Rare French works for violin and orchestra

This is a collection of absolute gems. The one-movement Concerto by Fauré is the only movement to have survived from an original three-movement violin concerto, and Saint-Saëns's Morceau de concert was originally intended as the first movement of his third violin concerto. Lalo's Fantaisie norvégienne, with its utterly gorgeous slow movement, was to become the inspiration behind Bruch's Scottish Fantaisie, and Guitarre is an early encore piece for violin and piano (later orchestrated by Gabriel Pierné) that Lalo (himself a violinist) wrote for his own use. Guiraud, who taught composition to both Debussy and Dukas, wrote the haunting Caprice for Sarasate, and the Poème by Canteloube shows much of the charm he is now so famed for through his Chants d'Auvergne.

The combination of Romantic French music for violin and orchestra, the ever-exquisite playing of Philippe Graffin, and superb accompaniment from the Ulster Orchestra under Thierry Fischer makes this disc quite simply enchanting.

CDH55396  71 minutes 11 seconds
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE
RECOMMANDÉ PAR RÉPERTOIRE
RECOMMANDÉ PAR CLASSICA
‘Graffin's intelligent and characterful playing serves up a rare feast … ‘Rare’ is doubly true: the quality of the playing here deserves that adjective … lusciously scored and richly violini ...
‘Everything here is delightful: the disc is a treasure trove of Gallic urbanity and fine technique … sumptuous … Philippe Graffin is one of the biggest young talents among French violinists— ...
‘Philippe Graffin is just the player for these delectable byways of late-Romantic French repertoire … pure sound, inflected by a magical range of legato bow strokes and vibratos … Graffin pl ...