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 CDA67441/2

Scènes de la csárda No 4 'Hejre Kati', Op 32

composer
1882/6

Hagai Shaham (violin), Arnon Erez (piano)
Recording details: April 1998
Jerusalem Music Centre, Israel
Produced by Eric Wen
Engineered by Vadim Beili
Release date: March 2004
Total duration: 5 minutes 46 seconds
 

Reviews

‘If ever there were a case of 'the singer, not the song' it's here with these Scènes de la csárda, attractive music played with the sort of heart-tugging abandon that many of us only know from old 78s. A happy tale from start to finish, kitsch of the highest order served with style and panache by Shaham and his excellent pianist Arnon Erez. With comprehensive annotation by Amnon Shaham and first rate production by Eric Wen (a fine violinist and teacher) this seems set to become a benchmark recording’ (Gramophone)

‘It's music that needs passionate advocacy if it's not to sound trite, and Hagai Shaham, who's already made an outstanding disc of two of Hubay's Violin Concertos, has it in his soul’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Hagai Shaham has tremendous flair, extraordinary technical facility, and an organic musical sense that makes it difficult to stop listening’ (American Record Guide)

‘The quality and commitment of the playing, beautifully recorded, gives considerable if unchallenging pleasure’ (The Strad)

‘Hagai Shaham's achievement here is heroic, and a monument to violin playing … if you are a violin sort of person, and the repertoire appeals, then buy these discs with confidence, as a tribute to a unique act of devotion to the cause by Shaham and Erez’ (Fanfare, USA)

Scènes de la csárda could certainly be one of the records of the year’ (Classical Source)

«Voici sans doute le plus bel hommage rendu au père fondateur de l'école hongroise de violon … un répertoire rare, servi de magistrale façon» (Diapason, France)
The fourth of the Scènes is the most famous of the set. It is based on three well-known melodies popular at the end of nineteenth century. The first originates from The Yellow Stallion (1877), and is still in the repertoire of many gypsy bands today. The words for the song read as follows: ‘I am the bad man of the village / Every dog barks at me from afar, / Not my father, nor my mother were wicked, / Only I, and I alone, am the villain.’ The next theme appears in The Love of a Young Baron (1875) composed by Lujza Oláh. The lyrics by the poet Erkel read: ‘Dark-red wine I’ve drunk tonight’ and concludes ‘Even being drunk – the girls still love me!’ The final bouncy tune which ends the work was also used by Brahms in his Hungarian Dance No 21, and is interrupted briefly by a slower melody.

from notes by Amnon Shaham © 2004

La quatrième des Scènes, dédicacée à l’ami violoniste de Hubay, Hugues Heermann, est la plus célèbre. Elle s’inspire de trois mélodies populaires très connues de la fin du dix-neuvième siècle. La première mélodie provient de l’Étalon jaune (1877), et figure toujours au répertoire de nombreux groupes gitans actuels. Les paroles de la chanson racontent: «Je suis le scélérat du village / Tous les chiens aboient à mon passage / Ni mon père, ni ma mère n’étaient mauvais / Seul moi, moi seul, suis le vaurien.» Le thème suivant apparaît dans L’amour d’un jeune baron (1875), composé par Lujza Oláh. Les paroles du poète Erkel disent en substance: «Rouge et sombre est le vin que j’ai bu ce soir» pour finir sur ces mots «Même saoul, les filles m’aiment toujours»! L’air entraînant qui conclut le morceau a été d’ailleurs repris par Brahms dans la Danse hongroise no 21, et se voit interrompre brièvement par une mélodie plus lente.

extrait des notes rédigées par Amnon Shaham © 2004
Français: Marie Luccheta

Die vierte Scène ist das berühmteste Stück des Zyklus’ und dem Geiger und Freund Hubays, Hugues Heermann, gewidmet. Es basiert auf drei Melodien, die am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts sehr bekannt waren. Die erste stammt aus dem Gelben Hengst (1877) und befindet sich noch heute im Repertoire vieler Zigeunergruppen. Der Liedtext lautet folgendermaßen: „Ich bin der böse Mann des Dorfes / Jeder Hund bellt mich schon von weitem an, / Weder mein Vater noch meine Mutter waren schlecht, / Nur ich und ich allein bin der Bösewicht.“ Das zweite Thema erklingt auch in Die Liebe eines jungen Barons (1875) von Lujza Oláh. Hier lauten die Worte des Dichters Erkel: „Dunkelroten Wein habe ich heute Abend getrunken“ und schließen mit „Selbst wenn ich betrunken bin, lieben mich die Mädchen!“ Die lebhafte Melodie mit der das Werk endet, wurde auch von Brahms in seinem Ungarischen Tanz Nr. 21 verwendet, und wird hier kurz von einer langsameren Melodie unterbrochen.

aus dem Begleittext von Amnon Shaham © 2004
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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