Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Click cover art to view larger version
Track(s) taken from CDA67699

Romance, JW VII/3

composer
16 November 1879; composition exercise written for Oscar Paul; manuscript entitled '4. Romance'

Hagai Shaham (violin), Arnon Erez (piano)
Recording details: January 2009
Jerusalem Music Centre, Israel
Produced by Eric Wen
Engineered by Zvi Hirshler
Release date: April 2010
Total duration: 5 minutes 35 seconds

Cover artwork: Three Trees (1965). Emil Parrag (1925-2019)
Private Collection / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘Shaham and Erez give an excellent performance [Dohnányi Sonata], Shaham's seductive tone and elegant phrasing being well matched by Erez's sensitive touch. The Ruralia hungarica pieces show the composer's more nationalistic side but are still farily traditional in their approach to folk material. Shaham is in his element here—the brilliant final piece carefree and dashing in style, the preceding, improvisatory Andante rubato alla zingaresca graceful and stylish’ (Gramophone)

‘The strongly Brahmsian Sonata [Dohnányi] is given a warm and affectionate reading, the central variation movement imaginatively characterised with Shaham's honeyed tone proving an ideal foil for Arnon Erez's bold and dynamic piano playing. But it's the more folksy Ruralia hungarica that draws the most compelling performance, Shaham negotiating the challenging violin pyrotechnics of the outer movements with impressive powerhouse playing as well as delivering a wonderfully atmospheric Andante rubato alla Zingaresca’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Hagai Shaham gives a deliciously rich and eloquent account of Dohnányi's Violin Sonata … it is thrilling, captivating playing, joyous and tender … there are sumptuous moments in Janáĉek's Sonata, too, but this is darker stuff, and Shaham brings to it a gentle sensibility … the rapport between Shaham and Arnon Erez, itself a notable feature of the disc, is quite wonderful in the tricky ensemble and fractured discourse of this sonata’ (The Strad)
The Romance was one of seven pieces of that title which Janáček composed as an exercise for Oscar Paul, his teacher at the Leipzig Conservatory, in 1878–9, and the only one that happens to survive. In the autograph manuscript, which was discovered in 1930 in the archive of the Teachers’ Institute at Brno, it is called 4. Romance (‘Romance No 4’). The score is dated 16 November 1879 and it is evidently the piece about which Janáček wrote to a friend on 17 November that Paul had liked it but thought it too ‘massive’ (‘wüchtig’) for a Romance. It is quite extended, with much careful imitation in the piano and quite a massive climax, but it is likely to impress the listener particularly for its sustained outpouring of romantic lyricism.

from notes by Calum MacDonald © 2010

La Romance fut l’une des sept pièces de ce titre écrites comme exercice pour son professeur Oscar Paul, au Conservatoire de Leipzig, en 1878–9—il se trouve qu’elle est la seule à nous avoir été conservée. Le manuscrit autographe, découvert en 1930 aux archives de l’Institut pédagogique, à Brno, porte la mention 4. Romance («Romance no 4»). La partition est datée du 16 novembre 1879 et c’est à l’évidence à elle que Janáček fait allusion le lendemain, quand il écrit à un ami que Paul l’avait bien aimée, même s’il l’avait trouvée trop «massive» («wüchtig») pour une romance. Elle s’étire en longueur, avec force imitations pianistiques soignées et un apogée des plus massifs, mais elle ne manquera sûrement pas d’impressionner les auditeurs, surtout par son indéfectible épanchement de lyrisme romantique.

extrait des notes rédigées par Calum MacDonald © 2010
Français: Hypérion

Die Romance ist das einzige überlieferte von sieben Stücken, die Janáček unter diesem Titel 1878/79 als Übungen für seinen Lehrer Oscar Paul am Leipziger Conservatorium der Musik komponierte. Die Handschrift wurde 1930 im Archiv des Lehrerinstituts in Brno entdeckt und trägt den Titel „4. Romance“. Die vom 16. November 1879 datierte Partitur ist augenscheinlich das Stück, über das Janáček am 17. November an einen Freund schrieb, dass Oscar Paul es zwar gut fand, aber zu „wuchtig“ für eine Romanze. Es ist recht ausladend mit viel sorgfältiger Imitation auf dem Piano und einem recht massiven Höhepunkt, beeindruckt den Hörer wahrscheinlich jedoch vor allem durch seinen anhaltenden Strom romantischer Lyrik.

aus dem Begleittext von Calum MacDonald © 2010
Deutsch: Henning Weber

Waiting for content to load...
Waiting for content to load...