Becker-Bender is more than equal to the demands of the solo part, and Lothar Zagrosek’s masterly articulation of Reger’s Klangstrom (stream of sound), in all its transparency and modulated colour and variety of incident is, if anything, an even more distinguished contribution’ (Gramophone)

‘Reger’s Violin Concerto … is one of his most heart-warming works, allowing his intensely lyrical streak free rein. It’s also superbly written for the soloist … aided by first-rate orchestral playing, Zagrosek finds transparency in Reger’s original, bringing out a wealth of significant detail in its rich polyphonic tapestry. Chief honours, of course, go to Tanja Becker-Bender: she not only shows stamina, but also technical command, beauty of tone and clear sympathetic identification with the music’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘[Violin Concerto] On its own terms it’s remarkably beautiful, and Tanja Becker-Bender does wonderful things with it, shaping its lines with great lyrical force and a tremendous sense of drama. There’s strong playing from the Konzerthausorchester Berlin under Lothar Zagrosek, too’ (The Guardian)

‘Reger’s Violin Concerto is probably the longest by a major composer … but such is the beauty of its themes and the master of its developmental invention, to say nothing of the committed nature of Tanja Becker-Bender’s playing that … I was unaware an hour had passed … this is a truly outstanding CD of very fine music, excellently performed and recorded’ (International Record Review)

Tracklist:
01. Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – Violin Concerto in A major, Op 101 – Movement 1: Allegro moderato (27:41)
02. Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – Violin Concerto in A major, Op 101 – Movement 2: Largo con gran espressione (15:14)
03. Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – Violin Concerto in A major, Op 101 – Movement 3: Allegro moderato (ma con spirito) (14:00)
04. Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – Two Romances, Op 50 – No 1 in G major: Andante sostenuto (08:30)
05. Tanja Becker-Bender, Lothar Zagrosek, Konzerthausorchester Berlin – Two Romances, Op 50 – No 2 in D major: Larghetto (09:09)

Personnel:
Tanja Becker-Bender violin
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Lothar Zagrosek conductor

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