Scènes de la csárda No 12 'Piczi tubiczám', Op 83 (Hubay) - from CDA67441/2 - Hyperion Records

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)

A beautiful, slow song, to be performed sadly (tristamente), opens No 12. It is stated only once by the violin with an unembellished harmonic accompaniment in the piano. A solo violin interlude leads to the moderato four-bar tune with two variations (‘They say, my little sweetheart, You don’t love me any more’). A short reminder of the opening song and a violin passage bring us to an A–B–A form csárdas dance tune, which has variations on the first part (in the major). The minor-key middle section is twice repeated. A fast, sixteen-bar additional subject with modulative alterations encompasses the finale.

Une très belle chanson lente à jouer avec tristesse (tristamente) ouvre la no 12, «Ma petite tourterelle». Elle n’est présentée qu’une fois par le violon, avec un accompagnement harmonique sans fioritures au piano. Un interlude au piano seul mène au motif moderato à quatre mesures, et deux variations («Ils disent, ma petite bien-aimée, que tu ne m’aimes plus»). Un court rappel de la chanson d’ouverture et un passage au violon introduisent une danse csárdás de forme A–B–A, dont la première partie (ton majeur) emploie des variations. La section centrale dans un ton mineur est répétée deux fois. Un sujet rapide à seize mesures vient compléter l’ensemble par ses altérations de modulation, et englobe le finale.

Ein wunderschönes, langsames Lied, das traurig (tristamente) auszuführen ist, eröffnet Nr. 12, „Meine kleine Turteltaube“. Es wird nur einmal von der Violine mit einer schlichten harmonischen Klavierbegleitung gespielt. Ein Zwischenspiel für Solovioline leitet zu der viertaktigen Moderato-Melodie hinüber, die zwei Variationen hat („Sie sagen, mein kleiner Schatz, dass du mich nicht mehr liebst“). Es wird noch einmal kurz an das Anfangslied erinnert, bevor eine Violinpassage zu einer Csárdas-Tanzmelodie in einer A–B–A-Form hinüberleitet, deren erster Teil (in der Durtonart) variiert wird. Der Mittelteil in Moll wird zweimal wiederholt. Ein schnelles, sechzehntaktiges Thema mit Modulationen führt das Finale herbei.

Recording details: April 1998
Jerusalem Music Centre, Israel
Produced by Eric Wen
Engineered by Vadim Beili
Release date: March 2004
Total duration: 7 minutes 39 seconds

Scènes de la csárda No 12 'Piczi tubiczám', Op 83

Hagai Shaham (violin), Arnon Erez (piano)

Reviews

Introduction