Brahms & Busoni: Violin Concertos

by Francesca Dego, Dalia Stasevska, BBC Symphony Orchestra

Overview

Violinist Francesca Dego has been known mostly for virtuoso repertory and for smaller lyrical works, but here, entering mid-career, she takes on a pair of hefty Romantic concertos, ably supported by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and its principal guest conductor, Dalia Stasevska. There is a great deal to recommend the album, which landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2024. The Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, and Busoni Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35a, may seem an odd pair, with the Brahms intricately classical and never particularly idiomatic to the violin, while the Busoni is splashy and colorful, Italianate in the best way. Busoni's concerto is an early work, not terribly often recorded, and Dego's outing here is worth the price of admission on its own. Both slow movements are gorgeous, with Dego's nearly unparalleled ability to produce a long, soaring line on full display. The outer movements of the Brahms may be a matter of taste, for this is not the usual heroic Brahms; Dego seems to be trying to bring it closer to Busoni with a lighter tone and folkish elements in her playing. It may work, and it may not, but it is worth hearing for oneself, and the album provides further testimony that this highly charismatic violinist is becoming a major figure. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2024
Label:	CHANDOS
UPC:	0095115533321

Tracks

1. Concerto, Op. 35a, K243 in D major for Violin and Orchestra~Allegro moderato - Animando - Tranquillo - Più moderato - Allegro - Quasi adagio - Tempo I - Gemessen, mit Humor - Scherzoso - Animando -
2. Concerto, Op. 35a, K243 in D major for Violin and Orchestra~Quasi andante - Poco agitato - Tempo I - Più lento - Tranquillo -
3. Concerto, Op. 35a, K243 in D major for Violin and Orchestra~Allegro impetuoso - Tempo - (Schnell) - (Heflig) - Moderato - Alla Marcia, pomposo umoristico - Stringendo - Più stretto - Quasi presto - Più presto
4. Concerto, Op. 77 in D major for Violin with Orchestral Accompaniment~Allegro non troppo - Tranquillo - A tempo - Cadenza - Tranquillo - Animato
5. Concerto, Op. 77 in D major for Violin with Orchestral Accompaniment~Adagio - Poco a poco più largamente - Tempo I
6. Concerto, Op. 77 in D major for Violin with Orchestral Accompaniment~Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace - Poco più presto

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Francesca Dego   Primary Artist,Violin
Dalia Stasevska   Primary Artist,Conductor
BBC Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Ferruccio Busoni   Cadenza

Technical Credits

Mark Allan   Photography
Johannes Brahms   Composer
J.C. Schaarwachter   Photography
Ferruccio Busoni   Composer
Brian Pidgeon   Recording Producer
Stephen Bryant   Leader
Finn S. Gundersen   Booklet Editor
Andreas Klatt   Liner Note Translation
Ralph Couzens   Engineer
Marie-Francoise de Meeus   Liner Note Translation
Sue Shortridge   A&R
Martin Ennis   Liner Notes
Cass Cassidy   Design,Typesetting
Davide Cerati   Cover Photo,Photography
Francesca Dego   Liner Notes
Karen Marchlik   A&R
Alexander James   Photography,Assistant Engineer
Jonathan Cooper   Editing