Prokofiev: Violin Concertos

by Maria Milstein, Otto Tausk, Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland & Overijssel

Overview

Violinist Maria Milstein, apparently unrelated to Nathan Milstein, and the little-heralded and cumbersomely named Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland & Overijssel, under conductor Otto Tausk, face plenty of competition from better-known ensembles in the two violin concertos of Prokofiev. Yet this is a reading that is beautifully executed and deeply engages with the two works. The orchestra shows something of the depth of the Netherlands' orchestral bench, and Milstein's readings are rich and varied. The Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63, seems related to the tuneful, broadly popular style of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, composed in the same year of 1935, but it is actually a different kind of work with a spontaneous quality, and Milstein follows it adeptly through its many moods. She is crisp and lively in the castanet-flavored finale, and throughout, she seems closely coordinated with the orchestra. Channel Classics' sound from the Muziekcentrum Enschede, under the direction of veteran engineer Jared Sacks, is another draw in a Prokofiev concerto recording that can stand with any other on the market. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	01/27/2023
Label:	Channel Classics
UPC:	0723385452232
Rank:	182143

Tracks

1. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19~Andantino
2. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19~Scherzo: Vivacissimo
3. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19~Moderato
4. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63~Allegro moderato
5. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63~Andante assai
6. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63~Allegro, ben marcato

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Maria Milstein   Primary Artist,Violin
Otto Tausk   Primary Artist,Conductor
Phion, Orchestra of Gelderland & Overijssel   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

Jared Sacks   Producer,Mastering,Engineer,Editing
Valerie Lagarde   Design
Simon van Boxtel   Cover Image,Cover Photo,Photography
Peter Lockwood   Liner Note Translation
Nicolas Derny   Liner Notes
Maria Milstein   Liner Notes
Aline Lugand-Gris Souris   Artwork
Sergey Prokofiev   Composer
Dennis Collins   Liner Note Translation
Rick De Visser   Photography